CAPE TOWN DIARY - DAY 1 - THE SPIER HOTEL AND WINE FARM, STELLENBOSCH

- May 25, 2023

Photo Credit - Spier Wine Farm

Four days in Cape Town. It sounded too good to be true! So, the four grandparents, the parents and the two terrific twosome (Z and S) boarded their flight, filled with anticipation. Each of them had their own ideas about what lay ahead, but one central idea loomed large. They were all set to have the time of their lives.

The week earlier, or at least part of it, had gone into planning our itinerary. After all, there was so much to be done; the problem was in sifting the parts that interested us most. The general view was that it was going to be freezing and that we would have to be clad like Eskimos most of the time. That was daunting (brrrr!) because I suspected that I would have to be thawed out every time I returned home after a jaunt.

We stayed in a friend’s beautiful home which faced a water body which was a kayaking path. At times, kayaks would whiz by, manned by men women and children. A few ducks also made the crossing, and weaver birds had built their intricate nests right next to where we were.

Once we had settled our luggage, it was time to move on to the first leg of our trip – wine tasting at the Spier Hotel and Wine Farm at Stellenbosch. Spier, established in 1692, is one of the oldest family-owned wine farms and prides itself on its beautiful philosophy of respect for the land and a desire to show off the intrinsic value of the Cape.

The picturesque drive to the farm was breathtaking, and this continued even when we reached our destination.

The green of the grass and the blue of the water body that flanked the farm, made the white Dutch building stand out in its pristine severity.

As we were walking towards the entrance, some sculptures caught our eye. We went closer and were intrigued by the explanation given on the plaque alongside. They were interactive sound structures, and the moment we placed our arms around them from a distance, the sculptures sang a unique song. Apparently, this emanated from an electro-magnetic reading recorded from beneath its placement. The artist, Jenna Burchell, collected twelve fractured rocks of fossilized volcanic ash and she filled in the damaged parts with gold seams. (Kintsugi) It was eerily fascinating to hear these stones sing!

The interior of the Spier Farm was classy and eclectic. The glistening bottles of wine placed in eye-catching rows, the wooden barrels against the wall, the rustic wooded chairs and tables with a merrily burning fireplace at one side did not prepare us for the artistically arranged wine glasses in sets of three placed on a table that had been reserved for us.

It was a most enjoyable session as one of the waitresses explained the various wines that were being tasted, both white and red, and poured them out. Since the two grandmothers were not wine drinkers, we nursed the one that seemed most palatable, while the others swirled the vintage around their mouths and appeared to pick up the full-bodied pineapple and guava hints that the waitress stressed were in them.

The kids had a gala time, sipping on their wine glasses filled with red and green grape juice. What was especially nice was that they too were part of the ritual. Of course, wine on empty stomachs can be heady and so, we ordered two platters which looked and tasted exotic.

Wine and victuals over, we had a look around at the various items for sale… wine bottles, goblets, bottle openers, wooden platters and spoons, oil canisters, varieties of tea, colourful woven baskets and even coffee table books on South Africa.