I’ve been to Beyerskloof Wine Farm many times before. As a student at Stellenbosch University, it was the most accessible wine farm for a Friday afternoon tasting and the consumption of a bottle or two of Pinotage.
Naturally, I’ve heard many great things about their Pinotage burgers – the one-of-a-kind, signature dish on the Red Leaf Restaurant’s menu. Yet, limited to a student budget and being much more concerned about the wine part than the dining part, I never got around to actually ordering it.
Until last Saturday.
Seeing as these burgers have been on my dining slash wining bucket list for a few years, I made an entire event out of it, booking out their biggest table and getting 11 of my friends as excited as I was about finally tasting the burgers I’ve known about for so long. It also seemed like a great way to get an unbiased opinion, just in case I couldn’t trust my own judgement.
So there we were, the perfect advertisement for Beyerskloof – bottles of Pinotage being shared between friends and every single one of us ordering the Pinotage burger. Might I add that my marketing skills definitely paid off! The sun wasn’t shining so we weren’t exactly looking out over the beautiful vineyards, but the fireplace and good company definitely made up for the weather.
A bit more about this burger of all burgers: The homemade patty is topped with onions cooked in Pinotage, making them incredibly tasty and giving them a purple glow as they cover most of this (rather sizable) patty. The burger is served with chips and a side salad and makes for a truly filling meal – boys considered.
The verdict? Twelve enthusiastic, mid-chew head-nods, accompanied by thumbs ups – the universal sign that the food is so great that you’re not bothered to stop eating in order to express these sentiments.
The afternoon was rounded off perfectly by relaxing in front of the fireplace, finishing the last of the wine and wondering how we haven’t spent more time here before.
More about Beyerskloof
Beyers Truter is South Africa’s pioneer Pinotage wine maker. The farm is situated in the Koelenhof area, just outside Stellenbosch on the R44 and produces not only Pinotage, but a wide range of high-quality and affordable wines.
The tasting room is open Monday to Friday, 08h30 – 16h30 and Saturday, 10h00 – 16h30. The Red Leaf Restaurant is open Monday Friday, 08h30 – 15h30 and Saturday, 09h30 – 15h30 and serves many other delicious meals to suit all tastes.
Contact
Tel (021) 865-2135
Email: wine@beyerskloof.co.za
Website: www.beyerskloof.co.za
After spending three years studying in Stellenbosch, it’s safe to say that I developed a keen interest in wine consumption. To be honest, I might not have remembered all the wines tasted in those crazy student years, but they inspired a love not only for wine, but for the whole culture of wine tasting – the company, the scenic drives, the beautiful farms and the many fun festivals. Lucky for me, I live in the Western Cape, the best place to take advantage of everything wine.
Tagged beyerskloof, hamburgers, onion, pinotage, the red leaf restaurant
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