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The van comes to a stop. Our Wine Flies Tour guide, Mark, exits to pick up more guests.

As we wait, the playlist that is playing in the van moves to the next song.

I hear it. First the drums, then the synthesizer kicks in. It’s the song I’ve listened to over and over again for the past six months. The song that I used to inspire me to get through the long days of staring at a computer in my cubicle. It’s the song that stoked my excitement for this trip. As Africa by Toto fills the van, I know without a doubt that we chose the right wine tour.

Choosing a Cape Town wine tour can be a daunting task. Being one of the best wine regions in the world, there are a lot of options. Wanting to stay away from any potential booze cruises, I searched for a tour that would provide an immersive, learning experience, but one that was not pretentious.  Wine Flies seemed to be the right fit.

Our first tour stop is Villiera Wines.

Between the vines, we are invited to introduce ourselves, stating where we are from, and what we hope to get out of the tour. On the tour there is a couple from Germany, a couple from the U.K., a couple from South Korea, two women from Israel, and three women from Russia. We are delighted that we are the only Americans and that we have the ability to mingle with so many different cultures.

Mark regales us with the story and history of South African wine. I’m happy that Mark is a passionate lover of wine, but is not at all a wine snob. I already feel like I’m learning so much, and the tour has just begun.

We get to tour Villiera’s production area to see where all of the delicious wine is made. I especially  enjoy having the chance to walk along the catwalks.

We’ve toured smaller wineries in the past, and have seen production areas, but this is biggest we’ve seen so far.

Villiera has cottages on the property for workers to stay in during the production season. They even have a school on property for the workers’ children.

Wrapping up the formal tour, our group settles around a patio table for our first tasting of the day.

Mark explains the technique of tasting wine where you suck the wine through your slightly opened teeth to disperse it properly about your palette. We’ve been to lots of wine tastings, and no one has ever suggested this. It was a great skill to learn, and I now use it whenever we taste wines.

Brut, Rose, and Sauvignon Blanc comprise our first three tastings.

One of the reasons I chose Wine Flies is because they include a cheese tasting, lunch, and a chocolate tasting as part of their tour. What I didn’t know is that we would be surprised with extra treats along the way.

We are already fans of Chenin Blanc, so we couldn’t wait to try our first one in actual South Africa. As Mark pours Villiera’s Chenin Blanc, he also presents us with pieces of white chocolate with apricot nubs.

The chocolate goes spectacularly with the wine.

The other wine that South Africa is most known for, is Pinotage. We receive our second surprise after the Pinotage is poured, a plate of Biltong.

Biltong is a cured meat. It is a less processed, less chewy, jerky, except it’s way, way, better than jerky. Shannon gained a serious appreciation for Biltong, and was deeply disappointed upon learning that the United States won’t allow you to bring it into the country.

We finish off the tasting with a Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon blend.

It’s already a fantastic day, and we still have four wineries to go.

Our second stop is Mitre’s Edge Wine Estate.

From the moment we pull up, I am entranced. The beautiful landscape, architecture, and surrounding scenery steals my heart.

Our group is immediately greeted by a band of adorable, friendly, canines.

After plenty of head pats and scratches are dispensed, we are lead to the tasting room.

We descend an iron, spiral staircase, into a cellar, lined with shelves, stacked with bottles of wine. I work extra hard to contain myself, because I want to do the squee, accompanied by  clapping, that I do when I get super excited about something.

Our cheese is displayed on boards made out of recycled wine barrels, custom made by Wine Flies.

Lola, Mitre’s Edge’s winemaker, is one of the first ten women in South Africa to produce wine. Her wines have won a lot of awards.

Lola’s niece, Kim, imparts all of the information about the winery and the wines. She is smart and lovely, and if I lived in South Africa, I’d want to be friends with Kim.

Our parings are

• Chenin Blanc with Feta
• Classic Red (NVME) with cheddar
• Cabernet Franc with gouda
• The Mitre with cambert
• Cabernet Sauvignon with blue cheese

The wines and the cheeses are marvelous, and I have to pinch myself a little. I still can’t get over the setting. This seems like an experience I’d read about in a travel book, or watch on a travel show, and I’d sigh and wish I could be there, and yet, here I am.

We are given some time to admire Mitre’s Edge’s grounds,

and to play a bit more with the pups.

We load up into the van and head off  to winery number three, and lunch.

To Be Continued in Wine Flies-Wine Tour-Part 2-Cape Town

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