Subscribe & Follow
Advertise your job vacancies
Trending
Show more
What to expect from Allée Bleue's #MayDayMeander
13 Mar 2019
This March, a select group of bloggers attended the #MayDayMeander media day at Allée Bleue in Franschhoek. The unseasonably, crisp, cool conditions of our visit served as a perfect preview weather-wise of what the #MayDayMeander wine farm visit will be like, and we walked away filled with delicious treats and wines, as well as ample herb-health knowledge. That's a wine win-win! Here's what to expect if you visit Allée Bleue on 1 May 2019.
Think ‘Franschhoek’ and you’re likely to picture quality wine in a picturesque setting. The blue Eucalyptus-lined Allée Bleue ‘blue avenue’ offers all that, true, but there’s much more to it than that.
For example, did you know that Allée Bleue, one of the oldest, yet most undiscovered wine farms in the area, is the biggest persimmon supplier in the Western Cape? And as the 200-hectare estate is ranked amongst the top three herb growers in the province, you’re likely sampling their fresh herbs if you buy from your favourite supermarket?
We learned all this directly from the staff within a few minutes of arriving at the classic lavender-pocketed working farm, with sampling flutes of their finest bubbles to warm up before setting on a series of trips and tours around Allée Bleue for the day. This provided first-hand experience of the farming activities that take place in Allée Bleue’s vineyards and orchards behind-the-scenes, ahead of their first-ever May Day Meander...
Herbal heaven
Chef Gordon Dovey. All images © Allée Bleue.
That herbal knowledge played strongly throughout the day, as we sampled Chef Gordon Dovey’s sweet aniseed-onion marmalade with lashings of a vibrant pesto on the freshest salt-crusted bread with sips of their sparkling blue-label 2018 Starlette Blanc – all this while perched above the enormous wooden barrels in their main warehouse.
The next stop, back at the wine-tasting room, featured tangy lemon tart on a moreishly thick base, as well as savoury biscuits laced with thyme to bring out the citrus notes and woodiness of their Chenin Blanc. Here, Deidre shared our first herbal health hint: Thyme is good for both easing a cough and boosting your mood.
A quick dash through the rainy surrounds saw us stopping briefly for shelter and a taste of Chef Dovey’s Camembert dressed with ginger syrup, and dollops of mushroom cream cheese on Melba toast paired with one of winemaker Van Zyl du Toit’s finest, the Isabeau.
That’s Allée Bleue’s flagship easy Chardonnay-Semillon-Viognier white blend, a firm favourite on the day. The bites brought out the nutty, spicy tones of the wine, as well as its slight honey character, reminiscent of dried fruit. We also paired basil and sun-dried tomato flavours with Allée Bleue’s berry-strong Pinotage. Yum!
All the olive love
There are nearly six hectares filled with three different types of olive trees olives on the estate, so expect to sample a few of these on your visit, and pick up some of their cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil. We also picked up a further herbal health hint: Rosemary is good for lowering blood sugar.
The next section of our meander saw us admiring the Allée Bleue manor house while sipping on the 2014 brut rose – this is ‘dangerously easy drinking’, with Pinotage adding a fruity zing, especially when paired with Chef Dovey’s delicious mini plum-and-pecan tarts. This pairing is packed with antioxidants and the added value of pecan nuts, known for curbing hunger.
All meandered out by then, we were ready for a shared lunch, long-table buffet style, as we digested all we had learned on the day. The rain was bucketing down by then, so we were happy to sit indoors with a view of the wet landscape outside, while wolfing down a mix of Chef Dovey’s finest pastry dishes.
The biggest takeaway from our MayDayMeander preview is that the Allée Bleue staff welcome guests wandering the grounds – you can order a picnic blanket and sit watching the squirrels dart around as you take in the peaceful surrounds.
If you’d like to take part in the May Day Meander, remember to wear a touch of red to stand in line for the best-dressed prizes, and wear comfortable shoes as you’ll be climbing stairs, weaving around squirrels and possibly kicking back to sit on the lawn as you take in all that Allée Bleue has to offer.
Note that the baskets are meant to feed two, and serve as a showcase for all of Allée Bleue’s fresh produce, including those signature herbs.
It’s fresh, French al fresco dining at Franschhoek’s finest.
*Leigh Andrews was a guest at Allée Bleue, situated at the intersection of the R45 and R310. Remember to book your picnic baskets before arriving. Bookings and pre-payment are essential. The May Day Meander costs between R175 and R335 per adult, depending on the lunch option chosen, and R105 per child. The May Day Meander walk requires a low level of fitness, but is unfortunately not wheelchair-accessible, as some areas of the route are uneven due to farming activities.
Allée Bleue is open each day from 11am to 4pm, including public holidays. For bookings or enquiries, call 021 874 1021 or email Nadia at moc.euelbeéllA@ofni. Follow Allée Bleue on Twitter @AlléeBleue, Instagram and Facebook for the latest updates.
About Leigh Andrews
Leigh Andrews AKA the #MilkshakeQueen, is former Editor-in-Chief: Marketing & Media at Bizcommunity.com, with a passion for issues of diversity, inclusion and equality, and of course, gourmet food and drinks! She can be reached on Twitter at @Leigh_Andrews.
