Lourensford Coffee and Wine Tasting

The weather was not cooperating so Elizabeth took us out for a day of coffee and wine tasting. On our way to the coffee tasting, we passed through Somerset West which is on the southern tip of Stellenbosch with a view of the sea. The homes were beautiful but highly secure. Groups of homes were bordered with high metal fences, individual homes were surrounded by high metal fences, every home had an alarm system and every window had burglar bars. They tried to make these security defenses as decorative as possible, but these homes were mini-fortresses. I sense real fear in the midst of spectacular mountain and ocean views.

At Lourensford, we watched beans being roasted and packed for mail delivery to customers. The Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel had some fairly horrific descriptions of what can go wrong. Kris tried the Terranova from Zambia. I bought and shared “husks” which were like healthy biscotti – made from flour, buttermilk, coconut, sesame seeds, currants, sunflower seeds, bran, butter, raising agents, and sugar.

I'm posing in front of a metal sculpture of a wine vine. By now, it was 10 am and time for our first wine tasting. We sat down and had 4 varieties poured for a small fee.