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| The Americans, the guide, me, the Japanese. |
Whilst in Cape Town last week I went on a full day winery tour. After getting some extortionate quotes at the main train station (2000Rand), I signed up for the tour advertised at my hostel. It was priced at 600Rand and included visits to four wineries in three regions. It also included cheese tasting at the first winery, a great lunch in a restaurant (with wine) and olives and olive oil tasting at another winery.
I was extremely impressed with the tour and the guide, Paul, and found the day to be fun, educational and delicious. Autumn isn't the best time to visit the wineries as the vineyards are not full of fat grapes, but rather leaves which are turning brown and falling off. And on the day I went it was a little misty and rainy so we missed out on nice views of Table Mountain. But it was still very pretty and one of the wineries had a lovely fireplace and big comfy chairs so felt very cozy despite the drizzle outside the big windows.
There were only four others in my group - an American couple on a short holiday and a Japanese couple on a LONG honeymoon. The Japanese couple were eightteen months into a two-year round-the-world honeymoon trip. Pretty amazing! They were kind of quiet, probably because of the language barrier, but the Americans were fun and enjoyed joking around with our guide especially as the wine started to take effect.
We sampled about six types of wine at each winery. It was a combination of whites, roses and reds. There was also a South African champagne and a sparkling red. Paul, the guide, taught us how to look at, smell and taste the wines and taught us basic restaurant ettiquette. It was all very interesting and useful.
The first winery, Fairview, also had cheese tasting and we were encouraged to "match" cheeses and wines. So for example, if drinking a white wine, choose a light cheese like feta or brie. And with heavy reds, a strong blue cheese is suitable. The cheeses were very tasty, even the blues. And my favourite was a White Rock with cranberries, though the combination of goats camembert and sweet chili marmalade was a close second.
Lunch was great - everyone's meals looked scrumptious, but I was very happy with choice of grilled hake with an olive and feta salad. And the restaurant atmosphere and service couldn't be faulted - a cozy fireplace, choice of wines to accompany lunch and warm bread on the table. Though I think the coffee I ordered after lunch was instant coffee. I shouldn't complain though as it only cost 10Rand (70pence).
Of the wines I can't say which was my favourite. There were just too many. I'm not a fan of white wine and can hardly stomach a Chardonney, but I found several nice whites that I could enjoy on a summer afternoon. I enjoyed all the reds, but the most outstanding, perhaps because I'd never heard of or tried before, was the sparkling red. It was light and fresh, but more full-bodied than a rose. Oh, listen to me writing like a sommelier after only one tasting, haha.
All and all a great day out that I would recommend to anyone and everyone. And I have Paul's contact details so leave a message if you're interested in joining his tours (he works with several tour companies).
I was extremely impressed with the tour and the guide, Paul, and found the day to be fun, educational and delicious. Autumn isn't the best time to visit the wineries as the vineyards are not full of fat grapes, but rather leaves which are turning brown and falling off. And on the day I went it was a little misty and rainy so we missed out on nice views of Table Mountain. But it was still very pretty and one of the wineries had a lovely fireplace and big comfy chairs so felt very cozy despite the drizzle outside the big windows.
There were only four others in my group - an American couple on a short holiday and a Japanese couple on a LONG honeymoon. The Japanese couple were eightteen months into a two-year round-the-world honeymoon trip. Pretty amazing! They were kind of quiet, probably because of the language barrier, but the Americans were fun and enjoyed joking around with our guide especially as the wine started to take effect.
We sampled about six types of wine at each winery. It was a combination of whites, roses and reds. There was also a South African champagne and a sparkling red. Paul, the guide, taught us how to look at, smell and taste the wines and taught us basic restaurant ettiquette. It was all very interesting and useful.
The first winery, Fairview, also had cheese tasting and we were encouraged to "match" cheeses and wines. So for example, if drinking a white wine, choose a light cheese like feta or brie. And with heavy reds, a strong blue cheese is suitable. The cheeses were very tasty, even the blues. And my favourite was a White Rock with cranberries, though the combination of goats camembert and sweet chili marmalade was a close second.
Lunch was great - everyone's meals looked scrumptious, but I was very happy with choice of grilled hake with an olive and feta salad. And the restaurant atmosphere and service couldn't be faulted - a cozy fireplace, choice of wines to accompany lunch and warm bread on the table. Though I think the coffee I ordered after lunch was instant coffee. I shouldn't complain though as it only cost 10Rand (70pence).
Of the wines I can't say which was my favourite. There were just too many. I'm not a fan of white wine and can hardly stomach a Chardonney, but I found several nice whites that I could enjoy on a summer afternoon. I enjoyed all the reds, but the most outstanding, perhaps because I'd never heard of or tried before, was the sparkling red. It was light and fresh, but more full-bodied than a rose. Oh, listen to me writing like a sommelier after only one tasting, haha.
All and all a great day out that I would recommend to anyone and everyone. And I have Paul's contact details so leave a message if you're interested in joining his tours (he works with several tour companies).
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| Camembert with chili marmalade - delicious! |
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| Some of the wines we tried. |
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| Lunch |
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| Tanks for making wine. |
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| A comfortable and cozy place to sample wines and olive oils. |
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| Imported oak barrels. |
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| They look tasty, but I just don't enjoy white wine |
