Guest post by Cape Town and Cape Winelands guide, Pam McOnie
Pam McOnie, one of our amazing Cape Town guides, spotlights the Cape Winelands regions of Paarl and Wellington, sharing detailed information about some of her favorite vineyards in these areas. This is part IX of her guest blog series, A Taste of Cape Winelands: A Vineyard Guide.
To see the other posts in this series, click the links below:
See below for Part IX of this series, which focuses on a portion of the Paarl & Wellington Region:
Doolhof (Wellington): This estate is truly a fun find! It is quite simply a gorgeous drive to get there. They have a good range of wines and I particularly enjoy their Dark Lady Pinotage and the Malbec. The tasting room staff does a great job – but if you want to spoil yourself, book with the winemaker to do a private tasting. He is very down to earth and it is fun to be able to chat with him. Doolhof means Labyrinth in Afrikaans and the estate is true to the name. There is a fun labyrinth that you can go and walk around in. Beware of the lovely horses as one attacked me from behind and bit me on the back! (I was on the other side of the fence and he still got me!). Doolhof is a delightful farm setting and it is gorgeous in this part of the Cape. In addition to its setting, the estate is well off the tourist track, so expect to have the place to yourself. www.doolhof.com
Dunstone (Wellington): This estate is next door to Doolhof. They have a fantastic Shiraz (received 5 stars in 2010 in the John Platter Guide). Note this is a really small operation and the tasting room is very rustic. (Note it is on the same estate as Bovlei Valley Retreat) www.dunstone.co.za
Rheeboksloof: This wonderful estate offers quad biking, horse riding, picnics (must pre-book), a hiking trail, boules, and a child-minding service over weekends. It is a very picturesque estate and, as such, hosts many weddings. Note that they are now also hosting pop concerts every month – check the website for details. www.rhebokskloof.co.za
Diemersfontein (Wellington / edge Paarl region): This estate is home to the controversial “coffee” pinotage. This is made using barrels with a heavy toasting. The result is a chocolate / coffee taste and nose to the wine. It has been a runaway success in our market – however many in the wine fraternity do not agree that it is a good addition. Feel free to bring up the debate while you are here – they get pretty steamy about it! www.diemersfontein.co.za
Avondale Organic Wines: This is an organic estate with EXCELLENT wines. It is well worth a visit to try the wines – if you have the time, make an appointment with the viticulturist or wine maker to discuss their process of “going organic.” Avondale make use of ducks to control snails and teaches them to walk up a plank in and out of the truck each morning. They cannot leave them out at night or the wild cats will eat them! The entrance of the tasting room is adorned with their au natural posters – their ad campaign shows that they offer natural wines by showing nude girls running through the vines! www.avondalewine.co.za
Veenwouden (by appointment only between 9 am and 2:30 pm–R100 tasting fee): This estate has a highly rated chardonnay and merlot. Good Syrah and Bordeaux Blend, as well. www.veenwouden.co.za
Noble Hill: This estate has American owners from California who have added a lot of value to the estate. The tasting room is great and a real gourmet treat. Here you can taste the estates wines (I love the Viognier) and their olive oils, as well as have a light snack. Next to the tasting room is the gorgeously decorated Cosecha (Harvest in Spanish) Restaurant. Here you can have a coffee or try out their Mexican dishes. The food is excellent and it is brilliant value for money. Note that the restaurant is mainly outdoors, so it is great for a lovely clear afternoon. The setting is lovely and they have really good interior design taste – I love the Cactus wall. www.noblehill.com
Backsberg: The Backsberg estate has gone Carbon Neutral, meaning that they keep planting trees to offset their carbon footprint at the estate. Their aim is to produce quality wines while maintinaing a strong ethos of eco-responsibility.They offer good wines at a good price. Backberg is fun to visit on Sundays as the restaurant has an old-fashioned sheep on the spit and often has entertainment (usually a guitar player). The lamb is available during the week, but the restaurant is most festive on weekends. The estate is kid friendly. www.backsberg.co.za
Glen Carlou: This estate is Swiss owned. Mr. Hess owns estates in California, Australia, and Argentina. One can taste the local wines, as well as the international wines here. Glen Carlou has been one of our top estates for many years and was established as a prominent estate by the Finlayson family. Arco Laarman has been the winemaker there for over 10 years (over old and new ownership) and the wines continue to be phenomenal. If you enjoy chardonnay then this is definitely worth a stop. In addition, they do a good Syrah and good Bordeaux blend, and are one of the few to do a Zinfandel and a Pinot Noir. Note that they have an extremely modern tasting room, which has been really tastefully decorated. The view of the valley and the Paarl mountains are great from up there. It is well worth a visit. www.glencarlou.co.za