Franschhoek Winter Wines – 15 June 2019 Winter may be here, but there is plenty reason to be out and about making the most of this intimate season. The annual Franschhoek Winter Wines event is a fabulous lineup of highly acclaimed Franschhoek Vignerons showcasing their wines. Inspired by the season, the selection of fine wines will be on show at [...]

On the edge of Stellenbosch there lies a little piece of France. Well, actually more like a little piece of heaven in my view. I am of course talking of Glenelly Wine Estate. I often get wonderful opportunities to taste wines and foods that are exceptional. My recent invite to Glenelly to taste their newly-released 2013 Estate Reserve and flagship [...]

Groote Post Country Market, Sunday 27 January 2019  This Sunday sees the first 2019 Country Market at Groote Post wine estate. We are absolutely spoilt for choice market wise in the winelands, but Groote Post feels truly unique. I attribute this to its wild West Coast positioning – one truly feels like one is in the country. There is loads [...]

As one leaves Stellenbosch, heading to Franschhoek on the R310, one encounters Helshoogte Pass. Now for my foreign readers, the literal translation of Helshoogte is hell’s heights. And hellish it is. As I know only too well from cycling up it more times than I care to remember. All I did on these occasions was look down at the tar [...]

If ever there were an example of what can happen when imagination meets determination, Fryer’s Cove Vineyards would be it. Located about 300km from Cape Town up the West Coast, this is a vineyard that never should have been. Why? Well, because pretty much everything counted against it. For starters, it’s incredibly small – as in only four hectares currently under [...]