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.



Saturday, 26 November 2011

Haskell/Dombeya

After a tasting at Hidden Valley I took my group to Haskell/Dombeya. I brought them here because Werner (the tasting room manager) is fantastic at his job. He really knows his wine, he goes through them at a nice pace and explains everything along the way. My friends thoroughly appreciated and enjoyed this tasting, because he does not use technical words, so it doesn’t matter at what level you understand wine, anyone can understand.


What I also like about this winery is that they offer South African, Australian and NZ wine to try. There are not many wineries in the Western Cape that do this.

Werner started us off with three Chardonnays. We tried the New Zealand Craggy Range Kidnappers Chardonnay 2010 (R245) which was light, refreshing, fruity, soft, however, it does taste a little watered down. This was a very easy wine to drink. The Dombeya Chardonnay 2010 had a buttery and toast smell, it tasted nice and smooth. The Haskell Chardonnay 2010 (R290) smells buttery and syrupy, tastes nice, but I didn’t feel it had a lot of flavour and it was very easy drinking.

I then requested we try a Sauvignon Blanc, as he had no NZ Sauvignon Blanc left, he suggested I try the Dombeya Sauvignon Blanc. This was beautiful, had lovely flavour, and was very nice.

Next he introduced us to two Shiraz’s and one Syrah. We got to try the Dombeya Bolder Red Shiraz 2008, this was nice and smooth. Next we tried the Haskell Aeon Syrah 2008 (R290), this I found a little harsh but full of flavour. Last of all we tried the Pirathon Shiraz 2006 (R245) from the Barossa Valley in Australia, this had a lot of flavour and was a very nice wine.

After the tasting we enjoyed a lovely lunch outside. The service is always great here, you are given bread and butter to eat while waiting for your meal. The other thing I like about eating here is that the wine (other than a few) are exactly the same price to enjoy at the winery as they are if you bought it from the cellar. I was very keen to have a bottle of NZ Sauvignon Blanc, so for a very reasonable R160 we drank a bottle of the NZ Lawsons Dry Hills Sauvignon Blanc. It was really good, I was very happy with the recommendation Werner had made. Be sure to try this wine, or buy a bottle if you eat here!! Awesome flavour!!!



Be sure to visit this winery, you need to make a booking with Werner, he gets a lot of bookings on the weekends, and its worth having his full attention when you come here for a tasting.

Hidden Valley


On Saturday I took a group of 9 people around some wineries in Heldeberg. My friend told me she had some  friends from the Netherlands who were interested in doing a wine tasting, and asked if I could show them around. I was given full responsibility for where I took them, and seeing as my favourite wine region is the Helderberg wine region, that is where we went.

We started at Hidden Valley Winery. I chose this place because of the view you can enjoy while having a wine tasting and because of the architecture of the building. It is such a stunnig building they have, great location and just lovely views.

 

We were able to sit outside for the tasting which was very nice. It was the perfect weather to do a wine tasting outside.
We tried all 6 wines for tasting, this costs R30 per person which is waived if you buy two bottles of wine or more.

We started with the Hidden Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (R75), this was tropical fruit flavoured, soft, had a great smell and taste. The aftertaste was a little dry. Next we tried the Land’s End Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (R75) which was grassy, little zingy/mineral tasting, light and refreshing. It had a strong zesty lingering aftertaste. The Hidden Valley Pinotage 2009 had a beautiful smell and taste, it had hints of chocolate and coffee, it was smooth, and had a slightly dry/dark chocolate aftertaste. I was not a fan of the Land’s End Syrah 2008 (R175) and the Hidden Secret 2008 (R135). The latter I especially didn’t like because it had a chalky/dry aftertaste. The Hidden Gem 2008 (R135) was quite nice though. Sadly we had to rush the end of this tasting as we had to get to our booking at Dombeya/Haskell.


I would definitely recommend visiting this winery if you want a place with a nice view, good service and a nice range of wines.


There is a restaurant on the premises, which I believe would be a very nice place to eat. This winery also has chocolate platters for R55 and includes a wine tasting, cheese platters (R230) for two people and includes a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc or Pinotage or a wine tasting for two. They have picnic baskets available for two people at R295 and includes a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc or Pinotage.

High Constantia


I went to High Constantia on Thursday by myself for a wine tasting, as I was out that way to pick up wine from Buitenverwachting for my upcoming wine event.

I had an hour to kill so I thought I would see if they were open, I had tried to do a tasting two other times at this winery, but both times they were closed.

As I walked down the driveway a lady welcomed me on to the estate and showed me through to the tasting room.

The tasting is done outside on the porch where you have a beautiful view of the mountains, an old builing and a pond.

The place is so tranquil you could sit here for hours enjoying the view.


First I got to try the Clos Andre 2008 MCC (R227), which is 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir. This is a very pleasant MCC to drink, it's fruity, not dry and nice to drink. Next I tried the Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (R86.67). This has a beautiful smell, is full of flavour, smooth, and balanced. For me, it tasted a bit grassy, and also tasted of lime. There was a prominent flavour to this wine which I just couldn't recognise, but it was zesty and vibrant.


The rest of the wine available to try were red varietals and to be honest, I wasn't a fan of them. The flavours were all fine, but it was just the chalky and dry aftertaste that I didn't enjoy.

A tasting costs R40 here, if you buy wine the fee is waived.

Be sure to come here, as the service is great, the scenery is beautiful and the wine is interesting. It's a small place which I like because you get to have a wonderful wine tasting experience here.

Friday, 25 November 2011

Hillcrest

It was a beautiful sunny day, and I had half an hour to kill, so I thought I would finally do a wine tasting at Hillcrest.

The lady in the tasting room was energectic, knew her wine and clearly had a passion for wine. It was nice to be served by her. A tasting costs R10 here, but if you buy a bottle of wine the fee is waived.

I started with the Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (R70) it had amazing flavour, which was very much tropical fruit flavours. The Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (R60) had a nice aroma, hints of graasy & apple taste, it was zippy, had a fig aftertaste and had a slight bitter aftertaste.

The Cabernet Sauvignon Rose 2010 (R45) is very similar to the NZ Martinborough wine region Rose. It was crisp, dry, fruit driven and complex. I am more a fan of the easy drinking, Rose.

The Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2007 (R60) was interesting. It was smokey, fruit driven, had berry notes and a slightly dry aftertaste.

The Metamorphic Range Quarry 2008 (R150) was sharp, had very nice flavours and an intense feeling on the palate. The Metamorphic Range Hornfels 2008 (R250) was again full of flavour, slightly dry, and had white pepper/spicy tones.


Overall the wines here are very nice, I especially liked the Sauvignon Blancs. This winery has a nice restaurant, lovely views and good service. It is worth the visit if you are visiting the Durbanville wine region.

Wednesday, 23 November 2011

Durbanville's new signature dish

On Wednesday, 23rd of November I was invited to a media lunch at Diemersdal for the launch of the new Durbanville signature dish.
On arrival, all the Sauvigon Blancs and Shiraz's from the Durbanville wine region were available to try. I thoroughly enjoyed D'Aria's Sauvignon Blanc, it was very nice!!

There were approximately 20 people invited to this event, all from the food and wine industry. There were a few freelance writers, magazine writers, bloggers, and a few of the Durbanville winemakers also attended. It was really nice meeting other people from the food and wine industry.

After we all had the chance to meet each other and try some of the wine, we sat down for the signature regional dish. It was explained to us that this dish had a lot of effort, thought and time put into it, as they wanted this dish to represent the area and to bring out the history of the Durbanville wine region.


The dish was made of lamb sosaties with risotto-style pumpkin 'stampkoring' (pearled wheat), cumin sauce and pumpkin pickle. The regional dish includes pumpkin in three ways: mashed pumpkin with a hint of cinnamon to add creaminess to the risotto-style stampkoring; diced oven-roasted butternut for texture and intense flavour and a sweet-sour home-made pumpkin pickle with tumeric and mustard seeds.


It was delicious!! The dish was full of flavour; and complemented each other very nicely!! The dish was designed to match Sauvignon blanc and Shiraz from the Durbanville wine region and sure enough, they matched just beautifully.

The pumpkin pickle was very nice, it was my first time trying it, and I loved it. It really complemented the lamb sosaties!! We were given a jar to take home, and it was used up so quickly. Be sure to get your hands on some of this pumpkin pickle!!


To finish off the meal we were given Simonsberg cheese with gingerbread cookies. The cheese was divine and the Altydgedacht and Meerendal dessert wine accompanying the cheese was just lovely!! Be sure to try these dessert wines when you visit their winery!!

This signature dish will be served in all restaurants in the Durbanville wine region as of the 1st of December 2011. The main will cost R120 and for a smaller portion it is R65. I highly recommend trying this dish, it really is delicious. If you have friends or family visiting cape town, you can now take them for a nice wine tour in Durbanville and they can try a local dish at the same time, it's perfect!!

Sunday, 20 November 2011

Wine on the Water


This was a favourite event of mine. I wanted to go to this event, but I had dragged my boyfriend to so many wine events this year, that I didn't suggest this event. Just by chance, we actually ended up here because we were taking an Australian friend out for lunch and this place was close to where he was staying.

For only R50 we could try the wine and enjoy the beautiful views this place has to offer. After trying a little bit of wine we went and enjoyed lunch at one of the restaurants. It was extremely hot that day!!


We tried some more wine after lunch. We only had an hour and the time went very quickly. Unfortunately we didn’t get to try all the wine there.

We did try Wildekrans wine. My favourites were the Wildekrans Shiraz 2008 (R50) and the Wildkrans Lunch Ladies Rose 2011 (R50).

We also tried Cranefields Wines. I liked he Cranefields Shiraz 2007 which was very smooth, light, and had a slightly peppery aftertaste. It was very nice and only R48 a bottle. I also liked the Cranefields Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 (R48).

One other winery I have record of visiting is the Bushmanspad. The wine I liked the most at this winery was the Red Gold Shiraz 2006 at R55 a bottle. It was very soft, delicate, balanced and delicious!! I loved this wine.


If they hold this event again in 2012 I am very keen to go. The venue is lovely, the amount of wineries present was great and the price of the ticket you can't beat!! 

Joostenberg

Joostenberg is a nice place to visit.



We went to have a look at the plants at the nursery and ended up looking through the deli, around the garden and restauarnt.

It looks like an ideal place to have a lunch with friends who have children, as there is a big grass playing area, a playground, and horse riding for the kids.

You can do a free wine tasting in the deli. They have some very nice wines there.



In the deli there is a large selection of meat to buy. There is also a nice bakery selection, cheese section and many other products worth checking out.


Joostenburg is on the R304. If you are coming from Cape Town on the N1, you take the R304 turn off, at the T-juction turn right on to the R304 and then about 3-5 mins down the road Joostenburg will be on your left.

You can find out more information on http://www.joostenberg.co.za/

Here is some info on their bistro:

The bistro’s seasonal menu features hearty, country dishes made from scratch, using fresh local produce, in particular their own farm reared pork.  Examples are: traditional French charcuterie plate; cep mushroom and herb omelette; salad of grilled vegetables and marinated goat's cheese; pork braised with tomato and haricot beans; tart Tatin and vanilla pod ice cream. The atmosphere is relaxed and family friendly. Enjoy their huge cosy fireplace in winter and vine shaded stoep and endless gardens in summer.

Breakfasts are served from 8h00-11h30
Lunches are served from 12h00-15h00

Reservations are recommended, especially over weekends, public holidays and during holidays.

We are open daily from 8h00-17h00


Saturday, 19 November 2011

Waterkloof

A follower of my blog suggested that I visit this winery, and I finally did in November. I am so grateful for the recommendation, as it sure was a stunning winery to visit.


Waterkloof is a must see winery. The view is just stunning from this place!!


The whole place is just wow; the drive up to the winery, the building where they have the wine tastings and restaurant, and the view!! Its all grand and fantastic!!


The place where you do your tasting is quite stylish and the service is very good. Sadly we did not have a lot of time, so had to race through the wines. I found that I either really liked the wine or found it just ok.


My favourites of the wine we tried were Circumstance Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (R90), I found it soft, gentle, had a lingering aftertaste and very nice to drink. I also liked the Circumstance Chenin Blanc, this was very soft, had beautiful flavour, 14 months oaked, it was very nice!! This also sells for R90 a bottle. The Circumstance Cape Coral 2010 Mouvedre sells for R85 a bottle, it was gentle, smoth, balanced, light and easy drinking. The Circumstance Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (R155) was very nice, but had a slightly dry aftertaste. In total we tried 12 wines, there is a fee for trying the wines, I think we paid R25 each.

The restaurant looks lovely, and the food looked very nice also. I imagine a meal here with the view they have, will be a treat and a half!! You can view the menu on http://www.waterkloofwines.co.za/pages/279651693/Restaurant-and-functions/menu.asp. They also have a 6 course degustation menu for R385/R490 wine pairing included. From what I saw, this would be very nice I am sure!!



I definitely recommend one visits this winery, and if you have the time and money, be sure to come and enjoy a meal here also. I am very keen to go back for the degustation!!






Thursday, 17 November 2011

Kaapzicht

After visiting Groenland, I decided to visit Kaapzicht also. They are right beside each other so it was very convenient.

On ariving at the tasting room, I thought it was a "dag" (as we say in NZ) to be greeted by a sign on the door saying please press the door once (once being stressed) and wait for assistance. It took a while before someone came to open the tasting room door, but I dared not press the bell again, hehe. The lady who served me said they misplaced the key which is why they took longer than normal to get to the tasting room. But the signs and waiting for someone to come I thought actually added to the charm and cuteness of this place.



The lady who served me was very friendly though didn't seem to know too much about the wine. She had come from the office, so perhaps she doesn't normally do the tastings...

I tried all the white wines and sadly didn't find anything I particulary liked, which was a shame considering they currently have a massive sale on their wine!! Only R20 for their SB 2009 (unlabelled), Chenin Blanc 2009, and Natural Sweet Wine 2007. The Sauv/chenin Blanc 2008 (unlabelled) is selling for only R15 and the so is the Shiraz Rose 2008 (unlabelled). The Cab Sauv 2005 is selling for R35 and the Bin 3 (merlot/cab sav/pin) 2007 is selling for R49.

 I did however love the Merlot 2008 (R90). This was so smooth, moist and delicate. I really liked this wine, so I walked out with a bottle. The Hanepoot Jerepigo 2008 (R60) had great flavour, was sweet but not syrupy and was a nice dessert wine.

The overall tasting experience was nice here. If you are a big group, I am sure there will be a wine for everyone's liking, as there are 18 wines on the tasting list!!

I think if I am correct they charge R10 for a tasting, but if you by a bottle of wine the fee is waived.

Unfortunately I didn't have my camera on me when I visited this wine, so have had to use photos from their website. Be sure to check out their website on http://www.kaapzicht.co.za.


Groenland

Last week I went to this winery by myself as I was out that way for a job interview and thought it would be nice to visit a few wineries before I headed home.

I have to say, it is a very cute/unique place to come for a wine tasting. It felt like I was driving on to someones property, which I am guessing I was. Even though I have been to several wineries where the owners live on the same grounds, you usually don't get close to their house, so it doesn't feel so obtrusive.

The gardens at this winery are nicely kept, and the whole place all has a quaint feel to it. It added mystery and excitement to the place :-)
Following the wine sale signs I managed to find the wine tasting room. There was a lady there working as the tasting room assistant and there were no guests when I went. So I was very lucky to get a one on one tasting. The lady (Jenny) working there was very friendly, polite and clearly knew her wine!
A tasting at this winery is free, and there are 9 wines to try. I tried 6 of them and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised as to how nice the wines were. I had not heard of Groenland before coming to this winery, so after trying the wine, I was very glad to have visited.
The Chenin Blanc 2010 - Promise (R25) is definitely worth a try. It is balanced, creamy, not acidic and has lovely fruit flavours. I especially liked the Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (R39.50) which has a beautiful smell and taste. My other favourite was the Antoinette Marie 2007 (R59.50). This is a red blend of 50% Shiraz, 25% Cabernet and 25% Merlot. I don't know what has happened to me recently, but I am stumbling over some fantastic reds!! For those who follow my wine blog closely, you will know this is very odd, as I have not been so keen on red wines up till now. I ended up walking away with two bottles of the SB and Antoinette Marie. I have already shared the Antoinette Marie with friends and they also thought the wine was very nice!!

The price of the wine here is truly fantastic, especially considering the quality of wine you are getting!!


Be sure to visit this winery if out this way, it's truly a hidden gem!!

Please note I did not have my camera on me when I visited this winery, and therefore I have had to use photos from Groenlands website. You can view more on http://www.groenland.co.za/gallery.asp

Friday, 11 November 2011

Diemersdal

My boyfriend and I went to Diemersdal after doing some errunds Friday morning. We thought because it was during the day time on a week day that it wouldn't be busy, but surprisingly it was. There were a few gentlemen sitting inside doing a tasting, there was a group of young adults sitting on the lawn doing a tasting, and then another two couples came in while we were there. All with one tasting assistant, I was quite impressed with how well he kept up with all the people.


The style of the building is Dutch. The view from the tasting room is very nice, I love the lawn they have outside the tasting room to enjoy a picnic and wine tasting.


We had a very good experience here!! The vibe in the tasting room is great, the tables outside allow you to do a tasting there, and the lawn outside is so lovely if you want to take your time and enjoy the scenery while doing a tasting you can.
It appears that you can try anything and everything on the list, and at no cost. The service was fantastic!! The guy serving us was so friendly, polite, hospitable, you don't want to leave because his energy is so inviting and welcoming. It's fantastic!!


We tried eight wines, my favourites were the Sauvignon Blac 2011 (R49). This has a beautiful smell and a great tropical and grassy taste. It is really elegant and easy drinking. The Sir Lambert 2011 (R75) has grassy, asparagus notes, is light and refreshing. I liked this wine very much. I loved the Chardonnay unwooded 2011 (R50). This was delicious, it had great flavour, was lovely on the palate, and had a lingering aftertaste. We were very lucky to try the Grenache 2010 (R95), this usually is not available for tasting, but if a bottle has been opened, then they might let you have a try :-) Be sure to ask if you do come here, for the Grenache is smooth, balanced, had lovely flavour, and was not dry. I really liked it. We were informed that this is best served chilled. Last of all, the Pinotage Reserve 2010 (R90) is very nice!! It has great body, lovely flavour and is nicely balanced.

We ended up walking out with four bottles, and I can't wait to open them!!

We were told that on the weekends the music in the tasting room is turned up, and people are welcome to bring their own picnics and sit on the lawns drinking the Diemersdal wine. I have already told my friends about this, and I can't wait to go drink Diemersdal wine while sitting on a picnic blanket enjoying a home packed picnic with friends!!  What better way to spend an afternoon with friends!!


Be sure to put this winery on your list when visiting the Durbanville wine region!!

Wednesday, 9 November 2011

Boekenhoutskloof

After I picked up some MCC from Morena a.k.a Franschhoek Pass Winery I went to Boekenhoutskloof winery.



I was surprised to see so many cars leaving as I was driving up the driveway. It turns out, I had just missed a busy period. This was great timing as it meant I had fantastic service!!
 

I like the porcupine art on the way in to the tasting room, its very cool. I like the cartoon people standing around the tasting room.I also like the spittoons, they are very stylish. The whole place was stylish, funky and had a great vibe.



Once seated, I was given a list of wines, and informed that only 6 of the wines are opened each day for a tasting and therefore was given another list showing which ones they were for that day. They chose one wine from the Boekenhoutskloof estate wine list, the chocolate block flagship wine, a few from the Porcupine and Wolftrap list.
 

I started with the Porcupine Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (R40). It was crisp, refreshing, had an interesting fruity flavour, and a lingering aftertaste. I liked this wine. Next I tried The Wolftrap 2010 (R40). It is a Viognier, Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc. This was buttery, creamy, and had body! Then I tried the Porcupine Ridge 2010 (R50) which is 70% Viognier and 30% Grenache Blanc. It was very nice. It was smooth on the palate and nicely balanced. This was followed by the Boekenhoutskloof Semillon 2009, which was soft, balanced, nice, had lovely structure, body and had a beautiful flavour. The Porcupine Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon was a real surprise for me!! I wasn't going to bother trying it but I am so glad I did!!! It was smooth, had a slight coffee flavour, was light and I loved it!! I bought two bottles of this wine. I truly couldn't believe I had found a red wine I liked and it was a cab sauv!! hehe. The sixth wine I tried was the Procupine Ridge Syrah Viognier 2010 (R50). It was slightly dry, little spicy and very nicely balanced!! This wine would go great with food. I wondered if the slight pepper flavour was what gave it a slightly dry feeling on the palate.... The lady serving me was very kind to let me try two other wines, so I ended up trying eight wines. The two I haven't mentioned yet are: The Chocolate Block (R175) which is nice and has lovely character and the Boekenhoetskloof Syrah 2009 which I thought was amazing!! It was spicy, had hints of cherries and dark chocolate. Apparently this wine is sold out before it's even bottled!! For those who noticed, I have not put prices beside the Boekenhoetskloof wines, this is because you can only order them if you are on the mailing list. If you want to buy these wines you have to take 12 bottles which comes at a cost of R4000.


Just as I was finishing my tasting, the place filled up with visitors. It seems this place is quite popular!!
Be sure to visit this winery when you visit Franschhoek!! Oh, and guess what? A tasting here is free!! Like it!! :-)

Asara

I went to Asara on my way to a meeting Wednesday morning. As I drove up to the tasting room there were some lovely views to take in.


The estate is stunning, the accommodation looks very nice, the restaurant looks flash and the design of the place is really cool. Below is a photo of the deli/cafe they have also on the premises. Its quite cute this courtyard area, and kind of feels like you have stepped into Disneyland. It feels magical. They have the sign posts showing where the Asara bar is, the accommodation, the deli, the restaurant etc.


As I needed something to eat, I went downstairs to the tasting room where I could enjoy some tapas while doing a tasting. The view from the tasting room is very scenic, and on a nice day will be a great place to do a tasting!!


I was given the list of wines, and was told I could choose 3 wines for R20 or 5 wines for R30. I ticked the ones I wanted to try, the lady then came back with the five wines I chose and she left me to it. I have never done a tasting this way, and found it so strange to not get any information on the wine.


When my mum tells people in NZ about the wine tasting experience she had in SA she says that you get a list of the wines, tick the ones you want and then you are left to try them. I thought how strange it was that her experience was like that, as I had not done a tasting like that up until the point when I went to Asara. Do I think its a bad way of doing a tasting, definitely not. If you are with a group of friends and just want to soak up the view with some wine, then this is a great way to do it. If you don't care too much about how a wine is made, the characteristics of it etc, then it also is a fabulous way to do a tasting.



After I had almost finished, I asked a guy working there for information about a few of the wines. He was very informative and allowed me to try two other wines he felt were also worth trying.

As it was 10am in the morning, I stuck to the white wines. I tried the Ivory Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (R45), this was a nice light wine, though I thought this had an unusual yet interesting flavour to it. I tried the Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (R55) which had a nice smell, lovely flavour and was also light. The Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (R60) was very nice!! It was elegant, light, and had amazing body and structure. It had a nice fruity flavour and strong lingering aftertaste. The unwooded Chardonnay had a very interesting flavour to it, and a strong sharp lingering aftertaste. The Chardonnay Reserve - limited release - 2010 (R125) was very nice, it had a slight toasty and buttery taste and great body!! The Rose (Shiraz/Gamay Noir/Pinotage) had a beautiful, sweet smell, however I felt it lacked flavour. Last of all I tried the Spirit of Chenin 2008 dessert wine (R80), this was a little spicy, had huge flavour, was not syrupy like some dessert wines, it was very nice.

The food I had was really good. I highly recommend ordering the baby calamari salad!!! It was seasoned and cooked just beautifully!! The lamb bobotie spring rolls were also very nice.


When I went to pay for the tasting, I found out that they usually don't waive the tasting fee unless you spend more than R300. They also give you the bill where you can add a tip. I am not sure if that was only because I ate there, or if they do that for wine tastings also. But because the wine was not poured one by one with information on each wine, I didn't feel like there was any service to pay for. I had forgotten at the time, that I had eaten and that I should have given a tip for that.

Even though it may come across as though I have some complaints on the service and the way a tasting is done here, I felt it was a really nice place and definitely worth the visit!! If you come to this place for a tasting knowing that this is how a tasting is done, you shouldn't be disappointed about anything :-) They have great wine and a lovely setting, be sure to put this winery on your list.