The Cape Winelands goes Cheesy – Stellenbosch Guest House

It was time of the year when people flock to the Cape Winelands in abundance for one single event: the renowned South African Cheese Festival. This is one event of the year that you not only have to go to, but cannot for the world miss. So with my two closest friends, Bronwyn and Ryno, we set off on our little adventure to Stellenbosch where we booked into our Stellenbosch guest house, Villa Grande, before heading off for our first day at this beloved event.

What to expect…
When you first get there you are met by queues and queues to not only get in, but to be helped. This is not a place for sissies. You have to put on your patience-gear and know that you are going to bump into the odd impatient idiot. But luckily the people of the Western Cape, for some undeniable reason are quite peaceful people. So let’s move on, next the three of us decided that in order to make sure we get a taste of all, we should start at the one end, and work our way through. Sure this sounds like a great plan, but somehow you always get distracted or people tend to wander off in the wrong direction.

After about four hours of cheese tasting, meeting the makers, learning exactly why it is that certain cheese just goes better with olives and other with bread, we headed in the direction of the wine. I made it my personal duty to not only teach the very little knowledge that I had of wine to my dear friend Bronwyn, but to try and persuade her to learn and love it as much as both me and Ryno do. But we only got as far as Rosé, which although a very good one, was not yet where I would’ve liked to have been with this stubborn friend of mine. So while she kept to her rosé, Ryno and I shared a very delicate bottle from the Paarl region. Such is the taste of earth’s nectar, so sweet and full of joy.

A night in…
It was getting later, so we decided it a good time to head back to our guesthouse and have a good night’s rest before coming back for seconds (Yes, greed is a sin, but so is missing out on this festival). So when we arrived at the guesthouse with our day’s shopping, we basically fell into the chairs in the luxury room, pure exhilarating exhaustion. And thanks to the day’s cheese tasting none of us had much of an appetite, so we spent the rest of the evening in front of the fireplace chatting about the day’s events and quarrelling about which cheese is the superior one. Quite sad really how people can quarrel about silly things like cheese, but it’s more about personal taste really than to prove a point. Eventually after our nightcaps, everybody was ready to turn in for the evening, and we all set off to our separate rooms.

I woke up the next morning feeling quite tired still. Amazing how a day of so much fun and eating can leave you feeling so tired and in some actual physical pain. My legs were killing me, but not enough to stop me from going back for more. So after a quick shower I went downstairs for breakfast with Bronwyn and Ryno. Both looking as exhausted as I was feeling, we ordered some of the Villa Grande’s special breakfasts. A cup of freshly brewed coffee was exactly what the doctor ordered.

As I finished up my breakfast, I sat back to looked at the view from the patio and came to realize that Stellenbosch truly is beautiful. With its surrounding majestic mountains and winelands, you come to understand why the people of Stellenbosch are all so friendly and laid-back. This very old town has the atmosphere of youth and happiness, and as we were on our way back to the cheese festival, I paid more attention to scenic drive. And in that moment all was full of bliss.

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About Stellenbosch

The town of Stellenbosch lies in the green and fertile fertile valley of the Eerste ("first") River and is the heart of the South African Winelands - and starting point of the Stellenbosch Wine Route. It is the second oldest town in South Africa after Cape Town and was founded by Governor Simon van der Stel in 1679, who named it after himself.
Stellenbosch has become known as 'the town of oaks'. These trees being abundant. Some of the oaks have been proclaimed national monuments. When Governor Simon van der Stel first visited the area in November 1679 he was much taken by its beauty. The name Stellenbosch ('Van der Stel's bush') was given to the site of the governor's camp, and by the following year the first settlers had arrived from Cape Town. There was ample water from the river and the streets were lined with furrows, which brought the water to every house. Oak trees were planted and houses built of locally available material, with thick walls, doors and windows made of local woods such as yellow-wood and stinkwood, and roofing of black thatch. The houses were finished with white-lime wash. The handmade furniture of these early settlers has become much sought after by collectors.
One cannot help but stand in awe of the magnificent countryside surrounding the town of Stellenbosch. Nestled in one of the world's most beautiful valleys, it is overlooked by the forested heights of Papegaaiberg (Parrot Mountain). A drive around Stellenbosch offers some of the best views of South Africa's stunning Winelands. Situated about 40km from Cape Town, 10 km from the coast with an elevation of 300m above sea level, the Stellenbosch area includes various meso-climates, aspects, elevations and soil types. To many this intensely farmed district is the wine capital of South Africa.
Key contributors to the quality of the wines are the cooler mountain slopes, varied soil types and it also has the advantage of frontage onto False Bay. The prevailing south-easterly wind, known as The Cape Doctor works its magic here keeping vines cool and helping to control diseases by reducing the relative humidity. Almost all classic varietals are represented here with Cabernet Sauvignon being the most widely planted varietal in the area.
The town itself is just as charming as its setting with furrows and oak trees, some dating from the 19th century, lining the streets. Thick-walled, limewashed buildings with thatched roofs and timberwork of stinkwood and yellowwood, dating from the same era, have been wonderfully preserved. Dorp Street, the main road through town, has the longest row of historic buildings in the country and Die Braak, the village green was once used for military parades and festivals, and is still marked by old churches and momuments.
The Village Museum in Reyneveld Street is a collection of historic houses dating from a number of eras, meticulously restored and furnished in period style, the gardens are planted with the flowers, shrubs and trees that would have graced the original homes.

• The Schreuderhuis is the oldest resorted townhouse in South Africa
• No. 18 Ryneveld Street serves as the entrance to this collection of restored buildings.

In Dorp Street is one of the longest rows of old buildings surviving in any major town in Southern Africa. Most of the buildings date from the 19th century.

• No. 116, Voorgelegen contains some of its original Batavian tiles in the parlour
• Tthe old Lutheran Church, built in 1851 by Carl Otto Hager, is used by the university as an art gallery.
• Nearby is the old home of the Reverand Meent Borcherds
• La Gratitiude, on the gable of which the original owner modelled the 'all-seeing eye of God' to look down on townsfolk. La Gratitude is now home to the Ernie Els restaurant, The Big Easy
• The Libertas Pavia is on the corner of Old Strand Road and Dorp Street. It's an elegant, gabled mansion incorporating both the Rembrandt van Rijn art gallery (with works by leading 20-th century artists, including Pierneef, Van Wouw and Irma Stern) and, in its cellar, the Stellenryk Wine Museum (huge old vats, Cape furniture and brassware).
• A military museum is housed in the Kruithuis ('powder house') on the west side of the town square. This was built in 1777.
• A perfect example of an H-shaped Cape Dutch dwelling is the Burgher House, a national monument. Built in 1797, it has been restored and is now an office building, furnished with 18th century antiques.
• For something totally unique, Oom Samie se Winkel in Dorp Street is a must. This shop, which is crammed with traditional homemade preserves, South African sweets and other bric-a-brac, is the oldest of Stellenbosch's shops.

Stellenbosch boasts a number of fine old churches and religious institutions of a variety of denominations. These include the first Dutch Reformed church consecrated in 1687, the St Mary's Anglican Church (built in 1852), the old Lutheran church in Dorp Street, and the Renish Mission church on the Braak.
The 25 ha Jan Marrais Nature Reserve within the municipal boundaries is a wild flower sanctuary of the first order.
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Wild Mushroom Boutique Hotel - Stellenbosch Accommodation

Stellenbosch Accommodation

The surprising wonder world of exotic gourmet mushrooms is unlocked in the stylish elegance of a unique boutique hotel in Stellenbosch. This rare experience offers an opportunity to be pampered and to recuperate in a rural atmosphere amid vineyards and olives. The hotel’s location in Stellenbosch is ideal for an authentic experience of the Cape winelands, but it is also situated only a few kilometres from Cape Town Film Studios, South Africa’s own upcoming Hollywood – providing a totally different focus.

Setting

Here at Digteby Estate in Vlottenburg, a residential area in Stellenbosch, a passion for classic luxury with a contemporary flavour is fused with a unique gourmet mushroom experience.

The prizewinning architect Hein Visser restored the old manor house brilliantly. The initial design and dimensions of the building were retained and the original walls, roof beams, doorframes, sash windows and solid kiaat doors revive a bygone era. In addition, the spacious farm house with its typical elements from the late Herbert Baker era gained a few magnificent rooms in the large roof area.

There are six en suite bedrooms in this double-storey boutique hotel. Each window offers an unobstructed view of the blue Boland Mountains. A stay in the Wild Mushroom is a visual delight and sensory experience in an exclusive, private environment.

Mushroom Experience

George Velissariou’s interior reflects the exotic and luxury world of mushrooms. The rich colours and textures unfold in all sorts of surprising ways. Select guests can gain first-hand knowledge of mushrooms in the nursery cellars, where various varieties are cultivated by mycologist Dr W Adriaan Smit. With his passion for exotic mushrooms and as an inexhaustible source of knowledge on this subject, he unlocks an unknown world of interesting facts and experiences. Interest in exotic mushrooms is a new international trend, especially among the world’s leading chefs and in select hotels. The Wild Mushroom is the first hotel in the world that offers a mushroom-inspired experience, known as mycotourism.

Wild Mushroom Boutique Hotel - Stellenbosch Accommodation

A trail of tall tales in Stellenbosch

Here's a walk with lots of history, lots of leafy shade and - if you've got a good guide - lots of wonderful local tales, too.
Tours of historic Stellenbosch start at the Tourism Bureau, in Market Street. That's across the road from the magistrate's court, and the first thing you might notice when you arrive at the bureau is knots of folk shouting through a tall gate in the wall behind the court. Our guide resolved this mystery; the shouters are friends and family of prisoners in the court cells, trying to pass on messages of support or opprobrium to those within. It's a sort of Stellenbosch version of "check your mate".
You might have difficulty tearing yourself away from the Tourism Bureau. It's one of the best of its ilk, astonishingly loaded with info of every kind and staffed by most enthusiastic and helpful officers - a welcome change from the sort of languid boredom that greets you in far too many little dorpies!
The Stellenbosch Bureau complex also houses the Toy and Miniature Museum, more reasons for dragging your feet.
When you eventually manage to tear yourself away, pay careful attention to your guide. Ours was Siertske van Wyk, a treasure-chest of info and enthusiasm.
She was also the unproclaimed holder of the world record for walking rapidly backwards while freely dispensing facts and figures about this fascinating town.
Siertske must have one of those third-eye things in the back of her head, because she also expertly avoided approaching pedestrians, lampposts and pavement edges.

Oldest restored house in SA

First stop was the Burgher House, built in 1797. It's the head office of a famous winery, but most of the building is maintained as a museum and is open to the public. The winery has done a pretty good job of the museum, but it seems they haven't got everything right. Just minutes after we left, the building was surrounded by loudly-toyitoying demonstrators.
Siertske led us rapidly backwards across The Braak, and we never found out what the fuss was about.
"Braak" means "fallow field", and was originally left as an open space to separate the original town from the "Kruithuis", the Powder House in 1777. The Braak thus acted as a very effective firebreak when an unplanned fire destroyed most of the thatch-roofed town, but the Kruithuis and its barrels of gunpowder was saved.
East of the Braak the 1 500m-high Jonkershoek Twin Peaks loom. The full moon, Siertske explained, sometimes rises directly between the Twins. Should you be lucky enough to observe this, rush up Plein Street, cross Andringa and look for the statue of the cat on the left. Stroke the cat and make a wish; if the cat purrs your wish will come true.
I think I'll stick to wishbones, myself. Nevertheless it's interesting that Stellenbosch has remembered its rat-catching cats with their very own statue.
We crossed Bird Street and turned up Dorp. Dorp Street, Stellenbosch has wall-to-wall historical monuments, even more than Church Street in Tulbagh.
It also has lots of traffic, deep water ditches and narrow pavements, and we had a few anxious moments as Siertske manoeuvred expertly backwards through the oak trees.

Massive lofty spire of the Moederkerk

Out of dorp and into Drostdy we cruised, for a good look at the Moederkerk with its massively-lofty spire. Down Church Street is the Schreuder House, the oldest restored house in South Africa, an intriguing glimpse into life three centuries ago.
Schreuder House has survived successive fires because it has a fire-proof ceiling beneath the thatch - a thick layer of sand covering stout boards.
There's much, much more, and I won't steal any more of Siertske's thunder by recounting any more of her delightful stories, but her two-hour tour makes a very fine and fascinating walk.
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Wines of the Cape - Regions

Wine RegionsWhen rough sailors first planted vines in the Cape they hoped to produce a drink whose alcohol content would let it stay fresh longer than plain drinking water, for their journeys on sea. They never could have imagined that their humble efforts would grow into one of the world’s most successful wine industries.

The South African Winelands region has many fine wine estates offering wine tasting and cellar tours as well as gracious farm accommodation and hidden restaurants. There are now hundreds of different wine farms producing anything from simple table wines to award-winning special vintages.

The Cape Winelands is a loose term used to describe several quite distinct wine-growing regions spread over several hundred kilometers.

Production zones in the Cape winelands are divided into officially demarcated regions. There are four main regions, the Breede River Valley, Klein Karoo, Coastal Region and Olifants River.

Breede River ValleyThe Breede River which flows through the fertile Valley, gives the Breede River Valley its name. The Breede River Valley region is the largest wine producing area in South Africa. It consists of Worcester, Robertson and Swellendam.

Worcester is South Africa’s biggest wine-producing district, producing nearly 25% of the country’s wine and spirits. It is the capital of the Breede River Valley and eencompasses Wolseley, Rawsonville and the picturesque Hex River Valley.

It is the most important brandy producing area and home of the KWV Brandy Cellar, the largest of its kind in the world. To the wine lover, Worcester offers a big Wine Tasting Centre, where one can savour the excellent Breede River wines. The KWV Brandy Cellar is definitely worth a visit.

Robertson is renowned for the quality of its wines. It is the source of some of the Cape’s finest red wines, particularly Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. The distinctive fortified dessert wines for which it was originally famed continue to be produced.Klein KarooThe Klein Karoo Wine Route in the Southern Cape is the most diverse of South Africa's wine regions. It is the easternmost wine producing region in the country and stretches from Montagu to Oudtshoorn in the west and encompasses the district of Calitzdorp. Calitzdorp is the source of the country’s finest Port wines. Port-grape varieties prefer a hot, dry, climate such as that of Calitzdorp.

There are many similarities between the climate of Calitzdorp and the Douro valley in Portugal.

These port - wines are produced from internationally recognized varieties such as Tinta Barocca and Touriga Nacional.

Coastal RegionThe Coastal Region covers what many would consider to be the most famous of South Africa's wine producing areas including Constantia, Paarl and Stellenbosch in the Cape Valley.

The Constantia Valley is the most historic of the country's wine growing areas. Four of the five estates in the region form part of the original farm, Groot Constantia, established in 1685 by Simon van der Stel, the first Dutch Governor of the Cape.

This is a good region for Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Cabernet. There's a legendary Muscat produced here called Vin de Constance, a wine regarded by many as a benchmark.

Paarl is situated beneath a large granite outcrop formed by three rounded domes. This scenic town is home to the KWV and the venue for the world-renowned Nederburg Auction. It is one of South Africa's premier wine producing districts and some of the most prestigious wine producers are situated here. Chenin Blanc accounts for a lot of the vineyards, but Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsaut and Pinotage are widely cultivated.

Located close to Paarl, Wellington is known for its top quality red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinotage as well as old favourites such as Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

The Franschhoek valley is a small but significant region. The area is distinctively French and many of the wines are created in traditional French ways. With its profusion of trendy restaurants it can rightfully claim to be the gourmet capital of the winelands. It offers visitors a wide range of wines to accompany fine French cuisine.

Stellenbosch is a picturesque university town and one of the most visited spots in the Cape. Renowned for its Cape Dutch architecture and oak-lined streets, Stellenbosch is also home to many of the country's leading wine estates.

The district, with its mix of historic estates and contemporary wineries, produces excellent examples of almost all the noble grape varieties and is known for the quality of its reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinotage, and Shiraz.

Durbanville hosts several estates and wineries situated mainly on the rolling hill slopes of the Northern suburbs and make a wide variety of wine styles. This is one of the less commercialised wine routes but produces some sophisticated wines at affordable prices.

North-west of Durbanville is the Swartland (Black land), a region named for the characteristic dark foliage of its bushes. This region is particularly dry and harsh and a large percentage of the vines in this area are grown under dry land conditions in bush form. Vines are grown without irrigation and the resulting wine is of an excellent quality with various concentrated flavours.

Tulbagh is a small area east of Swartland and the vineyards of this district grow alongside orchards and fields of wheat. There are 16 wineries and several of them are relative newcomers making acclaimed wines with local cultivar Pinotage. Tulbagh’s historic Church Street boasts no less than 32 national monuments.

Olifants RiverThis region stretches in a belt from north to south along the broad valley of the Olifants River. It incorporates the Cederberg Mountains and Lutzville Valley.

The Olifants River is famous for its rooibus tea, citrus fruits as well as fine wine. The region is home to the country's highest cellar, situated 1150m above sea level.

The wine route winds over 200km through the Cederberg Mountains and Namaqualand, famed for its profusion of wild flowers in South Africa’s spring.

Nestled between the picturesque Cederberg and surrounded by numerous orchards of citrus fruits is Citrusdal. Citrusdal Cellars produce exceptional wines from grapes grown high up in the Cederberg and Piekenierskloof mountains.

Tourists should visit the "Goede Hoop Citrus Koöp" as well as the Golden Valley Wine Cellar. These two can be described as the heart of Citrusdal. The Golden Valley Cellar has wine tasting facilities where visitors are welcome.

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Stellenbosch Accommodation

Cape Town and all its beauty

Where does one begin when trying to describe Cape Town?

Africa’s southern-most city, home to Table Mountain and international award-winning wines, the biggest shopping centre in the Southern hemisphere (Canal Walk), a city with two oceans (Indian in the east and Atlantic in the west)…These are just some of the descriptions by which Cape Town is known.

Let us begin with a brief history: Cape Town’s written history can be traced back as far as 1487 when the explorer Bartolomeu Dias set sail from Portugal to find a sea route to the riches of the East and landed at Gouritz River Mouth after having unwittingly rounded Cape Point.

But it was not until Jan van Riebeek of the Netherlands, at the behest of the Dutch East India Company, landed in 1652 at what was to become known as Cape Town to establish a refreshment station for travelers on their way to the East that European settlement began at the Cape.

It was in the early 1800’s that a notable exodus to the Cape from the cooler climes of Europe began. Since then there have been significant periods of upheaval, peace, war and the dawning of a bright future in 1994. Cape Town’s population is made up of such a diverse mixture of people from a wide from range of cultural, religious, political, and ethnic backgrounds that it is a truly cosmopolitan place to live and visit.

Back to modern day Cape Town and this is a city that competes with the best cities in the world in terms of all it has to offer tourists and locals alike. It is often regarded as one of the world’s most spectacular cities because of its geography.

There is the ocean with all that it has to offer from sporting pursuits to magnificent sunsets; there are the Cape Winelands where some of the finest red and white wines in the world are produced and where visitors are welcome to spend an entire day – and longer – sampling the tastes, sounds and lifestyle of this majestic area. Visitors and locals are spoilt for choice when it comes to selecting a restaurant at which to eat. There is an international flavour in this city that is rivaled by few others. From German to Oriental, Italian to Cuban, Fusion to Cape Malay there are elegant fine-dining establishments and conversely casual eateries to suit all preferences and palates.

The night life in Cape Town is unrivalled by any other city in South Africa. One can dance the night away in a number of venues located in the city centre, one can enjoy an evening of jazz music in a cigar bar, enjoy sundowners at Clifton beach or enjoy late night shopping at the V & A Waterfront.

Cape Town really does cater for everyone – what ever your heart desires you will find it in Cape Town.

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Eating the wine route

In training for the Stellenbosch Wine Festival this month, Nancy Richards does a whistle-stop tour of the new dining spots in the vineyards.

’Glass of bubbles?’’ It’s 10.20am and we’re early for our gourmet tour of Stellenbosch, starting at the recently revamped house of mousse, JC le Roux.
“Or perhaps a quick look around first?”
As effervescent as the product, Rozanne Hackart guides us through the tasting room and aerial restaurant and into the lightly chilled processing chamber, where racks of tilted bottles are mid remuage, the twist-and- turn process that settles the sediment in the neck.
“This is the bit that gets frozen, the ice plug is then popped out, the bottle topped up, capped, foiled et voil€! One visitor wanted to know if he could buy the ice plugs to use as lollipops!”
It’s all irresistibly fizzy at JC — fresh, white, blond and light with a bubble motif sandblasted on the glass, with plush pink the accent colour.
We feel the first frisson of a 2004 pinot noir in the silver-white Oyster Bar, followed by a peach-bloom rosé (98% pinot noir, 2% cab merlot) to wash down the platter of shucked, iced molluscs.
But the experience isn’t over till the scintilla sings — the royalty of the range has a dedicated tasting room in green-and-black velvet, where Hackart outlines the plans for sweet and sparkling pairings of their wines with nougat, rose water Turkish delight, fudge and caramel cashews.
On December 24 last year, the winery was struck by lightning. One can only imagine that Bacchus must have been feeling impatient — or jealous.
But not as jealous as he might have been at Dornier, where Zeus himself is immortalised on the wine label, metamorphosing into a twin-headed swan to attract the lovely Lira.
But let me not get ahead of myself. The drive to Bodega (ex La Masseria) on the Dornier estate was an opportunity to let the bubbles settle and find out about our guide, Stellenbosch Wine Route’s CEO and festival organiser Annareth Jacobs, whose wedding plans at this stage are eclipsed by the forthcoming Wine Festival.
Conversation is arrested as, from the homestead’s wide verandah, we take in the magnificent view of the undulated wine cellar and waterfall tumbling down the Helderberg.
Like the wines, stories flow thick and fast here. Swiss owner Christoph Dornier’s father was a well-known aeroplane designer back in the day, and the Zeus/swan logo derives from a painting by Christoph of his son Raphael, who oversees the estate and the restaurant, where the kikoi and Kente- cloth décor make it as colourful as a packet of jelly beans.
The “entry-level” chenin, Cocoa Hill 2008, comes with another story about one-time resident Long Ben the pirate, but gets interrupted by the arrival of a gorgeously, thick and creamy mushroom-and-broccoli soup, matched with another, more wooded chenin.
Twin glasses, splashes of pinotage on the right, merlot on the left, come together with starter rows of vertical prawn and roasted- vegetable spring-rolls; aubergine- wrapped pepper and goat’s cheese with pesto-and-wild-rocket topping; butternut strips with a red onion fan and feta.
Louine du Toit, restaurant and wine-lounge manager, whose years in the trade have given her an impressive savoir, talks us through the Christmas-cake flavours of a 2004 Donatus flagship blend and suggests that a bottle of palette- warming pinotage should be taken neat with no food, and that a good merlot needs lamb.
Next time, she recommends we try their speciality flammenkuchen — a wafer-thin pastry base topped with crème fraîche and anything else that takes your fancy.
Chef Naas Pienaar, whose own kitchen creds could paper a dining- hall wall, emerges beaming to see how we enjoyed it, and we leave just as a small but merry party starts a wine-tasting around the fireplace.

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Stellenbosch Accommodation: http://www.wildmushroom.co.za/