This winery is on Bottelary Road on the outskirts of Stellenbosch. This road of wineries is one of my favourites in Stellenbosch because it is not on the main drag, so they are usually quiet when you visit them, they are old, traditional and rustic. I actually find it quite sad that more marketing is not done to get more people to the wineries on this road as they are true gems to visit.
Please note the photos on this page are from the internet as I cannot find the photos I took on my visit.
Mooiplaas was one of those wineries I was putting off visiting because it is a mass producing, commercial winery. But finally I decided today that it was time to visit.
The winery is very nice with the horses on the estate, the option to enjoy a picnic outside on the lawn under the trees and you can sit inside or outside for a tasting.
What started my experience off wrong here is that the lady in the tasting room was busy doing some sort of admin, oh yes, she was paying staff at the time, so I was asked to wait. I waited about 5 minutes and finally was given a price list and explained how the wine tasting works here. It costs R10 to taste 4 wines here and R50 to taste the MCC.
I then asked the lady, as we can only taste four wines, which would she recommend tasting. This is how I ended up tasting the following wines:
Langtafel White 2013 at R40 a bottle. It is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Semillon. It was quite smooth on the palate, had nice fruity flavours and a slightly acidic, fresh finish. This wine was nice.
Mooiplaas Chenin Blanc 2012 at R60 a bottle had an old musky and fruity smell, it was quite thin with no body, and was smooth. I didn't really like this wine.
Mooiplaas Pinotage 2012 at R69 a bottle was very soft. It is quite light, easy drinking, had slight chocolate tones and was fruity. This wine was ok.
Langtafel Red 2012 at R40 a bottle is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Shiraz. It had a Christmas fruit, earthy, poey, and prune aroma. It was fruity, easy drinking, a little dry on the finish and a nice wine. I felt this wine was value for money.
I have to say, I was pretty disappointed with the wine here. I think this winery is a nice option if you want to enjoy a picnic on a winery and easy drinking wine for low prices.
Service was not so friendly nor did the staff know much about the wine. As always, this has an affect on my overall experience and opinion of a winery.
On the back of the price list I see they have a number of activities to enjoy on the farm also. These include the following:
Picnic by reservation only at R220 a basket which is for 2 people.
The Langtafel Luncheon at R275 pp. "Join the Roos family in the manor house for an unforgettable experience. Welcome drinks, canapes, 3 course lunch/dinner and 6 wines included".
Supper in the Cellar at R150 pp. A wine tasting hosted in the cellar followed by a light supper.
Private Cellar Tastings at R25 pp. Tutored tasting in the Mooiplaas maturation cellar.
Mooiplaas Nature Reserve Hikes at R50 pp.
Horse riding is by appointment.
They have guest accommodation on the farm. It is self catering and sleeps two adults. In low season you pay R600 pn and in high season you pay R750 per night.
I personally wouldn't recommend visiting this winery as there are others on this road I would recommend over this one. However, if you have time to visit them all, then you might as well visit this place. If it is a nice day, perhaps reserve a picnic to enjoy under the trees.
Please note the photos on this page are from the internet as I cannot find the photos I took on my visit.
Mooiplaas was one of those wineries I was putting off visiting because it is a mass producing, commercial winery. But finally I decided today that it was time to visit.
The winery is very nice with the horses on the estate, the option to enjoy a picnic outside on the lawn under the trees and you can sit inside or outside for a tasting.
What started my experience off wrong here is that the lady in the tasting room was busy doing some sort of admin, oh yes, she was paying staff at the time, so I was asked to wait. I waited about 5 minutes and finally was given a price list and explained how the wine tasting works here. It costs R10 to taste 4 wines here and R50 to taste the MCC.
I then asked the lady, as we can only taste four wines, which would she recommend tasting. This is how I ended up tasting the following wines:
Langtafel White 2013 at R40 a bottle. It is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Semillon. It was quite smooth on the palate, had nice fruity flavours and a slightly acidic, fresh finish. This wine was nice.
Mooiplaas Chenin Blanc 2012 at R60 a bottle had an old musky and fruity smell, it was quite thin with no body, and was smooth. I didn't really like this wine.
Mooiplaas Pinotage 2012 at R69 a bottle was very soft. It is quite light, easy drinking, had slight chocolate tones and was fruity. This wine was ok.
Langtafel Red 2012 at R40 a bottle is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Shiraz. It had a Christmas fruit, earthy, poey, and prune aroma. It was fruity, easy drinking, a little dry on the finish and a nice wine. I felt this wine was value for money.
I have to say, I was pretty disappointed with the wine here. I think this winery is a nice option if you want to enjoy a picnic on a winery and easy drinking wine for low prices.
Service was not so friendly nor did the staff know much about the wine. As always, this has an affect on my overall experience and opinion of a winery.
On the back of the price list I see they have a number of activities to enjoy on the farm also. These include the following:
Picnic by reservation only at R220 a basket which is for 2 people.
The Langtafel Luncheon at R275 pp. "Join the Roos family in the manor house for an unforgettable experience. Welcome drinks, canapes, 3 course lunch/dinner and 6 wines included".
Supper in the Cellar at R150 pp. A wine tasting hosted in the cellar followed by a light supper.
Private Cellar Tastings at R25 pp. Tutored tasting in the Mooiplaas maturation cellar.
Mooiplaas Nature Reserve Hikes at R50 pp.
Horse riding is by appointment.
They have guest accommodation on the farm. It is self catering and sleeps two adults. In low season you pay R600 pn and in high season you pay R750 per night.
I personally wouldn't recommend visiting this winery as there are others on this road I would recommend over this one. However, if you have time to visit them all, then you might as well visit this place. If it is a nice day, perhaps reserve a picnic to enjoy under the trees.
