February 26

My Trip | The First Sip is the Deepest

Cape Town, Cape Winelands, South Africa, Traveller's tales

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By Matthew Sterne on February 26, 2014

I’ve never met Mark and Anne Thomas but I’m ninety nine percent sure we’d hit it off. They like travelling. I like travelling. They like wine. I like wine. Their surname is Thomas. My surname is Thomas. At this juncture you may be thinking that ours would be a surface level friendship. To counter that impression I’ll delve a little deeper; I appreciate the couple’s positivity. During their jaunt around the Cape winelands, Anne mentioned the overcast weather on more than one occasion but it was not – as you might expect – to complain, she was instead drawing attention to how the cloud cover accentuated the natural beauty of the area. As if I needed further confirmation of our compatibility, Anne recounted the following exchange between herself and Mark which took place before their wine tour:

“I want you to take a picture of everything I drink today,” Mark said.

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes. I want to document it. Just the first sip. Starting with my morning tea.”

Thus, at the hour of 07:00, I began to document our odyssey of drinks.”

I ask you – who wouldn’t want to join this couple on their quest around the Winelands? The benefit of having their trip planned by  Chantélle – one of Rhino Africa’s astute travel consultants – was that the vineyards were not the only attraction that the Thomases could look forward to. And so, before the bottles were opened, Anne and Mark got the chance to marvel at the beauty of a mountain and, following suit, I’ll recap their tour of the Cape by starting with our most loved landmark…

Table Mountain

"We got right onto the tram and it was a breathtaking experience. If you have vertigo or a fear of heights, which we both do a little bit, the ride up through the abyss is all the more breathtaking. The floor of the car revolves to provide everyone with a chance to enjoy all the views."
“Table Mountain is Cape Town’s most iconic landscape feature. An immense sandstone mesa, Table Mountain tops the shale and granite mountain range that forms the spine of the Cape Peninsula, with Devil’s Peak and Lions Head on its flanks to the east and west, the lower Back Table to the south, and the Twelve Apostles to the west, watching over the Atlantic Ocean. We got right onto the tram and it was a breathtaking experience. If you have vertigo or a fear of heights, which we both do a little bit, the ride up through the abyss is all the more breathtaking. The floor of the car revolves to provide everyone with a chance to enjoy all the views.”
"The views were stupendous. The sensation of rising up the mountain above Cape Town, seeing the top of Lion’s head, then the emerging coastline, and Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years … what a special place on Earth. So much natural and human history is packed into this part of the planet."
“The views were stupendous. The sensation of rising up the mountain above Cape Town, seeing the top of Lion’s head, then the emerging coastline, and Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years … what a special place on Earth. So much natural and human history is packed into this part of the planet.”
"We emerged from the upper cable station and were greeted by one of the most stupendous sights I have ever witnessed. 360 degrees of mountain, ocean, peninsula, city, bay, harbor, island, and on and on, all spilling into the the infinity pool at Earth’s slightly curved edge. I wanted to start running on the rocky path, like a little kid arriving at an amusement park."
“We emerged from the upper cable station and were greeted by one of the most stupendous sights I have ever witnessed. 360 degrees of mountain, ocean, peninsula, city, bay, harbor, island, and on and on, all spilling into the the infinity pool at Earth’s slightly curved edge. I wanted to start running on the rocky path, like a little kid arriving at an amusement park.”
"Looking west at the Atlantic Seaboard, where we had driven the day before, we noticed the little brown Dassies (Dutch for badger) perched on the rocks just below us. These little animals are the elephant’s closest relative, believe it or not. They were lazing on the rocks below us, basking in the sun.As a keystone animal, they are food for predators like Eagles, Caracal, and Leopards. They look lazy and slow, but if threatened they can disappear into the rocks in a hurry. Their rib cages collapse, allowing them to squeeze through the tiniest of spaces."
“Looking west at the Atlantic Seaboard, where we had driven the day before, we noticed the little brown Dassies (Dutch for badger) perched on the rocks just below us. These little animals are the elephant’s closest relative, believe it or not. They were lazing on the rocks below us, basking in the sun.As a keystone animal, they are food for predators like Eagles, Caracal, and Leopards. They look lazy and slow, but if threatened they can disappear into the rocks in a hurry. Their rib cages collapse, allowing them to squeeze through the tiniest of spaces.”
"Being both of independent mind, Mark and I wandered away from each other, as we often do, absorbed in the scene and its network of rocky trails and viewpoints. One of the features I especially liked was the way the paths were constructed, winding through the existing rock. It looked very natural, blending with the mountain, and yet the paths were very easy to follow, interconnected, and leading to magnificent views."
“Being both of independent mind, Mark and I wandered away from each other, as we often do, absorbed in the scene and its network of rocky trails and viewpoints. One of the features I especially liked was the way the paths were constructed, winding through the existing rock. It looked very natural, blending with the mountain, and yet the paths were very easy to follow, interconnected, and leading to magnificent views.”
"The balconies built on the edge of the cliffs overlooking City Center are heart stoppers. What a perfect day, and a perfect way to see this incredible natural wonder."
“The balconies built on the edge of the cliffs overlooking City Center are heart stoppers. What a perfect day, and a perfect way to see this incredible natural wonder.”

To the winelands we go…

"Our day began with a tasting at the historic Fairview Wine & Cheese. Fairview’s sommelier presented us with a sumptuous pairing of eight wines with eight artisan cheeses, along with bits of bread and three olive oils. At 10:09, I recorded Mark’s (and my) first sip of wine. What a way to start the day! “Pace yourself” became my mantra."
“Our day began with a tasting at the historic Fairview Wine & Cheese. Fairview’s sommelier presented us with a sumptuous pairing of eight wines with eight artisan cheeses, along with bits of bread and three olive oils. At 10:09, I recorded Mark’s (and my) first sip of wine. What a way to start the day! “Pace yourself” became my mantra.”
"One could spend months, even years, exploring South Africa’s winelands, which are spread out in a boomerang shape and concentrated on the Cape. We had one day. The weather was a bit overcast – we were glad that we’d already been to the top of Table Mountain the day before. To me, a rainy day is the perfect setting to run from winery to winery, ducking inside to sip wine while brushing off raindrops. Our day began with a tasting at the historic Fairview Wine & Cheese."
“One could spend months, even years, exploring South Africa’s winelands, which are spread out in a boomerang shape and concentrated on the Cape. We had one day. The weather was a bit overcast – we were glad that we’d already been to the top of Table Mountain the day before. To me, a rainy day is the perfect setting to run from winery to winery, ducking inside to sip wine while brushing off raindrops.”
"The Thomases continued to Stellenbosch and the Franschhoek Wine Valley and Solms-Delta Winery. From there they went to Haute Cabriere where they "tasted Pierre Jourdan sparkling wine and brought away a bottle of honey-flavored Ratafia, a chardonnay fortified with Pierre Jourdan brandy. We do like our nightcaps, from time to time."
The Thomases continued to Stellenbosch and the Franschhoek Wine Valley and Solms-Delta Winery. From there they went to Haute Cabriere where they “tasted Pierre Jourdan sparkling wine and brought away a bottle of honey-flavored Ratafia, a chardonnay fortified with Pierre Jourdan brandy. We do like our nightcaps, from time to time.”
"Despite the weather, or maybe because of it, the scenery was stunning. Silver clouds, backlit by the sun, illuminated the patchwork valley and mountains in the background, while the foreground was a delicate riot of flowers in red, white and green, the colors vibrant against the contrasting sky."
“Despite the weather, or maybe because of it, the scenery was stunning. Silver clouds, backlit by the sun, illuminated the patchwork valley and mountains in the background, while the foreground was a delicate riot of flowers in red, white and green, the colors vibrant against the contrasting sky.”
"Our final stop was the most decadent. The 300-year-old Lanzerac Wine Estate is a hotel and spa, as well as a spectacular venue for weddings. But the true decadence was the tasting – we had the Chocolate & Wine Pairing with Premium Wines."
“Our final stop was the most decadent. The 300-year-old Lanzerac Wine Estate is a hotel and spa, as well as a spectacular venue for weddings. But the true decadence was the tasting – we had the Chocolate & Wine Pairing with Premium Wines.”

And now for the part we’ve all been waiting for…

"Mark’s glass-by-glass record."
“Mark’s glass-by-glass record.”

For more of Anne and Mark Thomas escapades, have a look at their blog: Wildcard Travels. If you fancy experiencing the wonder that is Cape Town and the Cape Winelands for yourself then contact one of our expert travel consultants to start planning your adventure.

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About the author 

Matthew Sterne

Matt discovered a passion for writing in the six years he spent travelling abroad. He worked for a turtle sanctuary in Nicaragua, in an ice cream factory in Norway and on a camel safari in India. He was a door-to-door lightbulb-exchanger in Australia, a pub crawl guide in Amsterdam and a journalist in Colombia. Now, he writes and travels with us.

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