Stellenbosch, Paarl & Franschhoek Fri 6/12/2002   South Africa has some magnificent wines which are on par with some of the best international rivals, at a fraction of the price. A large part of South African wine industry is fairly young, as it's development was hampered during the Aparheit era by a quota system which only allowed for a certain number of producers and generated volume. When Apartheit came to a close in the early nineties so did the restrictions on the wineries in the region and a significant number of wine farms started producing (at least in part) quite excellent wines for sale to the public. During my discovery journey through the wine region I hence came across some small gems which may not have gotten all the attention, at least internationally, which they deserved. I thought of this to be a magnificent challenge and I wish to have visited a larger number of wineries during my stay in the area. TIP: another thing I regret is not having enough money to buy whole cases from different winyards, since if you are in that fortunate position you can have the Vineyard Connection ship the cases of 12 back to Europe without paying any South African VAT. (costs about 40 EUR for one case and subsequently cheaper thereafter.) The first tour was undertaken to the Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek regions, together with my sister Nicole and Paula a fellow traveller I had met in Jo'burg and subsequently in Cape Town. During this trip we initially stopped at the Saxenburg estate (021 903 6113), of which I will spare you my amateur tasting notes but all in all I was not convinced by the wines. The estate was however well looked after and picturesque with an inviting and elegant restaurant called the "Guinea Fowl". In all fairness I also have to say that they would not let us try some of the pricier wines, which according to the wine guide are quite spectacular. The second stop took some searching as it is only a tiny wineyard at the very end of Blauwklip Road called De Trafford (021 880 1611). A real gem and and an absolute must on the list of winyards to visit. Although I have of late not been a big fan of white wines their 2002 Chenin Blanc is spectacular so is the 2001 Merlot. Their flagship wine the 2001 Shiraz needs a few more years to mature but is set to be a spectacular choice as well. Unfortunately a lot of the wines are exported to Europe which makes them quite expensive by local standards. (My favourite at present is clearly the Merlot). We also got to sample the sold out Straw Wine which is a sweet desert wine that is made from semi dried grapes (Air dried on straw). On our way down from De Trafford we stopped off at the Stellenzicht (021 880 8803) estate, where they wouldn't let us try their highly rated Shiraz Reserve and hence we only got to sample their golden triangle wines (Merlot '98 and Syrah '00) which were good but not extraordinary. In the afternoon we got lucky again and stumbled across "Tokara" (021 808 5959) a very young wineyard and an adjacient restaurant with a magnificent view over Stellenbosch, as it is perched on top of the pass leading from Stellenbosch to Franschhoek (R310) . As we were too late for lunch, we only succeeded in securing a tasty cheese platter and some very nice Cabernet Sauvingon '00 from the local wineyards. If you are going there, my advice is (to not let they boys in and) to book ahead! After our relaxing lunch we raced down the hill towards Paarl to get to the last winery on our tasting tour before it's closing time of 5pm, "Avondale" in Paarl. We luckily just made it, getting to try some of their Chardonnay '01, very nice, Shiraz '00 and Julia '00 which both scored 3.5 on my 5 star scale and the Cab Sauvignon which I personally did not enjoy quite as much as the other varieties. The journey continued to Franschhoek where I had planned to visit Rickety Bridge which was of course closed by the time we arrived there. For dinner I was under the impression to have made reservations for the Haute Carbiere, but it turned out to be one entry off target in the Wine Guide 2003 - "La Brasserie". Let me elaborate on the Haute Carbiere first, it is a restaurant within a wine cellar on the pass leading out of the village, with it's own wine production, a very renowned chef and terrific haute cuisine. (A recommendation of Steve and Laurie) The "La Brasserie" on the other hand is located on the opposite side of the village on the valley floor with an awesome view of the surrounding mountains and very good value for money food, however not really haute cuisine. Nevertheless a very enjoyable experience. On a second trip out to Stellenbosch towards the end of my stay in South Africa, which unfortunately happened to be on a Sunday, I took a few photographs of other renowned vineyards which I will have to pay a weekday visit to in the future. First, Rust en Vrede just off the road leading to Sommerset West, and just down the road from there the Bilton Winery. After which I drove towards Franschhoek and tasted some very nice but not extraordinary wines at the Boschendal Winery which happens to be open on Sunday. (For a complete list of wineries open on Sunday consult the Wine Guide which has a special section on this issue.) Hemel en Aarde Valley Mon 9/12/2002   The Hemel en Aarde valley is just a short ways from Hermanus leading inland away from the coast. Due to it's proximity to the Indian Ocean which at that longitude is still very cold, the grapes there enjoy a slightly cooler climate than in Stellenbosch etc and the soil seems to be a little richer in clay. I got the honour to visit some very fine wineries by myself as my sister, with whom I was travelling at the time had come down with a nasty stomach upset and was spending the day in bed (and on the toilet). Up the valley I drove to my first stop at the Sumaridge Estate, working my way backwards from there. Sumaridge is a very young winery which was only established a few years ago, hence the buildings and the interiors are very classy and new. The wine was very good but I did not try any outstanding varieties, with the ... being the best value for money in my opinion. A very nice feature they offer is a picknick from 11 - 3 which needs to be booked ahead but is certain to be a highly recommended treat. I did not spend much time at the second winery which produces several brands, the only one I currently recall is the Johnson wine. The reds weren't that amazing, but they did succeed in cultivating a stunningly balanced and well tasting Chardonnay which was unfortunately already sold out and which we should not have gotten to taste in the first place. Next stop down the road would be Bouchard Finlayson which used similar grapes for their Chardonnay but wasn't quite able to match the class of their neighbours. They did however have a very nice Syrah/Shiraz which had a very interesting nose and complex palate yet would loose some of its endge. The last stop would be Hamilton Russel which concentrate on producing only two types of wine, a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvigion, which both turned out to be rather extraordinary. Especially the more expensive Cabernet was one of the few wines which very much reminded me of a Bordeaux style red. A very nicely located winery with an upper class tasting room in the style of an old English cottage.

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Saxenburg Cellar De Trafford Winery Stellenzicht View from Tokara Restaurant Sculpture @ Tokara Tasting Room @ Tokara Avondale Cellar Interior Avondale Cellar Exterior La Brasserie Nicole at La Brasserie Sunset @ La Brasserie Sunset @ La Brasserie Hamilton Russel Estate Hamilton Russel Winery Buchard Finlayson Estate Buchard Finlayson Winery Sumaridge Estate Sumaridge Winery Rust en Vrede Bilton Winery Boschendal Winery