STELLENBOSCH

The roadside announcement reads: “Forecast: 100 chance of wine today!”  And so it is, for the unquestioned wine capitol of South Africa. Surrounded by the granite semi-circles of the Simonsberg and Drakenstein Mountains, and sprinkled amidst lush rolling hills, Stellenbosch is to South Africa as Napa Valley is to California, Mendoza is to Argentina, and Bordeaux is to France.  Over 140 wineries (actually called “Wine Farms” here) dot the immediate landscape around the city core alone.

Founded in 1679 – and many of the better wineries date to nearly that time – it is the second oldest city in the Western Cape after Capetown (a mere 32 miles distant).  Located on the banks of the Eerste River, the town is known as as “The City of Oaks.” During the Boer War from 1899 to 1902, British troops used the city as a base.  It was known as an ideal post, though the reputations of those assigned here were tarnished somewhat as it was felt they had too cush an assignment and could not make it on the front lines.

I am lucky enough to spend the better part of two sunny, perfect days here.  Drinking, toasting, learning, and dining.  The Mediterranean climate is perfect for wine production, with rainy and cool winters but hot summers.  The area is still dominated by Dutch culture, both in its language, customs, and architecture.  As such, it is generally a more conservative area than the rest of South Africa, and has a reputation still of being a bastion of “Afrikaners”  -- the primarily Dutch culture that authored the socially devastating apartheid policy which tore this country apart for nearly 50 years.

A game attempt is loosely made to follow the world famous Stellenbosch Wine Route, established in 1971, to cobble together as many winery visits as two day’s time will allow.   That plan quickly falls apart, however (and for the better).  One good winery leads to another, as servers and other employees let you in on local secrets about where best to quaff your next sips, dine, and take refuge for the evening in a hotel with a view.  My intent the first day is to visit four wineries.  One tied up the entire afternoon.  Neethlingshof, in business since 1692 and selected as one of the Top Five wineries in all of South Africa.

One is immediately made to feel as a guest here, not a sardine in a tourist crush bellying up to the tasting bar.  You have the choice of sampling inside, or out.  Given the perfect weather, my choice was obvious.  Jean-Lous Leroy, a highly intelligent 31 year-old black  viticultural exchange student from Montpelier, France introduced himself as my server.  Visitors are supposed to get five tastings for the modest fee of Rand 30 (a little less than $3 US).  I am treated to nine.  And I am immediately stunned by the quality of the wine relative to its pricing.

A double gold-medal winning red Bordeaux blend called “The Caracal” that somehow manages to be brilliant up front with tastes of plum and blackcurrent and a pinch of tobacco and chocolate still remains long on the finish.  It costs a bit less than $14 a bottle.  It is my clear favorite. The “Owl Post Pinotage” – a grape unique to South Africa – with arresting flavors of raspberry, cherry and mocha, costs less than $16 a bottle.  “The Six Flowers” – a Hungarian barrel wooded blend of six different white varietals and another award winner, costs less than $8.  My second favorite, a light-bodied Malbec with hints of ripe plum and chocolate, costs less than $6.

In between pointers about South Africa’s wine industry (all grapes are estate grown at each winery for instance, and there is little or no buying grapes on the market for bulk producers or hobbyists – thus each bottle of wine is truly “estate harvested and produced”) Jean-Louis casually discussed local culture and history.  He spoke of reverse racism, where blacks now feel free to openly display cynicism and at times downright hatred for whites.  And about how as a European, he was in a good neutral position to watch the historic actions of the Dutch and English within the country.

“The Brits are progressive,” he said.  “The Dutch are very conservative.  Apartheid came from a Dutch government and was supported by a Dutch majority.  Please realize not everybody supported apartheid. The word derived from a Dutch definition meaning ‘separate or apart.’  Blacks here will generally speak English, but they refuse to speak Afrikans (the local Dutch dialect).  Their memories of what apartheid had done to them will take a long time to subside.”  I am taken enough by his perspectives that we agree to continue the conversation at a reasonably priced local restaurant, the “Cape Fish Market,” later in the evening.  And to keep in contact after that.

The following day, four wineries make their acquaintance.  Morgenhof, Warwick, Kanankop, and Tokara.  Bridgitte Fredericks at Morgenhof proved once again that to be an engaging and generous host was the rule within this valley.  This winery, dating back to 1692, featured beautiful Dutch Colonial and Cape Dutch buildings.  Many are used for weddings.  They were later augmented after purchase by French owner Anne Cointreau in 1993 with French Chateau complementary buildings, including a wedding chapel.

This winery features International  Gold (Michaelangelo Awards) Merlot costing about $12 US a bottle, and a “Fantail Pinotage” 2011 that is light and yet oddly complex for about $5 a bottle.  The signature wine once again is a Bordeaux blend of cabernet sauvignon, cab france, merlot, and malbec.   It has won a silver Michaelangelo Award and boasts flavors of mocha, black fruit, tobacco, a hint of cherry, and some raspberry.  It sells for about $23 a bottle.

I had the rather odd experience here, of an independent wine tour operator hearing my plans, swooping in like a force of nature, ignoring her own clients, and virtually planning my complete afternoon including a lunch reservation and trail of five wineries to follow.  I did not visit a single one of her command performance recommendations -- primarily because she did not make a single inquiry about my taste preferences.

Kanonkop – one of the younger wineries in the Stellenbosch Capelands with grapes being grown on the estate “only” since 1930, had been referred as a premium vintner of complex red wines.  I did not find this to be true.  Despite a long list of award winners, and a very pleasing 2012 Pinotage costing less than $7 per bottle, this particular recommendation did not find favor with me.  Perhaps it was the wine.  Perhaps the grounds were not as scintillating as others witnessed nearby.  Or perhaps it was the very formal service that attended the wine tasting.  No sense of humor here, and very little warmth in the offer or presentation of the product.  I am hoping for the sake of other visitors that this particular winery was merely visited by me on an off day.

Conversely, Warwick proved to be a real treat.  The grounds are green and open.  They are approached by a meandering, almost watercourse driveway.  The complex offers picnic grounds, a bocce ball pit, children’s play area, wandering peacocks, a gorgeous on- premises lake, oversized outdoor cushions for stretching out and sampling wine while leaned against a tree (or favorite squeeze), a garden inspired by the historic Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris, and a commanding view penthouse on a nearby hilltop with 360 degree vistas for sharing special occasions.

The wine itself was almost an afterthought, given the delight of the grounds that made for such relaxing tasting.  They included a fine wooded chardonnay, a deep cabernet sauvignon, an “Old Bush Vines” Pinotage (my favorite), a Cape Blend called “Three Cape Ladies,” a beautifully finished Bordeaux blend called Trilogy, and an easy sipping and modestly priced Cab Franc.

Tokara Wine Farm had a reputation going in for a French palette featuring heavy red vintages.  New to Stellenbosch in 2000 and one of the wine “babies” of the valley, it might have had the most intense and memorable lineup of the 48 hours sampling in the Cape Winelands.  These included a Director’s Reserve White 2012, which was vibrant and intense and almost impossibly long on the finish (for less than $20 US) – winner of an International Veritas Silver Medal in 2012; a Reserve Collection Stellenbosch Chardonnay 2012, winner of a Veritas Gold Medal in 2013 that tasted as smooth as velvet, but was both intense and complex and hinted of freshly buttered toast (about $13); and finally a Tokara Reserve Syrah 2010 costing about $25 per bottle that won a Double Gold Veritas Award in 2013.  Despite the relatively higher price for a South African wine, this one was a must sip and a must buy.  It is plum in color, packed with the taste of dark berries, hints of cassis, is long on the finish, and has a lingering, elegant presence about it.