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, but 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, 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.
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  1. Unknown11 October 2012 at 11:29

    I was invited to the Hillcrest ten year anniversary a few weeks ago. It was a very nice evening! It was held in the quarry. The decor was really nice inside the marquee, the canapes were the best I have ever had at an event and there were so many of them! It was really nice being able to try all four Sauvignon Blancs that Graham makes at Hillcrest. We got to try the ten year celebration wine which was very nice. Be sure to try this wine as there is a limited amount made!! I have to say my favourite was the Relief Sauvignon Blanc. The label is very eye catching and I like the story behind the name. Thanks for the invite Hillcrest.

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