CAPE TOWN DIVA: Wine, quaggas & daisies...Groote Post

Groote Post, Groote delight

Monday saw me heading out of the Mother City along the West Coast road and bouncing in a mini van through the veld towards the Darling Hills where, twixt the Kapokberg on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other, lies a gem of a wine farm called Groote Post.

I was there courtesy of Cape Town Travel, with a group of fellow travel bloggers (@Mzansigirl, @insidettravellab, @follow_colours), to savour the delights of a beautiful farm that produces world class and award winning wine on vineyards that cover more than 100 hectares. Owner and one time dairy farmer Nick Pentz, our generous host for the day, met us with the fabulous Terence from Siris Vintners, outside the grand olde manor house (built in 1808), starting us off on a memorable country adventure. After an informative chat alongside huge wine vats - with whiffs of alcohol the promise of good things to come - Nick led us to Hilda's Kitchen (named after Hildagonda Duckitt) in yet another gorgeous Dutch gabled house, for a wine tasting and a delicious light lunch. The restaurant, with chef Debbie McLaughlin at the helm, boasts a menu described as 'modern country' cuisine using truly fresh produce as Shaun McLaughlin emphasised - it'is the only restaurant in SA to be nominated by Eat Out 2013 in both "Best Bistro" and "Best Country-Style" categories in its region- pretty darn impressive though I can't say I'm surprised as our food was excellent.

The farm drive through the vast expanse of Renosterveld revealed amazing wildlife wandering about (see the website for the full game list) and it's not every day you get to see springbok bounce across the plain - that really made my heart sing, cheesy as it sounds. And then there was the herd of rare quagga, standing in a patch of purple flowers with Table Mountain in the distance behind them...thst was the cherry on the top for me. This once extinct relation of the zebra is definitely making a strong comeback. Kudos to the Pentz family for reintroducing this animal with it's impressively fading stripes, to the Groote Post wild lands. And bravo for being part of the Bio Diversity and Wine Initiative- viva sustainable wine production - this Eco Diva salutes you. Oh, let me not forget, special thanks to Mr. Peter Pentz, Nick Pentz and Groote Post winemaker Lukas Wentzel for that ever marvellous Old Mans Blend they produce, although to be fair, I must also thank my client Pieter-Dirk Uys for introducing me to what has become one of my favourite vino brands.

See you again soon in the country Darlings.