Hidden in a valley, one can drink some wine and enjoy a nature walk. Hidden in this valley, you can for a moment forget about the daily hustle and escape the world and its problems. Here, you can relax and think of yourself in a different world. A world far from the one that brought you to this place. This is Hidden Valley Wines.
I did not get paid to say that. That is what I experienced when I visited this wine estate or wine farm recently. I enjoyed it with some family and we, for a moment, relinquished our daily problems. Unfortunately, I cannot share the wine or the chocolate with you here, but I can share this journey with you and the lovely views. So please come with me on this virtual journey of a stunning hidden gem in the Winelands of the Western Cape, and enjoy the views that are to offer and the rather strange sculptures of their logo.
The Stunning Scenery
As noted, the setting is perfect. You feel secluded and tucked away from the daily life and hustle. You cannot hear traffic, there is nothing to take your mind away except the perfect views.
You sit on the veranda or stoep and enjoy the views whilst you drink your wine (see this below). For now, please just enjoy the view, especially in the video below:
The Strange Sculptures
Throughout the property, there are hidden sculptures in the fynbos and the wine-tasting room. I also managed to snap a picture of @urban.scout!
Here is another video, one including these strange heads:
The Nature Walk
There is a nature trail you can do either before or after the wine tasting. The experience will obviously be better after the wine. Being intoxicated (even just a bit) opens your mind for more clarity, to appreciate the small things. At least, that is how I see it.
One should just not eat the strange mushrooms!
You can also see the tasting room from the walk:
But if you do it before or afterward, you are constantly reminded of the wine around the corner:
The Tasting Room
Feeling a bit thirsty, the wine-tasting room is open, literally in the open. The glasses are stacked on the veranda or stoep. Grape vines grow wild and the chairs stretch far back.
The place is decorated with wood; hopefully, they used some of the timber from the farm itself.
The menu comes in a very beautifully decorated leather cover. It feels pricey, and to some extent it is.
One of the options is to do a chocolate and wine tasting. The chocolates are made on sight for the tasting. You cannot really buy it. Various strange combinations complement the wines. Burnt caramel and milk chocolate; dark cherry and dark chocolate, and so on.
The wines come in different and oddly shaped bottles. The first wine comes in this classic bottle we already associate with Hidden Valley's wines.
But this shape is also strange and funky. I really love the detail they added.
We ordered a cheese platter. It was quite expensive and it was an impulsive buy. We thought there might only be a small piece of cheese on it, but to our surprise, the platter for two was almost too much for four people. There was whole pieces of cheese on it; their own marmalade, olive oil, olives and homemade bread.
Just next to us, you could also see where they made the wines. It is something to witness. You can clearly see how much money is in this place.
And lastly, when we went to pay, this beautiful table greeted us. Me and the dad is into woodworking and it immediately caught both of us. I wonder if it is also from the farm itself. So many wine farms in the area will cut down alien wood species and use them in their tasting rooms.
Postscriptum
I could not resist snapping some more photographs of @urban.scout. This was my favorite. For sure model quality!
Jokes aside, I hope you enjoyed this virtual tour of the winery with me. It is surely not just wine! There are so many things to explore, from nature to the strange sculptures to the wine in the end. I hope that you might visit here some day when you visit South Africa's wine region.
All of the musings are my own. The photographs are also my own, taken with either my iPhone or my Nikon D300. @urban.scout might also have helped taking some photographs and videos!
For now, safe travels!