Welcome to the Western Cape Wineries - a kiwi's opinion blog

I originally set up this blog to help foreigners have an enjoyable experience when visiting the western cape wineries in South Africa.

I realised that it is very difficult for a tourist to choose where to go and which wineries to visit, when you have 600+ wine producers to choose from.

When I first moved to SA December 2010, my palate struggled to adjust to SA wine, b
ut after living here for a while and after visiting over 100+ wine estates, I have found many wines which I really like and can highly recommend.

Admittingly, when you come from another country it is hard not to compare the wine in SA to what you are used to back home. However, once you realise they are not the same (they have their own characteristics due to the different soil, climate etc) and appreciate their wines for being SA wines, it will improve your opinion and experience of the wines immediately.

If you are staying in SA for a while, don't dispair, your palate will change, and you will soon find yourself liking SA wine over your home countries wine!!

I hope my blog will help wine lovers have an enjoyable wine experience while in SA.

Please note: I am not a wine connoisseur. The comments I write about the wine is mostly for my own benefit of having them on record.



Sunday 6 November 2011

Le Bonheur


On Sunday the 16th of October my friend and I went to a few wineries in Stellenbosch. We started at Le Bonheur. It’s a nice wine farm, very quiet and has a quaint Dutch style house for the tasting room.

You can do a wine tasting inside or outside.


 As it was such a nice day, we decided to sit outside under the trees.


We started the wine tasting with the Sauvignon Blanc 2010 (R50 a bottle). This was a very nice SB and I ended up buying three as they had a buy two get one free special on at the time.

The Pinot Noir Rose 2010 (R50 a bottle) was ok, the Chardonnay (R55 a bottle) was creamy and ok, it is 40% wooded. The Prima 2007 (R85 a bottle) is 70% Merlot and 30% Cab Sauv. My first reaction was wow, as it had a very strong tobacco smell and amazing flavours, however, it was a little dry for me. My friend bought a bottle of the Prima. The Cab Sauv 2008 R100 has hints of blackberries and tobacco, it was slightly dry.

At this winery, you have to spend over R250 to have the tasting fee waived. So unlike most wineries who will waive the fee if you buy a bottle, this winery does not. For my friend and I, this always disappoints us when a winery does this.

In general, it’s a nice winery. If you are in the area, its a nice stop to make.

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