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, 14 January 2013

Slaley Winery

Today I decided to quickly pop in to Slaley Winery on my way to an appointment. I didn't have my camera on me so sadly have no photos. Be sure to check out their website http://www.slaley.co.za/ for more information and images of their winery.

I was so surprised when I was inside the building. It is so modern and stylish. They have a nice outdoor area to relax and enjoy a wine or cocktail.

I did a quick wine tasting here. They charge R20 for a tasting and if you purchase wine they waive the fee.

They have quite a wide range of wine to try, however, they tend to only have 5 wines open at any one time. You therefore can't really choose the wines you want to try, but rather try what is open.

I tried the following:


Broken Stone Sauvignon Blanc 2009 at R50 a bottle: It's not your typical SB. It is soft, with stone fruit aromas. Has a slight peach and stone fruit flavour. Soft, rounded wine. Slight tart aftertaste, which lingers.
Slaley Chardonnay 2010 at R80 a bottle: Slight pear aroma, soft, light, approachable wine. Spent 8-10 months in barrels.

Broken Stone Pinotage 2006 at R65 a bottle: Cherry/red plum colour. Soft, rounded, very pleasant to drink. Light. I wonder if decantering would be advised for this wine? It's quite light, no major flavours coming through. A bit non-descript yet nice. For a Pinotage it is pleasantly soft and not dry! Not a heavy wine either. I was so intrigued by this wine and curious to try it again, so bought a few bottles to try it again on another day.

Broken Stone Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 at R65 a bottle: Dark red/brown colour. Can see it's an older wine. Musky feel on the palate, smooth, lingering aftertase, slightly dry. Wasn't my cup of tea. It had an "aged"taste to it and was a bit tart.

Slaley Shiraz 2004 at R110 a bottle: Cherry red/brown. Smells like a port or dessert wine. Is a little dry. Had lovely character.

Overall I enjoyed my experience at Slaley. It was fantastic to have Shaun do the tasting as he knows a lot about wine and could therefore provide an informative tasting. He had a very relaxed approach and I found he spoke to your level of wine knowledge, it was very well done.

I am looking forward to going back again and relaxing on the deck with some friends and wine :-)

No comments:

Post a Comment