The Hyltons of Wesoever and De Morgenzon; authentic living to their heart’s content. Celebrate life with a bottle of DeMorgenzon Maestro Red 2011 – music to my ears – a Hon rating for your convenience.

Wesoever op die Nel rivier - Calitzdorp

The December recess will not be the same without a stopover at WESOEVER on the Nel River in Caltizdorp, located on route 62 to Cape Town. 

Hylton Nel and Bernard’s home is perfectly situated, close to the local town for shopping purposes and interaction with the locals (part of the community), yet slightly removed on the western edge of the town and the river, offering country and or farm style living with views of the fertile agriculturally developed river bed. In the distance is the Swartberg, an idyllic backdrop for the famous South Africa potters’s homestead.  

The mountain range and koppies provide for splendid views on late afternoon walks and or drives on the outskirts of town - arguably one of the most spectacular Klein Karoo landscapes on this famous wine route – stretching from Worcester, through Barrydale, Calitzdorp, and Oudshoorn.

Drinking and chatting on the front ‘stoep’, entertained by Hylton and Bernard’s cats and dogs, interacting with the visiting locals and passing by travellers, provide for fabulous and relaxing moments - a quintessential part of relaxing and much needed holidays. Memorable easy-going conversations with close friends with whom you have much in common. Fellow ceramists sharing work knowledge, influences and possible new directions, all part of ones development. Especially after visiting China together a few years back. You’ve got to love it.

New acquisitions; books, ceramics and ‘work’ form a major part of these valuable and meaningful conversations. Books worth mentioning on this year’s visit are the two exquisite publications complimenting the ‘Sale of the century’- the auction of the late Yves Saint Laurent and his partner's art and design collection.

• The Yves Saint Laurent-Pierre Berge Collection  
•  The Private World of Yves Yves Saint Laurent-Pierre. 

The large format coffee table books perfectly illustrate their major collections; acquired over five decades for their numerous prestigious homes across the world. Interior magazine style layouts and photodocumentation, illustrate their fabulous and impeccable taste and lifestyle - a must-have. I love cats and I started to document the furry feline friends of friends in the comfort of their homes and surroundings.

Here they are at ease, in command – aware of your every move and sound – responding to your call, only if they approve and are at ease with your persona, and curious enough to desire a closer acquaintance. Enjoy their world at the centre of their universe.

De Morgenzon (the morning sun) - Stellenboschkloof road in Stellenbosch.

A memorable trip down to the Cape included a visit to De Morgenzon (the morning sun), the wine farm of Hylton and Wendy Applebaum. For years the Liberty Life Foundation sponsored many of the Craft Council projects, especially the Craft Fairs at Museum Africa (the first in the country of its kind) and the first international exhibition of local crafts at South Africa House in London. This crafts exhibition launched one of SA’s iconic brands Carrol Boyes whilst showcasing the work of many of our National Living Treasures.  I am forever grateful for their support.

This unique winery is located on the Stellenboschkloof road in Stellenbosch. One is greeted with the sound of music, the classic waves streaming through the vines; the masters voice and touch, to produce that ultimate aroma and taste of a memorable classic wine. Open the provided link in a new window (what music do we play) to hear their ‘masters voices’ whilst enjoying the images and sharing in the beautiful and memorable experience.

Everything about the visit to the wine estate embodyied the touch and feel of the Applebaum duo – professionalism, heart and soul. The location, the beautiful winery, the stunning gardens (featured here) and the wine itself, speak of attention to detail, complete with style and masterly crafted finesse. In their own words,

All wine estates in the Western Cape are beautiful and all have unique terroir. However, we believe that DeMorgenzon is the most extraordinary of them all. Our slopes rise from about 200m to nearly 400m above sea level and our vistas embrace Cape Town, Table Mountain, Cape Point, Cape Hangklip, the Hottentots Holland mountains, Helderberg and Simonsberg with the ocean as a backdrop. While we could call ourselves 'mountain vineyards' we prefer to be known as 'garden vineyards'. In Spring specially chosen wildflowers flourish between our vines. We have no doubt that a biodiverse and ecologically sensitive environment produces infinitely better grapes and the beauty of our gardens is captured in every bottle of our wine. 

We pipe Baroque music through our vineyards 24x7 and believe that the power of music positively influences the ripening process.

My brother, Alan Hon, introduced me to wine – I’m no connoisseur, but I trust his judgment emphatically. He is well read in a diverse range of topics; a general knowledge that could easily win him the game show, Who Wants to Be a millionaire. My brother, a Geotechnologist, offered to drive me to the wine estate, being familiar with the area, as he worked at the CSIR in Stellenbosch.

Being a founder member of the CSIR wine appreciation group and a secretary of the Durbanville wine club   his experience was called upon to do a noteworthy rating of their classic red wine. We bought a bottle of the Demorgenzon Maestro Red 2011, for consumption at lunchtime.

We had so much to celebrate; our brotherly love and the good life – our parents married for 65 years, and in very good health, Ramond at 88 and Emily at 87 respectively. This we did with his immediate family – the red wine was served slightly chilled and needless to say it delivered in aroma and taste, a perfect end to a stunning journey down south – a well deserved holiday, shared with family and friends – memorable as always.

Here follows my brother Alan Hon’s rating of this classic Bordeaux blend; the essence of this very special red wine.

De Morgenzon Maestro Red 2011

Merlot - 41%

Cabernet Sauvignon - 35%

Petit Verdot - 11%

Malbec - 07%

Cabernet Franc - 06%

Alcohol - 14.5%

A wine made in the classic Bordeaux style using 5 of the acknowledged varietals

Colour: 3/3

A deep red almost purple coloured wine.

Aroma: 7/7

Wafting full oak vanilla nose.

Taste: 8.5/10

Full cassis and velvety tannins on the entry with plums and raisins in the centre and a warm combined fruit aftertaste.

An absolutely stunning Bordeaux blend to be savoured on its own or enjoyed with the best meat dishes this country can produce.    

Total 18.5 / 20

Baoan Temple and the Qingshui Zushi Temple; Taiwan opulence.

The temples visited in Taiwan were some of the most incredible structures I have ever seen. My first encounter with these lavishly decorated religious structures was on the first day of my arrival in the country. The curator of the 2014 Taiwan Ceramic Biennale, Wendy Gers and I visited the temple, in walking distance from our hotel.  

The Qingshui Zushi temple is situated in the Sanxia district, on the southwest side of the Taipei region. The temple is nestled in between a diverse range of residential structures and on the edge of another famous landmark, the Sanxia Old Street (image on the left).

The temple, built in 1769 to honour the famous general Qingshui Zushi, captures your attention from the moment you spot the richly decorated and brightly coloured sculptured figurines and creatures that adorn the rooves of this lavishly carved and constructed religious structure. It is in sharp contrast to the classical red brick built commercial structures of the Sanxia Old Street.  

Built entirely out of red bricks, residents and tourists shop here for all sorts of handcrafted commercial goods, including tea, soaps, ceramics and the famous indigo-dyed fabric. However the bright colours of the Temple's roof tiles and richly adorned and carved surfaces of the pillars and supporting structures and furniture is an overwhelming visual experience.

The sheer scale of the structure and attention to detail, applied in a number of layers throughout the structure, compels you to zoom in and out, turning about as you try to absorb the complex spectacle of this landmark.

How does one begin to conceptualise and visualise and ultimately assemble all the masterly crafted and excessively decorated components into a single unified built structure, a place for reflection and meditation? The exterior and interior, the ceiling and the walls, as well as the religious figures are all richly adorned, creating a elaborately opulent gaudy space, which local residents frequently visit to ensure the favour of the gods and a fruitful life. Wars and natural disasters wreaked serious damage to this structure that had to be rebuilt three times. 

 

The second temple visited was Dalongdong Baoan, also known as the Taipei Baoan Temple. We visited the temple and the National Palace Museum during an excursion to Taipei, organised by the Museum for all the conference delegates. The religious structure was erected to worship the Emperor Baosheng Wu. 

A God of medicine, he is believed to have performed numerous miracles.  Considered the more famous of the two temples, it is a Class II heritage sight. As a matter of fact, the Taipei Baoan Temple, alongside the Longshan and Chinh-shui Master temples, are classified the most significant religious structures in Taiwan.

However, one’s first encounter of cultural products, albeit a religious structure, is always the more special and memorable.  On close examination, observing the carvings and figurines up closely, it becomes clear why the temple is so highly regarded and one of the most visited temples in the country.

Spectacular in ever sense of the word, totally overwhelming, the bright and intense use of colour, adds to the majestic experience. The fresh flowers and bonsai trees in and around the temple, add to the already opulent and richly decorated and carved structure. The use of warm lights, and intense coulour and gilded carvings of figurines inside the structure, transports the worshipper on his transient spiritual journey – a visually spectacular and enticing encounter, like no other.