Private Winelands Tour: Weinverkostungstour in Stellenbosch, Franschhoek und Paarl, Tagestour ab Kapstadt

Our day in the wine region with our guide Fanny was wonderful. Fanny was the best guide possible. She shared lots of wonderful information about the region, the history of South Africa, etc. It was a delight. She even modified the tour for us a little when we really wanted to do an olive oil tasting at one of the wineries. It was a great day and one I would highly recommend. The only sad part was how expensive it is to ship wine back to the US. Enjoy it while you are there because the wines were amazing.

We had booked this ahead and didnt really know what to expect, as this was the first private wine tour we had taken. We had wanted something more personal than the typical group tour and booked this particular trip because it covered some of the key wine making regions we wanted to find out more about. Our guide, Leonard, arrived punctually at 9.30 and immediately made us feel welcome, settling us into the car and outlining what we were going to be doing that day. Leonard was the perfect choice for us and we feel very privileged and lucky to have had him as our guide. He took the time to listen to what we liked and didnt like when it came to wine and gauged perfectly the choice of vineyards and their price points to suit our tastes and budget. His obvious skill and expertise allowed him to tailor the day for us to get the most out of it as we got to know each other on our way to the first vineyard. His choice of lunch venue Le Petite Ferme was inspired, we had the best lunch of our holiday that day. In fact, Id go as far as to say it was this skill and knowledge that ensured we had one of the most memorable and rewarding days of the entire trip. Take the time to stop off in Stellenbosch for a little while too, it is beautiful and well worth the stopover. If you are considering this trip, I would highly recommend it. It opened our eyes to the beauty of the region and the joys of SA wines, some of which we we would not have discovered otherwise.

We arranged this trip in order to not only sample some of the local wines for the first time, but to also get out of the city and see some of the countryside. The day long excursion was a resounding success on both counts. Our guide Shireen Endley picked us up promptly at our hotel in an upscale car and drove us to three wineries: Fairview in the Paarl area where local cheeses were paired with the wines, and Vrede en Lust in the Franschhoek area where the wines were paired with a various chocolates. We also enjoyed a delightful lunch at this second vineyard, where Shireen had worked in the past. She was the perfect guide in that she provided a rich commentary of not only the background of the wine regions, but also of the past social structure and impact of the past apartheid society and the changes that have occurred since. She introduced us to the locals at the wineries, but then allowed us to interact with these folks free of constant oversight. We also visited a Saturday market in Franschhoek, strolled through the magnificent setting of the Delaire Graff Estate, and made a final stop at another winery, which was unfortunately not available due to a private event that was being held. Nevertheless our intrepid guide furnished us with sacks of dried game meat which were to be paired with the wines. Again, it was fabulous day, thanks to Shireen -- spectacular scenery, great wines, pleasant conversation. Highly recommend this trip -- one of the best we have ever taken.