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Stellenbosch/ Franschoek Executive Summary
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Finally discover what this South African wine caper is all about
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We stay at a bizarre French town in the middle of the cape winelands
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South African Hangover #2 - after complementary bubbles and, yet again, too much driving
Knysna to Franschoek, near Stellenbosch, was another 4-5 hour drive. Again they were easy roads, though we were warned "it's Easter weekend, be careful, the South Africans are out". And out they were, driving for the long weekend to their getaways. Not sure I could have coped if it were my first time on the roads, but I was ready for them now and got us all to Franschoek 1) alive and 2) in one piece.
The scenery changed dramatically along the way to be huge rocky bluffs covered in grass and green shrubs. It was quite startling to see green mountains like that, and you could picture what they must be like in spring covered in blossoms and wildflowers. The drive into the cape winelands region is breathtaking - Stellenbosch must surely be the most beautiful wine region on the planet (I can say this having just been to Tuscany). The vineyards grow amongst rocky hillsides and ...I don't know, would you call them mountains? Probably (I never did like geology...)
We found the hotel, Le Quartier Francais, in the middle of Franschoek which means something akin to 'little France' or 'French town' in Afrikaans. It really is a gorgeous, quaint village with the expected art galleries and cafes and everything named something French-like. The place we stayed at - again, fabulous, set amongst gardens and with one of the best restaurants in South Africa (named in the same breath as Tetsuya's, for those Australian foodies out there). We were given a complementary upgrade to these private suites with a semi-private terrace, overlooking a pool, plus gifts of corkscrews and a book on South African wine (the former coming in very handy in Italy, the latter sent back with the family at the end of the trip).
As with the game reserves, the alcohol was all inclusive and, after too much driving we decided to imbibe in their offer of bubbles. We had a fantastic meal in the more casual off-shoot restaurant at the hotel (not the uber-flash degustation, which was sadly booked out as we discovered well into the second bottle of bubbles...). All good form to start the next day's wine tasting...
None of us were keen to go on a big tour the next day, so the plan was to go to 2 or 3 places en route to Cape Town. Up to this point the jury was still out on South African wines. We had had a few good ones - Mulderbosch a favourite - but most had been a bit average, even the premium stuff at Singita. South Africa made up a style called 'pinotage' which is a blend of pinot noir and hermitage grapes (completely opposite in characteristics) in an attempt to create something ideal for the climate. The result is, in most cases, a pretty confusing glass of pinot-tasting tannins.
We picked out a few wineries from a list of 20 or so recommended to us by the sommelier at Singita (was there nothing that place didn't have...). It was a perfect grouping - Thelema, with stunning scenery and good reds (which we did actually remember ordering the previous night...), Waterford, which had a unique tasting in which you sit at a table and essentially have waiter service, plus the option of a chocolate tasting alongside the wines, and Morgenster, which produces olive oil and olives as well as top quality reds. The wines were great, particularly at Morgenster and Thelema, and the tasting experiences were certainly something to remember.
Arriving at Cape Town marked the end of our driving efforts and I was only too glad to hand over the keys to the Avis people!
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