If I Were Going...: Africa: Winery Tour

Linda appraises some wine

The next day we decided upon an optional winery tour. Caty and I had briefly flirted with foregoing this and booking a whale-watching trip instead, but we decided to stay with the group. I think, in retrospect, I would have enjoyed whale-watching instead.

Adrian at Fairview

This is no reflection of the actual tour. It’s just one of those things that you ultimately have to decide whether it’s your thing or not.

I like wine, but I am just not enough of a connoisseur to spend a full day tasting.

Plus, I never, ever remember what I liked and what I didn’t.

I know that Linda was also disappointed in the day – she would have liked more educational content about the wine-making process and maybe a little more time to walk around the cute little town of Stellenbosch, which is the heart of the wine district. We had a little bit of education at one winery, but it was mainly about tasting.

Janet, Kandice, Linda, Becca, Kristen, Caty, Alexis at Fairview Wine and Cheese

I think I have to agree here. I wanted either more or less. As it was, for me, the most enjoyable part was the beautiful scenery and the few birds I was able to photograph.

Marianne Wine Estate

Dee was not our guide this day. Rather, we were paired with Adrian, who had been a wine-maker before he started doing tours.

Fairview Tasting Room

Wine is, of course, a very important component of South Africa’s economy and reputation and much of it has French roots. The French have been growing grapes and producing wine in the Western Cape since 1688 when the Huguenots fled religious persecution in Louis XIV's France.

The center of the wine district is the town of Stellenbosch, which is named for Simon van der Stel, the first Governor of the Cape Colony and the founder of Groot Constantia (where we had lunch the day before).

Stellenbosch was established in 1679, making it the second oldest town in South Africa after Cape Town.

We visited three wineries in the area. First was Fairview Wine and Cheese.

Fairview Wine and Cheese

Founded in 1693, Fairview Wine and Cheese in Suider-Paarl is a working farm with a collection of micro-businesses making artisanal sustainable produce, with a focus on fine wine and cheese.

Goat Tower

The first thing you see when you arrive is a pen with a tower for the goats that produce milk for cheese.

The tasting room looks exactly like it was designed and built in Napa Valley – I guess there is a rulebook for wine tasting rooms. Here, we did briefly visit the wine-making facilities with a short lecture on the process.

The wines were good, especially the Fairview Pinotage, which is a blend of Cinsaut (also known as Hermitage) and Pinot Noir. Pinotage is a specialty of South Africa.

I bought a bottle for 100R (that’s $13!) with the intention of taking it home. But, traveling with a soft-side over-packed bag made carrying wine just too risky, so I gave it to Becca and her friends to drink.

What I liked best at Fairview were the delicious cheeses, which were served alongside the tasting wines. I also bought some cheese, fig jam and bread, which comprised our dinner that evening.

Cheeses waiting for wine

While there, I did grab some pictures of House Sparrows and a Cape Robin Chat ....

Female House Sparrow, Male House Sparrow, Cape Robin Chat

Whew! Robin Chats had eluded me multiple times a Kirstenbosch.

Photo by Becca

Next, we went to the Vrede en Lust Estate in Simondium, which had a spectacular view of the Simonsberg Mountain (also named for Simon van der Stel).

View from Vrede en Lust

The history of Vrede en Lust (Dutch for Peace and Delight) goes as far back to 1688, when Flemish merchant Jacques de Savoye arrived at the Cape with the French Huguenots.

Another view from Vrede en Lust

De Savoye immediately started improving the land that starts at the Bergriver valley floor and runs up the eastern foothills of Simonsberg. He planted more than 10 000 vines by 1691, which grew to 80,000 by 1780. The Vrede en Lust Estate changed hands 16 times until 1996, when the Buys family bought it.

Adrian, Becca, Janet, Caty, Linda

This tasting paired wine with some absolutely fabulous chocolates ...

Chocolate waiting for wine

... in a lovely showroom

Tasting Room

We didn’t see the wine-making facilities and we didn’t spend much time outdoors, except to enjoy the view.

Common Starling

But, I did get a (slightly blurry) picture of a Common Starling, which I think is the only one I saw in South Africa.

Then, we had a rather uninspired lunch in a local restaurant (I think lunch at one of the wineries would have been better). I had a vegetarian lasagna that was primarily undercooked sweet potato under a thick blanket of bechamel. I think the only one with a really good lunch was Caty, who had a curry that came with lots of chutneys.

Well, we had been nibbling and drinking all morning. So no big deal.

Finally, we moved on to the Marianne Wine Estate in Stellenbosch, which produces Bordeaux-style wines.

The name comes from Marianne, the fictional character who personifies the French Republic and its ideals: Liberty, Brotherhood, and Equality. She is the face on Euro coins, French postage stamps and the Statue of Liberty.

This tasting paired the wines with biltong, which is quite popular in South Africa.

I must admit, I am not overly fond of biltong – it’s like jerky (which I don’t really care for) with a gamier taste (and I don’t really like game).

So, I just drank the wine instead.

We did the tasting on the deck, overlooking the beautiful orchards and vineyards ...