January 24

Vino & Villas | Ellerman House

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January 24, 2014

Once you meet the man behind it all, Ellerman House makes perfect sense. The stature and scale, the old world charm and class versus the more liberal, contemporary touches… Owner Paul Harris exhibits it all and it dovetails into his creation, one of South Africa’s most luxurious boutique hotels.

You might remember Paul from his brilliant, tongue-in-cheek “Don’t Stress About SA” email that went viral. In it he responds to a friend’s concerns about South Africa with some inspiriting words:

“Please don’t stress about us in South Africa. We are fine. We are cool. We know we live in the most beautiful country in the world with warm and vibrant people. There are more people here with smiles on their faces than in any country I have ever been to.”

We’d visited the great Ellerman House in Bantry Bay, Cape Town, before – and blogged about it in ‘Art imitates Ellerman House‘. But that was before they reconstructed their wine cellar into the magnificent gallery it is now. Every item, from the floors to the walls, in this over 200 square metre gallery is a work of art with a story behind it.


The brief Paul
gave to the architectural and design team was to come up with an original concept for a wine gallery, rather than just a tasting room or cellar – something that had never been seen or done before anywhere in the world.

The new wine gallery was launched at the end of last year to a party that included the who’s who of the travel, wine and hospitality industries, the haut monde and co. Needless to say, we were there. And we were blown away by the reveal.

My favourite feature is the human-scale corkscrew. It is the Eiffel Tower of wine racks. Over three metres high and six metres long, it doubles as a three-dimensional rack, holding 1500 bottles of wine.

industrial designer, Brian Steinhobel says, ‘The shape was informed by the free form curves and organic growth of vines. The human scale of the wine rack enables you to engage with it, by walking through it and enjoying the sense of being inside a vineyard, with the vines arching over above your head. I like to think of this as an experiential, functional piece of art – beautiful to look at, understandable, timeless and inspiring, each curve holding something of value – a bottle of wine.’
Industrial designer, Brian Steinhobel says, ‘I like to think of this as an experiential, functional piece of art – beautiful to look at, understandable, timeless and inspiring, each curve holding something of value – a bottle of wine.’

All in all, the cellar holds over 7,500 unique South African wines, from top vineyards throughout the Western Cape. For guests, Ellerman’s expert sommelier, Manuel “Manny” Cabello, offers private tastings and can recommend dinner pairings.

“What I really like about Ellerman House is the respect it has for its fine wines, for what is inside a bottle,” Manny says. “Beyond having the best wine list in South Africa, if not the whole of Africa, it makes me so happy and excited to share my passion and experience with our guests.”

Hailing from Viña Del Mar, Chile, Manny has a certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers – the highest distinction for a professional in the fine wine and beverage industry.
Hailing from Viña Del Mar, Chile, Manny has a certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers – the highest distinction for a professional in the fine wine and beverage industry.
The main feature of the brandy tasting lounge is an installation of hand-blown glass decanters, each bottle suspended and filled with brandy that progressively becomes darker from start to finish using increasingly older spirits to fill each one.

The new gallery lets you really immerse yourself in the whole vino esperienza, with a bar for wine tasting, an interactive wine library, a brandy tasting lounge, red and white wine maturation cellars for vintage and rare bottles, and a champagne cellar, stocking rare and special vintages of Dom Pérignon. Sì, per favore!

The wine gallery is part of a three-storey structure, which includes the new Villa Two (complete with three bedrooms with private terraces, a private cinema, fully-equipped kitchen and the best views in the Cape). The two villas at Ellerman House introduce a more modern feel to the otherwise classical style of the hotel.

[click images to enlarge]

 

2

As you leave the wine gallery, a little headier than when you first arrived, you’ll spot the leafy Jumanji-esque wall of Villa One, and that blue sea in the near distance. When it’s boiling in the Mother City, the cool sea air at Ellerman makes it difficult to leave their grounds. Without force. And now with the new wine gallery…

Well, best we stay the night.

Ellerman House Contemporary Gallery
“What we do for South African Art through our collection of Masters and the Ellerman House Contemporary Gallery, we will be doing for South African Wine with this new wine cellar.” – Ellerman House

For more information about Ellerman House and to start planning your Cape Escape, contact one of our expert travel consultants.


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About the author 

Tamlin Wightman

Tamlin has been exploring, writing about and photographing Africa ever since her first job as a photojournalist for Getaway Magazine. She's lived on an island, eaten with lions, sailed catamarans in the Indian Ocean, tracked wild dogs with Kinglsey Holgate, and white water rafted down the Zambezi and has kept just about every airplane ticket that has crossed her hands.

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