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.



Sunday, 1 May 2011

Rust En Vrede - Stellenbosch

Rust En Vrede was the second winery we visited in the day. It is a very short drive from Bilton and Haskell. Therefore, to visit these three wineries in the same day is ideal.


The staff were very friendly and the setting was very nice. You can do a tasting outside or inside. As it was such a beautiful day we chose to do our tasting outside under the trees.



The scenery is stunning here, and very much worth visiting. This is the view from the lawn at Vrede en Lust. Stunning views!!


Most of the group did the standard wine tasting which cost R40 for four wines. The limited edition tasting cost R30 and that is for two wines. If you try all 6 wines it costs R70.

One of my favourite wines here was the Rust en Vrede 2008 Shiraz (R180). It was smooth and very nice to drink.

The Rust en Vrede limited edition 2008 Syrah (R850) was quite dry, but had great volume and a nice berry flavour to it. This was a favourite amongst the majority of our group. The other limited edition wine was the 2007 1694 Classification (R1200). This is a blend of 60% Shiraz and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. It's a very mature tasting wine, is smooth on the palate, yet has a slightly dry after taste. This wine can age up to 20 years.

We all enjoyed our visit to this winery. The wine was nice, service was good and the views were worth the visit alone. Be sure to come here if you are in the area.

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