Stellenbosch Wine Country

After our day of experiencing the poverty of the townships, today was a 180 degree contrast.  Our entire crew - now nine adults and nine kids - packed into two vans and headed to South Africa's wine country. In the morning, we went to Meerlust, a winery that was founded in 1689, and is now run by the eighth generation of the owning family.  Afterwards, we walked through the quaint, pretty town of Stellenbosch.  The experience was similar to wine country in California, but a little deeper.  Stellenbosch was extremely clean, with a lot of Dutch architecture, and every building was white.  There were a lot of delicious looking eateries and clothing stores.  Bryce thought it "boring", but I think peaceful is a better way to describe it.

Stellenbosch

For the afternoon, we went to lunch at the most amazing winery I have ever seen: Delaire Graff. Founded by a diamond merchant, they spared no expense in creating a beautiful restaurant and winery on one of the most stunning locations on earth.  We were seated on a deck, surrounded by mountains, with grape vines growing in the valley below. The weather was perfect, and the food and wine were exquisite. Most amazingly, the most expensive entrees were $18.  After lunch, we had a custom wine tasting set up for us, and we were able to purchase some amazing bottles of wine for as little as $6. We wound up staying at Delaire Graff for four hours, since nobody wanted to leave.

The Dining Area at Delaire Graff

Bill with a box of great, cheap wines

The happy, sated family

Lamb's neck appetizer

Seafood entree - whitefish, mussels, mushrooms and more yumminess.

Meanwhile, the kids were taken to another winery and had a Segway (stand uo scooter) tour.  Bryce - being all about anything with wheels - loved it, of course.  We weren't sure how Laurel would enjoy it, but she reported back and said it was a lot of fun.  While they were riding Segways through the winery, they stopped and talked to some of the wine makers to learn a little more about the craft.

Kids on a wine country Segway tour

We returned by nightfall, sated and exhausted, and feeling very fortunate.