A little bit more about Madge - Wine

Well, as it turns out, things on the home front have been quite calm of late, which is why I've mainly been posting all kinds of silly things about elephants and all the rest. So, I thought I'd tell you a little bit more about what I'm into (no, I don't know you well enough to tell you the kinky stuff ;-)), so I thought I'd start with my taste in wine.

I won't go into too much detail as this will bore some of you, but thought I'd mention my top 5 local wine farms that I enjoy visiting for a nice day of tasting!

So, I'll start with Slaley. My sister was the one who absolutely raved about them a few years ago, so when the time came to organize another trip to Stellenbosch, Slaley was first on the list and boy, we weren't disappointed. Their reds are definitely at the top of the list, in particular the Shiraz.

Then, situated in the most stunning location with the most beautiful views along Hel's Hoogte in Stellenbosch, there's Thelema. Again, their reds are to die for and may I suggest that you stop for the MOST AMAZING lunch at their neighboring farm Tokara. Tokara's wines are beautiful too, but for me the Tokara Restaurant is one of the best with the most interesting and 'different' menu you've seen in a long time. It reminds me of a certain trip to the South of France for a photo shoot, the good food and scenery. The view over the Stellenbosch valley is out of this world, but do remember to book. Any man will do well to take me here...

Thirdly I'd like to recommend something a little more local in the Durbanville Wine Valley by the name of Diemersdal. Not to be confused with the equally stunning Diemersfontein, situated near Wellington. Diemersdal have a beautiful selection of both white and red wines and my favorite is their Private Collection red. While mentioning Diemersfontein, their stunning chocolatey Pinotage is scrumptious and great with a nice bit of red meat.

My fourth stop would have to be L'Ormarins just outside Franschhoek. One of the many Antonij Rupert farms, this one is my favorite. When visiting, you leave your car at a designated point and are driven up to the tasting cellar in a golf cart. The beautiful nude sculpture that greets you sets the tone and inside the tasting room the walls are covered in original, numbered Pierneefs. The whole range of wine is excellent and on my last visit their Port blew me away. I can't wait for winter to set in nicely before opening that baby up.

Lastly, I had to mention a fizz-producing farm and though many of you might think that Haute Cabriere and their Pierre Jourdan would top the list, there's also Pongraz, which many people don't know, is produced by J.C.le Roux. But I'd like to mention Twee Jonge Gezellen who produces the Krone range of bubbly. All made in the Cap Classique style (the original style in which proper champagne is made in France). They are on a beautiful estate in Tulbach and while you're out that way, do yourself a favour and stop by their neighbor Saronsberg for some more stunning red wine. They've won numerous awards with their range and it is truly amazing to think that wine of such a high caliber comes from the Tulbach valley.

Well, that's some of my favorites, but there are so many more, as you can imagine. I could go on about it for ages and would love to go into more detail, so will definitely do more wine chats over time.

Madge