Today I made only 150kms, since my next destination Stellenbosch and the surrounding Wine Estates were really nearby.
According to wiki:
The Stellenbosch district is the second oldest wine region in South Africa, after Constantia, and is responsible for around 14% of the country's annual wine production. First planted in 1679, Stellenbosch is located 45 kilometres east of Cape Town. The region is surrounded by the Helderberg, Simonsberg and Stellenbosch Mountains and receives some climatic influences from nearby False Bay. The bay tempers the climate and keep average temperatures during the summer growing season to around 20 °C, just slightly warmer than Bordeaux. Vineyard soil types range from decomposed granite on the hillside near the mountains to sandy alluvial loam in the valleys near the rivers.
I started my day in the Bergkelder, one of the biggest wine producers here, situated directly in the village of Stellenbosch. The tour costs ca. 3EUR and you are guided through the whole production, finishing in the wine cellar, where you can taste 9 different wines, including the proud of the cellar, the "Fleur du Cap" Laszlo 2004 signature blend.
Concerning "Laszlo" I refer again to wiki:
In the 1970’s, with Dr Julius Laszlo as visionary Cellarmaster, Die Bergkelder played a pivotal role in changing the face of the South African wine industry. Determined to produce world-class wines, he was one of the key protagonists in finding new plant material and encouraging grape-growers to introduce classic noble varietals to their vineyards such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot.
During the day I visited several Estates, including De Laire Graff, Tokara, Zorgvliet, Avontuur, Rupert & Rothschild, Asara, Rust en Vrede.
Although I had my accommodation in Stellenbosch, I returned for dinner to Rust en Vrede. I found the place advertised in a tourist brochure. The flyer said: "one of the Top 100 restaurants in the world..." I knew that the surrounding of Stellenbosch is famous for fine dining, still I thought it was advertised like that, only to attract the tourists.
Things started to get interesting, when I was asked at the gate of the Estate, if I have a reservation. I had not, but managed to convince the guard to let me in. After entering the Estate I was driving an other 10 minutes in the valley to arrive at the restaurant. I was the first at 7 pm. and got luckilly the last table close to the open kitchen. I realised, that I am slightly underdressed, when other guests started to arrive in suits and cocktail dresses. I ve got really curious, what is the whole show off for....
The4 course tasting menu was as follows:
First course
Scallops, Parsnip, Pig Tail, Apple, Pecan, Ras el Hanout
Second Course
Monkfish, Scallop Mousse,Beluga lentils, “Tartare” Beurre Blanc, Pork Skin
Third Course
Crown Roasted Duck, Red Cabbage Purée, Duck Sausage, Baby Turnips, Pine Nut
Fourth Course
Lemon Thyme and Walnut Panna Cotta, Parsnip, Pistachio, Honeycomb
Actually it was really a great dinner... After I arrived back to my B&B, I went on the internet to figure out, where I spent the evening. I was tonight really in of the best resturants of the world...
For more pics:
https://picasaweb.google.com/szaipandras/SouthAfrica
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