The Winelands and a Township

As we drove deeper and deeper into the Winelands, it was clearly more and more beautiful.  As Selwyn drove (slowly) up to Muratie, the rolling hills were covered in vineyards, and the mountains rose starkly and beautifully above us.

Muratie was founded in 1699 as a farm.  It's an old-school winery, with 50 year old cobwebs in the windows of the small, cool tasting room. It's not the anti-septic copper and brass of the new places.  Instead, it definitely has that Old World charm.

We were able to walk through the area where they were clearing the debris (leaves, etc.) from the grapes, both by hand and by machine.  The grapes were then crushed.  Selwyn talked about the wine making process, and we got to watch different elements of it.  The best view was of the bin where the fermenting wine was being strained and aerated -- while being cooled too.  We talked to a young winemaker from California who was working for three months in South Africa to learn more -- before going back to the States to apply what he learned to the winery where he works.  We also saw the old crushing/fermenting areas.

Then we went to the tasting room.  The white wines didn't do much for me -- although the sparkling wine (champagne) was quite good.  The reds were mixed -- their blended red was very good, so we bought a magnum for just under $40.00 (never fear -- we were able to pack it and get it home safely).

We had lunch at another winery -- Moreson -- as Selwyn regaled us with more tales of his life and of South Africa.  The food was delicious, and the setting was beautiful.  Selwyn advised that the wines are underwhelming, but the restaurant (Bread and Wine) was great.

We then toured through the town of Franschhoek, including a stop at an antique shop.  It has a very impressive collection of antique corkscrews for sale on one wall.  I never thought of it, but corkscrews were also used for other bottles, such as perfume.

Then, in the late afternoon, we went to the Delaire/Graff wine farm.  (South Africans call them wine farms -- there is no difference when I use "winefarm" or "winery.")  Selwyn billed it thusly in an email to me:

This farm is the exact opposite to Muratie in that it represents the modern day wineries all starting up in the winelands.  Besides the fact that the wines on this farm are wonderful the scenery is to absolutely die for.  There are also some amazing artworks on the farm. This simply has to be the one of the most scenic and beautiful winefarms in South Africa. Wonderful experience!!

It is a perfect description.  The owner has spared no expense in building the fanciest new winery/tasting room.  I noted that it is "Las Vegas without the revenue stream."  Apparently, Delaire Graff is owned by a man who made his fortune in diamonds.  There's the beautiful sculptures throughout the property, the water features, and the fancy walls of stacked stone.  It reminded me of the newest casinos on the Strip.

The views are stunning -- it is up on a hill, and in the near distance to both your right and left are two beautiful mountains -- with a longer panoramic view of the winelands valleys with mountains backstopping it. Alas, the pictures don't do justice to the view, although I do like the one I posted of the lavender by the parking lot with the mountain behind it.

The only regret I've got for the day is that we did not go to our favorite South African winery, Thelema, which is right across the street from Graff.  I'm quite happy we went to Graff -- it's definitely a place where we could have spent even more time wandering around, soaking in the views.  The wines we tasted at Graff were good, but no match for Thelema.  My favorite wine for the day was the Ansela van de Caab from Muratie (that's the magnum we purchased).  It's a blend of Cab Sauv, Merlot, and Cab Franc.

Californians are not going to want to read this, but the Winelands are more beautiful than Napa.  It would be as though Napa and Arizona were combined.

After Graff, Selwyn drove us through the beautiful university town of Stellenbosch, known as the "Town of Oaks."  Of course, given that the apartheid system was developed in this town, it has a checkered past. Selwyn took pains to point out that not every student supported apartheid -- he was involved in many protests in his years at the university.

The most interesting part of the day came as we drove through one of the townships just outside of Stellenbosch.  The township of Kayamandi is approximately five minutes from Stellenbosch, but light years different.  Afterwards, Carol and I both wished we had done the Kayamandi visit in more depth (as Selwyn offers, but you can't do both the wineries and Kayamandi).  Selwyn coaches youth soccer in Kayamandi, and is involved in the township in other ways.

Many of the houses were as small as a two horse trailer and had no running water.  They were stacked right next to each other.  A house that Selwyn helped build that has water and electricity is actually rented out by the owner so she has more money -- she lives in the smaller shack next door.  The one big house -- modern -- in the township is owned by the politician.  Hmmm. . .no corruption there!

Selwyn noted that he pays a 1.5% restitution tax that is supposed to go to home building in the townships. Since Zuma has come into power four years ago, Selwyn has not seen one new house built in the program. The ANC leadership isn't was it was in the Mandela and Mbeki days.

Selwyn stopped and chatted about soccer with some young kids -- probably ages 8-10.  Many people were headed to church.  I did not take pictures -- it stuck me as inappropriate.

It was not a long drive back to Cape Town.  The city itself is beautiful, but there is not much to do right there (although the V&A Waterfront is great).  Instead, the reason Cape Town is wonderful is just how close the city is to the spectacular Cape of Good Hope and the Winelands (as well as other areas, such as the Garden Route, that we did not get to).