20 June 2012

{Wine Tasting With A View}: Delaire Graff Estate

Straight after my trip to Rwanda and Uganda last month, I hopped on a plane to Cape Town to meet up for a mini-reunion with two of my old roommates {we all roomed together when we studied abroad!}.  It was quite the special occasion since the last time we were all together was in 2008 and I was so glad that I was able to make the trip out at the last minute.  Jenny and Brigid both live in the United States now, and it was their first time setting foot back on South African soil since the end of our semester abroad over four years ago.  Reunions like these ones always make for unforgettable memories!


We had planned on going for a full day wine tour one of the days, but time slipped away from us {as it has a tendency of doing} and we ended up only having time for one quick tasting that Friday afternoon.  Brigid and Jenny left the choice of winery up to me and I quickly decided to take them to Delaire Graff Wine Estate for three reasons: 

1) It's a relatively new winery and vineyard that they had never seen before;
2) Their tasting room offers the most delicious cheese platters, and;
3) The estate sits on a mountain overlooking Helshoogte Pass and the quaint little French town of Franschhoek, offering some of the most unparalleled views in South Africa.

As might be expected, the estate also offers some lovely wines to sip on, but since their vineyards are still so young and we are so spoiled for choice when it comes to wine in South Africa, they certainly don't {yet} rank among the best in the area.  Fortunately, the three of us aren't too picky when it comes to wine ;)

We thoroughly enjoyed an afternoon full of cheese, wine, good company, and the most beautiful scenery.  

Here are a few pictures from our little outing.


Delaire Graff Estate also boasts an amazing restaurant {with the most beautiful fire place I've ever laid eyes on}, an internationally renowned lodge, a spa {which can be used by both hotel guests and day visitors}, and a Diamond Salon {!}.  They sure do know the way to a girl's heart ;) 

A stop {or stay} at Delaire is definitely a must if you're ever in the Stellenbosch area!

{for directions and more information see here}

18 comments:

  1. Gosh I need to do this.....I do so love our wines!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. this looks amazing! And those views, OMG!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mmmm South African Wine! The only wine I've had since I came to French is French wine and I'm itching for some variety!

    ReplyDelete
  4. South Africa is beautiful in so many different ways!

    Joe and I went to Franschoek and Stellenbosch last year and loved them both - beautiful small towns and we wish we could have stayed longer!

    ReplyDelete
  5. fab-great photos!doing the wine tour in Stellenbosch was my highlight of SA-I did it the day after I ran the two Oceans Run last year.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lovely!! I'm jealous that this vineyard wasn't around when I was in Stellenbosch.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The scenery in those photos...my jaw dropped! Your posts are making it dangerously easy for me to just book a flight! Anyway, love wine tasting/ looks like you had a great time!

    ReplyDelete
  8. This looks amazing! I did a wine tour in Stellenbosch when I was in SA in 2007 and it was fantastic. I'm doing one in Northern Virginia this weekend, but, somehow, I don't think it will be quite the same!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I just found your blog yesterday, and I really love it.

    I can't wait to plan a trip to Africa now. :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Confession: I don't like wine! Ahhhh, can you believe it?! Haha. I do, however, like you and those amazing views!! I'd go for that!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. You look so cute in glasses, but I've never seen you wear them before?

    I'm really so jealous, it feels like I'm always stuck in a rut in Jhb. Bleh.

    Anyway, are we still up for Saturday morning? My airtime is still up, I'm poor, haha!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi there,
    My name is Emiley and i've stumbled upon your blog through ex-pat South Africa... It seems that we both have a lot in common (i'm 24, from Cali, fell in love with Cape Town, and a boy... seems like you know this story already.. ), and I really really would love to ask you a few questions about your move to Jo-Burg. Your 'contact me' button on the site seems to be down.

    Won't you please e-mail me at eestake@gmail.com if you get a chance??

    Thank you,
    Best,
    Emiley

    ReplyDelete
  13. My husband (boyfriend at the time) and I spent 4 months in Namibia and South Africa in 2008, so I was so happy to stumble across your blog! Brings back so many great memories! Following! We are now doing the expat thing in Europe and loving it!
    Lana @ www.livelifelikeabestseller.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. What an amazing place to go wine tasting. The view is incredible.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh wow...gorgeous views! Makes me want a glass of wine.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Woe Jenna! Again! It looks amazing! I've never tried wine tasting but that's definitively something I want to do some day :) and the surroundings are just beautiful!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for the love!