Day 107: Stellenbosch
We were hoping to fit in a morning hike at the Walker’s Bay Reserve, but we woke up to rain! Boo! Since the alarm had already gotten us up early, we drove over to Walker’s Bay anyways, just in case there was a break in the weather. We got a few moments to enjoy the scenery – better than nothing! We then turned away from the coast and into the mountains to visit the South African wine country, via the pseudo-French village of Franschhoek.
Cloudy morning in Walker’s Bay
Wish we had more time and better weather to do more hiking!
Secluded cave and beach at Walker’s Bay
On the road to Franschhoek, as the rain clouds start to break up
It’s a great day for a road trip in South Africa
View of the Francophile town of Franschhoek in the heart of South Africa’s wine country. It’s a shame we didn’t have more time to explore – we hear they have a “wine train” that you can ride to visit (and taste!) many of the wineries! Now we totally have a reason to come back!
Various types of training grapes vines in Franschhoek
A cozy fireplace and flight of wine make for a great lunch stop in Stellenbosch
Pizza and wine pairing for lunch – yum!
Lindsay’s former co-worker, Joanne, used to work for Distell Wine group – the largest wine company in South Africa, so we looked to her for recommendations for our day in Stellenbosch. Knowing our love (obsession?) of sparkling wine, she set us up with a tasting at JC le Roux – the *only* winery in South Africa solely dedicated to sparkling wine. We owe her one – the tasting was awesome!
A winery that *only* produces sparkling wine – our type of place!
An old-school ridding rack and a modern gyroplatte – use whatever is necessary to produce those tasty bubbles
Tasting through the JC le Roux line-up, paired with nougats
Bottoms up! Fantastic bubbles down the whole line-up
We also owe a debt of gratitude to another former Banfi co-worker, Mary, who shared a recommendation for Vergenoegd Winery which has a twice daily duck parade, with over 800 ducks! The ducks are actually part of an eco-friendly pest-control program, where the ducks patrol the vineyards twice a day to eat all the bugs, reducing the need for pesticides. Igor doesn’t care why the ducks were there, just as long as he could cuddle them!
Vergenoegd Winery has a real old-world feel to it, complete with a cozy farmhouse fireplace in the tasting room
3:30PM – Time for the Duck Parade! Twice every day, 800+ ducks march from the lake through the winery
Since the vines are dormant and there are no bugs to eat, the ducks get a generous helping of feed instead
A handful of geese have joined the ducks for the free meal – while geese are normally on the aggressive side, this one goose was incredibly affectionate and climbed into his lap!
We take a short tour of the incubator room where there are a dozen baby ducks
Lindsay holding a baby duck!
Igor holding a baby duck!
Future ducklings – each egg has the week it was laid, giving the farmers an good idea of when to expect the hatching
Returning to the tasting room for a flight of Vergenoegd reds
A great visit to Vergenoegd Winery – totally one kind!
We had to call the wine tasting quits after Vergenoegd, so Igor (our designated driver) could get us to Cape Town safely (where he could enjoy a well-deserved glass of wine in the comfort of our hotel). We checked into the Azamare Guest House which is our favorite hotel in Africa to date: it’s a chic, modern boutique hotel with stunning views of the ocean. Service, location, scenery, amenities – all top notch. But best of all are the complimentary wine and hors d’oeuvres – truth be told, we totally took advantage of this our first night and stuffed ourselves with appetizers instead of going to dinner. WE BE CLASSY.
Checking in to our posh accommodations in Cape Town’s Camps Bay neighborhood
Pulling into our hotel just in time for sunset. Look at the dust on the Benz! We really aren’t the luxury-car types.
The pictures and blog are awesome. Last week when I was looking at your pictures, I was wondering what all those ducks were about…to funny–the “Duck Parade”.