Wine Tasting Part 2 - Hemel en Aarde Valley

This is another catch-up post, this one about wine tasting. I knew South Africa had good wines, but the Pinot Noir from Hemel en Aarde Valley is superb, rivaling wines from the Willamette Valley, Oregon. Hemel en Aarde is Heaven and Earth in Afrikaans.

Hello, cows of Heaven and Earth.

The first winery was La Vierge, The Virgin. I showed up promptly at 9:00 AM because I had a lot of ground to cover in one day.

They had barrels waiting because they knew I was coming.

Bright and early.

Great view from La Vierge.

If they think this is The Virgin, then I'm skeptical.

Peeing in elegance.

Bottling going on today.

The next winery was Bouchard Finlayson. I found my favorite South African wine here, the 2018 Galpin Peak Pinot Noir. I showed up around 10:30 AM, and the place was packed.

Bouchard Finlayson tasting room.

Bouchard Finlayson tasting room.

They had lots of library wines to choose from, which was nice since most of the other wineries only sold their current vintages.

Bouchard Finlayson wine cave.

Great view of the valley.

On to the next winery.

The next winery was Creation. They had some great wines and interesting art on display.

These may very well be the best deviled eggs I've ever had. Delicious! I was going to order an entree after, but these were so good I decided not to.

Great view from Creation and the sculptures.

Next up was Atraxia Wines in an old church.

The last stop was Hamilton Russel Vineyards. I wanted to do one more winery, but I just didn't have time since most of them closed between 4:30 and 5:00 PM. Who knows when I'll be back in South Africa?

It was a very serene setting.

Delicious wines!

Goodbye Heaven and Earth

Somewhere along the coast back to Cape Town.