Discover Paarl in winter

Courtesy of the good folk at Peridot Communications myself and fellow journalists spent a pleasant couple of hours creating, eating and drinking in this charming town. It was bucketing down the whole time; in fact I think it might have been the wettest day we have seen yet this winter. But this indoorsy weather was perfect for the itinerary on offer.

Fanglasstic creations and boerekos

We started with a glass-creating and decorating workshop at Fanglasstic, situated at the Zandwyk Park in Old Paarl Road. Created by sisters Janette and Ronel in 2010 Fanglasstic creates uniquely designed and decorated glassware. We were lucky enough to test-run the first ever workshop in their shop and studio space. After a quick tour of the studio and the glass-making process we snapped on our rubber gloves and surgical masks and sat down to decorate a candle stick and rectangular plate. I went jungle fever crazy and decorated both with delicious monster designs. Can’t wait to see how these turned out. Unfortunately we couldn’t collect our creations on the day as it takes a couple days to mold and dry the products. The workshop was a great experience and provides a unique activity in the area - different from the more well-known feasting and wine tasting.

That said, I find feasting and drinking to be the best and most enjoyable way to explore any place so luckily the rest of the day's activities included just that. Next stop was lunch at the newly opened Knus Karoo Kombuis. Also run by sisters this charmingly quaint restaurant offered us a roaring stove fireplace to cuddle around, red wine and rustic boerekos style cuisine. I sampled the cubed lamb cooked in boboetie style spices on a slice of farm bread and accompanied by sliced banana and coconut shavings. The flavours were spot on, however I felt the portion could have been more generous. Hearty rustic food deserves volume.

Sugar rushing and winter wines

However perhaps it was just as well the portion wasn’t too over indulgent as next point on the itinerary was a sweet wine/liqueur and mini cake pairing at KWV Emporium. This is one for the sweet tooths who don’t mind a little sugar rushing. Supremely indulgent, KWV pairs three of their sweet wines; Muscadel, Tawny Port, Van der Hum and the Wild Africa liqueur with four mini cakes. My favorite combination was the KWV Tawny Port and an apple and pecan nut mini cake. A lovely complement of toasty, oaky and spicy flavours.

Last stop of the day was a wine tasting at the family run boutique winery, Mitre’s Edge, just on the outskirts of Old Paarl road. A somewhat scary, slippery and muddy drive to the vineyard and tasting cellar was well worth it for the warm reception and sumptuous reds we got to sample. We also tasted two whites, but as owner Lola explained the vineyard is much better suited to creating award winning reds. My favourite was the flagship 2012 Sholto, a perfect winter wine, and winner of the Novare SA Terroir Wine 2015 Award. However their entry level wine with the clever name nvME, is great for everyday drinking.

If looking for a weekend or day getaway close to Cape Town this winter don’t forget to put Paarl on your list. With hospitable places such as Fanglasstic, Knus Karoo Kombuis, KWV Emporium and Mitre’s Edge, where you'll feel part of the family, you won’t be disappointed.

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