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, 24 March 2012

Allée Bleue

Today we decided to visit some wineries with friends from Paarl. We started at Allée Bleue, then went to Plasir de Merle and finished at Vrede en Lust for lunch and a tasting.


I have always driven past Allée Bleue, but never got the chance to pop in for a tasting. Finally we visited the winery today and I was very happy with the place.


The tasting room is nicely designed and I absolutely loved the outdoor courtyard. I would be very keen to have my 30th birthday here next year.


We sat down for the tasting and tried 5 wines. We started with the Starlette Blanc 2011 which is a Sauvignon Blanc/Chenin Blanc at R35 a bottle. This was nice, fruity and balanced. The Isabeau Semillon/Chardonnay 2010 sells for R88 a bottle. This I found was rounded, slightly heavy, and wooded. The Starlette Rosé 2011 at R36 a bottle has a cute pink colour, like that of candy floss. I loved this rosé, it was playful, a little sweet and had nice flavour. The Starlette Rouge 2010 sells for R38 a bottle, this had a smokey smell, and a slight dry lingering aftertaste. We finished off with the L'Amour Toujours 2008 at R150 a bottle, which is a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, grenache, petit verdot and shiraz. This had a nice smell, was complex, and I tasted hints of cinnamon, blackcurrent, cherry and dark chocolate.



We enjoyed our wine tasting at Allée Bleue and I recommend you stop here if you drive past.

There is a restaurant on the premises also, which perhaps you would like to work in to your plans.



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