Welcome to the Western Cape Wineries - a kiwi's opinion blog

I originally set up this blog to help foreigners have an enjoyable experience when visiting the western cape wineries in South Africa.

I realised that it is very difficult for a tourist to choose where to go and which wineries to visit, when you have 600+ wine producers to choose from.

When I first moved to SA December 2010, my palate struggled to adjust to SA wine, b
ut after living here for a while and after visiting over 100+ wine estates, I have found many wines which I really like and can highly recommend.

Admittingly, when you come from another country it is hard not to compare the wine in SA to what you are used to back home. However, once you realise they are not the same (they have their own characteristics due to the different soil, climate etc) and appreciate their wines for being SA wines, it will improve your opinion and experience of the wines immediately.

If you are staying in SA for a while, don't dispair, your palate will change, and you will soon find yourself liking SA wine over your home countries wine!!

I hope my blog will help wine lovers have an enjoyable wine experience while in SA.

Please note: I am not a wine connoisseur. The comments I write about the wine is mostly for my own benefit of having them on record.



Friday 20 April 2012

Eaglevlei

My friend from work suggested this winery; we went after work and I was very impressed with the place.
There is a wine tasting room, a bar and a restaurant. There is a nice size lawn out the back, with a childrens playground, and a big screen to watch the rugby. I liked the vibe at this place.

The service was very good, but unfortunately the guy serving us didn’t know much about the wine. We thoroughly enjoyed our tasting nonetheless.


We tried the wine called Pink. It’s a 2009 and R60 a bottle. I liked this wine; it was fruity, and medium – light in body. The Red Affair 2007 (R45) had a nice smell, and had a slightly spicy, liquorice and blackcurrant taste. It was light yet complex. I liked this wine and bought a bottle. The No.7 Blend is out of stock, but you can buy a bottle at the Deli. So I did just that, I haven’t got round to trying it yet though.

The Pinotage 2007 (R70) had a bad smell to it. This thankfully did improve after a while. This is their flagship, I did like this wine, it was light and had a slightly dry aftertaste. The Shiraz 2007 (R65) is slightly spicy, slightly dry, and has a nice berry taste. The Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 (R70) is full of flavour, has medium-heavy body, dry aftertaste. I think this is more a food wine, than one to drink by itself.
Last of all, we tried the Muscat D’Alexandri 2008, it was light and easy drinking. It sells for R50 a bottle.


Overall we had a great experience here. The service was good, the wine was nice, the venue was also good. I saw they were setting up a bouncy castle for the weekend, which apparently they set up every weekend. This is an ideal place to come if you want a child friendly winery/restaurant experience.


I took the bottle of Red Affair 2007 to a restaurant that same night, and everyone loved it. We ate Mediterranean food and it went just beautifully. I HIGHLY recommend this wine. I really hope the winery doesn’t increase the price of this wine, because it is GREAT value for money!!! I am definitely buying more!

1 comment:

  1. I have since had the No.7 Special Blend 2006 and it was also nice. We drank it without food, and it was pleasant to drink.

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