Report From Cape Town - South Africa

Greetings from Cape Town South Africa -

As always, we have a great line up of wines for you next Friday -
January 12th - 6-9 p.m. - No Charge.

I cannot elaborate on them because I did not have the list at press time.
But rest assured that fun will be had by all.

Now a quick note to all of the faithful readers that have been waiting for the Cape Town Winelands update.

This morning I stood alone out on the rocks at the Cape of Good Hope. The spray from the surf filled the air. On a calm day, like today, the waves were stunning - Think Watch Hill during a big storm - I have been told that when it is rough the waves can be six meters high - not during a storm mind you - just on a rough day. The giant rock formations that break the ocean cause a thundering sound and it is hard to take it all in. It has to be the most dramatic natural setting that I have ever seen.

We were alone - no other people - Behind us in the scrub and grass that lead up to the ocean - we spotted a troop of baboons and a large family of wild ostrich - they roam free here.

What does this have to do with wine? - It's part of the journey and I wanted to share it.

Tomorrow we will be the guests of Marc Kent - the winemaker that is responsible for The Chocolate Block - We will travel to Boekenhoutskloof, founded in 1776, located far up the "Valley" in the Franschhoek foothills. Situated 40 minutes drive from Cape Town, it falls within the Cape's abundant winelands.

Many of you have seen the wine on our shelves and have had the opportunity to try it at recent tastings - I hope to interview the folks at the vineyard and have it available on our website soon - this is an episode that you will not want to miss -

We also will be stopping in at the home of Charles Back - Fairview Vineyards - Winemaking on the farm can be traced back to 1699, not quite a half-century after the first European settlers arrived in southern Africa. But its wines entered the modern era with the first bottling under the Fairview label in 1974 by the Back family, owners since 1937. Fairview is the source of Goats Do Roam and several other South African wines that we have in the store. Charles Back’s philosophy is that wine is an integral and joyful part of everyday life - just like we do. I could not come this far without a visit.

The home of Fairview wines is a 300ha farm on the south-west-facing slopes of Paarl Mountain, a granite rock outcrop in the heart of the Paarl wine district, viticulturally among the most historic and influential areas of the Cape winelands. We will be standing among the lavender beds in the terraced front garden of the winery,looking out across rolling fields at the distant flat-topped Table Mountain, a world-famous landmark standing guard over the city of Cape Town, on the Cape Peninsula at the southern tip of the African continent.

So, that's it for now - we hope to see you on Friday night at the tasting - and we want to thank you all for your continued interest and support - we appreciate it.

AAA.