A Day in the Cape Winelands, South Africa

My travel chums and I only had less than 8 hours to explore the Cape Winelands, the Napa Valley of South Africa, so it was hard to do justice on recommending which vineyards to visit in the popular spots of Franschheok and Stellenbosch. We also made a pit stop at Paarl's cute downtown. 

What I love about the Cape Winelands is that the wine is significantly cheaper than anywhere else in the world, making the tasting fees a half off than Napa's. Their vineyards also have some of the best views- my favorite is at Le Petit Ferme. Even though I was not able to book at the Tasting Table, their version of the French Laundry, I had the best cheese/cracker plate ever from Lanzerac and a sumptuous coconut curry fish meal at Allec Bleu. 

(1) Lanzerac: Our first stop greeted us with a biscuit and cheese plate with homemade jams. 

Impressive cheese, crackers and jams at Lanzerac. Paired well with our wine tasting.

While checking out their bathroom...

(2) Uva Mira: We didn't do any wine tasting here, but we drove up the hill just to get a great view of the winelands.

Great views on top of Uva Mira.

(3) Solms Delta: Lunch time meant picnic at the Solms Delta. Alas, it was closed for a private event.

Solms Delta was closed that day for a private event, but we were still able to take some great photos of the view.

(4) Allee Bleue: A few minutes drive away from Solms is Allee Bleue. The bistro was a great pitstop for a group of hungry wined out tourists. I satiated myself with a flavorful fish curry. 

Yummy fish curry with coconut rice at Allee Bleue

(5) Le Petit Ferme: Best of the best views.

This is where you can sit and ogle at the view below.

View at Le Petit Ferme.

(6) Haute Cabriere: Many wineries were about to close but we made it to the last call at Haute Cabriere.

The view (from the parking lot!) at Haute Cabriere.

The view while sipping wine at Haute Cabriere.

Tip: You should definitely bring some South African wines home! The easiest way is to buy at the airport Duty Free and ask the sales rep how many bottles you can bring to your final destination.  

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