Each wine region has it’s own appeal and vibe. Stellenbosch has an amazing energy and laid-back farms. Franschhoek has an air of sophistication and a spectacular backdrop. Robertson has beautiful hidden gems and is home to one of my favourite wines, the Arendsig Wild Yeast Chardonnay.
Up until recently, I hadn’t really spent much time in the Paarl wine region. Even though it’s only a 40 minute drive from Cape Town, I normally plan my winelands excursions for Stellenbosch or Franschhoek. But a little while ago Keenan and I were invited to come out and experience Laborie in Paarl and I was blown away by the beauty, warm welcome, stunning wines and delicious food.
We arrived on Friday afternoon in time to have a welcome glass of Chardonnay Pinot Noir, which I promptly bought a case of. From there on out, it was all great wines and laughing. Firstly we headed to the tasting room. Overwhelmed by the tasting options, which range from olive and wine pairings to macaroon and bubbly pairings, we chose two. I had the macaroon and bubbly pairing and Keenan had the chocolate and wine pairing.
The view from the Taste deck is absolutely breathtaking. The weather out in Paarl is hot in summer, and after the wine tastings we headed to the newly-opened Bar Di Bar beer bar and lawn for a beer tasting. We sat out on a picnic blanket and debated the morality of paying 4-year old children to sign up to soccer teams in European leagues.
The Bar Di Bar offering is so super cool, with a huge selection of craft beers on tap and a really sexy little bar. We sat out there for ages just chatting and laughing until we were so hungry we could hardly have another beer.
Back at Taste we ordered from the tapas menu and added a bottle of bubbles for good measure. The food really impressed me and so did the prices. We had a delicious charcuterie platter and snacks of fish with dip and asian duck. Thank goodness we did because by this time we had consumed quite a bit of wine and craft beer.
