It doesn’t take much to get me to a wine estate. There’s wine after all, which I guess is pretty much my second favourite thing in the world. Add my absolute favourite – food – to the mix, and I’m there like a bear. And so it was last Saturday. The fine folks from Laborie wine estate in Paarl were celebrating the winners of their Home Cook Heroes contest with Executive Chef, Matthew Gordon, cooking up chef-ified versions of some of the entries. We feasted on prawn and chourico tagliatelle, sweet-bourbon grilled salmon and oxtail with polenta. Now spending the afternoon in an ancient Cape Dutch manor house, chattering away to enthusiastic home cooks, munching and quaffing is all very well for me. But why should you care? For one, they’ll probably be running this contest again, so watch their Facebook page because it was a blast. But, more importantly, Laborie is well worth a visit.
Laborie, well worth a visit: From left to right: Cecile and Natalie Marais (oxtail winners), Melody Vicatos (mussel soup winner) and Margie de Beer (choc pud winner). And of course Cellar, Laborie’s resident feline.
Talk wine estates and the Stellenbosch and Franschoek regions come to mind first for many. That, folks, is where you’re missing out, because there are loads of other wine regions, with Paarl being one of my favourites.
Situated on the edge of town, Laborie has gorgeous views over the du Toit’s Kloof mountains in the distance. Expansive lawns, giant oak trees, vineyards practically at your feet and the company of Cellar, the resident cat, make for a pretty laid back tasting experience. There’s a straightforward wine tasting option at R25 for five wines. For the chocoholic in you, there are two chocolate and wine pairing options at R35 each as well as an olive and wine pairing for R30. I tried the chocolate and wine. The Laborie Rosé MCC paired with rose geranium chocolate was a revelation. And Laborie’s fortified Pineau paired with vanilla plum chocolate? OMGoodness.
where
Taillefer Street,
Paarl
opening times
9am-5pm Mon-Sat
open sundays
11am-5pm
contact
021 807 3390
About this article: I only write about places and things I actually really like. Should I receive complimentary meals/tickets/diamonds, this will always be revealed. I’m not in the rubbishing business, so if something is not my cup of tea, I’ll simply not write about it (but I’ll keep the diamonds). Therefore this is not so much a review, as a personal recommendation of places and things I like. Living in Cape Town, I focus mainly on the Western Cape, and I can only cover so many places (there is that troublesome thing of trying to make a living, after all). This is where I need your help. Please share your favourite markets, festivals, restaurants and wine tasting experiences from all over the country with others by using the ‘COMMENTS’ section below.
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