Destination "STELLENBOSCH" South Africa

Stellenbosch, located 46 kms by road or train from Cape Town, is proudly an Afrikaans town settled in 1679. It has an Afrikaan-language University established in 1918, now numbering 25,000 students. Its oak-lined streets and immaculate Cape Dutch style buildings with thick, whitewashed stone walls and thatched roofs make for an intriguing starting point for exploring the Winelands. The region has a Mediterranean climate with dry hot summers and cold wet winters.

Wine tours invariably start at the Blaauwklippen Winery on the outskirts of Stellenbosch.

Interesting tidbits gleaned: American and French oak barrels are used. Although the pioneer settlers planted oaks everywhere, they grow more quickly in South Africa which makes the wood too porous for barrels. Red or white roses are planted at the ends of the vine rows signifying the type of grape and provide the first indication of disease (like the coal miner's canary). This assists in pollination. Honey is a byproduct. In fact, some wine estates are multi product farms producing citrus fruits and specialty cheeses.

Blaauwklippen has vineyards on prime west and south-facing locations with sufficient altitude variation to allow different styles of wine to be produced on one farm. Wines created by mountain and valley sites include Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Rhine Riesling, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Muscat Ottonel. The highest vineyards with cool growing make delicate fruity wines whereas the lower warmer sites produce the full-bodied reds.

Notable are the close by Paarl and Franschhoek Valley regions each with over 25 wine estates open to visitors. A day tour may visit up to 5 wineries and stop at one for lunch. The district abounds in fine restaurants, guest houses and self-catering cottages.

We stopped at the Chamonix Winery for lunch consisting of smoked chicken, salmon and salad with free sampling of the wines and a dozen fruit varieties of German-style schnapps distilled on the premises. Also, it is famous for Chamonix Spring Water which is bottled and sold throughout South Africa.

Further on the famous Paarl wine district nestles beside huge rounded granite mountains . We tried the Fairview Winery for wine and cheese tasting. Notable cultivars are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, Mourvedre and Voignier available as single wines or blends, such as the Fairview SMV. All the reds are

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