Today a group of us went to Groot Constantia, the oldest wine estate in South Africa, established in 1685. Before we left I wasn't completely sure if I wanted to go--I was almost tempted to have another relaxing day to myself, doing laundry and laying out, perhaps some late afternoon yoga. But for some reason, I decided to go with everyone, wine tasting sounded pretty good too! Boy am I glad I decided to go. It was AMAZING.
Constantia was absolutely gorgeous. I'll post some pictures below. It was the first time I had been to a wine farm, and my first wine tasting experience, which I must say made me feel very adult. On the way there we had a wonderful cab driver who shared some history of the estate with us and got us very excited, he seemed very fond of the place as well. Once we arrived, everywhere we looked was absolutely gorgeous. I couldn't get over the view and the sunshine and the little breeze-it was just perfect. We walked for a bit and then took a tour of the cellar, where we learned, in great detail, how red and white wines are made, and then we got to taste! I liked all of the wines very much, but two in particular, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to purchase them, especially when the conversion to dollars comes to about $24 for two bottles of incredible wine! I purchased a pink wine called Blanc de Noir and a red, Cape Ruby, which was probably the most delicious wine I had ever tasted-definitely a dessert wine. It was called Port until it was no longer allowed to be called Port because it is made in South Africa, not Portugal.
After the tour and tasting we all felt marvelous for obvious reasons, but decided we hadn't had enough, so we found ourselves seated at a table at the restaurant on the estate. We sat at a table outside, but on a quick trip to the ladies room got a glimpse of the inside too. Corinne, an adorable red head who I now consider a friend of mine, swears up and down that she is going to get married at the Constantia Valley estate and have her reception in that restaurant-it is that beautiful!
Anyway, we all felt very strongly about indulging in a late afternoon dessert, and so I ordered a Berry Pinotage (exclusively South African) and pepper sorbet, along with a Cap Classic wine called a Miss Molly, which was just calling my name (pun intended). Both were delicious, the Miss Molly was a light bubbly drink that I enjoyed very much and the sorbet perfectly satisfied my craving of berries, which I miss so much in the mornings because I have yet to find berries in a grocery store here.
Finally after about four hours or so we found ourselves in cabs back to the Kimberley house- and ironically enough we had the same exact driver that we had on the way there! This time we engaged in an amazing conversation with him, beginning with being Americans to American politics to South African politics, to what it was like for him being an Afrikaner in the apartheid South Africa and now in the new South Africa. He was so open with us and willing to share his views and opinions and I am so grateful to him for that. We now have his card and I guarantee he will be our new taxi driver, he mentioned to me that he wants to talk American music and literature next time, and I admitted that I will be much better company on those topics than on politics, but either way he was fascinating to listen to.
Today in the vineyards and again on the ride home, I was struck so many times with the feeling that I am here for a reason; that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. I can't quite express how incredible that feeling is or all of the other emotions that go along with it, but I am just truly humbled by and grateful for this experience and each day I am learning, growing, and loving life more and more.
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