Tea at Hazendal

Tsar-struck over a cuppa CEREMONIAL: RUSSIAN TRADITION DATING BACK TO 1638

Ihave had radostnoye vremya (“joyful times”) aplenty on the Western Cape’s wine estates but never would I have imagined that one of my standout memories would involve tea and pastries.

However, when the estate – Hazendal – is owned by businessman-philanthropist Dr Mark Voloshin, a lavish tea ceremony is perhaps to be expected as one of the star visitor attractions.

The word “Russian” has been discreetly dropped because 2022 is not the best year to be openly proclaiming one’s Muscovite heritage.

Nonetheless, the gleaming samovar centrepiece surrounded by brightly painted wooden matryoshka dolls leaves one in no doubt that the inspiration for Hazendal’s tea ceremony was not Claridge’s in London.

For one thing, Claridge’s is not separated from a working wine cellar by a pane of glass.

For another, the epitome English high-tea elegance does not feature such delicacies as baranki (bagel-shaped tea biscuits), oladyi (crumpet with smoked salmon trout, dill and sour cream) or honey cake on its menu.

Hazendal (www.hazendal. co.za) is situated on the Bottelary Road outside Stellenbosch, 37km from central Cape Town.

There are meat, vegetarian, gluten-free and vegan options at R395 per person. Each option includes a savoury canapé, five savoury servings, a sweet canapé and five sweet servings.

Bubbly comes as an optional extra at R55 a glass or R235 a bottle of Hazendal’s 23.5 blanc de blanc or blanc de noir MCC (Méthode Cap Classique).

There is a nine-piece children’s menu at R255 with the option of enjoying hot chocolate and toasted marshmallow with the pastries, cookies, cakes and crumpets.

Presentation is spectacular and the waiters provide an instructive explanation of the ceremony as well as its historical context.

The Russian teadrinking tradition dates back to 1638 during the Romanov dynasty when Tsar Michael Feorodorovich received four chests of tea as a diplomatic gift from Altyum-Khan of Mongolia.

Soon, caravans carrying tea were making regular journeys from China to the Kremlin in Moscow.

Tsar Tea Blend has smoky aroma characteristic of Russian tea

The journey took 18 months. Hazendal’s Tsar Tea Blend was specially sourced for the estate by TWG Fine Tea Merchants for its flavour and smoky aroma, a characteristic of traditional Russian tea, which is typically sweetened with varenya (jam).

Sugar, I was told, was historically hard to come by and prohibitively expensive.

Several other TWG Teas are offered as alternatives.

Central to the ceremony is the samovar, a large boiler used to keep water hot for tea at a moment’s notice (similar in function to a workplace urn).

A small teapot filled with a tea concentrate called zavarka is kept warm on top of the samovar.

A dash of zavarka is poured into an ornate teacup – those at Hazendal are made by the Dulevo Porcelain Works, founded in 1832 – and topped up with hot water from a spigot on the samovar.

The history of the samovar apparently goes back to the 17th century when Tsar Peter the Great was travelling through Holland and came across a large copper kettle that caught his fancy.

He took this home and instructed craftsmen to create something similar, yet uniquely Russian.

Hazendal’s history goes back to 1699 when 60 hectares of farmland were granted to a German settler, Christoffel Hazenwinkel.

It operated rather unremarkably for the next three centuries and was acquired by Dr Voloshin in 1994.

The place continued to fly under the radar until 2017, when Hazendal closed its doors for a major refurbishment.

This included ripping up the existing vineyards and planting them anew.

The cellars were rebuilt from scratch and the estate’s wines are beginning to attract international attention.

Other new attractions include a mashie golf course with putting park and driving range, art gallery, restaurant and delicatessen, beer garden, picnics and (soon) a boutique hotel.

My favourite is the owner’s classic British car collection featuring several Bentleys and Rolls Royces.