Stellenbosch

One of the great things to do around Cape Town is visit the wine country.  We had a chance to visit Stellenbosch when our friend Jenne was here in October.  Here are some of the places we visited.

We stayed overnight at Zevenwacht.  It was quiet and lovely, and we scored a great deal on their sauvignon blanc.

Zevenwacht

View at Zevenwacht

Restaurant at Zevenwacht

We also visited Spier, where the wine was really nice, and the winery itself was a great mix of attractions and wine.  We saw their cheetah, and strolled through their circus-inspired

restaurant.  A very nice spot for a picnic.

Spier

Chris and Jenne at Spier

Then we visited Ken Forrester.  This is one of our favorite wines, and as you might expect, the winery reflected everything we love in a winery.  It was small and unassuming, with tremendous views.  It also, of course had, wonderful wines.   We even got a chance to talk to the vintner himself, Ken Forrester.

Cellars at Ken Forrestor

Lisa, Ken Forrester, and Chris

Here he is with Lisa & Chris, before we bought some chenin blanc and sauvignon blanc to go.

Our last stop of the day was Kleine Zalze.  This is a large winery, and there was a wedding happening.  It was beautiful to see the dresses and the flowers in this lovely setting.  The wine was also excellent, as was the restaurant Terroir.  Delicious food that highlighted local favorites.  We will  be stopping back there for sure.

Terroir at Kleine Zalze

View at Kleine Zalze

Tasting at Kleine Zalze

We end the day at De Trafford Winery.  Although it was closed to tasting, it was one of the loveliest spots we found that day.

Trail at De Trafford

Chris taking in the sun at De Trafford

Ending the day at De Trafford

Wine X

We went to the biggest wine tasting of the year in Cape Town, and the largest consumer wine show in the Southern Hemisphere.  It’s called Wine X, and it features the best wines  from all over the country.  So clearly, we had to go.

Chris picked Lisa up from work, and we grabbed a quick bite to eat before we went in, we wanted to be ready.  We walked in the Cape Town Convention Centre, and huge modern conference facility, made of glass and steel, right downtown.  When we walked in, there were a bunch of servers in tuxedos to our right, so Chris walked right over and joined the party.  Come to find out, that wasn’t our party.  After a couple of snacks there, the servers told us the cool party with wine was futher on.  So we pushed on.

We passed the enormous cheese booth, and walked into the main room.  The room was huge, so big it was organized with large banners alphabetizing the room.  It went A thru Z, and then AA, well past LL.  We got out our booklet and pen, and started around the room.  It was absolutely packed with people, and honestly sometimes we had to throw a subtle elbow so we wouldn’t get pushed around.  Wine is clearly a big hit here!  It was a big hit with us too.  The night was a lot of fun.  We tried great wines, spoke to people from all over the country, and celebrated a great South African industry.

Some of our favorite winemakers are:

Ataraxia Mountain Vineyard

Bouchard Finlayson

Hamilton Russell

Backsberg Estate Cellars

Ken Forrester

Boekenhoutskloof

Capaia Wines

Kleine Zalze

Cape Point Vineyards