Its seldom you experience the pleasing synthesis of old and new, seldom they exist in a win win relationship. I was lucky to be invited for lunch at Dornier by a freind, an impressive wine estate in the Stellenbosch wine lands.Punted as a country kitchen, the food was good, as was the wine and all the rest, but what really left a lasting impression was the way they had melted the aspirations of 2 generations into one very rewarding experience.
The cellar made me think of a James Bond movie, its bold clear lines makes a big impression, at first I wondered about its sensitivity to the surroundings, but as you step back and view it in relation to the mountains, the Koi pond and the plain trees that green it, I began to feel more at ease with this futuristic building watching me.
Lunch is served in an old building set 100 metres from the ober modern cellar, old thick walls and high ceilings and a wonderful feel of building from a time gone by. The food matches the general theme of synthesising the past with the
present, dishes for sophisticated pallets include foie gras and delicate fish cakes, whilst food for the people, farm food is there in the wonderful breads, cold meats, pork belly and my best, slow cooked lamb shank.
My lunch got better and better as I soaked in the wonderful, surrounding vineyards and amazing combination of a modern cellar built by the father of the present owner and the farm charm of the old shed converted into a tasting room and wine lands Bodega, built by his son, the present owner.
Interesting how older generation sought the modern effect, and younger the traditional
Sorry the wines..., they are also amazing, but that you will have to research them yourself when you visit.