The cape of good grape.
Wine snobs love to differentiate between the wines of the old world - namely those of France, Italy, Spain, Germany etc and those of the new (and therefore, by definition, inferior) world.
South Africa's finest
We suspect spending a day at the beautiful Vergelegen wine estate outside Cape Town might make those same wine snobs reconsider. Not only are the wines - and particularly the flagship Vergelegen 'V' and White Blend respectively - some of South Africa's finest, but the place itself is spectacularly beautiful. With a backdrop of the wonderfully named Hottentots Holland Mountains and acres of vineyards, the manor house itself is a perfect example of the Cape Dutch style. The piece de resistance, however, is the truly stunning avenue of 300 year old camphor trees, claimed to be the oldest in South Africa. Needless to say this is the perfect place to have lunch, and whiling away an afternoon at an outside table at the restaurant in the company of the wineries finest is pretty heavenly.