Over the holidays I spent two weeks in South Africa with family. Our last few days were spent in Cape Town and we managed to squeeze in a couple of wine tastings among our other activities because, guys? The wine in South Africa is amazing… and (bonus) super affordable. It is incredibly difficult to find the better South African wines in the U.S. but they are slowly infiltrating. Slowly. Every wine region has a different vibe, take California for example: Napa is dressy, Sonoma is high end casual, Anderson Valley is super casual. The Cape Town wine scene is like Cape Town in general: friendly, relaxed, but stylish.
The first wine tasting we did was at Steenberg. This was easy for us as my in-laws have a house on the property which has a beautiful golf course, rows and rows of vines, and a stunning hotel with a well known Michelin started restaurant (Catharina’s). The wine tastings are offered in a tasting room with a very good restaurant in the back (Bistro1682). It’s a beautiful location and while we didn’t need reservations – you can always do a tasting around their generous tasting bar – I would suggest booking a table if you want to sit on the outside terrace among the infinity pools and fountains.
The wine is gorgeous, the sommeliers are generous with their pours and very knowledgable and friendly and the overall vibe is relaxed but upscale. The first time I did a tasting there, I wore a Rag and Bone dress that was a little too polished and buttoned up and I was uncomfortable as I felt too dressy and wasn’t able to relax on the couch – the inside tastings have comfort seating and low coffee tables. This time I wore a pair of high waisted denim culottes, a white tee shirt, and sandals. It felt right.
The next day we did a tasting at Beau Constantia in Constantia Nek, which is conveniently located just down the road from Steenberg. It was a hot day and I wanted to wear something effortless and cool. I reached for my Xirena dress and it was the perfect thing with flat sandals (in this case Manolo Blahnik’s). I’ve been wearing Xirena’s bras for years (years!) now and I just love them. They recently launched a clothing line, which is growing quite quickly. The fabrics they use are high quality cotton and their clothing is just the right mix of effortless California without looking too sloppy. I’m a huge fan! I wore two of their shirts constantly while I was in South Africa and for the wine tasting, I wore the Leighton dress in red… it has since sold out but here are their other beautiful dresses! I’ve got my eye on the Pink Reef Ruby Dress and the Dark Indigo Daytona Dress.
Steenberg:
The stunning views of Steenberg
We got hungry after our tasting… this is from Bistro1682
Dinner at Catharina’s
Beau Constantia:
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hey you!
another great post. You look great. I love the look of the Xirena bras. Just one question… they all seem to have a seam going over the nip… are they lined inside or is there in fact a seam lying over the nips? That makes me crazy.
And the Leighton dress link did not work for me. Thought you might want to check it…
You still in London? xxx
el
Hi Elinore!!! The Xirena bras are not lined they are more like bralettes. And I know what you mean about the seam… BUT I wear mine under tee shirts and tanks and the seam doesn’t show. Double checking the link, thanks for letting me know!!! xxxx