Simonsig

My work colleague and I visited this winery after work on Friday.

We paid R25 each to taste 5 wines. There are 23 wines to choose from, so it makes the choice very difficult.

At Simonsig, you pay for your tasting, select your first wine to try, you sit down anywhere you like (inside or outside) and then go up for your next tasting.  So it is a very relaxed style/approach. Having said that, you still get good service and the tasting room staff know the wine very well and are happy to share their knowledge with you.

We were looked after by one male staff member and he was kind enough to let us try 7 wines, as I found it too hard to choose just 5. At closing time, my ride was not there yet, so they let us sit outside with a glass of dessert wine while we were waiting. So I was really impressd with the service and hospitality we received here.

I recommend one visits this winery. If you have never had the Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel (R90) then I highly recommend you try it. The Kaapse Vonkel Brut Rosé (R90) was also very nice. We tried the Cuvée Royale (Blanc de Blanc) Cap Classique (R180) also and this was very nice. For those who don't like the biscuity, yeasty, dry MCC then this would not be for you. Having said this, I usually don't like this style of MCC either, but enjoyed this one. I reckon its worth trying. This MCC won the Veritas Double gold and Platters 4 1/2 stars.

I liked the Sauvignon Blanc Sunbird (R60) and the Chenin Blanc (R40). They were both light, easy drinking and had nice flavour.

Overall we had a nice wine tasting experience here and I would recommend others visit this winery also.

Tasting & Wine SalesMon to Fri – 08:30 - 17:00
Saturdays & Public Holidays – 08:30 - 1600
Sunday - 11:00 - 15:00
Closed on Christmas, New Year's Day & Good Friday

Villiera

A colleague and I visited Villiera Friday after work.

There were quite a lot of people in the tasting room when we got there, with only one staff member. Surprisingly he did amazingly well to handle so many people all by himself.

Villiera is a nice winery. The tasting room is modern and welcoming, the staff are friendly and informative and there is a variety of wine to try, including French wine.

We started off with the Cap Classique tastings and unfortunately one hour did not allow us to try much else as we ran out of time. Of the Cap Classiques we tried, I really liked the Tradition Brut Rose at R68 a bottle. It had a really nice fruity flavour, was crisp and refreshing. The Munro Brut 2006 was more aged, more rounded and smooth, it was very nice. This sells for R120 a bottle.

Of the white wines we tried, I liked the Sauvignon Blanc 2011 at R45 a bottle. It had tropical fruity flavour, was rounded, and easy drinking.

This winery offers Game Reserve wine tastings also. They hold them monthly, and include a wine tasting, light meal and a game drive. They usually advertise this on http://www.wine.co.za/. If you are interested in attending be sure to look out for it on that website.

I would recommend visiting this winery, as the wine tasting experience was very good.

Stellenbosch Hills

After visiting Vredenheim, we quickly went down the road to Stellenbosch Hills to buy some wine. I had tried their wine at the Good Food and Wine Show last year. I loved their wine and especially loved their prices!!!

We decided to do a tasting while at this winery, as we hadn't been here before.

The building is nice on the inside, there is a big tasting room for big groups and there is a smaller tasting room for smaller groups. The place is clean, modern and nicely designed. The service was very good here, we were well looked after.

Stellenbosch Hills Winery has three labels. They have the Polkadraai Range, the Stellenbosch Hills Cultivar Collection and the 1707 Reserve Range.

What I love about the wine at Stellenbosch Hills is that the wine tastes good and they are very reasonably priced!! For example their Polkadraai Chenin Blanc/Sauvignon blanc 2011 is only R26 a bottle. Their Stellenbosch Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2011 is only R36 a bottle. Even their reserve range is reasonably priced at R82 for a 1707 Red Reserve 2007 which they have limited stock of.

I recommend coming here and I recommend stocking up on their wine!!

Cellar Door Hours (tasting & wine sales)

Monday – Friday 8am – 5pm;
Saturday 10am – 3pm;
Sunday Closed

I see online that they do a biltong and wine pairing: Taste six of the Stellenbosch Hills wines, perfectly paired with a biltong and droëwors selection. The tasting takes between 30 minutes and an hour, depending on the participation level, and size of the group. Bookings can be made by e-mailing or phone
+27 (0)21 881 3828.
The cost is R40.00 per person. Booking is essential.