South Africa is unique in knowing the exact date on which their wine industry began, thanks to the diary entry of Jan Van Riebeeck, who wrote on February 2, 1659 — “Today, praise be to God wine was pressed for the first time from Cape grapes.” . Van Riebeeck was sent to the Cape in 1652 by the Dutch East India Company to establish a victualling station for ships rounding the southern tip of Africa between Europe and the East. He established the first vineyards on the slopes of Table Mountain.

In 1685, Simon van der Stel (the Cape’s first Governor) was granted a large farm just outside of Cape Town which he named Constantia. He planted orchards and vineyards which flourished. After van der Stel’s death in 1712, the farm was divided among several families, who each built their mansions, cellars and farmed here for generations. Some of the best wines in the world, favored by the likes of Napoleon were produced in the valley, and they are still being produced today.

The Constantia Wine Route is one of the best trips to take when visiting Cape Town. Visitors have made a bee-line for the valley since the 1700’s. It only takes about 25 minutes to drive from the city center so you can spend most of your time marveling at the gorgeous landscape, tasting spectacular wines and appreciating the beautifully preserved Cape Dutch architecture.

There are eight wine farms in the valley, the best known include: Steenberg, Groot Constantia, Constantia Uitsig, Buitenverwachting and Klein Constantia. Each wine estate produces unique tasting wines so it’s worth visiting several of them. While Constantia became world renowned for its sweet white wines, today you can enjoy Sauvignon Blanc. Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, Pinotage, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir.

Once you’ve built up an appetite touring the cellars and tasting wine, you can head for a local restaurant and enjoy some of the finest cuisine on offer in South Africa. Several of Constantia’s wine estates have transformed their mansions into lovely hotels complete with excellent restaurants to compliment their wines. For an informal lunch we recommend ordering a picnic basket that you can enjoy on one of the great estate lawns. For dinner you can’t go wrong with La Colombe, Catharina’s Restaurant, or the Constantia Uitsig Restaurant.

We highly recommend you spend a few nights in the valley, it’s close to everything in the city, but so much more peaceful. There are two hotels in particular that we love: The Steenberg and the Constantia Uitsig. Both offer a luxury, boutique hotel experience in an historic building on beautiful estate grounds. There are great restaurants on site as well as spas and swimming pools to further relax you. There’s no doubt you’ll be asking for a late check-out.

Check this blog next week for more on South Africa’s award winning wineries in Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. And don’t forget to enter our Savor South Africa contest so you can experience South Africa’s beautiful wine estates for yourself.

We’ve been having fun asking people to guess what exactly “Bunny Chow” might be (without looking it up on Google!). We can give you a couple of hints:

1. It’s a typical South African food
2. It originated in Durban
3. It can’t be cooked on a braai*

*Braai is the South African word for Barbecue. You can never underestimate a South African’s love for meat (or anything really) cooked on a braai. There’s even a National Braai Day in South Africa — September 24, 2010, mark your calendar. But no wonder really when the braai has been elevated to such a culinary art form. Check out some of these Braai tips by Sonja Jordt, who writes for Go!

Braai Tips To Braai For…

1. Butter the Steak. If you enjoy steak with a sauce, consider serving it with flavoured butter instead of your regular mushroom sauce. Try herb-and mustard butter, anchovy and-caper butter or gorgonzola butter.

2. Flavour a Mielie (Corn on the Cob). Mix some honey, grated fresh ginger, chopped red chilli and sesame seed with olive oil. Paint it on fresh mielies before you braai them.

3. Paint your Vegetables. Mix equal parts balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and add a little sugar. Liberally paint vegetables such as butternut, big brown mushrooms and halved red onions while braaiing them on medium-hot coals.

4. Wrap an Onion. Quarter red onions, but don’t cut all the way through. Put a sprig of rosemary and a dollop of butter inside each onion, wrap it in tinfoil and put it on medium-hot coals.

Find out more about Bunny Chow.

Our very own senior consultant Yvette de Vries was interviewed by her local paper earlier this week. The Norwalk Citizen visited African Portfolio’s office in Connecticut to find out more about our Savor South Africa contest. Here’s a little peek:

What was nice for De Vries in putting the proposal together is that it combines what she used to love doing in South Africa–working in the tasting room and in public relations at Stellenbosch Winery–with what she loves doing in America, working for African Portfolio putting together custom-designed safaris for clients.

Click here to read the whole interview.

Given the quality of restaurants in South Africa, it seems odd that there aren’t too many places you can enjoy South African food in the US. It would take less time to fly to South Africa and dine there, than to find a little nook where you can enjoy some bobotie washed down with a Peaock Ridge Merlot.

Perhaps it’s because South African food is hard to define, unlike Ethiopian or Moroccan. South African food is really a mixed bag of world cuisines reflecting the country’s history. You’ve got a fusion of French, Portuguese, Dutch, Malaysian, Zulu, Xhosa and German influences all blending in harmony on a single plate.

Here’s a list of South African Restaurants in the US:

• Braai in New York. We’re regulars here, it’s a nice restaurant, the menu is decent and the wine list is extensive. Our favorite dish is the ostrich.
• Madiba Restaurant in Brooklyn NY, offers traditional South African food, in a relaxed setting. It has a slightly more elaborate menu than Braai, but the food can be a bit inconsistent. Their grocery shop is a bonus though.
• Shebeen in Charlotsville, VA offers all the goodies and more: boerewors, sosaties, sadza cakes, and peri-peri shrimp along with an excellent selection of wine.
• 10 Degrees South in Atlanta is a small, contemporary restaurant serving fun and inventive South African cuisine including bobotie spring rolls as an appetizer.

There used to be a South African vegetarian restaurant in San Francisco, it unfortunately closed down. Instead, you can always enjoy eating some delicious dishes at Bar Bambino, prepared by executive chef Lizzie Binder who originally hails from Durban. And if you’re planning a party and need a little South African catering, On Safari Foods does a fabulous job in the Seattle area.

South African Food Stores in the US:
If you’d like to try some of the recipes we’ll be featuring on this blog, or just miss a taste of home, you can stock up here …

• African Hut
• South African Food Shop
• Shop South Africans

Of course, nothing really beats actually being in South Africa and eating there. If you haven’t entered our contest to win a gourmet safari for two, click here and do so now!

Curious what a lamb sosatie might be? Imagine chunks of tender lamb, coated with a mix of spices that includes curry, tumeric, garlic and bay leaves. Now grill it on a kebab skewer along with some dried apricots and voila — a little taste of South Africa. Our friends at the River House in Westport (CT) will be hosting a South African themed evening on January 20th to launch our Savor South Africa contest. We’re very excited to share lamb sosaties and many other fine South African foods with those who live in the Connecticut area.

The River House is a wonderful bistro located on the banks of the Saugatuck River. Gaze at the wintery scene outside and warm yourself up with a prix fixe meal that includes a spicy peri-peri chicken and a flavorful Cape Malay bobotie. For $45 per person you’ll also get to taste several delicious South African wines and of course, our personal favorite, Amarula coffee.

Please call the restaurant directly to make your reservation at: 203-226-5532, the kitchen will be open from 6pm to 10pm. We hope to see you there!