If you are looking for the perfect day trip not too far outside of Cape Town, I can highly recommend you visit Spice Route, just 45 minutes outside of Cape Town.
More about Spice Route:
Centuries ago, anyone with a desire to explore exotic flavors and experiences would have needed to wait for the seasonal return of the traders traveling the spice route.
Fortunately, these days a journey of discovery is right on our doorstep, with the modern day Spice Route in Paarl, a sensory feast for today’s connoisseurs of craftsmanship and authenticity.
My Journey at Spice Route:
The morning started off with a traditional South African breakfast by one of SA’s best chefs, Bertus Basson. The menu is made up of traditional South African favorites with a modern interpretation. I recommend you try the Vetkoek, spicy mince & fried eggs.
After breakfast, we started our tasting journey.
First off, we started with a wine tasting of the Spice Route Wines under the pergola while we enjoyed panoramic views of Table Mountain and the Simonsberg Mountain range.
After our wine tasting, we did a cured meat tasting by Richard Bosman. If you love exceptional
Italian and Spanish style cured meats, this is for sure a must-try experience.
When we visited CBC (Cape Brewing Company) for our beer tasting (something I have never done before), I could definitely see that they do not just live, but celebrate beer. CBC produces and offers a wide range of beers using only the finest ingredients, state of the art equipment and is made by the highly skilled brewmaster, Wolfgang Koedel.
If you are an avid beer drinker, I would recommend you try their Master tasting where you can taste up to 7 different craft beers.
I was in complete food heaven when I visited the chocolate tasting room at Spice Room. From the minute you walk into De Villiers Chocolate’s tasting room, you can tell that there is more to their chocolates than meets the eye. De Villiers Chocolate Café offers their very own chocolate, coffee, and ice cream all under one delicious roof. All products are made with only authentic ingredients that are non-GMO, free from gluten and any artificial colorants, flavorings or stabilizers.
We kept the best for last when we ended off our Spice Route journey with a gin tasting at the most awarded craft gin distillery in South Africa – Wilderer Gin.
During our tasting, we’ve learned that Wilderer was established by Master Distiller Helmut Wilderer in Stellenbosch in January 1995 and enjoys the distinction of being South Africa’s very first state-of-the-art private grappa distillery. Other than gin, Wilderer Distillery also produces award-winning grappa, schnapps, and liqueur.
As Henry Miller would say “To explore is to find the new through travel”. There is so much to see and do at Spice Route that I can truly rate it as one of the must-experience destinations when visiting the Winelands in Cape Town.
Fun facts about Spice Route:
- There is no entrance fee.
- It is wheelchair friendly
- They are open seven days a week
- They have a wonderful play area, which makes it the perfect destination for families
- They are dog-friendly
- The beautiful lawns at Bertus Basson makes for the perfect picnic area
For more on Spice Route, visit http://www.spiceroute.co.za
