FORKS & THE ROAD

South Africa’s Western Cape Province is renowned for its natural beauty and bounty. Table Mountain is the dominant splendour in Cape Town, the legislative capital of the country, but a mere half- hour drive away is the Cape Winelands district, the gourmet capital. Stellenbosch, the heart of South Africa’s wine industry, is steeped in history with canal lined avenues, giant oak trees and beautifully preserved historic buildings. Dorp Street has the longest rows of surviving old buildings in any major town in southern Africa. The Stellenbosch Wine Routes boast more than 150 wineries in total and wine tourism is big business here. Most of the wineries offer wine sampling and tours but many go beyond. For example, Vredenheim has a Big Cats Park, Hidden Valley offers bird watching, Blauuwklippen has a distillery and bistro, at De Zalze there’s golf and at Jordan flyfishing. Clos Malverne and Spier have spas, Stellenrust and Thelema have hiking trails, and there’s horseback riding at Morgenhof and Waterkloof Estate. At Lanzerac, I had a premium pairing of five wines with five different- flavoured chocolates. The unusual matches worked well and the chocolate lovers among us were in heaven. In their deli, visitors could buy fresh- baked breads, cheese and charcuterie platters, as well as picnic baskets filled with goodies to be enjoyed in the garden overlooking the vineyards. Every year, Stellenbosch holds a three- day lifestyle festival that showcases hundreds of Stellenbosch wines from big producers to small boutiques, gourmet food offerings by top restaurants, live music and fun outdoor activities. The 2016 dates are Feb. 5- 7. stellenboschwinefestival.co.za