Making our way to Stellenbosch

The Working Barrel Room
Kaapzicht Wine Estate, Stellenbosch, ZA
February 21, 2025

 Another beautiful day dawned in the Western Cape, South Africa. Yesterday, we enjoyed a great breakfast on the veranda of the Royal Hotel to start the day. Fortunately the day was cooler than the over 100-degree day we suffered through the day before. 

We had a relatively early bus time and were on the road to our first vineyard by about 8:30 AM. As an amazing statistic, since arriving in South Africa we have sampled over 100 different wines! We are a bit ahead of the tour because we arrived three days early and visited three wineries even before the formal program began. 

The day began at Kaapzicht Wine Estate in the Stellenbosch region of South Africa. We were treated to a tour of the working cellar where juice was being piped into the tanks straight from the press or the being stirred in the tanks. While in the cellar we sampled freshly pressed juice, juice which had been fermenting for 5 days, and some that had been fermenting longer to gain an understanding of how the process happens. 

After the Tasting
Kaapzicht Wine Estate
February 21, 2025

After touring the barrel room, we transitioned to an extensive wine tasting. All told, we tasted and enjoyed 11 wines, with one of them being a sparkling wine to begin the visit. During the wine tasting we enjoyed 3 Chenin Blanc offerings, a Pinotage Rose, 3 different Pinotage wines, a Cinsaut, a Bordeaux blend and a Cape blend. Wow. And that was all before noon! Each of the wines provided insight into the mind of the winemaker and how grapes become wine. Additionally, each offering was targeted to a market segment and appropriately priced.

Lunch Under the Trees
The Table at De Meye, Muldersvlei, ZA
February, 21, 2025

Being lunch time, we bussed to The Table at De Meye restaurant for our luncheon appointment where we enjoyed another gourmet lunch under some large trees. The restaurant is a farm-to-table type restaurant and also serve the food family style. As the day was cooler, it was very enjoyable and the food and wines paired perfectly.

After lunch it was off to Kanonkop Wine Estate in Stellenbosch. This is a wine that can readily be purchased in the U.S. and it was great to visit and enjoy additional tastings. This was a Pinotage tasting, as Kanonkop thinks if itself as the big dog of Pinotage wines. We tasted 6 wines, a Pinotage Dry Rose, a Cape blend which has more Pinotage than another wine in the blend, and 4 other Pinotage wines with varying price points. By the time we departed, I had to agree that they do great Pinotages, but they are not the only winery doing Pinotage--as we have seen during this wine trip. 

The Wines of Kanonkop
February 21, 2025

After the tasting, we had some time to enjoy the winery and Chris found dogs in need. Two Irish Setters were happy for her to pet their heads and rub their bellies. She is missing her dog Finnegan a lot! 

Chris and the Irish Setter
Kanonkop Wine Estate
February 21, 2025

The day ended as we checked into a very nice hotel in Stellenbosch. We headed out a bit later to secure dinner and enjoy the very busy college town on a Friday night.

-- Bob Doan, Stellenbosch, South Africa