by travelling, we expand our world; by taking unexpected detours as journeys in themselves, we become a people that explore the unknown in an open-minded manner; when we change our world, we change our being-in-the-world to become broader, more dense with colour
We had the opportunity to stay at the beautiful old winery Natte Valleij in Stellenbosch recently, and we were blown away from the start by the magic that this old region in South Africa has to offer.
From wine, to the most beautiful gardens, to the accommodation in the old buildings on the farm.
In this virtual journey, I want to take you with me on this stay, showing you just how beautiful this place is.
So, without further ado, please join me.
Nature: Pathways to Beauty
The wine farm offers so many scenic routes that you can walk and enjoy the old gardens of the lady who still owns the property. Sometimes you can see her walk in the gardens, which is itself a little bit scary when you do not expect to see someone walking. But this adds to the charm of the place.
Because of this beauty, they have since turned most of the old stables and wine-making rooms into a wedding venue!
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As you walk on the farm, you quickly venture onto other properties as well. I was never really sure when I was on the Natte Valleij property or when I was trespassing onto some other farm. But this offered even more beautiful scenes.
Eventually, we had to turn around and head back home - or the room we stayed in. We could stay out in the wild all night long!
We strolled back to our room, and enjoyed the last bit of sunshine contemplating the meaning of life and all of those discussions that arise as soon as one enters these beautiful places.
The Old Buildings on the Farm
As we strolled through the farm, I was struck by the many beautiful buildings. Some of them were still in use, but others were transformed. If I heard correctly, some of the older horse stalls were used as art centres, and as I mentioned above, the old wine rooms are used as a wedding venue.
Our own room for the night was situated next to the main building, with all its cracks and reminders that it was also very old and part of the previous world.
If I am not mistaken, this home (above photograph) was part of our journey well beyond the markers of the farm we stayed on. But it was nonetheless stunning.
From Wines to Horses to Art Scenes
At times, it feels like the wine farm does not really have an identity. If I am correct, the assistant winemaker told us that most of the grapes for the wine are bought from other farms, because the owner also breeds with horses.
However, some of the older stalls are used in wedding venues and have been turned into art rooms/studios.
We tried to see some of the horses, but proved to be more difficult than it needed to be.
But on our walk back to our room, we spotted some horses in the far distance. We also saw the horse stalls now turned into art studios.
Wine: Where the Magic Happens
Even though most of the vineyards were pulled from the farm to make space for the horses, there are a couple of vines still growing. These are more of a monument (Photographs above).
But the wine is made on sight.
We could not book a wine tasting, as the winemaker who also does the tasting was on holiday. Luckily, we could get some help from the assistant wine maker and he took us through their process.
From the old cellars where they used to store the wine (now a wedding venue) to the current wine cellar and winemaking room.
We also saw first hand how they dipped the wines by hand into the hot wax, and we talked about everything wine for a while.
We bought some wine, and we obviously drank some as well! We stayed on the farm and could not miss the opportunity to drink some of their produce.
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Here is a short clip of the hand-dipping process:
Staying for the Night
We bought some bottles of wine, and we decided to open one as well.
The night was young, were were in our youth, and we enjoyed the moment we could totally detach from life itself.
We had interesting visitors, as the owner of the farm had several dogs. We made some friends with these friendly dogs, and we enjoyed our own food - unfortunately, they did not have a catering system as far as I know.
We bought some fruit and sushi along the way, and we at these the night we opened the bottle of wine. Sushi, berries, and wine!
It was a lovely combination I must admit.
Postscriptum, Or The Evening Comes To an End
As always, good things have to come to an end. But that is not always bad, as it opens up into new adventures, new journeys, new memories.
We are our previous selves, the memories we collected, the ones we can remember, but also the ones we forget. We are forged from the history of our being. But this is never stable; always in motion and in flux, adapting to the changing world we see around us. Travelling makes this process even more beautiful.
For we are always a piece of art, a picture never fully developed, and therefore the most beautiful motion that exists.
For now, happy and safe travels, and keep well.
All of the musings and writings are my own. The photographs are also my own, taken with my Nikon D300.
WINEMAPS: The Philosopher's Winery/Vineyard Visit List
📍Hazendal Wine Estate
📍Babylonstoren Wines
📍Super Single Vineyards at Canettevallei
📍Cathedral Peak Wine Estate
📍 Fairview Wine and Cheese Estate
📍Hidden Valley Wines
📍Waterkloof Wines
📍Mitres Edge Wines
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