Our first stop was the town of Stellenbosch, which was as picturesque little town with rows of cape Dutch style architecture. We walked down the main road checking out the shops and ended up in the open air village market at the end. We found a tall giraffe that we had been coveting for some time and began negotiations with a charismatic and eager villager who referred to the giraffe as “this guy”. When he discovered we are from the US he said, “Whoooo….this guy is going home to the land of Barack!!!” We got equally enthusiastic responses from many South Africans in response to our president. The villager was a smooth talker and came down on the price, but the poor giraffe looked like it had seen better days and we feared that he would be sawdust by the time he made the journey across the Atlantic, so we passed.
This Guy
Now that 10am had passed, it was time to hit the bottle. We hit several wineries between Stellenbosch and Franschhoek...here are the highlights:
• L’Avenier – liked the Chenin Blanc and Pinotage, which is a blend of pinot noir and hermitage varietals.
• Rustenberg – liked the white dessert wine…not too sweet.
• Dieu Donne – delicious wines, food and even better views of the valley.
• Grand Provence – We LOVED the award winning chardonnay. Keith bought fine chocolates at a shop called Huguenot and instructed us to chew a whole chocolate and finish it with the cabernet sauvignon...OMG…ridiculous. The medley of flavors was heaven in our mouths.
• La Motte – This is one of three farms owned by the famous Rupert family and it did not disappoint. The tasting presentation was impeccable and they served hot bread as a pallet cleanser. After four wine farms this was absolutely necessary. We enjoyed all the wines but the shiraz was our favorite.
J+S at La Motte
We enjoyed Keith’s company and highly recommend his tours (www.redwoodtours.co.za). Keith delivered us to our guest house late afternoon to submerge ourselves in the pool and cool off. La Cabriere Country House is a small guest house at the end of town in Franschhoek set among rows of vines over rolling hills (www.lacabriere.co.za). Sitting at the pool was with this view was just what the doctor ordered after a day of wine tasting. Each day at 4:00pm they served tea and cakes, which was very English. This was fitting because the owners are a Brit couple who had escaped the grey for the eternal sunshine.
La Cab Pool View
Afternoon Tea
La Cab View
Our second day we wanted to continue with tastings and organized a driver so we could both enjoy the libations. Best not to learn how to drive on the “wrong” side of the road while drinking. Our driver turned out to be an Afrikaans woman named Jaci. She was different from Keith in that she drank with us…just a dab so she could discuss the nose and palette of the wines. We aren’t really wine connoisseurs, so we would have struggled to smell the fresh cut grass in the sauvignon blancs or the ripe berries in the cabs without her help. It was really interesting, but I must admit that most of the time the only thing I could smell in the wine was wine. We hit some great farms on day two, mostly recommended by our Joberg friends. Here are the highlights:
• Stonybrook – Beautiful wine farm with a cute little farm house that was recommended by Hoboken friends Jared and Kim. We sat on picnic tables on the patio and chatted with a very nice lady who gave great information about the wines. We loved the cab called Ghost Gum named after the tree that towers over the back of the farm house. Also loved the farm’s dog who came right up to me and put his head under my hand and demanded that I pet him. Cutie.
Ghost Gum
• Chamonix – Loved the chardonnay and pinotage and the atmosphere.
Chamonix Wine Farm
• L’Ormarins – Another Rupert family farm and it was even grander than La Motte. We took a golf cart through the rolling hills and vines of the farm. Loved the Terra del Capo Pinot Grigio and Sangiovese and the Anthonij Rupert sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and port. We liked it all.
L’Ormarins
• Boschendal – This wine farm packed us a picnic basket full of cheeses, breads, meats, salad and we found a picnic table in a field of green grass across from the vines. We enjoyed a bottle of chenin blanc, relaxed and laid in the grass under the sun for a bit.
The Picnic
S+J Relaxing on the Grass
We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing at the pool. The sun was intense and the pool was just cool enough.
Like Napa and Sonoma, Franschhoek is known for its exquisite restaurants. Our hosts had taken the liberty of booking us into two of the top rated restaurants in Franschhoek, which was very lucky because we were living day to day and had arrived unprepared. The first dinner was at Ruben’s which was a bit of a disappointment given the hype. The second dinner was at Grand Provence and stole the title of “best meal in Africa”. The chef had about 10 selections that could be selected for any of three courses. We didn’t really know what we were ordering, but took a shot and we were not disappointed. We had corn and shrimp soup, eggplant with mozz and tomatoes, yellow tail fish in a frothy yellow curry sauce, veal, and for dessert a cheese plate and a whiskey sponge cake that was ridiculous. We got in the habit of asking our waitperson their favorite dishes. This resulted in awesome dishes every time.
S+J at Grand Provence
In the end, we left the winelands with about 15 bottles of wine. Most restaurants are byob with a small corking fee so we will drink several bottles over the next couple weeks and check the rest as baggage. I think the average price of a bottle was about 75 Rand or 10 USD. Bargain.
Next up the Garden Route…
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