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.

Saturday, 19 May 2012

Val de Vie

Today we went to Val de Vie for a wine tasting and a meal. We met friends there, sat near the fire place in the wine tasting room and enjoyed a wine tasting.


For R25 you can try 6 wines. The lady serving us didn't tell us anything about any of the wines, but we had the tasting notes at least. The tasting room has a nice vibe, it was a cold day, so with the fireplace going, it was very comfortable.


I found I liked the red wines more than the white. My favourites were the Polo Club Craftsmen (R70), Polo Cabernet Franc (R90), Val de Vie Ryk Neethlings 2010 (R135) and the Val de Vie GVC 2008 (R135).



For lunch, we moved in to the restaurant (next door to the wine tasting room). I enjoyed a glass of the Craftsmen with my lamb pizza for lunch. This was my second time at Val de Vie for a meal and on both ocassions I have enjoyed the vibe, the service, the food and the wine. I will always be happy to go back here.

If you are interested in watching some polo while in SA, then be sure to check out the Val de Vie website and see if there is a game on when you plan on visiting this winery.
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