The Winelands is the best-kept gem in Cape Town with stunning vineyards and exquisite eateries but there’s a destination with a force to be reckoned with and that place is known as the Spice Route.

If you hear great reviews of any place, one certainly gets curious and with Paarl only being 20 minutes away from where I reside, it’s a no brainer to spend a sunny Sunday amongst the vines.

Spice Route is not only for wine lovers but a fun-filled outing that the whole family or even a group of friends can enjoy. And no, it’s not about spices. It merely showcases the best in artisanal produce that allows artisans to share their love for what they do in their unique fashion; food, wine, and crafts.

There are so many attractions on the farm; surrounded by breathtaking views that we weren’t able to visit. If I’m being completely honest, you need to spend at least two-three days to cover every inch of the place.

This is what we got up to during our fun-filled excursion:

DV Cafe

We got there quite early so the first thing we searched for was coffee. On the top, far end of the perimeter was DV Cafe. It’s a tiny cottage filled with various coffee beans and pastries with an ice-cream bar out front. They have interesting caffeine combinations that intrigued my senses.

I wanted to try them all. However, I made sure to try the chocolate cappuccino whilst Courtney stuck to an original one. Sit outside on their benches and enjoy the relaxing setting. If you have some time on your hands, try doing their Ice Cream or Sorbet Tasting; each with 5 selections of various flavours.

De Villiers Chocolate

Next stop: chocolate tasting. Just the word chocolate alone gets me off my feet so I was quite excited to taste whatever chocolate they had in store. If you follow me on social media, you’ll know my obsession with their DV Thins so I’m familiar with the brand and what they stand for.

You can either do the tasting or browse around the store and purchase a few sweet treats. I just stocked up on my favourites then walked straight through to the tasting bar. Its R20.00 per person and, you try various chocolate flavours that will either make your palette happy or cringe a bit. We tried every single one and they were pretty good besides a few here and there that didn’t agree with my taste buds.

Cape Brewing Company

Lovers of craft beer, this one is for you. Having tried one of their beers already, it was a right of passage to simply try the others as well. However, Courtney tasted them alone but he was quite eager not to share either. You get the option of two different ones: Standard Tasting with 4 beer tastings at R35.00 or Master Tasting consisting of 7 tastings for R45.00. We went with Standard.

The Server definitely made it enjoyable. Even with the huge crowds, you could still hear the explanations and techniques of how each beer was crafted.

La Grapperia Bistro and Pizzeria

Lunchtime quickly approached and La Grapperia is on the menu yet it was fully packed; offering a panoramic view of the vineyards. With no booking made (which I highly suggest you do), we were able to get a table but only inside. Having heard they have the best pizzas in town, it’s a must-try on our part. We proceeded to order the Collina layered with chicken stripes and peppadew.

FYI – It really was as good as many said it would be.

Wilderer Distillery

Right next to La Grapperia is Wilderer Distillery and time to finally do some gin tasting. I’ve never tried it before (not a gin and tonic kinda girl) especially not neat so it was an experience I looked forward too.

Courtney opted out and thought it was best to stand on the sidelines and watch the expressions on my face. I went with the Craft Gin Tasting for R30.00 which consisted of neat tasters spirits namely; Grappa, Schnaps & Gin. I took one tiny sip of them all and nearly had an anxiety attack in my throat. You really need to have an acquired palette to enjoy it but will do it again in a heartbeat.

After all these activities, we simply had to walk off the calories. The property is magnificent so take time out and sightsee a bit.

There’s a handful of places that still need to be explored, tried and tested so we have no choice but to complete them all. If there is one destination for a one-day adventure trip, I highly recommend Spice Route. It will most certainly spice up your weekend.

For more information, visit the Spice Route website here.
Open from Monday to Sunday: 08:00-17:00 | Contact: 021 863 5200 | Email: info@spiceroute.co.za

Until the next adventure.

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