Wine
The fertile, green valleys of this region around the GolfLodge are surrounded by imposing mountains.
The towns like Franschoek are mostly still characterized by historical buildings. The wineries themselves are mostly embedded in beautiful, park-like landscapes. Immigrant French and Dutch began to grow wine around Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek. With its fertile soil, the center of wine production quickly formed. Today you can also get excellent wine from the Breede River, Overberg and Swartland regions.
The first vines came by ship from France, and the first wine was pressed in 1659. Various wine routes offer themselves to drive to and visit different wineries. In addition to the excellent wines, it is also the architectural landmarks of the region, mostly manor houses built in the so-called Cape Dutch style, that cast a spell over you.
I have made some of my favorite wineries available to you as links here. On the video you can see Verlegen, a wonderful place for a picnic, for very good wine or in the evening for an excellent dinner.
You will also find Vergere under restaurants. There are so many wonderful wineries in this region that are worth visiting or at least tasting their wines.
If you are "new to" South African wine, I recommend that you do several wine tastings in order to find your personal favorite. It is best to start with Chris & Andrea Mullineux, the tasting is free of charge.
Every year I discover new fantastic wines and always diligently try something new ... A wonderful region.
Ideal location
The winelands have ideal conditions for growing grapes. The Atlantic and the mountains help the winemakers to create great wines here that are also at the forefront on the international stage. The exciting thing is that the numerous wine-growing regions differ in the nature of the soil in such a way that it is possible to produce almost any type of wine and any wine style in a very small space.
In the hot north lies the Swartland, where conditions similar to those in Australia or southern France prevail. Here, for example, the grapes of Mullineux wines or Eben Sadie ripen.
The famous Stellenbosch and Sommerset West are more like the Bordeaux of Africa. I always particularly like to drink Vergel's wines here. The ancestors of the winemaker André van Rendsburg come from my homeland Schleswig-Holstein. That must be good. But seriously, there are actually all top grape varieties in this small region and at excellent prices.
I particularly like the Chenin Blanc from this region very much. Definitely try it once ...
Den besten Wein kann man aber auch in Deutschland bei Wein Am Limit von Hendrik Thoma kaufen. Als Master-Sommelier ist er der kompetenteste Ansprechpartner in Sachen Wein, den ich kenne.
