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, 15 July 2013

Rhebokskloof

Today I stopped at Rhebokskloof for a wine tasting and enjoyed it very much. The grounds are just beautiful!! If you visit this estate be sure to take your time and have a good look around!! They have a restaurant, tasting room, conference centre, information centre, garden and childrens playground.



The tasting room has nice decor; it is very tasteful and inviting. Henrico was working that day and it turned out it was his first day so we sat down at a table and tasted the wine together, that was fun.


To do a wine tasting here costs R15 to taste 5 wines.


We tried many wines and my notes follow:

Pearlstone Rose 2011 (R45 a bottle). It was sweet on the nose, had strawberry flavours, was pleasant, not too sweet/off-dry. It was nice.

Pearlstone Sauvignon Blanc 2011 (R52 a bottle). Ttropical fruits on the nose, hints of pineapple and pear, it was light on the palate, easy drinking, and not acidic. It was nice.

Estate Chardonnay 2012 (R79 a bottle).  Smelled buttery on the nose, light on the palate, minerality and lime on nose and on palate, doesn't taste as buttery and creamy as one would expect from the smell, fresh on the palate.

Estate Viognier 2012 (R75 a bottle). Granny smith apple on the nose, lovely fruity nose, smooth, balanced, lovely flavour, soft, hints of pineapple and orange, and stone fruits like peach and apricot .

Pearlstone Cabernet Merlot 2011 (R65 a bottle) has a strange nose like fermentation/yeast smell. I didn't like this wine. It was a little dry and had a horrible taste.

Pearlstone Pinotage 2010 (R65 a bottle). It smelled nice, fruity with hints of plum and berries, powdery tannins, light, ok, little dry.

Pearlstone Shiraz 2009 (R65 a bottle). It had a nice aromatic nose, was light on the palate, smooth, will go good with red meat, it was ok.

Estate Shiraz, Mouvedre, Grenache (SMG) 2010 (R85 a bottle) is 60% Shiraz, 20% Mouvedre, 20% Grenache. Gorgeous nose, little spicy and fruity on the nose, smooth, little spicy, full mouth feel, lovely and easy drinking.

Estate Pinotage 2011 (R85 a bottle), had slight fynbos aromas on the nose, was light on the palate, had nice light berry flavours, slightly herbacious, I think it will be better if it is decantered as it is a little dry on the palate (powdery tannins), it was nice.

Estate Shiraz 2010 (R85 a bottle) had a very strong pepper/capsicum nose, it was medium bodied, and a big strong serious red with dry tannins.
Black Marble Hill Reserve Syrah 2010 (R190 a bottle) had dark fruit aromas, blackcurrents, berries, mulberry, has good aging potential, best to decanter, had deep flavours, great balance and integration. I liked it. But it was a little dry.

My favourite wines were the SMG, Pinotage and Shiraz.
 

Overall, I had a good experience here. I would love to come back and try out the restaurant. With the playground not far from the outdoor seating of the restaurant, this is a great option for those with children.

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