Today was wine estate day, so I’m a little fuzzy-headed as I write this, especially since Chris insisted we stop at the brewery next door to the second wine tasting stop we made. Since it was the first IPA we’d seen advertised the whole trip, we had to stop. Lagers are plentiful; IPA’s are like the sable antelope.
We started our day by stopping in a charming little town called Franschhoek, which is Dutch for “French corner.” It does indeed feel like a French town. Huguenots had fled the French Catholics and settled there, hence the name.
After browsing the outdoor market and walking up and down the very short main street, we drove through the campus of Stellenbosch University, whose buildings are in the Cape Dutch style of architecture. About 30,000 students are enrolled, including our guide’s daughter.
Our first wine stop was Muratie Stellenbosch Estate. This place was special because it’s so old, and they are not allowed to change anything about the original building. They even haven’t cleaned the cobwebs off the windows since the 1970’s.
The second stop is our guide’s favorite wine estate in the area, Fairview Estate. Deirdre is extremely knowledgeable and guided us through different wines with cheese pairings. Wine always tastes better this way, and we bought four bottles to take home with us.
My Corner of the Village 