Tucked in South Africa’s Langeberg Mountain range in the Robertson Wine Valley is small family owned winery that is making a big impression. Kleinhoekkloof Wines is the very definition of a handcrafted boutique winery. At just under 12 Hectares under vine, they grow 6 grape varieties: Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Shiraz, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Pinot Noir. 80% of the farm is registered under the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative (BWI) and they use the power of gravity in the vineyards and cellar. For example, they use drip irrigation via the fountain and dam they have up in the mountain and use forklifts to raise the tanks to drain off the juice. The first time the wine goes through a pump or is filtered is when it is bottled.
Read MoreWelcome to our 2nd Video AdVINEture! This past June we were lucky enough to make our first trip to South Africa and experience an incredible G Adventures National Geographic Journey. We spent over a week in this beautiful part of the world which included stops in Cape Town, the wine regions of Stellenbosch and Franschoek, and of course seeing animals on safari at both Kruger National Park & Karongwe Game Reserve. What we discovered were wines of excellent quality, a food scene in Cape Town that is world-class, and people that are among the friendliest we’ve met on our travels to date. We hope you enjoy this glimpse into the magic of South Africa:
Cheers!
*Click on the winery names to get the full winemaker interviews for Waterkloof, Haute Cabrière, and Le Lude.
Read MoreThe best travel discoveries are often unplanned and it seems the same often holds true of wine experiences. We discovered Le Lude wine farm in Franschoek by sheer luck. We had an interview lined up with Tim Hoek of Haute Cabrière and after professing our love of sparkling wine, he insisted we make a stop at Le Lude before we left the region. A quick call to his winemaker friend Paul Gerber and we were about to discover a little piece of France right in South Africa.
Read MoreThere really is a first for everything. We recently visited South Africa for the very first time and we are the first to admit that our experience with wines from the region was limited at best. Relatively speaking, few South African wines make it to Canada so our experience has been inconsistent in terms of quality. Our first visit to the region of Franschoek began with a stop at storied family winery Haute Cabrière. We were drawn to this particular winery because of its history and the fact that they are reputed to make top quality Pinot Noir and Sparkling Wine. We discovered not only does this winery’s reputation precede it, it’s a reputation that is well deserved.
Read MoreWe recently travelled to South Africa with G Adventures to experience the extraordinary beauty of that country. We found that some of the most stunning settings were in the Western Cape where high mountains rise next to the expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. Settled into those mountains are South Africa’s two best wine regions: Stellenbosch and Franschhoek.
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