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, 6 September 2014

Rickety Bridge - second visit

My friend and I went to Rickety Bridge for a wine tasting and had a very nice experience.


It was a beautiful day so we sat outside on the patio to enjoy the tasting. I can't remember how much we paid for the tasting, but it would have been around R25/R30 per person.

If you like to eat something while tasting wine, or need a break from all the wine tasting, then you can enjoy a cheese platter here for R60 or a meat platter for two for R100.


There are lovely views from this wine estate, the service was very good and there is a nice selection of wines to try. Personally these wines were not my cup of tea, but I have enjoyed their MCC at a wine event on a previous occasion and loved it.


Rickety Bridge Sauvignon Blanc 2014 at R62 a bottle was quite zesty, had lovely aroma, a round feel, and nice lingering finish.

Rickety Bridge Chardonnay 2013 at R85 a bottle had a stunning aroma, lovely round mouth feeling, lacked a bit of flavour, quite a zesty aftertaste. I actually felt this wine left a rough feeling on the tongue; like the feeling when you have burnt your tongue on a hot cup of coffee. It was strange!!

The Foundation Stone White 2013 at R85 a bottle had a lovely aroma, taste and finish. It was a little floral and had a round mouth feeling. I didn't like the aftertaste, it had a powdery finish.


The Foundation Stone Rose 2013 at R50 a bottle, was pleasant, had a light strawberry taste, was a little zesty on the finish. It was ok.

Paulina's Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2011 at R85 a bottle was less offensive than the SB above, it had lighter tones and was nice/ok. It had that stinky wash rind cheese smell on the nose. Thankfully the taste of the wine wasn't the same as the smell!!

Paulina's Reserve Chenin Blanc 2011 at R75 a bottle had a little pineapple on the nose, quite a lot of fruity flavours (like a fruit salad) on the palate. It was ok.

Paulina's Reserve Semillon 2010 at R95 a bottle had a beautiful fruity nose, was soft on the palate and oak on the finish.


Overall you can see these weren't my kind of wines, but I can recommend visiting this winery for a relaxed tasting with lovely views!!

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