Jonathan Andrews

Had a fantastic experience tasting bubbly here on Saturday during the Stellenbosch Wine Festival. Very friendly and knowledgeable, live music and generally just a happy vibe. I’ll definitely return.

Enjoyed a lovely lunch at Noble Hill on Sunday. Interesting to have a “Mexican” menu at a winefarm, but I really enjoyed it. The food was great and the bottle of Sav Blanc that we enjoyed was equally delicious.

My only (minor) criticism would be that it’s a bit of a pity about the road noise at the restaurant, although I am sure that when it’s busier inside, it’s probably not as audible.

We had a wonderful tasting at Vrede en Lust on Sunday. Janina helped us and she was fantastically informative and really made the whole experience very pleasant.

I’ve been to the restaurant before, but never to the tasting room – and I was super impressed by the facility.

Didn’t really rate the reds – none particularly my taste (with the exception of the ‘Boet Erasmus’ which was delicious). On the white side though, the Marguerite Chardonnay is lovely and I felt quite classic. The Sav Blanc was tropical and crisp and the ‘Jess’ rose was also a very quaffable surprise!

Very worthwhile if you’re in the area.

We stopped at Solms on Sunday last for a tasting. It is a real experience. Despite the rain, it’s plain to see it’s a beautiful farm. The tasting was done in the museum on the farm and it is a nice touch to mix the winemaking with the heritage of the area.

The wines themselves are quite unusual in that most are blends. We tasted six, including the “Kari” which is a mead.

We stopped in at Glenwood on Sunday last. Despite the pouring rain we got a very warm reception.

The whites are fantastic – I was particularly impressed with the Unwooded Chardonnay. The Shiraz was also absolutely delicious – one of my favourites of the day – good tannins and a nice peppery finish.

Definitely a hidden gem in Franschhoek – a little off the beaten track, but well worth a visit.

I have not been to Diemersfontein, yet. Booked the other day for Pinotage on Tap on 24 October and I can not wait! I tasted the Pinotage at WineX in Cape Town and it was absolutely outstanding!

The tasting room at Hidden Valley is amazing, as is the view. Very modern and chic. Wines were also excellent – their other label “Lands End” from the Elim vineyards near Agulhas is quite distinct from the Stellenbosch wines due to the maritime climate – you can almost taste the sea in the Sauvignon Blanc – really lovely. The rose was also great. On the red side – I really enjoyed the Hidden Valley Pinotage.

We were at Vrede en Lust for a birthday on Sunday – restaurant is lovely and the cheese boards are excellent value. The Sav Blanc didn’t go down too badly either!

Brilliant chocolate and wine tasting at Waterford. It’s a classy place for sure and a really beautiful setting. The Peacan Stream wines are good value.

I spent the afternoon at Klein Genot’s restaurant on Saturday for a friend’s 30th. The place is beautifully decorated and is very stylish. The wine list was ample and not too badly priced – I think the house white is La Petit Ferme Blanc Fume and it’s R25/glass or R100/bottle. The lunch was outstanding and the service was great.

What’s nice about it too is they have a balcony and function room which are slightly separate from the main restaurant so it’s ideal if you’re having a private party or event.

Delheim is one of my all-time Stellenbosch favourites. I love their tasting room, and the restaurant has a simple but ample menu.

Stopped in here recently to do a tasting. The Pinotage Rose is still one of my favourites and very reasonably priced. The Chardonnay Sur Lie is also delicious (and I am not normally a fan of Chardonnay). Found that the Merlot really wasn’t full enough, but the Shiraz and reds we tasted from the reserve list were fantastic.

I’d been out to Seidelberg a couple of years ago while I was doing some touring in the Paarl winelands area for an online travel guide I was working on. When a friend was over from Canada recently I thought it would be the perfect time to revisit. Paarl is something different to the usual Stellenbosch/Franschhoek wine routes which seem to be more popular with foreign visitors.

It was a beautiful day weather-wise which allowed us to take full advantage of the magnificent setting of this estate. The views across the vineyards all the way to Table Mountain in the distance are quite phenomenal.

Unfortunately didn’t have time to do a tasting as we’d dawdled getting there. We ate at the restaurant, De Leuwen Jagt, and were thoroughly impressed. The menu features a number of traditional dishes which are were a perfect introduction to Cape Malay cooking for my foreign guest, and are wonderfully warming on a clear winter’s day. The food was beautifully paired with wine suggestions from the menu.

I definitely plan to go back to do a proper tasting soon. I imagine the rolling lawns would be a wonderful spot to enjoy a glass or two in the summertime.