South African wines that sparkle and give fizz to life gets another glassful! Yesterday I promised to tell you all about our visit to Graham Beck wine estate on the outskirts of Franschhoek. After our visit to La Petite Ferme restaurant in Franschhoek we dropped in to taste the wines at Graham Beck.

Its impressive new tasting centre complete with imposing bronze cheetah sculptures which greet you on arrival, certainly doesn’t disappoint and nor do the wines.

Graham Beck is world renown for its sparkling wines, wines that in the opinion of Matthew Jukes of The Daily Mail, “Pieter Ferreira is the finest maker of fizz in SA. The stunning Blanc de Blancs puts Champagne to shame”. My particular favourite is the Brut Rose, 4 red stars in John Platter.

It’s a pity then to read stories such as this in SA Rocks! that South African’s tend to think that imported wines are superior to their own home-grown wines, which come in at hugely inflated prices and which, in my opinion, are not worth the extra bucks!

Come on South Africa! Support your country’s wonderful wines and make sure that your favourite restaurants stock a good range of your own exciting fizz. You can also buy them direct from eWine online, as you can Guardian Peak wines and the John Platter book.

eWine will ship world-wide and has a full range of information on the wine estates and regions. Make buying your wines simple!

Whilst on our recent visit to South Africa we needless to say visited their famed wine estates. It is a particular hobby of ours and one that can be indulged totally on the Cape Wine Route, which has many and varied wine estates, all wonderfully different and making it as difficult to choose which wine estate to visit as a child in a sweetie shop agonising over what sweets to purchase with their precious pennies!

Amongst our visits this time were a couple of estates that merit special mention, Graham Beck and Guardian Peak, which is part of the Ernie Els wine estates.

Ernie Els needs no introduction to those golfers amongst us who know him as one of the world’s top golfers who brings a quiet confidence to his game. His craftsmanship and talent in the game of golf have spilled over into one of his other passions in life – wine. Guardian Peak wine estate is testament to the man himself.

We discovered Guardian Peak because I had planned to find Hidden Valley, which sounded the perfect place to go for lunch! Always starting out with my stomach in mind, I plan our wine tours around the food element, then see what other estates are within a short distance for us to taste their wines.

Guardian Peak is not even listed on the John Platter maps! You will need to look under Ernie Els, which is a stones throw across the valley off the same road. We headed across country from Woodbridge Island in Table Bay north to the Stellenbosch outskirts on the R44 to Strand.

Taking the little route up into the mountains, we pass a number of other wine estates on our way up the valley.

Looking appealing in the bright summer sun and ever one for an adventure especially where wine is concerned, although we could find no information about it, we decide to stop and taste.

Perched on the slopes of the Helderberg mountain range, Guardian Peak’s views are breathtaking! A lovely terrace leans out into the surrounding countryside and becomes one with nature whilst you sip your wines, all the time being fanned by cooling mists of water from the overhead air conditioning. Meanwhile your wines are served by very knowledgable and friendly staff who ooze with the same quiet confidence that Ernie himself exudes and which is evident throughout his many business interests.

The wines are like the view – quite breathtaking! You will have to taste to understand. Let the flavours of South Africa seep through you whilst you soak up that view and feel complete relaxation flood your body as you immerse yourself in your surroundings.

Did we make it to Hidden Valley?

No – being holiday time it was full, but to be truthful we had already discovered a gem. Next visit to the South African wine route will include a booking for lunch and another tasting of those superb Guardian Peak wines.

So what about Graham Beck, I hear you say? I’ll reveal all tomorrow …

For an unusual safari in South Africa, take 2 Jack Russell dogs, 2 bicycles and two girls and travel where your fancy takes you!

Maria and her friend Liani made up their minds to travel around their native South Africa on a voyage of discovery.  In their own words this is how they got started …

“It was one night, at a get together, surrounded by friends and family, when the reality of the moment struck. What was usually fun and games, turned stale, suddenly! Stuck in the proverbial rut! The moment was too big to ignore, so, the obvious question was, where to go from here? So as if by design, we set off to St Lucia, to new horizons, self discoveries, and a tremendous awakening.”

Their blog is called My Life Changing Journey.

Go and read the rest of their inspiring story and let me know where you want to plant your own feet in their footsteps …

Tailor Made South Africa Travel is being joined by a new family member! No, not a person, but another website, Tailor Made Australia Travel. We are delighted to introduce Tailor Made Australia Travel as the luxury Australia travel sister to Tailor Made South Africa.

Like our personalized South Africa itineraries, we are working closely with an Australian specialist to bring you the very best in luxury Australia travel, so don’t forget to visit and find out how we can help you have the best luxury Australia travel you can get!

Don’t forget to claim your free special report, ” 9 Sure-fire Ways To Have The Safari In South Africa You Always Wanted” – it’s jam-packed full of great tips to make sure you have a fantastic luxury safari in South Africa.