Tours and Trails-operated DuVine Adventures Biking in SA

The Cape of Good Hope

Cape Town….. November….. should be the start of summer, right? Well, the weather gods had other ideas.. (the eco-conservatives would say it was a liberal plot designed to support the ‘greenies’ outrageous claims that the climate is changing).

One of my regular employers, Tours & Trails, operated the inaugural DuVine Adventures bicycle tour in South Africa. Asked to guide the tour, I enlisted the expertise of super-driver and expert mech, Steve Andrews and together with Albert and Beatriz Miniaci, we spent the week eating and drinking our way around the Cape in the driving rain. As Albert noted, it was a 50/50 tour: 50% of the time, we eat and 50% of the time, we drink.

Out of 8 days of touring, we managed TWO days of biking and 6 days of wheeling and dealing to make alternative plans. Fortunately the winelands is crammed with good food and wine and the Miniacis were not averse to indulging in les gastronomies délicieux.

Here’s a rundown of some of the places we visited:

JC le Roux for Methode Cap Classique (‘bubbles’ for those of us unconcerned with the correct terminology). What a great way to showcase a product that doesn’t appeal to all wine quaffers. We tasted a range of bubbles with a variety of nougats and fudges…. Yeeee-uummmm….. I have a new appreciation for a drink I didn’t much care for.

The Rupert Museum in Stellenbosch. This is one of my favourite places to see the works of a variety of South Africa’s masters. The Rodin exhibition was a treat (it’s open til August 2010), but it’s always a treat to see wall after wall of SA’s best, including Pierneef, Cecil Skotnes, Irma Stern, Maggie Laubser, Walter Batiss, Frans Claerhout, Anton van Wouw and many others.

Red Hot Glass Studio at Seidelberg Estate. This is a working glass blowing studio, but it’s a treat to be able to watch the guys at work, melting, moulding and blowing alongside a studio of Chihuly-esque creations.

Mountain Oaks Organic Wines. One of our two days of biking was spent in the Slanghoek Valley, between Rawsonville and Wolesley, an awesomely picturesque little corner of the Cape, loaded with good wines and warm, friendly people. We stopped to taste organic wine, almonds and olives at Mountain Oaks, home and life of Christine Stevens and her husband, Mark. Christine is not only a great winemaker, farmer/gardener and host, but a talented cook as well. She has published her own cookbook, showcasing her family’s healthy lifestyle and sharing some of her favourite organic meals.

Next stop, Bergsig wines… another family endeavour but on an entirely different scale. Here the Lategan family, together with Chris du Toit, make a variety of wines and port for both export and domestic consumption. Ever wondered where your Woolies wines come from? The next time you pick a Perky Pink or select a Sassy Sweet from the shelf, picture the grapes staring across at the Limietberge before your wine was made. A hearty ‘bord boerekos’ and a personal cellar tour from Chris rounded off a great bike day.

It was thanks to our friends at our favourite Franschhoek auberge that we were able to fill the next few grey, wet days. First stop, Huguenot Fine Foods, where Denver treated us to a private lesson on the production and crafting of Belgian chocolate before we joined master charcutière, Neil Jewel at Bread & Wine, for a taste exploration of his porky jewels. A passionate chef and all-round nice guy, Neil entertained us to the point of drunkenness before setting us free in the restaurant to enjoy more of Moreson’s ruby liquid.

A trip to the Franschhoek Motor Museum is a must-do, even for those not particularly bothered with cars. Around 80 of the Ruperts’ enviable collection of more than 200 antique–through-modern vehicles are displayed at a time, offering a well-informed glimpse into past and recent automotive history.

Steve having raptures over the fast, sporty models

David Walters, designer craftsman, potter, ceramicist, glass slumper offers the opportunity to watch him work in his studio and then try your hand at a novel creative endeavour. Glass slumping is an art that even the most left-brained blockhead can enjoy and David will fire your masterpiece and return it to you to enjoy and share with others less creatively endowed.

Releasing their inner artistes

David Walters at work

Once we finally did hit the tar, the weather seemed to hold out long enough to get at least 30km ridden. Thankfully, the day we biked the peninsula, the south-easter restrained itself and we enjoyed a relatively breezeless ride all the way from Kommetjie to Good Hope, a respectable 38km.

Beatriz enjoying the Cape

Albert and Beatriz’s latest movie opens in December 2009. Check out www.transylmaniathemovie.com