Boukenhoutskloof - Tokara - Rust en Vrede

After our first (good) night in Stellenbosch, we were greeted in the morning with a very good breakfast of fruits, granola, and yogurt. After a brief call with the business, we set off for Franschhoek at around 10 o'clock. Yes, you read that right, we went back to Franschhoek even though we were there for the last three days. But that has to do with the wine tasting at Boukenhoutkloof, which can only be visited on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The wine farm is located a bit outside of Franschhoek, and thanks to TomTom, we found it right away. We were a little early, so we walked around the vineyard and checked everything out.

At 11 o'clock, besides the four of us, two Swedes were missing, who apparently had a little trouble with the entrance gate code, but they eventually arrived. Viktoria, a member of the winemaker team, then took us on a cellar tour. What stood out were the many cement tanks in various shapes, some looked like large funnels, others more like oversized alien eggs from an H.R. Giger film.

Through a long corridor, reminiscent of an Alpine fortress (reduit), we then entered the cool cellar where hundreds of barrique barrels (and larger ones [foudre, 2,500 liters]) were stored. After this introduction, we were able to taste six wines in the tasting room and were briefed on the differences and peculiarities of the wines by another winemaker. A great experience.

Around noon, we set off again from Boukenhoutskloof towards Stellenbosch and made a stop at the Tokara wine estate. Here, we had a second wine tasting on the winter garden terrace. In addition to the wines, we refreshed ourselves with a cheese platter and enjoyed the absolutely magnificent view.

Afterwards, we returned to Twice Central and, after a short break, walked to the center of Stellenbosch, where we spent time browsing the shop windows.

At around 6:30 pm, we were picked up by an Uber, which took us to the Rust en Vrede wine estate, where Philippe had organized a table for us for dinner. Erin welcomed us and led us to our table. We started the evening with a glass of champagne. The menu was varied and simply cooked and presented. (I'm not sure if I've ever eaten so well before - it was a dream). The wine we selected (an Estate 2014, 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Shiraz, and 10% Merlot) complemented the food well. After coffee, a taxi ordered by the restaurant took us back to Stellenbosch safely.

And so ended a fantastic and culinary-filled day.