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.



Monday, 30 April 2012

Black Oystercatcher

We went here for a wine tasting and lunch and had a very good experience.


We were served by the winemaker, and were able to hear what he had to say about each wine. There were a lot of people there when we arrived, which actually made for quite a nice vibe. They had a wedding the day before so a tent was up, which also added character to the place.


We tried all their wine. We started with the Sauvignon Blanc 2011 at R74 a bottle. It was light, refreshing, tropical and nice. The 2010 Sauvignon Blanc was soft, fruitier than the 2011, was also tropical but less zesty compared to the 2011. The 2008 White Pearl is a blend of 80% Semillon and 20 % Sauvignon Blanc. This sells for R79 a bottle. It was fruity, slightly spicy. The winemaker said it is a food wine and especially goes well with asian food. The 2011 Rosé (R69) was a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot. I liked this wine. It was soft, balanced, light, yet had medium body. The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot had a nice smell, which was slightly smokey. It was rounded, balanced and a little dry. I liked this wine. The 2008 Triton is R89 a bottle. It has a beautiful mocha smell, it was soft, rounded, and lovely!! It is a blend of 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot and 23% Shiraz. I liked this wine also. Overall I liked his red wine more than the white wine.


The wine tasting experience itself was nice. We tasted the wine standing at the bar. I am not sure if this is how they usually do the tasting, or if it was because they were so busy.



We had lunch here, and it was really good. I chose the fish special of the day and it was delicious!!

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