LONDON/CAPETOWN | WINE COUNTRY | SAFARI | The End

South African wine country - Hasnt been a half day and already amazed at what the Southern Hemisphere has to offer! We have arrived at Stellenbosch and our destination is Summerwood. Incredible doesnt quite describe whats here. Within 20km of Stellenbosch are 167 vineyards! Upon our arrival our hostess set up lunch, wine tastings, and dinner.

After unpacking, we headed to Dornier. Our drive was very similiar to that of Napa Valley in CA. The setting is shown in the above photo. Nice, relaxed, and unpretentious. The weather is warm with a nice breeze. We had lunch and a tasting followed up by a tour of the cellars. Excellent.

From there, we headed to Waterford. A more Spanish setting with the tasting area inside the fortress. We had a nine wine tasting with chocolate. The wines began with white and worked to rich reds. Waterfords reds outshine their whites by far but no complaints for a day in South African wine country!

SUMMERWOOD is located at S33'56.123 E18'52.673 . There are 167 vineyards within 20km! We arrived in town Monday and our hostess gave us 2 vineyards to try and they were perfect. The photo at the top of the page is from Dornier. Photos below are from top left - Dornier top right - Summerwood bottom left and right are both Waterford. Waterford offered a 9 wine tasting with Chocolate! Dornier was 5 tastings with lunch. Ave bottle of wine around the area is between $5 and $15 and they are all good wines. Dinner was at Cognito's in Stellenbosch. Excellent food. I had the Venison with Chocolate sause... I would recommend it to anyone coming down here.

PHOTOS OF WINE COUNTRY(DAY 1)......click here

STELLENBOSCH & FRANSCHOEK(Day 2)

More vineyards to try and so hard to decide which ones... So we decided to start with Spier! Reason: not only good wine but a Cheetah Conservatory too. Spier probably had one of the best Shiraz from the area and getting up close to the Cheetahs before our safari was probably a good way to warm up. After, we continued to Meerlust. Six wine samplings for $5 again. Their Rubicon is fantastic and costs nothing if you are in SA. From there, we headed towards Franschoek by way of Tokara. Tokara's setting was atop a mountain overlooking rolling hills of grape and olive vines. Beauitful! Wine... ok.

Franschoek is another great wine area of SA. The added value is the stunning mountains surrounding the valley. The mountains are as dramatic as Yosmite and the Grand Tetons! No underestimate here. Absolutely stunning. We ventured by Graham Beck. Grand Provence and ended at Dieu Donne! If there is one place on earth to have dinner, its Dieu Donne! Situated up on the southwest hillside of Franschoek, the view blows everything away... by far! Beyond words! We have proof... but you just have to stop by to understand. Sitting on the patio watching the sunset was the best I had seen in a while. Imagine the Grand Tetons right next to Yosemites El Captain. Dramatinc. And as the sun settled in behind the ridge, the rays just burst over the top. Oh, and Dieu Donne is a microbrew too. I think the only good beer found in South Africa is at their brewery!

STELLENBOSCH & FRANSCHOEK

About an hours drive from Cape Town, you will find yourself surrounded by great vineyards all around this area. There are approx. 167 vineyards within 20km of Stellenbosch. Over in Franschoek, the vineyards produce more great wines but Dieu Donne has the best view anywhere I've seen in a very long time. Dieu Donne sits up on a hillside overlooking the valley below and looking out at a fabulous landscape mixing Jackson Hole, WY and Yosemite, CA! Best viewed in the evening during dinner while having one of their great wines or microbrew. Yes, they make great beer too! Pictures above^^^.

In Stellenbosch, we visited Dornier, Waterford, Spier, Meerlust, and Tokara. All have good selections and reasonable prices. Tokara had the best view. Dornier and Waterford had the best dining areas.

In Franschoek, we visited Graham Beck, Grand Provence, and Dieu Donne. Graham Becks champagne was great and Grand Provence has a great Meritage. Dieu Donne blew us all away with their view!

SOUTH AFRICAN SELECTIONS

BEER

Castle - light beer found everywhere in SA. mellow not heavy like Bud or Miller. Good Beer
Windhoek - another light Heinken type. from Namibia
Mitchells Stout - Best beer by far so far. Nice bite!
Mitchells Milk & Honey - an attempt at a bitter. not bad but better than Castle.



WINE
Culraithin - A good Shiraz. Nice flavor bordering on really good.
Moreson - Pinotage(Cab Franc). Ok for a Cab Franc but not a fan.
Meerlust Rubicon 2003 - $35! In the states, much higher. Rich, Deep Wine much like Coppola's
Steenberg Shiraz - not bad but falls short of a good Shiraz.
Steenberg Merlot - see Steenberg Shiraz
Spier Cab Sauvignon Reserve- Good wine for the value
Dieu Donne- great wine and microbrews. The view is a grand slam homerun!
Graham Beck - good champagne. good wines
Grand Provence - Great vineyard good restaurant and wines.


More wine reviews coming... greater detail found in Leighs notebook... lots of notes!