The Olive Woodpecker (Dendropicos griseocephalus) has made its reappearance at Delheim.

You usually see woodpeckers hanging onto the side of a tree – how do they manage it? Woodpeckers have special feet, with two toes that go forward and two that go back. It’s like having an extra thumb to help them hold on, and their sharp claws help too. Even the tail feathers help. These feathers are very stiff, and the bird can lean on them for support – it’s like having a little built-in stool!

When they hear an insect under a tree’s bark, they peck a hole with their long, straight and pointy beaks. Its extra-thick skull prevents it from getting a headache from all that pecking, while its tongue is extremely long with a sharp end for spiking bugs inside the tree. This tongue is also sticky, so it can attach to ants or lick up sap. The straight bill is also good for collecting nuts and berries.

Woodpeckers use their beaks to sing and drum on trees to attract a mate, the males more so than the females. The Olive Woodpecker is a monogamous bird which means that the bird finds and breeds with one partner for the rest of its life. Both help to peck a hole down into the tree by one to two feet, then make a wood chip nest at the bottom. Both also take turns sitting on the eggs and feeding the babies. Sounds like the male woodpecker makes an ideal husband!

Click here to hear its call.

Spotted at Delheim today, the Chin-Spot Batis (Batis molitor) which is also known as the White-flanked Batis, the Chin-spot Flycatcher, the Chin Spot Puffback Flycatcher and the Chin-spot Puffback.

In Afrikaans it is rather charmingly called a “Witliesbosbontrokkie”.

A common and widespread bird in Africa, primarily insectivorous, finding its food on the surfaces of leaves and occasionally catching insects such as butterflies, bees, wasps and locusts on the wing.

The plumage of the male is entirely black and white with a black bib, and the female has a rust-coloured spot on its throat for which this species is named.

Click here to hear its call.

A limited number of pre-booked guests will scatter throughout the forest in search of Boletus Edulis, Pine Rings and other delicacies, under the instruction of Nora Sperling-Thiel, and Adriaan Smit of the South African Gourmet Mushroom Academy. When the picking is done, the foragers will head to the Garden Restaurant to indulge in dishes that showcase the flavours for which wild mushrooms are famed.

The experience will commence at 10.30am on Monday 2July, and again on Tuesday 3 July, with a short-course in mushroom identification – a very important precursor to avoid mushroom poisoning! – followed by the foraging exercise at 11.30am in the forest above the cellar. A special lunch featuring wild mushroom dishes will be served at 12.30pm. Tickets are priced at R250 per person and must be booked at restaurant@delheim.com or telephone 021 888 4607; or via the Delheim website, www.delheim.com.

Those who miss out can still enjoy a wild mushroom menu featuring at the Garden Restaurant throughout Mushroom Week, from Monday 2 to Sunday 8 July. A set menu sitting is priced at R130 per person and bookings are strongly advised.

Ward off the winter chills on Sunday afternoons with lashings of piping hot cheese fondue swirled to toe-tapping tunes when Delheim’s Jazz and Cheese Fondue events kick off on 24 June.

Every Sunday thereafter up to August 5, guests will be ushered in to the cosy downstairs cellar at the Stellenbosch wine estate, where steaming pots of Swiss fondue await. These will be prepared to an authentic recipe, with farm-fresh bread and crisp crudités to swirl, and a glass of traditional glühwein to start the festivities. A popular local jazz band will play from 12h30 until 15h30, and guests are welcome to linger until tasting room closing at 17h00.

Bookings are essential, telephone 021 888 4607, or email restaurant@delheim.com. Tickets are priced at R150 per head, while a limited child-friendly menu will accommodate younger guests. Starters and desserts can be ordered separately from the Garden Restaurant.

Dates: Sundays: 24 June, 1 July, 8 July, 15 Juyl, 22 July, 29 July, 5 August @ 12h30

Delheim has been awarded Level One Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment status, the highest level attainable!

The 2003 BEE Act (Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Bill) is a framework Act to permit the Department of Trade and Industry to issue Codes of Good Practice to motivate and measure Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment within all government bodies, public and private organisations that interact with the state and within enterprises who require licences or government concessions or who acquire assets from the state.

In terms of the seven elements identified in the codes, Delheim rated most highly against employment equity, preferential procurement, enterprise development and socio-economic development, outstripping the targeted levels in each of these.

The Sperling family has long-held views on the rights of our employees. The Delheim program of contribution towards living standards, education, health and wellbeing is a reflection of our goal to attain the highest ethical standards exhibited internationally.

Come join the Wine & Jazz Market @ Hotel Izulu On Sunday 25 March 2012, Hotel Izulu in Ballito, in conjunction with Delheim Wine Estate will host its well-known Wine Market. Guests can enjoy a day of food and wine pairing from 12:00 onwards while being entertained by the band ‘Afritude’ at a cost of R150.00 per person.

The food and wine pairing options are – Smoked salmon on a potato crisp with a chive crème fraîche paired with Delheim Pinotage Rosé or fillet of sole served on a cucumber riata with a lemon dressing paired with Delheim Heerenwijn Sauvignon Blanc/Chenin, or Durban chicken bunny chow paired with Delheim Spatzendreck.

Further options include – Mini Yorkshire pudding filled with a lamb ragout paired with Delheim Merlot, or fillet of beef and sweet onion spring roll served with a Cabernet jus and paired with Delheim Cabernet Sauvignon.

Hotel Izulu’s Deli will also offer soup, cheese boards, breads, biscuits and Hotel Izulu’s famous fudge.

Kid’s selection includes burgers, hot dogs and ice cream cones.

All of the wines are available for purchase at a special reduced price by the bottle. Wine chillers are also available to purchase at R79 each.

To book tickets for the Wine & Jazz Market, contact Ronine from Hotel Izulu on 032 946 3444.

See the video of last month’s event here: IZULU WINE MARKET.mov

Victor, Ronél, Vera en Spatz Sperling met Riaan Cruywagen

Kan jy nou glo – Riaan Cruywagen se eerste televisieopvoering was in 1975! Dit is die jaar waarin Angela Jolie en Tiger Woods gebore is, die naam Microsoft gepatenteer is, en die heel eerste mobiele foon en weggooibare skeermes vrygestel is. As deel van die Universiteit van Stellenbosch Woordfees se Woord en Wyn program, het Riaan op Vrydag, 9 Maart vir twaalf uitgesoekte gaste oor middagete op die Delheim restaurant terras onthaal met sy kwinkslae oor sy lang loopbaan.

Hier is ‘n interessante onderhoud uit die WOORDfees se tydskrif LIP, Universiteit Stellenbosch Dept Joernalistiek, Maart 2012:

Riaan die Rock-ster!

Riaan Cruywagen die nuuslegende het ’n nuwe blaadjie omgeslaan. Hy dra nou Ray Ban Aviators en slaan die kitaar in sy vrye tyd. Hy is tydens die Woordfees vereer in die program Immergroen: Riaan Cruywagen. Roné Mc Farlane het hom uitgevra.

Riaan, deesdae vervul jy ’n ander rol as net dié van nuusleser. Jy is deel van die popkultuur én ’n ikoon. Hoe ervaar jy dit?

Ek geniet dit, want ek bly jonk van gees. Ek glo ouderdom is bloot van akademiese belang. ’n Mens is so oud soos jy voel … of, soos Fanus Rautenbach gesê het: ’n Mens is net so oud soos die meisie wat jy voel!

Hoe het dit gebeur?

Eintlik per ongeluk, hoor. Die ding het begin met die Jan Blohm-video. André Calitz (vervaardiger van die video) het my gebel om te vra of ek die rol van Jan Blohm sal speel in sy musiekvideo. Hy het gesê hy weet ek sal nie instem nie, maar hy moet net kan sê hy het my gevra. Ek sê toe vir hom: Natuurlik sal ek dit doen! Ek is ’n bok vir sports!

Hoe voel dit om ’n rock-ster te wees?

Noem my in Afrikaans eerder ’n “klipster”. Ek het 30 jaar jonger gevoel. Dit was ontsettend lekker om net vir ’n dag soos ’n vreeslike jongmens te voel. En te staan en skud met ’n kitaar in die hand, wat ek in my lewe nog nooit gedoen het nie!

As jy nou jou loopbaan as rockster verder voer, sou jy oorweeg om jou haarstyl te verander?

O ja verseker! Punk!

Daar is tot by die Stellenbosse kuierplek, Die Mystic Boer, ’n pizza na jou vernoem. Weet jy daarvan?

Nee! My wêreld, so mense kan my selfs eet? Ek weet toe ek klein was, het my ouma vir my gesê: “Jy’s so oulik ek kan jou opeet!”

Video: http://woordfees2012.tumblr.com/post/19339353614/die-legendariese-riaan-cruywagen-by-die-us

Posted by Anthony Keane, Manager of O’Brien’s Wines, Athlone, Ireland

In a word WOW!!!! Met at the airport by Victor Sperling, part-owner and viticulturist at Delheim. He drove us from Cape Town to DelVera – one half of the Delheim Winery – which overlooks Stellenbosch and Table Mountain. To me Italy had always been the most beautiful countryside, but South Africa has now kicked this into touch! Brought out for dins that evening by part-owner Nora Sperling and her husband that night in a lovely little restaurant in Stellenbosch.

The next two days were in amazing. We were picked up by Warren of Guardian Peak and brought to Rust en Vrede for a vineyard tour and wine tasting which included the entire range all the way up to the 1694 blend. After this brought up to the Guardian Peak restaurant in the mountains for lunch and full-range tasting of Guardian Peak wines. Warren then again picked us up and brought us to meet owner Jean at the Rust en Vrede restaurant, ranked 67 in the world! – Bono couldn’t get a table two months ago! – There’s a three-month waiting list here. We went for the 6-course tasting menu. We hit it off immediately with Jean and had a great night, the four of us.

Next morning off to Glen Carlou in Paarl, which amazed us. The amount of money invested there and the machinery they use is incredible. Johan the GM was a fantastic guy and took us around the different areas of the vineyards which include his gem of “Stone Quarry” soil they use for their Chardonnay which their brand is built around. They have such a real love and passion for their country and the land they work. Full tour/tasting here also with Arco Laarman the winemaker followed by lunch and more wine!

Another “bri” that night with Jean and Cobie from Ruste en Vrede. We had a night that nearly killed us but that’s how Jean rolls!!!!

Off to Delheim’s DelVera next morning where we met Nora – after so much we asked if we could chill, so she brought us to stay in Morgenhof winery for the night. We stayed in the manor house which is usually for royalty, and a few months previous the King of Sweden stayed in my room!! Victor popped over for a beer in the afternoon before bringing us for dinner in Stellebosch.

Next morning, back to Delheim with Victor to meet up with their new winemaker Reg, who has just joined them from Neil Ellis where he spent five years. Brought for a drive through their vineyards stopping at every occasion for snaps and tasting the grapes. Full tasting and tour followed with Reg and got to taste some really fantastic stuff. After breakfast a tour guide brought us around the coast and Cape of Good Hope and six hours later we arrived at our hotel in Cape Town. We chilled and got ready for our 28-hour journey home.

A fantastic trip and the people we met were so nice. We all just hit it off. We were so lucky as every day we saw the harvest taking place in each of the vineyards, a real treat. And to be brought around the cellars and given sample tastes from tanks and barrels at all different stages of fermentation was out of this world; I will never forget it.

~ Anthony

Am 13. November 2011 war es soweit. Das Flugzeug, inklusive mir, startete in Richtung Südafrika, mein derzeitiges zu Hause. Nun arbeite ich und lebe ich auf dem Weingut Delheim in Stellenbosch. Als Praktikantin habe ich eine kleine Flat auf der Farm und so bin ich direkt ins Geschehen integriert.

Es ist faszinierend wie viele Leute Delheim kennen und seit vielen, vielen Jahren herkommen um den legendären “Spatzendreck” zu probieren. Ich bin stolz auf eines der berühmtesten Weingüter Stellenbosches gelandet zu sein im Jahre 2011, wie damals Spatz Sperling hier gelandet ist im Jahre 1951! Es ist eine andere Welt und ich kann mich ein bisschen in seine Lage hineinversetzen (auch wenn es viel einfacher für mich jetzt ist als für Ihn damals).

Da ich vor allem meine Englischkenntnisse verbessern will und mit Menschen zusammen arbeiten möchte, arbeite ich im “Downstairs”, dem charmanten Tastingroom (manche Wörter sollte man einfach nicht übersetzen). Zuerst war ich sehr überrascht, da es ja immer anders kommt als wie man es sich vorstellt. Ich dachte mir, dass ich in einer Art Shop arbeite, Wein verkaufe oder im Restaurant bediene. Fehlgeschlagen, viel besser! Hier im “Downstairs” herrscht ein reges Kommen und Gehen ( und ich bin mitten drin)! Die Gäste kommen gezielt hierher um ein Tasting zu machen d.h. Weine zu probieren. Sie suchen sich verschiedene Weine aus und wir bringen den gewünschten Wein mit Hintergrundinformationen zu dem Wein und das Weingut! Jeder Wein hat eine Geschichte, so macht es sehr großen Spaß jede Geschichte zu erzählen und zu sehen, dass es den Gästen gefällt.

Das Schöne an dieser Arbeit ist, dass ich den Gästen etwas geben kann, Wissen um den Wein oder Delheim, und dass auch ich gleichzeitig etwas von den Gästen lernen kann. So ist kein Tag wie der andere! Jeder Tag ist etwas besonderes. Das bedeutet für mich, ich muss flexible sein. So passiert es, dass ich einen Tag im Restaurant, einen Tag in der Küche oder einen Tag im Office arbeite.

Zu dem bieten wir ( ich fühle mich als volles Mitglied der Delheim Familie) zweimal täglich Touren durch den Keller an. Nach anfänglichen Schwierigkeiten werde ich immer besser und selbstbewusster. Zwar bin ich mit Wein aufgewachsen und auch Weinkönigin, aber das heißt noch lange nicht, dass ich alles um den Wein weiß. Eine Selbsterkenntnis, die ich hier erlangt habe. Also habe ich einiges neues gelernt und natürlich auch auf Englisch.

Ich muss sagen, dass es mir sehr leicht gefallen ist, mich hier wie zu Hause zu fühlen. Alle sind sehr freundlich und haben versucht mich so gut es geht zu integrieren. Vor allem dank Familie Sperling (Mr und Mrs Sperling sind zu einer Art Großeltern Ersatz für mich geworden). Es stehen die Türen jeder Zeit für mich offen. Dafür bin ich sehr dankbar.

Liebe Familie Sperling, Vielen herzlichen Dank für die Unterstützung und Hilfe, die ich von Ihnen allen bekomme. Ich bin stolz darauf ein Teil der Delheimfamilie sein zu können und ich bedanke mich auch für Ihre Herzlichkeit und Ihr Verständnis für meine Situation. Ich kann nur jeden empfehlen, Delheim zu besuchen und diese besondere Atmosphäre zu genießen und zu fühlen. Es ist nicht leicht, einen so großen Schritt zu wagen und in ein fremdes Land zu gehen, wo man keinen kennt und auf sich allein gestellt ist, aber mit Hilfe von vielen lieben Menschen kann ein fremdes Lang ganz schnell zu einer Heimat werden.

Victoria

More than twenty top Stellenbosch wine cellars, including Delheim, will descend onto our other farm DelVera just up the R44 from us, when the Greater Simonsberg Sub-Route of the Stellenbosch American Express® Wine Routes shares its finest gems during a vibrant Market Day on Sunday, 11 March 2012.

Young and old can delight in a fun-filled family day blended with the finest wines from the Simonsberg area, country food, craft stalls with proudly local produce, harvest activities, mountain biking, hiking and horse rides. The younger crowd will have barrels of fun in the play corner or enjoy go-carts, the trampoline, jungle gym, bootcamp obstacle course, and a kid’s theatre production of “Bazoo en die Spookpaddas”.

Tel: 021 886 8275 | events@wineroute.co.za