IT’S been a frigid winter, but spring is around the corner. Here are some fireside destinations in an around Cape Town to get you through the last of the chilly days and nights. With its mountains and beaches, it’s a city many think best suited to summer but winter can be just as magnificent a time to explore the Mother City.
Sustainable and seasonal produce is served fireside with sweeping vineyard views at beyond at Buitenverwachting in Constantia. Peter Tempelhoff and team’s slow food experience ticks all the feel good boxes ensuring you eat delicious food at a fair price, with all ingredients sourced from the best local producers. Expect food that comforts and nurtures served to old-fashioned service standards.
There’s no doubt that imbued with an artist’s creative vision, a garden takes on still further layers of meaning. The Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden in Stellenbosch won’t disappoint – this magnificent garden contains within it levels of symbolism and serves as a stage where nature and man, wild and tame, meet.
While the vineyards use the cold and rainy days of winter to rest and recharge ahead of the next harvest, in the cellar door tasting room at Bouchard Finlayson (top picture) there’s a weekend fireside offering which is bound to warm up winter in the valley. Enjoy a bowl of hearty soup next to an open fire, accompanied by fresh breads and some of South Africa’s finest wines. Known for its superlative Chardonnay and Pinot Noir offering, the 120-hectare Bouchard Finlayson farm is a must for anyone visiting the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley.