Winery hopping in Stellenbosch

Saturday was beautiful...sunshine and a cool breeze...a perfect day for visiting some of the top-notch wineries located in Stellenbosch, a short drive outside of Cape Town.

Our first stop - Morgenhof Wine Estates - is located on the slopes of the Simonsberg mountains and has been producing wines since 1692. Here we tasted a flight of wines while sitting on the cozy porch over looking the gardens. It's a beautiful estate with lush gardens and shady trees and would be a perfect spot for a nice brunch or wedding party. We could have stayed here all day...but we had places to go and wine to drink. Next we made our way over to Boschendal Estates, stopping en route to take some photos at a local graveyard. I know, I know. It sounds a bit weird and morbid but I really love taking photos in cemetaries. I love the mix of beautiful headstones and simple grave markers and am always fascinated by the devoted living who keep-up these graves with fresh flowers and candles. It's a constant I see in every country I visit.

At Boschendal, we sampled another 4 delicious wines ( my favourites: Le Bouquet and Le Blanc Noir) and an amazing cheese platter under the shade of an enormous oak tree. Sigh! Life is good. But...once again...there was more wine to be consumed elsewhere, so we made our way to our final destination - Englebrecht Els Vineyards. For those who don't know, the proprieter, South African Ernie Els, is one of the most successful golfers of all time. Englebrecht Els is a beautiful place - with a gorgeous mountainside locale, views of the grape fields below, gardens, a koi pond and a cosy yet modern restaurant. They produce only reds - so we sampled 4 terrific big glasses while listening to a musician perform in the garden. After our tasting, our cute little server Nick bonused us a free bottle of their best wine. Ahhh...it's good to be back in the bubble.

After all that classy wine...we needed to have some food and decided to sample some authentic South African food.  Fast food that is. So we picked up some burgers and fries at Steers. Mmmm. It would have been the perfect finish to a perfect day...but this day was far from over yet. But I'll save that story for my next post.