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South Africa
We travelled through the wine region of South Africa, visiting the beautiful wine estates of Waterford (chocolate nibbles with the wine), Boschendal and Constantia, each estate providing sublime views to accompany their delicious wine.
However, our most memorable afternoon was at the Camberley winery which we felt compelled to visit as we hail from Camberley in Surrey. Our host, the manager, was most welcoming and gave us a personal tour and the opportunity to taste many fine red wines for free. Leafing through the guest book we could see that many lucky folk from Camberley had also been this way before.
Great place to visit. Quirky winery, check out the emphasis on goats, with their goat clock tower and puns on many a classical French region in the wines they produce [Goats do Roam, Bored Doe, Goat Door, etc.] but with tasty stuff inside the bottle too. They do some excellent cheese and if the sun is out then the location is ace. So long as you're not the designated driver it's a perfect day out!
www.fairview.co.za/
Fairview Wines
Suid-Agter-Paarl Road
Suider-Paarl 7646
South Africa
A beautiful setting to sit and relax tasting some of the best wine in South Africa. My wife is not normally a red wine person but she loves the Three Cape Ladies, a delicious red wine, while my preference is for the Trilogy with its richer more complex flavours.
If you join the Warwick Wine Family, they will arrange to send you a mixed case of wine every six months in the UK, and you get invited to their Garden Party in December, where you can get very drunk on the finest white and red wines for free. Another benefit is the 20% discount on buying wines at the estate
www.warwickwine.com/framework/index.asp
On the R44 between Stellenbosch and Klapmuts/Paarl
Nestling in the hills, with False Bay and Table Mountain in view, a very pleasant place to have a very good and cheap lunch and drinkable wine starting at around 30 ZAR/bottle, which is almost cheaper than water.
The food is simple, with Cape Malay dishes the speciality.
Booking at weekends is recommended
www.delheim.com/
Knorhoek Road
Stellenbosch, 7599, South Africa
Get Directions
0218884607
One of the more relaxing places to enjoy a variety of cheap to expensive wines, normally eight to 12 wines are tasted.
Waterford is known for its chocolate and wine tasting, where you get three pieces of different chocolate with three different red wines
www.waterfordestate.co.za/
Cellar: Blaauwklippen Rd, Helderberg, Stellenbosch.
Stellenbosch, 7600.
Tel no: 021 880 0496
A rustic restaurant with great food and wine. The resturant is next to the Ken Forrester Wine Estate, but they do wines from the Helderberg area. Wines outside Helderberg are in the rest of the world section.
They cater for both small and large parties of people with surprising ease. The steaks melt in your mouth, and if you have a sweet tooth, the duck & cherry pie is very good. For dessert I've never got past the creme brulee, but they all look very good
www.96wineryroad.co.za/
Surprisingly on Winery Road!! From Cape Town take the N2 to Somerset West, and take the R44 towards Stellenbosch. Winery Road is 3-4 miles on the left hand side. 96 is on the right about 0.5 miles down the road
Wine buffs with a penchant for South Africa will need little introduction to Saxenberg, and this highly rated vineyard offers tastings and slightly reduced prices on its excellent wines. But the main reason for visiting is its excellent restaurant, the Guinea Fowl. Seriously impressive cooking is coupled with not-too-formal service. Three of us had 'the works' for a birthday lunch and somehow the bill came to less than 1,000 rand. In the summer it is hard to beat lunch on the terrace, with hazy views of the back of Table Mountain. It's also one of the closest vineyards to Cape Town and only 15 minutes by car to the main airport.
T: +27 21 903 6113
E: info@saxenburg.com
W: www.saxenburg.com
Physical Address:
Saxenburg Wine Farm
Polkadraai Road
Kuils River
7580
Postal Address:
PO Box 171
Kuils River
7579
Cape Town is a city of spectacular sights! If in a chair, take a cruise from the V&A waterfront. The city and table mountain will float by. Many wine and safari tours are accessible too!
La Colombeat Constantia Uitsig wine estate is now 50% owned by a black empowerment co-operative. The French style food at La Colombe was of a high standard – 'jalousie de langoustines' anyone? - with excellent service on a garden terrace by the vineyards. There is another restaurant (The Constantia Uitsig) overlooking the vineyards and a more informal restaurant (the River Café) in the courtyard behind the wine shop – noisy when we were there because of ‘the ladies who lunch’.
Free wine tasting of some excellent and reasonably priced wines set in the beautiful countryside outside Stellenbosch.
The olive oil is wonderful for dipping fresh bread.
An organised drive through the vineyards and estates of Paarl and Stellenbosch. You get to taste wines at the estates, and can buy wine directly from them. A great way to see these delightful towns, the mountains and vineyards, and get some advice on SA wines. A picnic at Boschendal is highly recommended, but there are many other places to eat.
Drive yourself, or go on an organised tour. The local tourist board will have details
Eat under the stars, in a treehouse or lounge around on the huge outdoor sofas and enjoy tribal dancing and other performances. Under 12s can join in a drumming workshop (parents allowed too!) or take an ecology tour around the grounds - there's a cheetah centre on the estate too. Almost forgot, Spier Estate also has a great deli; buy food and wine for lunch and picnic at the lakeside.
A winery in the Stellenbosch area. Slightly off the beaten track, in fact virtually at the top of a mountain. Wines, especially the sauvignon blanc are fantastic but pale in comparison with the views from up there.
It is signposted on the Stellenbosch wine tourist trail
If you can go to just one of the Cape vineyard towns, Franschhoek is much quieter and less tourisity than Stellenbosch. The town’s name means French corner, and it really feels like Provence has come to South Africa. There’s a lovely restaurant called Le Quartier Francais which serves divine lunches. And if the driving gets too much and you want to stay for a few glasses of wine, there is a charming guesthouse behind the restaurant.
OK, so this isn't strictly in Cape Town - it's out in the wine district of Constantia which is a 40-minute or so drive out of the city...but it's so, so, worth the journey. Constantia Uitsig is one of a number of vineyards that you drive by, and like many of them it has its own restaurant and accommodation.
We sat around the pool and had what has to have been one of the best meals I've ever eaten, all washed down with the vineyard's own wine (which we then went and bought half a case of). The service was incredible, the food quite gorgeous and the scenery stunning. Doesn't really get any better. And the total cost? Well, it was a couple of years ago now, but the bill for two with wine came to around £60 - which is a fortune by South African standards - but a bargain in the grand scheme of things. For a real treat, you could stay in one of their rooms as well but that was a treat too far for us.
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