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DURBANVILLE WINE VALLEY Country kitchens, award-winning wines, and unique experiences await at the Cape’s northern vineyards. BY THEA BECKMAN
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ucked behind a series of rolling hills, a short 20-minute drive from the beating heart of Cape Town awaits a verdant oasis of sumptuous wine-and-dining experiences. One minute you’re driving past the cookie-cutter suburb of Burgundy Estate, and the next minute you’re embraced by 360-degree views of vineyards and bucolic countryside. This is the Durbanville Wine Valley, and with vineyards planted as early as 1702, it’s one of the ‘OGs’ of the Cape and a most wonderful way to while away a day, or many days! The Durbanville Wine Valley is a cool climate region, much like its Cape wine compatriots Constantia, Elgin and Walker Bay. Bathed in the chilly maritime air that flows inland off the Atlantic Ocean, the grapes grown on the flanks of the Tygerberg Hills ripen slowly, developing complex aromatics and flavours. This is why Durbanville holds great repute as Sauvignon Blanc country; so much so that every spring, the route celebrates with a Season of Sauvignon wine festival. As for variety, well, there are 15 wine estates along this route, each of which offers a unique and rousing repertoire of wines, food and tasting experiences. In fact, one could strike into Durbanville’s rolling hills every day of the month and still manage to unearth new and exciting gems. Let’s go exploring…
1. DURBANVILLE HILLS www.durbanvillehills.co.za
First stop is Durbanville Hills, with a chocolate-and-wine tasting, which is just one of a lengthy menu of food-and-wine pairings on offer here. This particular one features a flight of five single-varietal wines perfectly paired with handmade chocolates from Knysna.
2. CANTO WINES www.cantowines.co.za
For another sweet pairing, try Canto Wines’ MCC and macaron tasting: a sublime marriage of the estate’s four different bubbly wine creations with hazelnut, red velvet, Turkish delight, and salted caramel macarons.
3. MAASTRICHT WINE ESTATE www.maastricht.co.za
Ready for something savoury? Make a beeline for Maastricht’s seasonal cheese platters and traditional Dutch bitterballen, the most delightful accompaniment to the estate’s range of white, red and rosé wines.
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2022/02/24 09:24
