Four Wineries to Try in Stellenbosch, South Africa

If you can't tell by now from reading posts here and here, Cape Town is my favorite city in the world. I love it's vibrancy, beauty, culture and the overall way I feel when I'm there. Each time I go, I always discover something new, and this time it was famed wine region, Stellenbosch.

Two of my friends have spent quite some time in Stellenbosch, so they had already lined up one of their favorite wine tour guides. I highly recommend hiring a guide instead of trying to curate your own tour. Your tour guide should pick you up from wherever you're staying in Cape Town and be your personal chaperone (and designated driver) as you head to wineries throughout the day. And if they're worth their salt, they should take you to wineries with various offerings. Our guide picked us up around 9 am and off we went on the 45 minute drive to Cape Town wine country. 

Fairview

We started at Fairview, which isn't in Stellenbosch but in nearby Paarl (remember when I went to the Spice Route? Same area.). Here, we had The Master Tasting, which costs R80 per person (approximately $6) and includes six wines paired with six Fairview cheeses in a private room. For this reason, I was glad we began the day at Fairview. Wine and cheese for breakfast is always a great idea. Each pairing was more delicious than the last and they offered quite the variety of reds and whites. Not only did their wines and cheeses leave a lasting impression, but this winery is memorable because of the goats they house on the property. While they use them to make some of their cheeses, they are also available for petting! 

Favorite Wine: Pinotage
Favorite Cheese: Cream Cheese Sundried Tomato & Herbs

Pro Tip: Make sure you do the Master Tasting. While it's not required, the general tasting room can get kind of hectic, so it's nice to be able to sit and enjoy your tasting without other people hovering around you. And pet the goats after your wine tasting on your way out. 

View fullsize

Simonsig

Simonsig was the next stop on our wine tour. Located in Stellenbosch, this vineyard is known for their Methode Cap Classique (MCC), otherwise known as sparkling wine. (If we were in Champagne, France, it would be considered champagne.) I sabered a bottle for the first time and made all of my dreams come true! But you know we keep it real here at Will Drink For Travel. This vineyard didn't impress me much, wines or otherwise. However, it was nice to add a sparkling wine to the mix, so if that's your thing, this is the place to go in Stellenbosch.

Favorite: Unknown

*Editor's Note - Since the publishing of this post, I've heard that Simonsig has a great Pinotage. Perhaps I will revisit to give it a try!

Tokara

After tasting five or more wines, lunch is the only logical next step, so we headed to Tokara. While we didn't taste the wine here, we enjoyed a delicious lunch with a gorgeous view. Seriously, Tokara was the highlight of our day. The food was prepared deliciously and the views from the restaurant were unmatched. We each ordered a different dish to sample from each other and I can honestly say, each dish was equally delicious. I ordered the beef miso, which was so tender and soft I almost shed a tear. Really. But most importantly, can you get into this view? There were 360 degrees of this all around the restaurant. Amazing.

Waterford

The last stop on our tour was Waterford and it did not disappoint. This is a fairly new winery but it's a gorgeous property. We began by taking a tour of their wine cellar and learning how they make and store their wines. (In my opinion, if you've seen one wine cellar, you've seen them all, so this isn't a must unless you've never toured one before.) Following the tour, we enjoyed a tasting of three wines paired with their signature chocolates. This was absolutely divine. I enjoyed this pairing because you could really taste how the chocolates enhanced the wine and vice versa.

View fullsize

Favorite Wine: Kevin Arnold Shiraz
Favorite Chocolate: Rock Salt

I thoroughly enjoyed this wine tour and would do it all again in a heartbeat. If you need a wine guide in Stellenbosch, contact John Hartley of Go Cape Tourism Services. He was extremely knowledgeable not only about wines, but about Cape Town and the history of South Africa. Tell him I sent you! Check out more photos from our epic wine adventure below.

Photo Credit: Adriene Boone

Why Don't More Black Americans Want to Visit Africa?

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a conversation on #BlackTwitter about why the continent of Africa isn't on more black Americans' vacation wish list. Since I've spent most of my year in Zambia, the conversation piqued my interest.

Serengeti, Tanzania

I was floored and saddened by the ignorant and downright asinine comments made by people attempting (and failing) to be Twitter funny. I'm not going to call out individual people, but I screenshot some responses just so I could respond to exactly what was said. Here are a few of my favorite (read: the dumbest) tweets:

"I see enough blacks daily. Why would I want to see more of y'all but darker?"

Wow. Self-hate much? Tupac said it best. "The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice. I say the darker the flesh, then the deeper the roots." Black is beautiful. Period. And guess what? Just because an American is black, they're just that...a black American. That happens to be different than a black Ghanaian, for example. They have two totally different backgrounds and perspectives on life.

Further, plenty of people of various descents live in Africa. South Africa is a great example of this. There are people of African, European, Asian, and Indian descent born and living in South Africa, so being black and African isn't mutually exclusive. But I'm pretty sure the person who made this comment knew that already (insert sarcasm here).

"I don't imagine Africa good for anything except safaris. I know I'm wrong though."

Yeah, you are. While safaris are a great benefit to visiting the continent, they aren't even offered in all parts of Africa, so it's a very limited point of view. Many countries in Africa have bustling cities, beaches, mountains, and more. 

"It's expensive."

This may be true, but not always. South African Airways just had a deal to Johannesburg for about $500. That's better than most deals you can get to some parts of the Caribbean or Europe. As is the case for other destinations, there are ways to save money by using credit card and hotel points, Groupon, and other online resources. You need to plan and prepare for possible expenses with any major travel.

"There's nothing I want to see in Africa except the sphinx and pyramids."

Why is that? Because that's what history books told you that's all there is? Why hold such a limited view of what there is to see? There are many notable sites outside of Egypt, including Victoria Falls in Zambia & Zimbabwe, Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Table Mountain in South Africa and Aksum in Ethiopia, just to name a few. Don't get me wrong, the sphinx and pyramids are on my wish list too; they're just not on there alone.

Victoria Falls in Livingstone, Zambia

"Because it's too hot for me."

Guess what? Africa has seasons. SURPRISE! It's not hot all of the time. Dry and rainy seasons vary from country to country. But if you do some research (hint, hint), helpful links like this one come up and can help you plan the best times to travel.

"I'm not trying to get sick."

What does this even mean? Sick from what? Malaria? Yellow Fever? Or just your ignorance?
There are vaccines and pills for everything under the sun, not to mention DEET mosquito repellent. And if you do happen to get diarrhea or the flu while visiting, there are pharmacies and hospitals where you can get medication. Imagine that!

"Black Americans have the same idea of Africa that other Americans have. It's desolate and dangerous."

I'm not going to lie and say there isn't any truth to this. There are some places that are desolate and dangerous, just as there are some desolate and dangerous places in the United States. It's all about perspective. If you do decide to visit somewhere dangerous, register with the State Department's STEP program, research, and use common sense while you're there.

View fullsize

Cape Town, South Africa

"Why would I want to go?"

Because Africa is great. And I hate to speak in general terms (I realize Africa is a continent, not a country); however, I've been to 6 out of 54 African countries and I fall deeper in love with the continent with each place I go. Each country is different, with varying landscapes, languages, cultures and customs. No country is the same. That's why you should want to go. 

At the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania

The biggest point I want people to takeaway from this post is to not be one of those people who says, "I don't want to go there or do this" without knowing why. Some of my greatest trips have been to places that weren't necessarily on my radar, but I was open-minded enough to go and had the time of my life. Don't let the media and what other people say influence your decisions to see what the world, including Africa, has to offer.