Discover Durbanville: Five Wineries in Five Hours
The clock has started ticking. You have five hours to visit 5 wineries. You have to taste the wines and completely immerse yourself in the experience. Yours is to soak in all the knowledge and to experience as much as possible. There will be little quizzes along the way. You will be in groups. The group that wins gets an exciting prize at the end of the challenge. Think about this like the Amazing Race but you are going to wineries. Tick tock...
Armed with a Map
If you love wine like I do, visiting wineries may be one of your favorite activities. I come from Kenya and we only have one winery so when I got the opportunity to travel to the Western Cape in South Africa, I was beyond elated.
So let's take a journey. You want as much as possible to enjoy and learn at every stop you make. You also want to try the wines and not get to the point where you have had so much wine that all wines begin to look and smell the same. Today we are in Durbanville, a region in the Western Cape famous for its wine and wheat farms.
The Durbanville wine valley has quickly become the destination of choice for many wine lovers because the wine estate owners have chosen to collaborate versus competing. That has contributed to the success of the area. They market themselves under the #discoverdurbanville umbrella and after you visit one wine farm, it is recommended that you visit oter farms because each gives a different experience.
On the map, they have the following 12 wine estates Phizante Kraal wines, Bloemendal, Durbanville Hills, Klein Roosboom, Nitida, Altydgedacht, D’Aria, Diemersdal, De Grendel, Hillcrest, Meerendal, and Signal Gun.
We visited De Grendel, Durbanville Hills, Klein Roosboom, Hillcrest and Diemersdal.
HOUR 1: DE GRENDEL WINE ESTATE
This was the first winery we visited and as soon as we arrived, they were quick to pour some sparkling wine and we were quickly ferried by the truck to the winery. This is a big wine estate and it took about ten minutes from the gate to the winery. They had some stunning wines and the view of Table Mountain was so breathtaking.
There was a welcome breeze cooling us as we listened to the wine maker explain how they make their wines. We also had a brief cellar tour and for me, this is where the magic happens. Isn’t it fascinating how grapes can produce diverse flavors when they are made into wine? They also have a restaurant that serves contemporary cuisine with some South African influences. Their menu changes daily and they source ingredients locally. As soon as we were done enjoying our wine, we were back on the road to our second winery. Time goes by so fast when you are having fun.
Trying to gracefully hold a glass while on the back of a truck.
Pic/Johan Coetzee Photography
Table Mountain Views
I want this wall in my house
HOUR 2: DURBANVILLE HILLS WINE ESTATE
Every wine estate tries to be unique. What I loved about Durbanville Hills is that they allowed us to go to the underground cellars where wine was aging. We even took part in a small challenge where we were supposed to identify different wines and their characteristics.
The Sauvignon Blanc was a favorite among many. They also had a nice full bodied Merlot that would be perfect when paired with a juicy steak. They have a huge wine shop for visitors to purchase wines. This winery came about as a partnership between Distell and seven winemakers who agreed to collaborate and build a winery in 1990. Their first vintage was in 1999.
The entrance of the winery
The Shop
Aging wine
Learning about wine flavours
HOUR 3: HILLCREST WINE ESTATE
So far we had been wowed by amazing vineyards and we were on to Hillcrest which was on the Tygerberg Hills. What I loved about them was that apart from having a winery, they also have a brewery and they make olive oil. They even give you a chance to bottle your own olive oil. They make some craft beer at their Havoc Brewery and a hit among many was the African Red Ale. It was nice to taste some craft beer after so much wine sipping and savoring.
Goofing around with other global wine bloggers. Pic/Johan Coetzee Photography
Neat stacks of wine
Bottling our olive oil
Cheers!
HOUR 4: KLEIN ROOSBOOM WINE ESTATE
While every winery tries to be bigger, better and boisterous, this one was not and because of that, it was memorable. It didn't even have the flair that the others had. It was meek and yet, it became the most memorable. It had little caves and each cave had a different experience. For example, if you walked into the Sauvignon Blanc cave, you would find fruit with flavors of a Sauvignon Blanc. This included light crisp foods. When you moved to the heavier red wines you would get to taste chocolates and spices corresponding to the wines’ flavors. They made the wine tasting experience truly memorable.
Happy Wine bloggers & writers
How it looks. You can see the openings to the caves / nooks
Obligatory wine-in-the-air pose
The Sauvignon Blanc room
In this room we learned about rose wine
Sip Sip
HOUR 5: DIEMERSDAL WINE ESTATE
At this point, everyone was famished and we had tasted so many wines. We just wanted to eat. We got to sit with the winemakers from all the wineries in Durbanville and we had the most delicious lunch ever. The menu has been carefully crafted to go with the wines. They brought huge food platters at every section of the table and people would just help themselves. I sat next to a winemaker from Nitida Wines. We did not get to see the Diemersdal Winery but we tried their wines.
The arrangement before lunch
Lunch
Food
Wine
Dessert
The winning team got some wine. After some time, everyone got wine to carry home. Now it was time to decide how many wines you can stuff in a suitcase before it becomes too much.
We won so much wine
It started raining immediately after we got in the car
Authored by @jeanwandimi
Photos taken by @jeanwandimi with Canon G7x and Canon Rebel t5i
it must be very expensive too
Altydgedacht Wine Tasting also
The rustic tasting room and restaurant add to this small farm’s charm.
I missed this winery. We were divided into groups and some groups went there and Nitida. Next time I will go there. Cheers!
@jeanwandimi, so much about the Durbanville Wine Valley, it is fast becoming Cape Town’s destination of with its scenic vineyards, award-winning wines and friendly atmosphere.
There are 12 prestigious wine farms that make up the Valley. I believe each winery has its own charm and expresses timeless country elegance through the collection of wines they produce and the culinary experiences they have on offer.
Warm hospitality, personal experiences and rich detail keep visitors returning throughout the year to the Valley.
follow you blog and vote thanks...
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good photo
this winery place is a must visit
Beautiful photos
nice photos
I do actually like wine, especially Meerendal. I got amazed when I first saw it home. I couldn't imagine that it was the one I used to see on some south African TV shows. It really has a good taste and adorable. The aesthetic also attracts me . There is a way it looks nice.
At home, we were tired of amarula and we wanted to bring something new and then came Meerendal.
You've made think of purchasing one.
I am glad you saw some wine you like. Cheers from Kenya.
@jeanwandimi, i never knew that Durbanville is a rural residential suburb on the northern outskirts of the metropolis and is surrounded by farms producing wine and wheat.
Its great to know the history of great places such as Durbanville.
Looking forward to having "a slice of this pie" soon
I really hope you do. It is a majestic place. the first picture with the map shows all the wineries.
I LOVE TRAVEL BUT I HAVE NO TIME
Wow!! Branded wine, delicious food, beautiful and awesome place, Durbanville made your traveling story more beautiful. Rain drops of car glass looking nice. Thanks for sharing the adventure of travel.
I am glad you loved it. Durbanville was a dream.
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I would like to be there. the pictures look amazing that have a brilliant tasty. Good post. Thanks :)
You should visit at least once in your lifetime.
ı will try.be sure :)
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That's a lot of wines!
Hahaha. I love this glass.
You can try it lol!
Your article is really ineresting and I like especially your included pictures. Trevelling is nice
Here is another map for your journey. It's a little out-dated being that it was made in 1795.
LOL, pretty much how many Capetonians still see the Cape Peninsula today.... behind the pretty mountains are "doom and gloom, no mans-land"
Nice post. Having fun. Carry on.
wow nice food
i like it very much
i like to travel
keep it on
upvote and resteem done
Amazing, i have never seen Photo like this. Oh!. Very beautiful I'm fall in love with these Image.I can't describe beauty by words because it's one type of feeling which every single people have. This picture is better than better. Perfect Click without any doubt.
Capturing nature in all its glory of own creativity. Travel photography is a genre of photography that may involve the documentation of an area's landscape, people, cultures, customs and history. You have a great theoretical knowledge and experience about to make good photography as well as creative perspectives. Your creative perspectives really impressed me. Because without creative perspectives it is not possible to capture this types of glamorous photography.
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I thought I've tasted a good percentage of wines in this world. Surprisingly, I've neither sipped these wines nor heard their names before. 😂
Beyond that, your analysis is so comprehensive that I could literally 'taste' these wines while reading.
I'll keep a tab on your blog for future posts @jeanwandimi
nice collection of wine beer and also great pictures
Thank you.
excellent,very good
Nice post
Thansk a lot for sharing this news.We can collect many update message from your every blog. Thank you
Your lunch photography was great.
Keep enjoying Sir .
Have a nice day and thanks for sharing your update.
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awsome post.great work.
And yet another enlightenment, i get to see the world on steemit, all thanks to you
nice post i will done upvote
Nada como un buen vino
awesome photography nan keep you your prayers
Looks great and much convincing..
.thanks for sharing it with us...good job
Wow!Excellent photography.You are really creative photographer. Please stay with photography. how the beautiful view is! Very color full also. this see world good to traveler.
Though not a wine lover because i dont drink. but there is one amazing room in one of the pics.. The one with broken or damaged wall.. its looks so rough and Raw . Gives you that adventurous kinda feel.. Many war torn countries have houses like that :(
Yes I loved Klein Roosboom winery because it had these rugged rooms unlike the over-the-top wineries we are used to. So unique.
And as you said it is sad that some people live in such destructed places, hence why we should always help when we can.
Wow Excellent post my friend @adsactly i like post
Wow ! There is very great place. The decoration is very beautiful. I love to drink wine too.
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this is so awesome..thanks for sharing with us buddy.
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So many wines. Gossh! I love wine, so i'm grateful for this post
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Awesome post @adsactly, what's the % of alcohol in the favorite wine you tasted their ?
Best Place for drink ::::
Where is this? Such a nice set up.
Are you like it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????
grear post dear.....
wow amazingly beautiful i really like it nice scenery a very happy happy atmosphere that enjoy it. @adsactly
Wow..great food..i like this traveling...all the best...
the wine is delicious and makes it feel fresh
perjalanan anda yang sangat mengesankan,@adsactly,dalam sehari anda bisa menyelesaikan lima peristiwa penting.
Goos one this time around i always follow you up everyday ever time thanjs alot
nice post nice pics and every thing is gorgeous in your post i always waiting for your post thanks for sharing
That's a lot of wine!!! I could make do with one right now!
Nice photography as well ...
Too much fun for one lady ;)
Ahaha. I carried some.
That's a nice one there..!
great blog @adsactly
Sir i will really appreciate if you follow me @jamespower
Tasty wine
I wan't to test it
Wow nature at its best thankyou for always discovering for us the hidden treasures of God that some of us never even knew they existed
Hi. First we have the same name.
Thanks for reading my adventures. Cheers.
Amazing! 😍 What's a better way to spend the day than to winery hop? Plus, you got wine to take home! 😄
I know. This was the best day ever. I still have some bottles.
Wow! Adore South African wines. They are rich, deep and redolent. Thanks for sharing!
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great posts, branded wines, delicious food, beautiful and amazing places, make your travel stories more beautiful. The rain from the windshield looks good. Thank you for sharing your travel adventure.
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The sane with me Lol, let have some Fun.
I'm sending 2 SBD in your wallet please check your wallet and please help me upvote my post.
If you don't want to upvote my post so please give 2 sbd come back because these SBD I'm earn one month. Please..........