A huge storm system was developing along the coast of South Africa that would interfere with our sailing, so it was announced that we were going to try to outrun the storm and this necessitated skipping the ports of Durban and Mossel Bay. The upside is that this would allow us to arrive in Cape Town one day earlier, giving us 2 overnights in Cape Town rather than one. Of course this necessitated many changes to overland tours as well as general shore tours in Cape Town. Most people handled it with a grain of salt but some were belligerent to the staff.
This also meant we had two sea days instead of one, and as promised, it was rough on the second day. Water came under the terrace door and things went flying even though we had prepared by moving most glass off the shelves and counters. We had 64 knot wind gusts and about five-to-six-meter waves. Most activities were cancelled and the gym was closed. At one point our ship was leaning at such an angle that we felt like we were climbing a mountain to move across the room. We determined this might have been the roughest seas we have ever encountered but we endured without incident into Cape Town.
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We LOVED Cape Town.
We had pleasant memories of South Africa from our last visit in 1997 with JP and Sally, locals from South Africa that had been living in London and working along David; and were very happy to find Cape Town even more enjoyable then we remembered.
We had a great sail-in at 8 am so we had our first photos with Table Mountain covered with its tablecloth of clouds as our backdrop. We docked at Cape Town Cruise Terminal, Berth E, smack in the centre of the city.
At exactly 9 am, when the ship was cleared, we were off the ship to meet Cedric from Luhambo Tours. https://luhambotours.com
We paid 5590 Rand for an eight-hour tour. It was well worth it, and we highly recommend Cedric as he was an excellent driver with extensive knowledge of wine from South Africa and the world.
The first winery we visited was Kanonkop in Stellenbosch. https://kanonkop.co.za
Kanonkop is a 4th generation family-owned wine estate. The name Kanonkop is derived from a hillock (kop) on the Simonsberg mountain above the wine estate from where, during the 17th and 18th centuries, a cannon was fired to announce the arrival of sailing ships entering Table Bay. The roar of the cannon would be the signal to local farmers, who were waiting to make the 50-kilometer journey to the harbour, to load up their wagons with fresh fruit and vegetables to barter their produce.
The first wines bearing the Kanonkop label were produced in 1973. They now produced approximately 2 million bottles of wine per year. This total production includes their premium Estate range and the more accessible Kadette range.
Their expertise is in Pinotage. Pinotage is a red wine grape that is South Africa's signature variety. It was cultivated there in 1925 as a cross between Pinot noir and Cinsaut. It typically produces deep red varietal wines with smoky, bramble and earthy flavours, sometimes with notes of bananas and tropical fruit.
Altitude: 180m – 365m above sea level
Area planted with vines: 136 hectares (336 acres)
Grape varieties:
Pinotage – 37%
Cabernet Sauvignon – 34%
Merlot – 17%
Cabernet Franc – 10%
Petit Verdot – 2%
The large production allowed us to watch the bottling. First they pour the wines into huge plastic vats (think like a giant water bottle), and transport that to their bottling area. Here was where we were able to watch the bottles be filled, cleaned, have the foil put on, have the label placed on the bottle, and the bottles placed into boxes. Most is automated. Very cool to see.
We tried several wines and preferred the Paul Sauer Estate Wine 2022 (55% Cab Sauv, 27% Cab Franc, 18% Merlot- a very Bourdeaux blend). We tried the Pinotage but were not that impressed.
One point of interest is that they have a section of their vineyards laid out as grape bushes which are not on trellises. The grapes grow closer to the ground than those on trellises and have a lower yield leading to more powerful flavor in the grapes. Therefore the wines produced from these grapes tend to be pricy. This style of planting is something we have never previously seen.
We then drove through the village of Franschhoek. This area was developed by the French so the wineries have a French names and influence, while Stellenbosch was developed by the Dutch. This area is very beautiful and the village is simply adorable. It would be a great place to spend more time.
We then went to La Motte Wine Estate in Franschhoek. https://la-motte.com/
This is a fancy location with shops, hotel, restaurants, etc. We enjoyed tasting one of the wines in a typical wine tasting glass and again in a proper Burgundy wine glass. Hmm, I didn’t find it that much difference in taste. Overall, we thought the facilities were beautiful but that the wines less interesting and the staff hustling sales more strongly than at other vineyards.
Then we visited Rainbow’s End Wines. https://rainbowsend.co.za
This is a small family (Malan family) wine estate near Stellenbosch. It is much more casual and laid back. Situated on high-lying slopes, rising to 540m above sea level, the estate backs onto the Jonkershoek Mountain and overlooks the prized and productive Banghoek basin, which is encircled by mountains. The tasting took place outside on a deck overlooking the vineyard and mountains. The views were so mesmerizing.
David enjoyed their Cabernet Franc Estate Wine 2024 and I thought their Cabernet Franc Blanc de Noir 2026 was interesting.
We made a quick stop to see the facilities at Delaire Graff Estate. https://www.delaire.co.za/wine/
The estate is owned by the Graff family- think Graff diamonds. And yes, you can buy diamonds here in addition to wine. As you might expect the facilities were beautiful. There was a beautiful restaurant on the terrace overlooking the vineyards and mountains. Here the landscaping, art, and views were outstanding. I am sure the hotel too would be wonderful.
This was followed by lunch at Postcard Café at Stark Conde wines. https://stark-conde.co.za/visit-us/
This too has beautiful views and lunch was delightful. Here I tried a unique wine, called a Field Blend. This aromatic white blend is made from a single vineyard block which consists of 4 different grape varietals. The grapes were planted with the specific intention of creating this unique blend. Roussanne and Viognier add richness and texture, while Chenin Blanc and Verdelho add bright fruit and acidity. The wine is delicately oaked.
In other words, while most wine is made by managing each grape type separately and then blending various varietals, this is unique in that the four varieties are planted in the same field and the juices mixed at pressing.
Our last visit was to Remhoogte Wine Estate. https://remhoogte.co.za
They are a family winery with vineyards on the foothills of the Simonsberg mountain in Stellenbosch. The wines are a product of ancient soils, steep slopes and winds off the cold Atlantic Ocean.
As with the others, they too have great views. They have preserved part of the estate for wildlife and have a herd of springboks, a couple of zebras, and a wilder beast, all of which made the viewing even more fun. This is a very laid-back place and, as we had been drinking for most of the day, we had a small tasting here.
We really loved our experience in the wine region. We understand there are more than 150 cellar doors that can be visited so amble opportunities to return.
JP Suggested estates to visit on this tour:
1. Delaire Graff
2. Remhoogte or Bartinney
3. La Petite Colombe (long fine dining lunch or more causal alternative - see below)
4. La Motte and/or Grand Provence
5. Oldenburg
Lunch-
1. La Petite Colombe in Franschoek.
2. Boschendal Werf Restaurant
3. Babylonstoren Greenhouse Restaurant (amazing gardens on this estate)
That night we had dinner at Vadievelu. https://www.vadivelu.co.za
Their catch phrase is “Indian with Attitude” and they lived up to the phrase as the waiter sang, danced and generally was very comical the entire evening.
The treat was catching up with JP and Sally after twenty-six years. Their daughter, Nicollete, joined us too. She is delightful and interacted beautifully with the “old people”. She is now in college so we joked that we entirely missed JP & Sally’s experience of parenting of young children. Catching up with them was so easy, it was almost as if as we hadn’t spent so many years apart.
The next afternoon we did a city and Table Mountain tour. The city is quite modern and very clean.
Along the way we saw the statue of Vasco de Gama who successfully navigated around the Cape of Good Hope on November 22, 1497. While not the first European to see the Cape, he opened the sea route to India, which shifted global trade.
Nelson Mandela delivered his iconic first speech after being released from prison on February 11, 1990, from the balcony of the Cape Town City Hall, overlooking a massive crowd on the Grand Parade. This speech marked the beginning of the formal end of apartheid. A statue of him was unveiled in 2018 and is placed on that balcony. It is very moving to see him standing there.
We found everyone we were able to speak to about the subject (all white people), so positive and thankful about Mandela. That was great for us to hear.
Then we went to Table Mountain, one of the new 7 natural wonders of the world (we have been to 6 of the 7).
The ride to the top is only 4 minutes but the wait to access the cable car was an hour so we bought Fast Track tickets, allowing us to be up top in less than 20 minutes. From there we enjoyed outstanding views of the city. The sky was clear and the views went on for miles. A very pleasant afternoon.
That night we joined JP & Sally at FYN, listed as one of the top 50 restaurants in the world. https://www.fynrestaurant.com
We had a great evening with delicious food and even more interesting conversations. Our favourite courses were the springbok, ostrich and the Karoo lamb (which is a premium, geographically protected South African meat sourced from lambs raised in the arid Karoo region. It is highly regarded for its tender texture and unique, aromatic flavour, which is naturally derived from the lambs grazing on aromatic, indigenous shrubs like rosemary, thyme, and sage).
JP had a 7 am flight (ouch) the next day to Mauritius but Sally was free and picked us up at 8:30 am. First we went to the V&A weekend market where there were stalls selling all sorts of wonderful looking foods, vegetables and crafts. David succumbed to a beaded change purse, and I bought a decorative wire plate with an African design, both made by local women in the Cape Town area. It was a place we would visit often if we lived in town.
We then drove all along the Cape coast taking in all sorts of beautiful views.
We went along Chapman’s Peak Drive ("Chappies") is Cape Town’s premier coastal drive, a 9km route with 114 curves linking Hout Bay and Noordhoek. Carved into sheer cliffs, it offers stunning Atlantic views, making it one of the world's most scenic marine drives.
We stopped for beautiful photos at Hout Bay, and then at the Boulders Park at False Bay. Here we found the colony of endangered African penguins(apparently there are over 2000 here) relaxing under the underbrush along the boardwalk. Some were nesting with their newborns. Below people were swimming and apparently often can swim with the penguins. They were so cute with their pink eye shadow above their eyes.
We also saw a couple of Dassies (Roch Hyrax) that look like big fluffy guinea pigs under the brush. Apparently they aren’t rodents but rather are the closest living relatives of elephants.
We then stopped for lunch at The Reef restaurant at Kalk Bay where David had delicious Cob fish and I had the giant prawns and Sally had fresh calamari. From our table we looked out at the big waves and the surfers attempting to ride the waves. This area reminded us of Bondi Beach with its eclectic hippie vibe (and here David fell victim to another hat store….).
Along the drive we saw so many nice apartment buildings and fantastic large homes overlooking the sea. Unfortunately they all have electric fencing so I guess there is no place that is truly paradise. (We also noted no black people other than those working within the restaurants and stores).
We returned to the ship at 2:15 pm, kissed Sally good-bye and promised we would not let another 26 years go by before we met again. We really enjoyed our time with JP & Sally and miss seeing them. Then through immigration and back onto the ship.
With sadness we sailed away at our scheduled 5 pm departure, just before a huge storm arrived and shut down the city. Two ships, a Norwegian and Azamara ship, were scheduled to leave the following day and their departure had already been delayed, and a race scheduled for the following day had already been cancelled. (Subsequently we learned that the storm devastated Cape Town and many of the places we had visited).
We enjoyed our departing photographs, watching the clouds blow in and out above Table Mountain in the distance. As soon as we left the shelter of the harbor the winds began to increase in strength, the temperature dropped and we waved good-bye to a really wonderful experience in Cape Town.