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Oh no!

Mark, our Wine Flies Wine Tour guide, stops the van. We are winding our way up Middelvlei Wine Estates’ drive, when we pass one of their donkeys, whose head is stuck in the fence.  Mark jumps out and gives the little guy/gal a helping hand.

Donkey emergency resolved, we arrive at Middelvlei, and discover that donkeys aren’t the only animals that live on this farm/winery.

There are tiny goats, roosters/chickens, and turtles, all hanging out together. If you are a frequent reader of this website, you know that I am exuberant when it comes to animals. I think all wineries need turtles.

Before sitting down for lunch, Mark takes us into Middelvlei’s barrel room, where we get a tremendous surprise. We get to drink wine straight from the barrel.

Can one have a retroactive bucket list? This was an activity I’d never considered, but now that I’ve experienced it, I can’t imagine why it wasn’t on The List.

I am so excited, but also nervous. I can be clumsy at times. I focus hard on siphoning the wine, and transferring it to my glass, without spilling it everywhere.  It is a successful endeavor.

I sip the delicious wine while enjoying the entertainment of watching the others nervously transfer wine from barrel to glass.

Our lunch at Middelvlei is a braai. Since it was only our second full day in Cape Town, we’d yet to experience a braai. It was something I was looking forward to.

For those who may not be aware, braai is the term for barbequing or grilling out in South Africa. Friends will get together for a braai, and instead of the host supplying all of the meat, guests will bring meat to throw on the grill and share. In stores you can find pre-made braai packages.

Like Mitre’s Edge, Middelvlei’s setting was hard to believe. We eat in a large, bright, barn like building. Food is set on long wooden tables, filled with a hungry, chatty, lunch crowd. The sound of contented diners, bounces and echoes off the walls.

We munch on salad and potato salad. We have a cheese and tomato toasty, that I would say was like grilled cheese, except it was so much better. The grilled chicken with a tangy, honey mustard sauce, is yummy, and the grilled sausage, well I think the girl in our group from the UK said it best,

“It tastes like Christmas!”

Least you think this is a wine-less meal, we are presented with a choice of red or white wine to sip on while we lunch.

Like many of the wineries, Middelvlei has friendly dogs, friendly, eternally hopeful dogs.

Once again, as I tuck into my grilled chicken and sausage, I can’t get over where I am and what I’m doing. I take a moment to let the experience wash over me.

Lunch sufficiently scarfed, we head to our next winery, Annandale.

As soon as we exit the van, I determine that if Disney World added a new winery section to their theme park, it would look like Annandale Winery. It is utterly charming.

Our group laughs as one of the farm’s roosters chases around a dog.

The tasting room looks like a fairy-tale cottage.

There has been a chill in the air for the majority of the day, and the roaring fire in Annandale’s fireplace, is a welcomed sight.

As our group assembles around the large, rustic table, perfectly positioned in front of the fireplace. I am awash in coziness.

This feels less like a formal tasting, and more like a group of friends gathered to enjoy a few bottles of wine.

Speaking of friends, we spend most of the tour sitting with and talking to the couple from South Korea. They are on their honeymoon and are super nice. I wish them all the best in their future together.

Red wines are the dominate force at Annandale, and it seems fitting given the winery’s warm, rustic, vibe. A good, robust, red wine, is like being wrapped in a snuggly blanket.

We start with Cabernet Sauvignon, then move to the Cavalier, which is a blend of Merlot, Cab Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Shiraz.

We have our last extra treat of the day, a piece of dried sausage, accompanied by Annandale’s Shiraz.

Our final wine makes Shannon very happy. He is an appreciator of port, and our last wine is Annandale’s C.V.P., a Vintage Port made with Shiraz grapes. It is described to us as being, “pudding in a glass.” It’s an impressive Port.

Before the wine tour, we decided to purchase and bring home one bottle of wine from each winery. At the other wineries we debate over which wine is our favorite, but at Annandale, there is no question, we bring home the Port.

Our last stop on the Wine Flies Wine Tour is Lovane Wine Estate.

I’m already getting the Sunday evening blues.  I don’t want this day to end. I wish there was some sort of lightning strike that would create some sci-fi alternate universe where all I do is travel around tasting wine (is the TARDIS available for wine tours?). Also, I’ve grown rather fond of our tour guide Mark, and lament that soon we will part ways.

After all of the delectable salty meats and cheeses, we end on a sweet note. Our wine tasting at Lovane is paired with chocolates from CocoaFair (later in the week we get to tour CocoaFair’s factory during our Cape Town Foodie Tour).

The chocolates are the most interesting flavors I’ve had.

Lovane’s Sauvignon Blanc is paired with white chocolate with cilantro and lemongrass. Cabernet Sauvignon is accompanied by milk chocolate with strawberry and cocoa nibs. This is our second nibs of the day. I’m a fan of the nibs.

Our next wine is Isikhati with a piece of Chai Chocolate. I take one bite of the Chai Chocolate and I am obsessed. It is so good, sweet, but also a little spicy. I need more Chai Chocolate in my life.

Sadly, it is time for our final wine, Lovane’s Cabernet Sauvignon Vintage Port. The last bite of chocolate is a cardamom and citrus combo.

Chocolate and wine is the perfect way to end our amazing day.

Though we visited five wineries, the tastings were portioned well, and we were supplied with ample amounts of water and food, so we depart with a general feeling of lightness and happiness, but we don’t feel the least bit tipsy.

Glad to be some of the last guests to be dropped off, we sit back to enjoy all of the stunning Cape Town views on the ride back to our hotel.

Our Wine Flies Wine Tour was immersive and informative, but never pretentious. Each of the wineries had their own, unique, cool, vibe. The wines were fantastic, and the food was delicious, including the extra treats we didn’t expect. The day exceeded our expectations.

Looking back, and reminiscing about that day, we not only agree that it was one of the best wine tours we’ve taken, but one of the best tours overall we’ve taken in our travels so far. It will continue to be one of the highlights of our visit to Cape Town.

Click here for Wine Flies-Wine Tour-Part 1

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