We are leaving Gansbaai and head north towards Hermanus. However, we’re turning into the Birkenhead Brewery & Wine Estate at Stanford. South Africa claims to have one of the longest wine routes in the world with the Route 62 and therefore a wine tasting in one of the countless wineries is a must-do! We drive through the entrance gate and past numerous vineyards until we reach the residence. Unfortunately, it is winter and the vineyards do not carry leaves and fruits.
There is a large car park, because there are many tourist busses that take you to the various wineries on a wine tasting tour. But we’re lucky, because this afternoon is not too busy! The restaurant and the bar look very beautiful with the fireplace, but as the weather is fine, we decided to sit on the outside terrace!
And the terrace is really something to be proud of! The Birkenhead Brewery is rather unknown among tourists and we can recommend this winery to you as an insider tip! On several benches with sunshades you can enjoy a wonderful and undisturbed view of the Kleinrivier Mountains!
The advantage of the Birkenhead Estate is that they also brew their own beer. So if you don’t like wine, you can join a beer tasting! For 60R (4€) you can try 7 different beers. Of course Markus is there!
For 30R (2€) you can taste 5 different wines. We enjoy our little timeout with a wonderful view!
The tasting is informal, you get a tray where the different types of wine and beer are explained and in which order they should be tasted.
Compared to the wines of the Vergelegen winery, the Birkenhead winery’s wines are a little worse, but on the other hand you can enjoy the most important export good of South Africa” in a relaxed atmosphere with a wonderful view. We would also like to have tasted the fried sausages and the potato salad of the cook, a German emigrant, but unfortunately the kitchen closes at 4 pm.
Don’t Drink & Drive! In South Africa the penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol are very high, this should be taken into account during a wine tasting. If you don’t want to drive yourself, you can rent a car.
