E-Biking Through The Winelands
Overlooking Rustenberg Wine Farm
Biking Through The Winelands
For our first big adventure of 2024, we braved getting on bikes for the first time since 19-voetsek for an E-Bike Vine tour through the winelands.
The tour would start at Lanzerac, taking the scenic route to Rustenberg (where there would be a wine tasting…naturally), and then back to Lanzerac. The ride was advertised as a “14km ride that feels like 5km”. Naturally, we were skeptical.
Turns out, it felt like 0km, as the E-bikes were ridiculously easy to ride. The power assist meant we only had to make a couple revolutions every 30-60 seconds and then coast. For a guy with bad knees, this was awesome.
The ride took us through some of old town Stellenbosch with a detour through Jan Marais Nature reserve.
Jan Marais is a beautiful park, one we had been to before, and really easy to bike through. The views are spectacular and I wish I had been able to grab a few more photos.
Rustenberg Wine Farm
Like Lanzarac, we’d heard or Rustenberg but didn’t know where it was and, to be honest, since 90%+ of their wines are made for export, we had what turned out to be a woefully wrong impression.
Turning off the main road, it’s a decent distance to the tasting room through some absolutely breathtaking scenery…rolling hills, fields of grass and flowers, with the mountains standing majestically in the distance.
Rustenberg only offers wine tastings…no pairings, no food. As it’s a hidden gem, it is an incredibly peaceful estate, the tasting room is beautifully done, and you can also sit outside under the massive oak trees…which is what we did.
We tasted the Sauvignon Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Malbec was divine, just full of plum goodliness, and the Sav Blanc was cool, crisp, without having too much acidity.
We threw a couple bottles in the backpack and headed back to Lanzerac.
Lanzerac Wine Farm
Lanzerac is one of the oldest wine farms in the Western Cape, founded in 1692, only 13 years after Stellenbosch was founded. It was originally named Schoongezicht (wonderful view), but was renamed in 1920 to Lanzerac by Mrs. English, allegedly after General Charles Lanzerac, a French General during WWI.
We started with their Heritage Range Wine tasting because, well, bubbles and it’s the expensive stuff. The Mrs. English Chardonnay was ok, but the Le General Bordeaux Blend was fan-freaking-tastic. As the ‘home of the Pinotage’ (which we learned was a grape hybrid from pinot noir and cinsault), the Pionier Pinotage finished off the tasting and was spectacular.
Lanzerac also has a deli, and we were famished, so of course we took advantage and had lunch. I had the Philly Steak Roll which was good…but being an American, I like my Philly Steaks to be hot. Kim had the ‘Low, Slow, and Smokey’ pulled pork which was really good, and I’m a bit of a BBQ snob.
For ‘dessert’, we couldn’t pass up the Chocolate and Wine pairing, which matched 5 wines with 5 different chocolates. This alone would be worth a visit.
The tasting room/deli was beautifully decorated, seating was comfortable, and the atmosphere was enjoyable. Our wine guide was absolutely entertaining and very knowledgeable about the wine and the history of the estate. A great wine guide makes for a great experience.
A Great Day
All in all, it was a great day…the weather wasn’t too warm and the experiences were amazing. Our guide for the E-bike tour was fantastic and I would definitely recommend taking one of the tours if you’re in the area.
10/10 - would totally do again
