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, 29 June 2013

Saronsberg - Christmas in Winter

Today we finished the day with a visit to Saronsberg. This is a beautiful wine estate, with a great vibe at the Christmas in Winter Festival. This is the second year in a row that we have attended this festival and visited Saronsberg each time. Both times we loved this place. If you come to Tulbagh for this festival, make sure you visit this estate!! This estate has very nice wine, an awesome building and lovely views!!


The wine tasting is done upstairs and on this ocassion I was fortunate to get the assistant winemaker Yolandi to do the tasting with me. Therefore it was informative and interesting.




I tasted the Sauvignon Blanc 2013 (R70 a bottle) which has 10% semillon in it, has a tropical fruity nose, is pleasant on the palate yet has some strong tangy fruity flavours on the palate and is a little floral and creamy.

Viognier 2011 is R90 a bottle and is fantastic!! It is very smooth and floral on the nose. I tasted this wine again at the CWG tasting this year and it truly stands out amongst other white wines!!

Provenance Shiraz Rose 2013 at R45 a bottle reminds me of candy floss on colour and taste.

Provenance Merlot/Malbec 2007 magnum is only R100 a bottle. It has a lovely fruity nose, is soft on the palate, and is relatively light.

Provenance Shiraz 2011 at R95 a bottle. It is a little spicy, has nice fruitiness and is nice.

The Saronsberg Shiraz 2011 at R185 a bottle is smooth, fruity and nice. It has an interesting fruity finish.

Full Circle 2010 is R230 a bottle is more serious, full bodied and has very fruity flavours. It is a blend of Shiraz, Grenache, Viognier and Mouvedre. I liked this wine.

Provenance Rooi 2011 is R105 a bottle. This is a Bordeaux style blend using all five varietals. It has beautiful pungent berry flavours.

Straw Wine 2006 at R150 a bottle had nutty and caramel taste and had a strong sweet nose.

My favourite wine however was the Seismic 2008 which is a bordeaux style blend using four varietals. It was fruity, smooth and delicious. I loved it.



Outside they had a live band, the weather was amazing and the views were gorgeous. It is such a relaxing place to hang out for the day!!




I highly recommend visiting this estate especially on the Christmas in Winter Festival weekend!!!

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