drunk on wine
that fell from the sky
angels sipping
on the heavenly liquid
while we kick dust
in our faces
and complain
that our clouded minds
cannot see the beauty
We arrived at the winery, not expecting it to be anything of worth because to my mind, growing up in the wine district in South Africa, wine cannot be made and grapes cannot be grown this high. To put this into perspective, the town closest to the winery, Fouriesburg has an altitude of 1780 meters above sea level, whereas Stellenbosch, the wine capital of the country is only 140 meters.
That is a big difference.
But also, there is no snow or harsh winters. Here, where you are almost high enough to touch the clouds, there is a lot of snow. (See the photograph below.)
I am not sure if grapes or vineyards like to be frozen over the winter...
Alas, this was my mindset as I walked to the winery. But I was blown away by not only the wines, but the amazing views! So, please join me on this virtual journey to I would argue and guess the highest winery based on altitude in South Africa, who also grows their own grapes!
Wine With a View
Setting is everything. If you have a stunning product and a stunning view, you have a winning combination.
And I have to admit, this winery did have both! Their wines were amazing, focused on red, and their views were amazing, to die for some would say.
You are far away and removed from anyone, the winery is a small blimp on a endless map of green and mountains. Like most things here, there is a lot of space that allows for your soul to come to rest. There are basically no noise, except the sounds of nature, and the cool fresh air is almost itself a wine that you could taste.
I don't think I will ever get used to the beauty of the mountains here (see the photographs below). Growing up in the Western Cape, I am used to mountains, but these mountains up north in our country just hits a different note. Knowing that we are already higher in terms of altitude than the mountains in the Western Cape, these mountains just feel bigger and taller. They are truly giants resting on the horizon.
And linking this with some wine in your hand, nothing really seems better at that stage.
When we arrived, there was only a single person on site. This is how quiet and slow life is here. We needed to call her, because I am not sure they really expected customers. I find it really fascinating that businesses can still survive with so few people driving past them.
Either way, we sat down, had a couple of glasses of wine, and they even had their very own homemade ice-cream! It came with homemade sauces as well, and the caramel one was my favorite! It was an interesting combination, wine and ice-cream, but I am seeing this more and more.
A Sneak Into the Winemakers Room
As we were about to leave, to further enjoy the area, I struck a conversation with the person working at the front desk. I enquired about some things, but she was not the winemaker, and she did not have that much knowledge about wine per se. But she snuck us into the winemaker's back room, which I am not sure if we were even allowed to see. We were snuck in through the kitchen, and into the "cellar" where they aged their wines for a bit.
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It was interesting to say the least, that we had a sneak peak into where the magic really happens!
Always making friends
For some reason, and I am not complaining, we are always making dog or cat friends at these wineries or breweries or the places we visit. It is really interesting and so cute to see the animals also visit these places, or if the owners let them interact with the customers.
Snow and Grape
As we entered, there were some photographs of the vineyards in the snowing season. It really looks magical.
To my fiance, this was somewhat of a disappointment because we were there in the summer, and she really want to see some snow for the first time in her life.
We South Africans really almost never see snow, only in rare cases do we have the luck to interact with snow.
But this winery not only survives in the snow, but it seems like they are thriving from the amount of wine they can make and the amount of grapes/vineyards they can grow.
It really just shows, where there is a will to do something, you might as well get it right!
(From the photograph below which I took from a similar view, you can see in the summer the radical transformation of nature.)
The Mountains and the Views
Obviously the views are what attracts most people. Me including. It is some of the most beautiful in the country for sure.
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My photographs does not do any justice to the beauty found there. It is almost like living postcards that you witness. I which I could share even more photographs.
Postsrciptum
For now, I have to only remember and think about this beautiful place. It is sad that I had to leave, but at least we have the memories.
For now, happy travels and keep well!
All of the writing and musings are my own, albeit inspired by the beauty and the wine. The photographs are also my own, taken with my Nikon D300.
