On a sunny Sunday afternoon in the Cape, we visited Middelvlei wine farm. Honestly, Cape Town was seriously showing off that day weather-wise, and as we drove into the property, all we could see was bright sunshine, beautiful green paddocks, farm animals and the gorgeous mountain scenery so prominent in the Cape.
It was our first FULL day in the Cape, having arrived in Stellenbosch the previous afternoon. We’d had a blissful night of sleep, and the excitement of our holiday to come saw us eagerly anticipating our visit to Middelvlei. And they did NOT disappoint.
While I’ve tasted a number of the Middelvlei wines (their Free-Run Pinotage is GLORIOUS!), I’d never visited the farm, so it has been a must-visit on my list for some time. We had a wine tasting ahead of us, as well as the Boerebraai lunch, PLUS I was meeting my sister and her boyfriend there, and I hadn’t seen her in months!
The wine tasting is R60pp and includes your choice of 4 Middelvlei wines. I selected a white, a rosé and two reds to taste.
The Middelvlei Unoaked Chardonnay is lovely – fruity with peach and guava on the palate. I’m really enjoying my Chardonnay these days, and this one is perfect for easy summer sipping.
Next up was the Middelvlei Cinsaut Rosé – a beautiful salmon pink wine with lots of summer berries and watermelon notes. The more Cinsaut Rosés I taste, the more I seem to gravitate towards them, and I can see myself drinking plenty of this pretty wine.
Onto the reds, I decided to try one of the Middelvlei Rooster wines, and opted for the Shiraz. This is SUCH a lovely, easy drinking red, great for social occasions. Gentle spices with lots of plum and a subtle hint of liquorice.
Finally, the last wine in my tasting was the Middelvlei Pinotage Merlot. I love a good red blend, and this one was exceptionally delicious. Loads of plum and blackcurrant, and so juicy you just feel yourself reaching for more!
The wine tastings are also very generous, so well worth the (already very reasonable) price.
We then ordered a bottle of the Free-Run Pinotage and started to enjoy our delectable lunch. And honestly, with 4 people enjoying this meal, we actually weren’t able to finish everything – once again SUPER generous portions!
The Boerebraai lunch begins with delicious fresh Potbrood, along with Snoek pâté and delicious homemade preserves. The bread is still warm and so soft, and the Snoek pâté is DIVINE. Those homemade preserves are something special too. Even if you’re not eating lunch at Middelvlei, I highly recommend adding this onto your wine tasting.
The lunch then includes a lamb chop, a large piece of boerewors and a honey and mustard chicken sosatie for each person. On top of this, the sides are placed in the middle of the table, so you can help yourself and dine ‘family style’. Fresh green salad, delicious and traditional potato salad, braaibroodjies that were the best I’ve ever eaten, and pampoenkoekies so good that we had to basically fight my sister off if we wanted one!
Everything was perfectly cooked, incredibly delicious and overall it’s a meal I’d happily do again and again at Middelvlei.
We were blessed to be invited later that week, to join Ben and Tinnie Momberg, the current owners of the beautiful family vineyard, at their private family cellar for a chat and a tasting. And what a treat it was!
To meet the family behind the incredible brand was such a gift. Both Ben and Tinnie are so humble and down to earth, lovely warm gentlemen who so love wine and the wine industry.
We were able to taste a couple of wines that we honestly never believed in our dreams we’d be lucky enough to try. Tinnie opened up a bottle of Middelvlei Pinotage – but a vintage from 1988 (just 2 years younger than me)! This in itself was a special moment, and you could truly tell the exceptional quality of Middelvlei’s wines as it was utterly beautiful.
After browsing through the large cellar, Ben actually found a bottle of Zonnebloem Cabernet Sauvignon from 1972 (over a decade older then me), and we all had such a chuckle when we realised that at the time it was on shelves, it cost a mere R2.20!
We had such a lovely morning at Middelvlei chatting all things wine, the effects of covid, sports stars that had visited the cellar and even briefly about the riots in KZN in July. Meeting the family that own the farm honestly just made me love Middelvlei even more – and we’ll most definitely be back on our next trip to the Cape.
Just to summarise, here is some info about each experience we enjoyed at Middelvlei: –
WINE TASTING INFO: –
R60pp for 4 wines
You can also choose to pay R100pp and include Potbrood and Snoek pâté as a delicious snack.
There are also the following wine experiences at Middelvlei: –
Wine and Tapas pairing – R150pp for 3 wines and 3 tapas
Wine and Braaibroodjie pairing – R150pp for 3 wines and 3 tapas
Kiddies Juice tasting – R70pp
Wine Blending Experience – blend your own wine at R250pp. Designed as an activity for 2 people with 1 bottle to take home, and includes a tasting, snack of Potbrood and Snoek pâté, blending experience and bottle to take home. (GREAT DATE IDEA!)
BOEREBRAAI INFO: –
R265pp
Includes: –
Potbrood, Snoek pâté and homemade preserves
Lamb Chop
Boerewors
Honey and mustard chicken sosatie
Braaibroodjie
Pampoenkoekies
Potato salad
Green salad
*Also available in a Vegetarian or Low Carb option
Have you seen my other posts about our trip to the Cape?
Middelvlei is FABULOUS for a beautiful lunch visit, but if you’re looking for a dinner spot, I can highly recommend Durbanville Hills – read all about our visit to The Tangram Restaurant HERE.
