Such a special wine farm. They have a wonderful musuem full of Cape History and a wine tasting venue attached. The Fyndraai Restuarnt makes authentic Cape Cuisine and we had a superb meal there on a Food and Wine Pairing occasion.

The picnics are the highlight. The basket for 2 people is such value for money with more than enough food, water and a bottle of Lekkerwijn for R135 for 2 people. The riverside and forest setting is spectacular!!!!!

They have various fascinating tours that one can do ( archaeology, walking tour, social histort, food and wine pairing) well worth a look at.

The community spirit is one of the distinctive parts components of this farm – the staff and owner work together to make it prospur and the farm has such an authentic feel which many so lack.

I’ve only had the pleasure of a complimentary bottle of Solms_Delta Gemoedsrus so I reserve my opinion of the Estate until I visit soon. Based on this latest release they have been doing their homework well as it’s quite a revelation.

Totally unlike the normal Ports I’ve always had with Cheese as my “Dessert” course,I was pleasantly surprised by this Fortified Shiraz .”Desiccated on the vine” seems to impart an ability to hit your taste buds with a burst of concentrated fruits,herbs and spicy overtones which really do work well with a Fine cheese such as a Roydon Camembert or a French style brie.. I also found it worked really well with my Pan fried Duck and Peking sauce , the zesty nature cuts through any of the stronger flavours and is still complimentary to the dish without being over powering .

Certainly ,a refreshing and provoking wine and makes for a fabulous alternative to Port..

A very unique tasting experience. I love the fact that they empower the farm workers, and also their wines which prove to be a little more adventurous in nature.

Interesting to say the least – from the moment you get greeted virtually in the parking lot until you leave, information about the farm and the area’s history is imparted. The wines are good and not pretentious. The restaurant, museum and picnic area are a must visit.

Wines very different and what a nice room full of history.

For an all out experience – ie lots of information, knowledgeable staff, beautiful venue, decent wine, you cannot go wrong at Solms. Sure, the wine won’t age much, but you get what you pay for. I really enjoyed my visit.

A little over rated

I recommend the Amelie – a interesting flavour sensation.
Atmosphere outside under the trees is warm and relaxing.

Kudos to the staff and the owners – this is a great example of everyone pulling together for themselves and the good of the greater community. The museum is worth a couple of visits and the tasting room staff are super clued-up. Pop around the corner to the restaurant and look through the glass floor at the historical foundations/settlement. Finish the visit with a bottle of Amalie under the trees.

We stopped at Solms on Sunday last for a tasting. It is a real experience. Despite the rain, it’s plain to see it’s a beautiful farm. The tasting was done in the museum on the farm and it is a nice touch to mix the winemaking with the heritage of the area.

The wines themselves are quite unusual in that most are blends. We tasted six, including the “Kari” which is a mead.

The wines here are quite interesting. Almost all of them consisting of 3 to 6 blends. We were helped by Derek, a really nice character, a security guard turned tasting room staff. His knowledge on the wines and area is really good. The Afrikana 07 (shiraz) was the best for me. However the Cape Jazz, a carbonated red that tasted like the red sparletta, but isn’t for kids, was really disapointing.

I absolutely love Solms-Delta, the wine is amazing, I always have the cheese platter and the staff truly makes it a nice experience. I’m a big big fan of the Cape Jazz Shiraz. Our host Steven de Koker was fantastic, has a great sense of humour and always a funny story to share.

Whenever with friends and family I go there I always request him to do the tasting. I’ll definately will keep coming back. I still need to visit the restaurant.

unusual wines with unusual names

The entire Solms experience is something to behold.
It’s set in beautiful surroundings and the wines are distinctly different to all the other wines in the area.
After a winetasting we could not help ourselves but to buy a case of the “hiervandaan” red, “amelie” and “koloni” white, and of course we also just had to get the ‘Cape Jazz Shiraz’ too..yes, very nearly the entire list. Our host explained the history behind the names – all reference to either a person or a situation in the farm’s rich history.

The people on the estate are informative and friendly, the museum is something to behold and full of interactive panels. Who thought there would be such an active record of the history. Although I have not yet eaten at the restaurant, the floor does make for an interesting talking point!

The signposting was really bad at the first visit, as it was non-existent and we had to guess which house hosted which element, however on the second we were quite relieved to find signs pointing out the directions.

If you’re in the area, be sure to keep at least a few hours aside to visit this farm!

How cool is this? A restaurant with a see-through floor that exposes the underground of Solms Delta.

The Museum van de Caab forms part of the estate and tells the story of the Delta farm. The staff were very friendly and we even got some freshly baked bread to nibble on.

Our host Steven de Koker escorted us to a shady spot under the big trees overlooking the lushes vineyards.We started our tasting that consisted out of 7 different wines. We had a great time in the company of Steven. He made our tasting extremely interesting and enjoyable. He explained each wine individually. Every heard of “Langarm”, “Hiervandaan” and “Vastrap”. Well, that just some of the names of the wines that we tasted. Even the restaurant is named after the Afrikaans word “Fyndraai”….and no, it’s not a type of dance. According to the staff “Fyndraai” is something that 2 lovers experience in the privacy of their bedroom…LOL!

Well worth a visit!

My review of Solms-Delta is somewhat mixed. I really enjoyed my first visit as the staff were gregarious and helpful. My second stop was rather disappointing. I waited 10 minutes and during that period none of the staff assisted me despite my request for assistance.

That said I believe Mark Solms’ philosophy to sythesize wine, heritage, history and culture is truly visionary. Solms really does have a little something for everybody – provided someone serves you.

The Cape Jazz shiraz came as quite a shock to my South African palate, but its zest and fruit certainly grew on me.

RF