by Katrin Haller, German intern at Delheim

In the playground

As you enter the gate of Delheim wine farm during the day, the first thing you hear is either noise of playing or singing children. Where does it come from?  So I went to find out – Delheim’s crèche, they call it.

Delheim’s  “official” crèche was founded 11 years ago. By now it is attended by 22 children including three babies. Geraldine, a qualified teacher and the heart of it, has been there from the very beginning. Today she is supported by Diah and Johanna, a professional cook.  Delheim is one of a few farms where you will find a crèche, pre-school/kindergarden and an after-school-club. Even children from off the farm attend the crèche; right now there are seven of them.

After-School Classroom

Delheim’s crèche is part of the Pebbles Project.  Pebbles’ vision is to enrich the lives of children from disadvantaged

Baby Crèche

backgrounds with special educational needs through providing support and training to local crèches and primary school children. For instance they take care of the after-school club, where they support the children in their homework and also provide supervision, art, sport, literacy and life skills activities for primary and high school children.

At 15h00 I turned left at the sign and walked a few metres when I arrived first at the playground. So far it was fairly calm. Strange, was my first thought.  But as I was later told, the small ones have their “middagslapie” till 15h00.

I entered the gate where some of the kids had parked their creative and self-built cars.

Self-Built Cars

On the stairway there were some homeless shoes and step by step I approached a vibrant child’s world. I opened the first door and

Theme of the Week Display

stood in the middle of the after-school club, where the older ones do their homework – a room full of colourful books and games. The kids are supported by one Pebbles employee  twice a week and Delheim´s Matilda, who is there four times a week from 14h00-17h00. I guess they were quite happy for this short break.

Outside I met Diah, who takes care of the babies. Then I met Geraldine and the children in the main building, a nicely painted big room with a stage and areas for different uses eg a painting corner, books, games…..

Blowing bubbles!

The kids’ day at the crèche starts at 8h00 by usually playing outdoors in the playground. At about 9h00 everyone gathers for the “morning ring”. Geraldine told me that the children sing songs and talk about a specific theme. This week’s theme is “SUMMER”. So Geraldine decorated a table in a corner with typical items according to the theme such as sunhat,

Junior Spidermen!

sunglasses, crème, clothes, and summer food. In the meantime Johanna, our cook, prepares breakfast for the kids, so every child gets a healthy, balanced meal. Tuesday is a very special day, because that is when Johanna prepares their favourite meal – Spaghetti Bolognese, Geraldine tells.  “Lekker”, I thought.  After lunch they all fall asleep to boost their energy levels again.

Playing on the Slide

Playing "vrot eier"

Today is the second day that four young students from the Paul Roos High School attended; Johan, Werich, Rhynhardt and Abrie are participating in a social leadership course. They are creative with the kids, do sports and play outdoor games. Today they did face painting, and  the kids quickly got fascinated. The boys mostly wanted to be Spider- or Batman, while the girls loved the flowers. Little Angel, Rosaliene, Amanda, Johnuin and Marschial decided to paint me. They used every inch of skin on my face, so in this case it’s good that it is so big .

Katrin and little painters

With all our bright and colourful faces we went to the playground to enjoy even more the sandbox and the slide, which has lately been built and enlarged by Sidney, our carpenter. This was all made possible through donations; thank you. 

The afternoon was even topped by the bright coloured bubble-blowing kit that the four boys had brought along. What fun!!  Kids always need to be stimulated so we moved on to play soccer with them (a talent scout should come and see them), and games such as “vrot eier”, (rotten eggs), a fun circle game. Before the parents picked up the children and babies, we gathered for a picture.

Colourful Katrin

The whole crèche was looking forward to the upcoming fundraising braai the next day.  With these events the parents try to raise money to improve and enlarge the facilities. One of the next projects will be a swing and a see-saw. Good luck with your efforts!!!

And a “baie dankie” to all of you who have made this crèche so special and vibrant.

Group photo

Delheim's lantern

Delheim made a virtual lantern to support Earth Hour – go here to make yours:

http://www.earthhour.org/kids/MakeALantern.aspx

Your lantern is a symbol of hope and represents your support for a sustainable future.

Remember to also turn off your lights for one hour on 26 March 2011 at 20h30 no matter where you are on the planet.

Tomorrow is Pancake Day, also known as Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday. Pancakes and doughnuts are associated with this, the day preceding Lent, because they were a way to use up rich foodstuffs such as eggs, milk, and sugar, before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent. The liturgical fasting emphasized eating plainer food and refraining from food that would give pleasure: In many cultures, this means no meat, dairy, or eggs.

Just for fun, try this delicious grape-syruped pancake recipe:

 Grape Syruped Crepes Recipe

 Introduce these Grape Syruped Crepes to your yearning taste buds, they’ll not ask for anything else for a long time to come – perfect for Shrove Tuesday!

 Ingredients

 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 ½ cups milk

2 eggs

1 ½ teaspoons grated lemon peel

2 teaspoons lemon juice

½ teaspoon vanilla

400g whipped cream cheese

1/3 cup chopped pecans

450g can frozen grape juice concentrate, thawed

4 teaspoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons sugar

 How to make Grape Syruped Crepes

 In mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, milk, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon lemon peel, lemon juice, and vanilla; beat till smooth.
Lightly grease a 6-inch skillet; heat.
Remove from heat; spoon in about 2 tablespoons batter.
Rotate pan so batter is spread evenly over bottom.
Return to heat; brown on one side only.
To remove, invert pan over paper toweling.
Repeat with remaining batter, greasing pan occasionally.
Spread unbrowned side of each crepe with cream cheese and sprinkle with pecans.
Roll up.
In blazer pan of chafing dish gradually stir grape juice into cornstarch.
Add 1/2 cup water.
Cook quickly over direct heat, stirring constantly, till thickened and bubbly.
Stir in sugar and the remaining lemon peel.
Add filled crepes.
Heat through.
Garnish with additional shredded lemon peel, if desired.

 Enjoy with a glass of chilled Delheim Edelspatz Noble Late Harvest.

by Katrin Haller, German intern at Delheim

My two days spent harvesting in the Delheim vineyards.

It all started with a romantic picture in my head about working in the vineyards. Idyllic scenery, hard physical work outside while letting your thoughts go, and even being part of a great product in the end. When I met Nora Sperling-Thiel in Hamburg at a mutual friend’s house, I told her that I would like to work in the vineyards for at least two weeks.  She looked at me, laughed and said: “I do not understand why everybody romanticizes working in the vineyards. It´s hard work in a hot climate. After two days you will be tired of it.” “Ah, no problem, that´s what I want”, I thought.

For two days I helped and experienced the harvest in Delheim’s vineyards. I had been looking forward to this for weeks and that’s why I chose Tuesday, the hottest day thus far during my stay at 40°C, and Wednesday, which was a (relatively!) cool 27°C. On Tuesday morning my alarm went off at 5 o´clock. Still dark outside and even the dogs were still asleep. So I packed my cool bag with a 5 litre canister of water and food for the day. Put on long trousers, shirt, solid outdoor boots and a cap. Only my face was not covered, so I put sunscreen on it. From my experience now, I would advise that you take real sun block or use what the workers do: a product called “Gentle Magic”.

At 6am we all met in the yard. Sakkie and Andri briefed us on where and what grapes we were going to be harvesting that day – Merlot.  The group split itself into and onto the different transportation vehicles. The whole procession of tractors with trailers and bakkies went up the road to DelVera. I was driving one of the bakkies loaded with my new colleagues. It’s fun driving a roaring pickup, feeling a little bit like an “African cowboy”. DelVera is the Sperling family’s other farm, 6km north-east from Delheim on the R44, where it grows most of its red grapes.

The wonderful array of bags on the pole

At our destination, rows of Merlot stretched out waiting to be picked. Everyone got out of the car or off the trailer and hung their bags on a vineyard pole; a whole collection ranging from plastic bags, to cotton bags, to chic, shiny handbags!  The foreman welcomed us and gave instructions on which Merlot grapes we should be picking today, for example to leave the nearly raisiny ones.  Equipped with a pair of secateurs to cut the grapes and a crate I followed Herold. He showed me the trick of fast and quality grape picking and how I could avoid cutting myself. Ha ha.  At the end of the day I had at least four cuts, which certainly had nothing to do with his teaching. Oh well.

Our harvest team is a mixture out of women and men of different ages. I was wondering why some women wore a yellow cream mask; soon I assumed it to be a sunscreen. As I mentioned at the beginning, this was probably the hottest day, and after a while all my sunscreen had run down my face. I asked my colleague Cynthia what kind of cream they use, and she showed me the bottle of “Gentle Magic”.

Katrin and Cynthia: yellow-faced!

This yellow lotion is an extract from the yellow oak tree and protects your skin from burning.  “Just the right thing for me”, I thought, so Cynthia put it on my face. Everybody laughed. Sure, I would not win a beauty contest with it on, but this was not the purpose anyway.  Later on I could even help out with my own sunscreen, as you can see.

"Gentle Magic"

Back to the harvest. There is a team doing the picking, a team carrying the full crates to the trailer and a team on the tractor – a driver and the person who sorts the grapes and passes the tokens for every full crate. The pickers get paid by crate, which motivates them to do an “engaged” picking. How quick there are!!!  They fill between 60 to 70 crates a day. My contribution was that I helped, the women of course, to fill up their crates with the grapes I picked. I took turns, because as soon you help someone for too long, the first complains start arising. After a case is full they shout in different tunes and volumes that they need a new one:  “crate!” the men would shout, and some women would call:”caseeeeeee” or “casee, casee, casee”. In between people sing, some listen to the radio or music, and some crack jokes and motivate each other.

Yellow Me, White You

At 9h00 we had a breakfast break.  The women sat down in the shade of the vines and the men played cards. Then the same picking procedure went on until lunch. Everyone was happy to get into the shade at lunch and have a nap under a tree. With the heat on this day it was really important to drink a lot of water – I know that I at least finished my 5 litre container.  At three o´clock my body started really getting tired and I motivated myself by telling myself : “Katrin, you started with them and you will finish with them”.

At 16h30 we started packing up and the convoy went home to Delheim. When I arrived back at the offices my colleagues welcomed me and started laughing, because I looked exhausted and dirty, but happy.  That evening I really enjoyed the after-work beer and stretching my sore body. I fell asleep by 9pm.

Playing cards

Even though I had quite a lot of sleep, I still felt tired the next morning – but I knew another eventful day was awaiting me. This time we harvested Chenin Blanc grapes at Delheim and then went on to DelVera to pick the Shiraz. The daily schedule was the same as the day before, except that this time I cut myself only once, I got to know more about my new colleagues and I became faster at picking. On the way home that evening, Sabina assured me that everybody feels sore and tired for the first days of harvest. Thank you, that made me feel better.

That evening I saw Nora again and she asked me if I still wanted to spend another 12 days in the vineyards. I looked at her and said: “OK, you were right. So far, at least with the heat, two days is enough.”  I truly respect the hard physical work the vineyard teams do. The romantic dissipates as you strive hard to get the grapes in quickly to preserve their quality and earn your living. It was a great intercultural and valuable experience, and I would do it again.

Winemaker Brenda van Niekerk reports that the cellar is hectically busy at the moment – we are experiencing a severe heat wave which is causing all the grape varieties to ripen at the same time and of course they all need to be taken off the vine and processed as soon as possible. We are currently even harvesting the Cabernet Sauvignon which is way earlier in the season than usual.  At this rate, we expect that the harvest could be completed as early as the end of next week.

Vasbyt, vineyard and cellar teams – you will have earned a well-deserved break after this!

UPDATE Monday, 14 March 2011:  Well, the cooler weather has helped a great deal, and we are still busy with the harvest.

The South African Youth Choir

In aid of Stellenbosch Child Welfare, Delheim presents Ariel Ramírez’ MISA CRIOLLA performed by THE SOUTH AFRICAN YOUTH CHOIR conducted by André van der Merwe and featuring Minette du Toit-Pearce (mezzo-soprano).

 In 1964, Argentine composer Ariel Ramírez’ monumental Misa Criolla marked the beginning of a period of high musical productivity for the composer. The Misa Criolla was an early non-Latin Mass.   The Washington Post described Misa Criolla as “a stunning artistic achievement, combining Spanish text with indigenous instruments and rhythms”. It led to album sales numbering in the millions internationally. Ramírez once told The Jerusalem Post how Misa Criolla was inspired by a visit to Germany after World War II. He had an encounter with a group of nuns, which led him to consider writing “a spiritual piece”. This would eventually become the Misa Criolla.

 The Misa, a mass for either male or female soloists, chorus and orchestra, is based on folk genres such as chacarera, carnavalito and estilo pampeano, with Andrean influences and instruments.  Through the years recordings have been made with famous soloists such as George Dalaras (1989), José Carreras (1990), and Mercedes Sosa (1999). Plácido Domingo recorded the Kyrie (i.e. the first movement of the Misa) with Dominic Miller on guitar in 2003. 

 Now, the vibrant and exciting South African Youth Choir will join forces with mezzo-soprano Minette du Toit-Pearce for one performance only at 19h30 on the evening of 22 July 2011 in the atmospheric cellar at the historical Delheim wine farm near Stellenbosch as the opening act of the annual Stellenbosch Wine Festival.

 The choir, conducted by internationally acclaimed, highly innovative conductor André van der Merwe with Elzeth Germishuys as accompanist, is truly going from strength to strength. Not only did they grace last year’s Huisgenoot Skouspel stages, both at GrandWest and Sun City, with their contagious energy and excellent musicianship, but they also received two SAMA nominations and performed at the 2010 Die Burger Pops. They also performed at Tuynhuis recently at an event attended by President Jacob Zuma and other prominent dignitaries.

Du Toit-Pearce is a full time singing lecturer at the University of Stellenbosch. She is a much celebrated mezzo-soprano who has won many awards, including the ATKV Muzique competition in 2006 where she was declared the overall winner. She completed her Unisa Performers Licentiate cum laude and was placed on their roll of honours. Percussion instruments will be played by choir members.

Tickets for the performance are R280pp, with all proceeds going to Stellenbosch Child Welfare. Bookings essetial at delheim@delheim.com or phone 021 888 4600.

Well, the short answer is, not like the grapes you buy at your grocery store!  At Delheim we are committed to offering you an honest, unpretentious look at the magic of winemaking, so join us for a relaxed, fun opportunity to taste the actual grape varietals together with the wines made from them.  This exclusive and educational tasting will be conducted by Winemaker Brenda van Niekerk on Sunday, 20 February 2011 at 11h00 in Delheim’s Vat Cellar, and costs R50pp. Only a very limited number of guests can be accommodated, so please book early at delheim@delheim.com or tel. 021 888 4600.

by Myrna Robins, 4 February 2011 

We’re seated in a living area off the farm office at Delheim on a sweltering morning, Vera and Spatz Sperling and an assortment of Jack Russells in prime positions on, in front of and under chairs.

Daughter Nora serves iced water and leaves us to travel back in time some 60 years when the Sperlings started farming at Delheim.

This was on a portion of the original 17th century grant named De Driesprongh.

No ordinary octogenarian: Spatz Sperling tastes the flaghip Delheim Grand Reserve.

Although a trained farmer, Spatz had no knowledge of winemaking but enthusiasm and determination, with advice from other German winemakers living at the Cape, all helped and by 1970 Delheim was an established Simonsberg producer and Spatz was already renowned for his colourful personality and warm hospitality.

 In 1971 Frans Malan of Simonsig, Spatz Sperling of Delheim and Niel Joubert of Spier started the first wine route in South Africa with a dozen members, a pioneering forerunner to the present Stellenbosch Wine Routes with 130 members. In those days not only was wine tourism non-existent, but, given the extent of restrictive laws governing the industry, it’s something of a miracle that anyone bought wine.

 The iron fist of the KWV and the absurdities of conservative national laws combined to engender ingenious schemes as farmers proceeded to outwit both regulations and officials. With many a wry chuckle, Spatz and Vera take up the story:

“We weren’t allowed to put Delheim signs on the R44 to indicate where travellers should turn off.”

So the Sperlings persuaded son and daughter Victor and Nora to stand beside the road with a banner emblazoned with Delheim’s name during the week between Christmas and New Year.

“Of course weekdays were important as we had to close at three on Saturdays, and weren’t allowed to open on Sundays at all.”

Having set up a tasting room, the Sperlings wanted a restaurant where visitors could have lunch with their wine. A long battle with officialdom ensued.

Vera recalls how they applied for a vendor’s licence which allowed them to portion and serve food brought in from outside sources such as bakers and cheesemakers.

 “Diners could not drink outside, they were not allowed to buy wine while at table, they had to buy a bottle from a designated area, take it to their table, where we quickly exchanged it for a chilled version.”

 Other legislative burdens involved the time-consuming KC6 – a form which had to be filled out in triplicate for every case of wine sold.

 Regulations forbade the processing of grapes other than his own in his cellar. Neighbour and friend Frans Malan had decided to try his hand at a dessert wine, and needed to use a small press, which Spatz had, to crush his maiden harvest. To avoid being spotted, the grapes were brought to Delheim under cover of night.

 The 1998 Platter guide lists Delheim as producer of 80 000 cases comprising a wide range of both red and white wines, with a restaurant and facilities open seven days a week. The farm was an important destination for visitors and, as the new century dawned, the future looked rosy.

 But nature played cruel tricks in 2000 with disastrous fires that razed mountain areas including Delheim’s indigenous forest, much beloved by Spatz.

 “He replanted the entire forest,” says Vera matter-of-factly, “and, just when it was coming on, we had an invasion of caterpillars.

 “I wondered if I should collect them, deep-fry them and serve them as snacks – it worked with the snails.” (I still have a tiny terracotta pot labelled Vera’s Vineyard which was used as baking utensil.)

 In the rustic tasting room Nora and Victor Sperling pour Delheim’s most popular wines. We sample the Heerenwijn (R39), first made in 1976, a light-hearted blend of sauvignon, chenin and colombard, followed by the perennially popular pinotage rosé, packed with fruit balanced by tangy acidity. The award-winning chardonnay Sur Lie 2009 (R125) is rich with butterscotch and citrus flavours.

 In 1975 Spatz bought a second farm as he needed land suitable for red grapes. This resulted in tight financial times, patiently endured by his ever-supportive wife.

 A single vineyard produces the grapes for Delheim’s fine shiraz and its name, Vera Cruz, reflects the “cross she bore with fortitude”.

 No Delheim tasting could finish without the famous late harvest Spatzendreck, an early effort by Spatz that got scant praise when first produced. Not only did he persist until he had a fine wine, but he retained both name and label: Spatz being a German colloquial term for a sparrow, “dreck” its droppings, both illustrated by a sparrow perched on a barrel.

 Lunch at Delheim is a relaxed experience with children and dogs competing for space between the tables on the terrace. Chilled gazpacho, the robust house salad, pasta with wild mushrooms and Franschhoek trout are relished and pinotage ice-cream makes a refreshing finale.

 Siblings Nora and Victor uphold the hard-working tradition established by their parents, with Nora handling exports, marketing and overseeing the restaurant operation. Victor heads viticulture, watching over 375 hectares of vineyards while fulfilling the environmental criteria that have seen Delheim listed as a Biodiversity Wine Initiative champion.

 Dedication and enthusiasm are tempered by new problems faced by contemporary farmers. Victor is only half joking as he elaborates: “Farmers are becoming an endangered species. With the job being a 24/7 one, the thought of being a lawyer or someone who goes home on Friday afternoon and doesn’t think about the office again until Monday morning is very tempting.”

 Lack of government support and farmland eyed for exploratory drilling by mining companies are worries compounded by the recession, a stagnant local market and a strong rand inhibiting exports.

 Yet, brother and sister say they planted cabernet and pinotage last year, so they must be optimistic about the future. And with a 60th anniversary to celebrate this year, plans are being hatched.

 As I said my farewells, Spatz Sperling, who is coping admirably with Parkinson’s disease, displays old-fashioned courtesy as he escorts me to the car park.

 “Africa has been good to me,” he says. “Don’t forget to put that in your article.” – Sunday Argus

An Unique Experience at Delheim

Here is an exclusive opportunity for a limited number of special guests to experience the excitement of harvest-time firsthand!  Join us at Delheim on Saturday, 12 February at 09h00, when we will take you on a tractor and trailer ride up into our Sauvignon Blanc vineyards to enjoy a delicious al fresco brunch, after which Viticulturist Victor Sperling will guide you through the process of picking the grapes at optimum ripeness.  Then it is off to the cellar where you will be guided through the processing of the grapes, and taste grape must and juice at various stages of fermentation directly from the tanks!

This is a once-off event and only 24 persons can be accommodated, so book now at Tel (021) 888-4607.  R200pp (includes brunch, grape picking, cellaring and tasting).

'Spatz' Sperling, son Victor (viticulturist), and Brenda van Niekerk (winemaker)