2016 Best Value Winner: Jordan Chameleon Sauvignon Blanc Chardonnay 2015
Stellenbosch Kloof Rd, Stellenbosch
Located at the head of the Stellenbosch Kloof, along what was once the main thoroughfare between Cape Town and the second Cape Dutch settlement of Stellenbosch, is Jordan – a wine estate that could easily lay claim to the title of one of SA’s foremost wine tourist attractions.
Husband-and-wife duo Gary and Kathy Jordan have, over the course of 23 vintages since the 1990s, refined the offering at Jordan to the point where it has luxurious guest suites, two restaurants covering fine dining (Eat Out top chef laureate George Jardine is behind pots) as well as more casual bistro and bakery fare, mountain-bike trails, trout fishing (strictly catch and release) and tours of the old prospector shafts on the highest slopes of the farm. And wine, of course. The walls of the tasting room are festooned with a host of top international awards alongside local medals and certificates galore.
It’s hard to miss the sign, just past the entrance gate, which prominently displays a chameleon. Chameleons abound in the indigenous bushes and shrubs around the cellar. ‘In African folklore, chameleons are believed to have magical powers,’ says Gary. There was some concern that the Cape dwarf chameleon found on the farm could be at risk because of mechanical harvesting, but a study by scientists from the SA National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) at Kirstenbosch found that the little critters prefer dense evergreen shrubs and are seldom, if ever, found in the vineyards.
Nonetheless, it provided a spark of inspiration for Jordan’s entry-level range – and for the Jordan Chameleon Research Bursary awarded to a PhD student.
RESTAURANT Daily Breakfast & Lunch: 08h00 to 16h00 Dinner (in season): Thurs – Sat
Wine tasting Daily: 09h30 to 16h30
Cellar tours by appointment only.