The Cape Winelands department invited some press to tag along and focus on the Drakenstein area, Paarl and Wellington in particular. Tourism is considered the new gold in South Africa and a huge chunk of that nugget is arguably the Winelands.
After orientation we headed off to the little town of Paarl where the first stop was the Taal Monument. The monument is a symbol to the roots of the Afrikaans language which can be traced back to three continents, Asia, Europe and Africa. The concept started in the early 1900’s and took over 30 yrs to raise the funds. The job was eventually tasked by architect Jan van Wjik we built it out of granite and was opened to the public in October 1975, the tallest part towering 57m high. It is a superb spot to take in the view of the winelands and a great destination for all nuptials.
The streets of Paarl are littered with history easily missed by the untrained eye. With some of the oldest churches like Het Gesticht, which was a safe haven to all the slaves of the area at that time. This was a place of worship after a long week of toiling in the farms and vineyards where they could catch up and socialise, many having to travel quite a distance to get there. The more privileged would attend church according to stature and income. The men had first privilege while the ladies would have to bring their own chairs, some even inscribing them with their names. The buildings reflect the styles of architecture depicting the reign of the relevant English monarch of the time, Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian. The Victorian style was quite significantly depicted by the lace design “brookie lace” that could be seen adorning the porches while framing the front of the house.
We Stopped by Nederburg, known for their quality wines. the farm has been around since 1791 and owned by Philippus Wolvaart who was granted the land by the Dutch East India company. It passed ownership several times before landing up in the hands of viticulturist Johann Georg Graue. Nederburg has only ever had three Cellar masters, currently left in he hands of Razvan Macici. A stunning place with excellent wines, be sure to try and arrange a private cellar tour, you will see some of the gigantic old German oak barrels originally used to ferment the wine.
Lunch was in a neighbouring township Mbekweni where we ate at Chippa’s place. It is a butcher/shebeen where one can indulge in the complete African experience and enjoy braai’d meat with awesome local beer, it is the equivalent to Mzoli’s of Gugulethu but of course with it’s own original vibe!
For a Five Star experience in the Drakenstein with the scenic views to match, one need look no further than Cascade Manor. A place known to be frequented by the likes of some of our very own Springboks is also known for their Extra Virgin Quality Olive Oil. The land was originally owned by the Duke of Bedford and as the name suggests, you can find a Waterfall about 5 minutes walk from the Manor cascading down the rocky backdrop, breathtakingly beautiful! For such luxury surroundings it is understandable that a night would cost around R1600 per night (Worth every cent!) but keep an eye out for spa or overnight specials by visiting their website. The pool in summer and over-viewing patio will leave you feeling the true meaning of contentment.
A pleasurable stop before the end of the day was to be had at Druk My Niet . This farm got its start back in the days of the Huegenots in 1652 were it was granted to Francios du Toit, now owned by Dorothee and Georg Kirchner since 2002. The boutique farm produces about 80 tons a year and is worked under the passionate hands of winemaker Abraham de Klerk. These extremely enjoyable wines are a MUST to experience, especially the T3, the unique blend of 3 different cultivars, Tannat (French), Tinta Amarella (Portugeuse) and Tempranillo (Spanish) which is my new favourite red of all time! We then retired across the way at Augusta Kleinbosch.
Wellington was the order for the next day. Our day began with a tour in well known author/artist Breyten Breytenbach’s Sentrum. Breyten, who was vehemently opposed to apartheid, left South Africa in 1960 only to be arrested upon his return for treason. After his release in 1982 he fled to France where he has been living ever since. He is best known for his poetry as well as some quite shocking, yet intriguing artwork. The sentrum has a lot of his works on display and if you are a fan then you need to pay them a visit.
We also made a stop at Ouma Granny’s House. This house is a national monument and is filled with memorabilia from yesteryear. The collection was donated to the then Wellington Municipality by Mrs Joyce Hoogenhout-Morse, who was the wife of Imker FM Hoogenhout, the grandson of CP Hoogenhout, one of the founders of the Afrikaans language. This trip was followed by a quick stop to Redemption leather shop.
After a bit of a ride up the slopes of the Groenberg mountains we landed up at Foxenburg Estate. The beautiful land is known for it’s organic approach to farming without the use of pesticides. Touring through the estate you get to see the impressive milking machine used to milk the goats twice a day, 6am and 4pm. Foxenburg is known for its mouth watering cheeses (Producing fine French style goat cheese) as well as their flavoursome olives (grown from Mission, Frantoio and Luccino trees) and olive oil (certified organic extra virgin). Also produced is Oyster mushrooms grown naturally which is high in protein and also known for its medicinal purposes.
The tour ended off at Solms-Delta where we experienced culinary delights at Fyndraai restaurant, my personal experience, rare Ribeye steak paired with a glass of their Cape Jazz. Just 15k’s outside of Franschhoek one can discover the taste and experience of these magnificent wines with fun labels like the “Vastrap” and “Langarm”.
I found the trip to be extremely informative and educational, exposing many of the hidden gems and delights. I highly recommend a visit to anyone of these places to enjoy some of the history and pleasures the Drakenstein region has to offer.
For more fun pics click here……
