Still writing from South Africa, this time from a safari in Gondwana, four hours due east of Cape Town. It has been one of the most fantastic trips I have ever experienced. Susie and I are the best travel companions, and I can’t imagine doing this with anyone else. To tell the truth, Susie was responsible for most of the itinerary, and she couldn’t have done a better job. We have had amazing accommodations and perfect timing of events. She is amazing!
While in Cape Town, we took a trip over to Constantia, an appellation in South Africa that consists of nine wineries. Our visit was to Constantia Glen. We met with Justin Van Wyk, head wine maker at said winery. He kindly gave us a tour of their small winery (10,000 cases a year). Although it was only a week after harvest and he was very busy, he was very accommodating. He was even willing to do a You Tube episode with me… Check it out. It turned out great with just a little sound distortion.
After our visit to Constantia Glen winery, we finished our visit to Cape Town and ventured off to Franschhoek. It was certainly interesting driving on the left hand side of the road and I think I made Susie scream just a couple of times. On our way, we stopped at Simonsig, one of the oldest wineries in South Africa. We had a great tour there and tried some amazing wines, including a reserve Pinotage and special Cab. I just had to buy a bottle of said cab, which I will put away for five years or more.
Before Simonsig, we met with Kara to check out a Montessori School that Indaba Winery supports. It’s for a great cause, and I promised Kara that I would do a feature article on this school and all it represents. I have to say that both Susie and I were thoroughly impressed with the purpose of this project and how it is aimed at helping poor families get their children off to a proper start in the world of education. Kara represents Indaba Winery among many others. I will upload a review of their wines soon.
We ended the days drive at Chamonix Winery, which hovers over the town of Franschhoek. The winery also has accommodations which we took advantage of. A beautiful spot with an amazing lodge and the wines are to die for. Franschhoek has a ton of wineries and we were only able to visit a few. Susie and I had fun in this town and experienced some of the great cuisine that the town is known for. A highlight of our stay there, was a dinner at Ryan’s Kitchen. Both of us will never forget the experience. There is more to come, so I hope you stay tuned.
Cheers!
Stan The Wine amqn
