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, 18 September 2011

Quoin Rock

After visiting Delheim and Muratie, my boyfriend and I decided to visit Quoin Rock. I first tried Quoin Rock wines at the Taste event, and loved their Nicobar Sauvignon Blanc, therefore I was very excited to try more of their wine.



The building is very modern and the tasting room is a great size.  The photo below shows just half of the tasting room, there are also several tables and chairs which you can sit at to do a tasting.


The service here is very good, we had a lady called Helanie serve us. She was fantastic. She had great knowledge of the wine, she had a great attitude and passion for the wine.


I tried all the wine available for tasting here. I started with the Cape Agulhas Cap Classique (R125). This wine had interesting flavours, had a slight strawberry taste to it, and was off dry. It was very unique. The Simonsberg Nicobar 2009 (R145) was smooth, silky, romantic, had a nice flavour and aftertaste. I really like this wine!! Cape Agulhas Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (R70) is very grassy, has asparagus taste and smell, is nice, smooth, light and yet it has good body.


The Simonsberg Oculus 2007 (R95) is a blend of 85% Sauvignon Blanc and 15% Viognier. It is buttery, rounded, and definitely has characters of lanolin and honey. This wine has potential, but as it is now, it is not to my liking. The Cape Agulha Chardonnay 2008 (R75) is very nicely balanced. This was a favourite of mine. It has great flavour, a light chardonnay taste to it, it is smooth, relaxed and easy drinking. The Merlot 2009 is slightly dry, and has quite strong flavours. The Simonsberg Syrah 2006 was smooth, slightly dry and had nice fruity flavours.

Other wines I tried include the Simonsberg Centaur2009 (R175), The Mendi 2006 (R175) and the Vine Dried Sauvignon Blanc 2009 (R145). This last wine I thoroughly enjoyed, it is elegant, smooth, has great flavours, and is nice of the palate.

If you want to go outside for a while, you can have a look at this fantastic view out the back of the tasting room. 


I had a very nice wine tasting experience here and would recommend one visits this winery when out this way.

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