Head West with The Family in Six Steps
The West Coast Wine Regions hug the stretch between the sea and the Swartland.
To savour every sip of the best of the West, journey from Malmesbury, to Riebeek Kasteel, west to Darling, north to the Swartland, the Cedar Mountains and the Namaqua West Coast.
While Sauvignon Blanc originated in the Loire valley and the French Bordeaux Region, it has found great favour on South Africa’s West Coast.
Traveling through the West Coast is more than accumulating mileage, it’s a sensory feast and a bounty of history for the whole family.
Paternoster, a fishing village roughly 145km north of Cape Town, has been embraced for its culinary delights and picturesque seaside architecture. Die Strandloper, is a celebrated seafood enclave in Langebaan. Wolfgat, a coastal restaurant in Paternoster was awarded the ‘Off-Map Destination’ award in 2019 by the World Restaurant Awards. Past Paternoster and Die Strandloper, lies in the Cederberg Mountain Range.
The Cederberg is a vast jewel. In this mountainous marvel, Cederberg Private Cellar on the farm Dwarsriver is South Africa’s highest wine farm at between 950m and 1,100m above sea level.
In February 1978, the Cederberg was proclaimed a ward, one of 51 in South Africa. Cederberg Private Cellar is the only wine farm in this ward. There are two biomes in the Cederberg, Fynbos and Succulent Karoo. This unicorn has a cool Mediterranean climate.
Roughly 70km north of Cape Town, Groote Post was founded on a history of dairy farming in Darling (Groote Post), Tokai and Philippi. In its rise to the top, Groote Post’s Sauvignon Blanc from the Cape West Coast became an award-winning wine that elevated Groote Post’s modern wine story.
“The cooling effect of the cold Atlantic ocean creates an ideal climate in which vines flourish, providing a longer growing season with a greater build-up of flavours in the grapes,” Peter Pentz junior says.
Three generations of the Pentz family, Peter Pentz senior (right) his son Nick (middle) and grandson Peter (left) make it evident that more families should head the West Coast way.
“As farmers, we are capable of resilience, hope and optimism and look forward to a much safer, calmer and more normal world going forward. As always, we remain committed to the growth of agriculture and agri-tourism, two of the largest job-creating sectors in the Western Cape,” Nick Pentz says.
- Groote Post
“Groote Post is a tourist destination that caters for the entire family,” Peter Pentz junior says.
Peter suggests that travelers start their day with a game drive on the property.
He explains, “that takes you through our 2,000-hectare game camp which is home to indigenous species such as the kudu, black wildebeest, red hartebeest, bontebok, springbok, quaggas, eland and gemsbok. A stop in the vineyards and some cheese ends off the drive.”
This all-encompassing experience also includes Groote Post’s celebrated restaurant, Hilda’s Kitchen.
“After the drive, while mom and dad savour Groote Post wine in the tasting room, the kids can play on the jungle gym before heading to lunch at Hilda’s Kitchen,” Peter says.
In addition, there is also a nature walk and a bird hide for the family to meander together.
Head West with: Groote Post Sauvignon Blanc 2020 (image below)
- West Coast National Park
Looking out at Langebaan, the West Coast National Park provides a serene opportunity to connect with nature.
“We enjoy West Coast Sauvignon Blanc and The Seasalter best at our holiday house at Langebaan. After catching some fish on the lagoon, we braai ‘harders’ alongside a glass of Seasalter. Seasalter is best on its home turf on the West Coast,” Peter says.
The slightly salinic Seasalter harkens the sea with its mineral Darling character and fresh acidity.
Head West with: Groote Post Seasalter Sauvignon Blanc 2020 (image below)
- !Khwa ttu
The history of our world is intrinsically linked to the history of the Khoi and San people. !Khwa ttu is a source of heritage restitution, conservation and a responsible tourism practice that shares and preserves the indigenous knowledge of the San people. Alongside a restaurant, accommodation, gift shop and heritage center, there are various ways to connect with the history of the first people and the beauty of the landscape.
Head West with: Cederburg Sauvignon Blanc 2020
- Evita Se Perron
All through its wild days, its mad existence, Evita se Perron has offered its cabaret-theater patrons local wine and produce. Created by AIDS activist and satirist Pieter Dirk-Uys in 1996, the home of Tannie Evita Bezuidenhout, the restaurant and museum have been a siren call to Darling along the West Coast cultural route.
Head West with: Darling Cellars Reserve Bush Vine Sauvignon Blanc 2020
- West Coast Fossil Park
There is a great deal for the entire family to dig at the West Coast Fossil Park.
The West Coast Fossil Park, roughly 150km north of Cape Town contains the fossil site of Langebaanweg that has the fossil-faunal remains that date back to the Miocene/early Pliocene era, about 5.2million years ago.
Dating back to days when the West Coast was wild brings light to our current era.
Head West with: Fairview Darling Sauvignon Blanc 2020
- Die Strandloper
Die Strandloper provides an unparalleled seaside experience, that feels like a fishing village or a shipwreck has opened for lunch. Ten courses are leisurely lunched on the beach. Fresh fish, ‘braai broodjies’, shellfish and more delights are enjoyed here. Diners are delighted to bring their own wine or drinks to enjoy this destination-dining.
With its hot days and cool evenings, the West Coast provides Sauvignon Blanc with a unique climate in which to develop acidity and complexity. The West Coast also gives families a picturesque landscape in which to make life-long memories.
“Family means having people who love and support you unconditionally. People who are there for you, through the good and bad, it’s the ‘stalwarts’ in your life,” Peter Pentz junior says.
Head west with: Fryer’s Cove Bamboes Bay Sauvignon Blanc
- Blog by Tshepang Molisana