Go Wine Tasting In The Stellenbosch Winelands

When a social network profile asks me to lists my hobbies, I always type wine tasting as one of them.  It is a legitimate hobby right?

Pinky in the air, sniffing the wine,  gently swirling the glass to inspect the legs, and describing to the wine sommelier the aromas and flavors I smell and taste in the biggest words I know.  Yep, that's me in a wine tasting nutshell. *cough* wine snob *cough*

I have officially gone wine tasting in five continents, and wine tasting in Stellenbosch has been my faaaaave.  I don't normally like to buy many souvenirs when I'm on the road, but I do like to save my wine corks when I travel.  I have an apothecary jar filled with corks that I have collected during my travels.  The corks are small and light, and bring back fond memories of my journeys. 

I knew I was going to love South Africa when my Bed & Breakfast welcomed me with some yummy South African wine.   The key to my heart!

Because I was traveling solo through Cape Town I decided to take a day tour for the 45 minute drive to Stellenbosch.  On another note I made it onto the tours video, specifically near the beginning when you see three people walking through the wine cellar.  Just more proof that I'm one famous chick loser!

Julius, my guide, picked me up at my bed and breakfast, and then we picked up a sweet gay couple from New York City.  The four of us headed to Stellenbosch and first stopped at J.C. Le Roux Winery.

J.C. Le Roux Winery specializes in sparkling wine, and I love me some bubbly.  I was able to easily find a bottle of J.C. Le Roux in many grocery stores throughout Africa, and even bought a bottle to enjoy during the evenings.

 Champagne in tin camping cups.  That's how I roll.

My favorite champagne at the tasting was La Vallee.

We then headed to Spier Winery to pet some cheetahs.  Just any average day of wine tasting.

Our next stop was Asara Winery.  I chose the white flight along with the rest of the group.  Not only did we love bubbly, but we also loved our whites.  The Asara Winery was stunning.  The grounds were open and beautiful, and it's no surprise that it's a constant spot for weddings.  The Winery also has a hotel, conference rooms and restaurants.

Do you notice something in the photos above?  NO PEOPLE! This is one of many reasons why I loved wine tasting in Stellenbosch.  I'm used to the pushing and shoving just to get an arm in for them to pour my next wine.  Every tasting I was allowed to sit at a table, and the sommeliers came to me to pour my next wine.  The absence of people made me feel like I got a special invite to a private winery, and it made for such a peaceful and relaxing experience.

We made another stop before lunch at Rust En Vrede.  This was a smaller winery with predominately red wines.  Great weather and a table outdoors created a perfect setting.  The restaurant at Rust En Vrede is supposedly amazing, but I didn't stick around to try it.

For lunch we headed to Dornier Winery.  The restaurant at Dornier opened up to stunning views of the Stellenbosch mountains making for a lovely ambiance.  Fittingly, we each accompanied our meals with a glass of wine.  By then we had enough alcohol in our systems that we were borderline lushes, however we acted as we were all old friends that had known each other for years.  It's amazing what a bit a lot of wine can do to a person!

Like the saying goes, all great things must come to an end, and the finale to our day was Waterford Estate.  It certainly did not disappoint, in fact, Waterford was my favorite winery of the day.  Our tasting was paired with bars of chocolate that complimented each wine.  Yes, I said CHOCOLATE!  The other key to my heart, I was officially in pure bliss!  After our tasting we were given a great tour of the cellar and production area.  The grounds were lovely, and reminded me of a Tuscan Vineyard.

As an added bonus, a few days after my Stellenbosch trip I visited Org de Rac, an organic vineyard located in the Western Cape.  This was my first time visiting an organic winery, and I even received an extensive tour of the vineyard.  It wasn't the best tasting wine, but we were all given a full bottle of complimentary wine for the road. 

Stellenbosch exceeded all my expectations.  If you have some time to spare in Cape Town, and you love wine and unbelievable vistas, then a trip out to the Stellenbosch Winelands needs to be on your to-do list.

Date Accomplished:  September 5th, 2010

Visit A Cheetah Sanctuary

Joseph

Cheetahs are beautiful spotted felines that are sadly on the endangered list.  There are several factors that have put these big cats onto the endangered list, low sperm count, inbreeding, and cheetah cubs having difficulty surviving attacks of bigger predators.  

At the beginning of the 20th Century, an estimated 100,000 cheetahs roamed the world, now only 7,500 are left, and less than 1,000 of those are found in South Africa.  A huge percentage of living cheetahs are part of conservation programs.

There are many cheetah conservation programs all over the world, and while wine tasting in Stellenbosch, South Africa I was able to visit one!  Talk about killing two birds with one stone!

On the grounds of Spier Winery is an outreach program for Cheetahs.  The cheetahs at Spier have been orphaned, and several of them having grown up there.  They also have a program to educate others, including bringing the cheetahs to schools to educate youth on the importance of cheetah conservation.

I am always skeptical visiting places like these, mainly because of known stories of animal abuse, and several gimmicks to make one solitary man filthy rich.  I didn't visit a lion "sanctuary" in Zimbabwe for this very reason.

The sanctuary was large, clean, and the trainers seemed to truly love the animals.  

For less than $20, I was able to enter the sanctuary, and experience a close encounter with one of the cheetahs. 

Before entering the sanctuary we had to wash our hands, and put all our belongings (except for our cameras) into lockers. 

We first attempted to visit an eagerly excited cheetah named Joseph, but after 15 minutes of waiting for Joseph to settle down, the trainer called it quits and decided we should try visiting another Cheetah.

We then went to go visit two year old Phoenix.   His trainer was by his head trying to make him relax.  I called him the Cheetah Whisperer. 

When we entered his enclosure we were brought to the opposite corner of his cage.  One by one we got a chance to pet Phoenix and take a photo with him.

For lack of a better phrase to sum up the experience, IT WAS SOOO COOL!  Phoenix purred as I slowly brushed his body, and as you could see I had a huge grin on my face rather than a look of utter terror.  To me, it was not scary at all, this is coming from a person that would run away from all animals as a child up until college!  The trainers had our safety in mind, so that helped settle any nerves.  Keep Calm and Carry On.

Since my visit, the Outreach Program has since moved to Somerset West.

Oh, and according to their website, Phoenix and Joseph are still alive and doing well.  :)

Date Accomplished:  September 5th, 2010