Our ride was waiting for us and you are going to be amazed. So come and let's go.
I have taken many photos of the white building on the hill from afar and I always thought that it was some rich man's mansion. Then we discovered that it is wine cellars on this famous wine farm and we enquired about a visit to the cellars. We were in luck as tours take place twice a week and without any hesitation, we booked a tour.
The wine estate is called Vergelegen, and it is a very historic farm, as it played a big role in the early days when the settlers arrived.
You can see more of the Vergelegen estate at this safe link;
Our destination was that white building on the hill below the mountain (yellow arrow)
Right we were on our way crossing over the hills on a 3 kilometer trip.
As we got closer to the building the landscapes opened up with some stunning views.
See what I mean about stunning sights?
Even the ocean could be seen.
We arrived at the wine cellars. This is the top floor, and the rest is below under the ground.
The entrance is across this bridge onto the roof of the building.
Below the bridge, a temporary bottling plant was set up for a rush order.
A complete bottle labeling and packing plant.
Then we entered the building and at the reception all kinds of awards and trophies were displayed on the walls.
First floor under the ground.
This section is where the bottles are filled with wine.
And there below was the second floor.
And finally, we were in the basement. The last floor deep in the earth.
The full wine vats are lowered through the sliding door below the tanks above.
An amazing sight met with our eyes. Wine barrels of all types and flavors all over the place.
Each vat has a full history label printed on it. The date that it was filled, the registration number of the vat, the flavor of wine and the age of the barrel.
Here we have Marian with Brent, the tour guide.
Back up to the roof of the building for some last looks.
And then on our way back from this marvel.
I think that I don't need to show you more sights about our way back, as this post is getting a bit long. Save to say that I took a lot of photos and we were mightily impressed with an excellently presented tour.
Wine making is an art and it is a very intricate process, but these guys have perfected the art over many years with great results and that's why their wines are so popular. Now I am not a wine drinker and in fact I don't drink any alcohol, so I cannot tell you anything about sniffing wine or rolling it around the tongue to test the quality, but I think that reputation has much to do with it and this wine estate has a 5 star reputation worldwide.
So the next time, or the first time that you visit the Western Cape in South Africa, don't give this wine estate a miss as you will be warmly welcomed and come away pleasantly surprised.
I hope that you have enjoyed the visit and the story.
And That's All Friends.
Photos by Zac Smith-All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon Powershot SX70HS Bridge camera.
