Closer to Home: Knorhoek’s Towerbosch Earth Kitchen

These days the wine lands represent ideas of the good life - sophistication, culture, class - and people travel to far flung destinations around the globe just for a taste. Yet here in South Africa we have the best of these things plus the pioneering foundation of our history to draw inspiration from. Under its romantic sheen the heart of our wine country is formed by the simplistic honesty of farming, good old fashioned values and the persevering strength of family.

A few generational farms still exist – special places like the Knorhoek Wine Estate in Stellenbosch – and today I’ve been invited to lunch. I’ve heard it feels like home – that it’s a place with the power to revive old memories, to make them feel new again, especially the mundane ones that multiply in importance as the years go by, like afternoons with family over a good home cooked meal, or when I was a girl playing in the garden for hours on end. I live far away from my family now and those times hold a special place in my heart, so I found the prospect of revisiting them intriguing.

From the outside the building looks like a fairy hut – inviting and warm, low to the ground – and it stretches along the length of the pool. Inside it feels light and airy with a vaulted ceiling and exposed wooden beams, from which a contemporary artwork is suspended for dramatic effect. Like a new age chandelier it’s a bird’s nest of tangled twigs and branches, foraged from the grounds of the estate before being white-washed and woven in place. Punctuating this organic bramble are glowing bouquets of glass bulbs and patches of antique cutlery – floating butter knives and hovering spoons, along with tea cups and saucers in odd bins of china, porcelain and ceramics – caught in mid-air. The dining area is flanked by a lounge filled with books, travelogues and at least a decade’s worth of neatly packed National Geographic magazines, like big blocks of wonder waiting to be unlocked. Yellow curtains dance on the breeze, serenaded by the contemporary Afrikaans music that wanders from the kitchen to the dining area.

Our host, Jean Pierre, invites us to settle in and shares the Asado menu with us, a traditional Sunday roast-up with all the trimmings. We order a bottle of the Knorhoek Cabernet Sauvignon – rated four-stars by the John Platter Guide and a great partner for the lamb to come. We toast and savour our first sips - juicy, berry rich, classically oaked. Dish by dish, lunch is introduced. We start with empanadas – a pocket stuffed with lamb encased in a light shell. Shortly afterwards we’re treated to fresh bread – the crust is crisp and the crumb is soft, still warm from the oven – accompanied by homemade apricot jam – I think the best I’ve ever had. The next course is a generous bowl of smorsnoek and curried onions – a lovely combination of sweet, sour and spicy.

Before the main course arrives we take some time to meander outside on the lawn and lounge in the shade of the gazebo. We chat with a large family nearby, enjoying the day at picnic tables under the oaks. Their children romp freely just out of earshot but still within sight – climbing over the jungle gym, holding court on the stage (available for formal functions) and rearranging the deck chairs between splashes in the pool. As I watch them I can’t help but feel the twinkle in my eyes.

Back at the table the curtain begins to rise on the main event. Like performers in a gastronomic ballet the wait staff deliver choreographed indulgence to the table – broccoli and cauliflower gratin, marmalade sweet potatoes, crispy roast potato wedges, a salad just picked from the garden and finally, our new centrepiece, a platter of perfectly pink sirloin and shoulder of lamb so tender it seems to throw itself onto my fork with the slightest bit of nudging – just like my dad’s. Dessert is a toffee apple pudding – sweetly dense and gooey, almost like my grandma’s famous upside-down-cake. With each bite I feel a small helping of comfort, and maybe – just maybe – a little closer to home.

• LUNCH: WED-SUN FROM 12H00 TIL 3H00 (BOOKING ESSENTIAL)
• DINNER: ON REQUEST, FOR A MINIMUM OF 15 GUESTS
• LICENSED: YES
• AMBIANCE: CLOSER TO HOME
• AVERAGE MAIN COURSE: R130 FOR TWO COURSES OR R160 FOR THREE COURSES; ASADO LUNCH, R165
• ADDRESS: AT THE END OF KNORHOEK ROAD, OFF THE R44, STELLENBOSCH
• TEL: 021 865 2958
• EMAIL: TOWERBOSCH@KNORHOEK.CO.ZA