Cape Town Part I

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I knew September 2011 would bring along wonderous memories and great emotions. I sought a destination until I ended up in a world of blue skies, vast fields of grapes, white linen, eloquence, and pure Mother Nature.

The land of Cape Town...

Doing some research I had come across a tour company that organized the stay and took care of most amenities. So we booked! Four movies in, half a book, and a semi-nap later, our 16 hour flight into Johannesburg was a success only to connect again to Cape Town. By now my body was in shock from a lack of circulation and sleeping in strange positions but hey, we made it...finally! After a day lost by traveling, it was close to evening so we ran to a nearby market and grabbed some wine, cheese, a baguette, and Nutella chocolate and enjoyed our first African sunset with a little picnic. This was our opening celebration to ourselves, and for me the beginning of everything...

After a few toasts to life itself we headed out to the V&A Waterfront. This is an open market place built along the commercial harbour and set in the midst of a huge entertainment venue with pubs, restaurants, shops, kiosks, and movies. It had come highly recommended but seemed more touristy than anything else. Semi-blah. So we walked along the waterway, passing Noble Square which hosts four bronze statues in honor of South Africa's four Nobel Peace winners, including former president, Nelson Mandela. We bonded with the statues then continued our walk towards the Cape Grace hotel to our much sought out whiskey, wine, and cigar bar, Bascule. We sat back enjoying some tapas and cocktails alongside the private waterfront marina and got our first breath of Cape Town life by night. The venue houses one of the most impressive wine cellars I have ever seen. The Vinothèque even invites wine connoisseurs, private collectors and companies to store their wines in private bins. I made it a point to walk through and smell the dense air.

The next morning we had a private vineyard tour scheduled through an amazing company: Cape Wine and Leisure Tours, which I highly recommend for anyone who wants to venture away from greyhound buses and long lines of tourists piling out. We were able to design our tour around our own interests and just guided along the way (Good job Villam!). We were picked up from our hotel bright and early and our day's adventure began. First stop? The Simonsig Wine Estate. Named after its vast views of the Simonsberg Mountain range, the estate is ideally situated in Stellenbosch, South Africa’s premier wine region, just east of Cape Town. We sat and tasted different blends while our somalie went over the origin of each one. The estate was beautiful with old dining chairs and lace curtains to adorn the rustic windows. It had a cottage-like feel with a sophisticated twist.

Next we were off to Quoin Rock for a more modern feel and some dramatic views of the Simonsberg mountainside. The estate is a renovated farmhouse. It's outside courtard wraps around the tasting room giving the place lots of sun light and vibrant green backdrop. At the base of the cellar lies a narrow tunnel that leads to a tasting room designed to feel like King Arthur's round table. With brick walls and candlelight, it felt like a midevil dungeon...only it was built in 2005. Very cool, nonetheless.

After Quoin Rock, we arrived at one of my favorite wine estates (more for the character of the place than for the wine)...Muratie. This piece of land lies at the foot of the Simonsberg Mountains, some 40km from Cape Town and just outside the town of Stellenbosch. The estate was established in 1699 and still holds the feel of an old European farmhouse. The land was bought and further established by a German soldier who had fallen in love with an African slave woman from the Cape named Ansela. At the time their love was forbidden so the soldier cultivated the land in honor of his enslaved love. Once set free, Ansela rejoined her soldier and they lived on the farms of Muratie. Today, Ansela van de Caab is Muratie’s multiple award-winning wine. It pays tribute to one of the most remarkable stories in the history of South Africa’s wine culture. The estate has original pieces from the times of Ansela as well as beuatifully landscaped gardens where one can sit outside enjoying lunch with their paired blends. The history and feel about this estate had me taken...so of course I purchased a bottle for the road.

After our visit to Muratie it was time for a lunch break. We were driven to Glen Carlou, an estate that sits on the Paarl Valley overlooking the everlasting rows of vines. The lunch menu was delicious, ranging from mixed mushrooms, to duck, to rissotto. The view can be admired from any angle as the restaurant sits on an open deck overlooking the gardens. And of course, wine tasting continued...

After a couple more glasses we were feelin goooood. Time stood still as we could only hope to never return to our real lives back in the States. So overrated!

But luckily the tour wasn't over...we had our last stop. As we piled in the van, karaoke began and our guide was so thrilled to have us. Really. Everything amused us at this point, especially the rare animals we would encounter off the side of the road...like baboons, peacocks, and even ostriches. At one point we were all out of the van admiring the huge birds, until I met the cutest donkey. We named him Bobby and I fell in love. I swear he could even smile.

This one took place at the Fairview Estate, land on the southwestern slopes of Paarl Mountain which was acquired in 1693. The first wine was made in 1699. The variety ranges from Cabernet Sauvignon to Shiraz, to a distinctive Cape blend known as Pinotage. This estate is peculiar in that besides offering its choice of wines, it also offers cheese tastings. The main vinter raised a dairy goat herd which are seen roaming the land. Goat cheese?! Let the tasting begin! After they set of wine tasting (which includes 6 different blends), the hosts sets out an enormous spread of flavored cheeses for pairing...which was heaven. The tasting led to purchases of fig jams, Pinotage, and more cheese for our next future picnic.

It was now late afternoon so we explored the gardens of the estate while the sun began to deepen. The landscaping and fields of flowers and arched hedges was impressive.

At the day's end, we ventured out to the lucrative strip in Camps Bay. This is a long stretch of cafes, restaurants, and lounges along the beachfront where locals come after a day of surfing and beaching it. The venues are all situated along the promenade with views of the waves. It was the perfect place for sundown cocktails with the locals. We passed through Caprice and ended at Sapphire lounge where the bartender was so proud of his newly invented strawberry daiquiri shots. Genius I guess. The tables were filled with local diners and beautiful faces.

If there's one observation I have to make its Cape Town's ecentric people. All beautifully happy. And how could they not be? They live in near paradise...

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