Wine away a day in the Winelands near Cape Town, South Africa. Our highlight was a wine tasting and lunch at Noble Hill in Paarl. NOBLE HILL takes wine descriptions to a new level. In the gorgeous tasting room, you are handed one-pagers for each wine. What fun! The Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 has "hints of burnt marshmallow" and the Merlot 2008 is "A rebel with a cause...cavorting with Cabs". My favorite was the Chardonnay 2010: "Like a beautiful blonde with an astrophysics PhD...a pleasure to behold but isn't afraid to show its substance". Noble Hill marks each wine label with a different graphic of an old metal key. The key idea came from Noble Hill's current owners, when they bought the property and were handed a pile of rusty keys. They designed a cool graphic of interlocking antique keys, which they use as an icon for the business. The keys are incorporated into a graphic decal on the side window of the tasting room. (See the photo?)
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| Wine Tasting Room at Noble Hill |
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| Restaurant at Noble Hill - a perfect afternoon of wine tasting, word teasers and well-seasoned table |
DELAIRE Restaurant at the GRAFF ESTATE takes the eye candy prize. As you drive the winding road up the hill and pass through the security gate, you enter into gorgeous gardens. But that's just the teaser for what's to come. The restaurant is perched at the top of a hill with views across a vast valley. Cocktails are offered on the wide patio, perched over the valley. It is a gorgeous spot and the food is as good as the scenery.
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| Garden at Delaire Estate- Just off the Patio where Cocktails are Served |
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| Graff Estate View of Vineyard from Terrace of Delaire Restaurant - Best viewed with a glass of wine in hand |