3.9.2009 || Stellenbosch|| South Africa
After a fun two days in Cape Town we hired a driver for the day and headed to wine country! Stellenbosch is approximately thirty one miles east of Cape Town. It is a home to the Cape Winelands, the primary producer of South African wines. Stellenbosch is also a university town. Believe it or not this was my first trip to “wine country”. There have been a few trips to California’s wine country since then but this was my first introduction to wine tasting!
We started off at Zevenwacht where a pinotage was a hit with the group. We purchased some for later in the week when we were on safari. I could have stayed at this vineyard all day but it was time to continue exploring.
This is the first picture of the full group (plus one extra friend of the guys from school).
I don’t remember the exact order of the vineyards but at some point we visited Ernie Els’ winery. The South African professional golfer wasn’t there so we took a picture of his picture. Selfies weren’t a thing yet so a missed opportunity, although that would have been challenging with a point and shoot camera…
This place felt like someone’s (massive) home.
It might have been my favorite location of the day solely based on the views.
FORE!
Taking in the view one last time.
On to the next vineyard, Delheim Wine Estate, where we also ate lunch.
This was the only vineyard that was OK with visitors getting up close to the grapes, or maybe the only place we tried.
Hanging with the driver in a tasting room.
Lunch on the terrace of this beautiful estate.
One final shot from Stellenbosch and another animal sighting getting us ready for safari. This ostrich was seriously taunting us and putting on quite a show.
That’s a wrap for wine tasting in South Africa. It made me a fan of Pinotage and other South African varietals. We went from fancy wine tasting in Stellenboasch to sleeping in adult sized sleep sacks sprayed with deet in Kruger National Park (after one more day in Cape Town).
Be sure to check out the rest of the trip: Cape Town, Blyde River Canyon, and Kruger National Park!
Wine Experiences:
- Zevenwacht
- Ernie Els Wines
- Delheim Wine Estate
- Glen Carlou
Question: Next time I need to incorporate some champagne tasting into the agenda! Do you have any South African wines or vineyards to recommend?
champagneonplanes 