Grape Trek: Hot on the trail

10 December 2014 - 02:22 By Kim Maxwell
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Visiting a wine farm to sample quality bottles is appealing, but it's more fun with a chaser - an add-on activity.

Weather-dependant and designed for two or four, the Porcupine Trail at Waterford Estate, outside Stellenbosch, is a great chaser.

We were welcomed in a shady courtyard over a glass of bubbly where we were shown nocturnal porcupine sightings on an iPad, recorded by motion-detecting cameras.

Guide Reece Edwards explained that these critters usually search for food at night.

We also saw on screen lynx chased up trees by the farm's energetic ridgeback dogs.

The trail started uphill, with a climb through naartjie orchards in the direction of the Helderberg mountains.

Passing Waterford's shiraz vineyards before hitting fynbos, Edwards pointed out the significance of the Cape Floral Kingdom's endemic species in a global context. I learnt that a compound in smoke, not fire itself, causes fynbos seeds to germinate.

Waterford grows 11 red and two white cultivars, and the trail meandered through a few of those vineyards. Some had vine pole wrappings to keep duikers from feasting on grapes. We passed masses of proteas before dipping into shadier porcupine terrain dotted with 200-year-old wild olive trees.

Waterford's porcupines frequent the shaded Pecan Stream and bigger Porcupine Ridge forests. They sleep deep inside rock caves and forage along the ground, and crumpled undergrowth nearby was the only indication that they had wandered past.

We were sweaty after an enjoyable two-hour hike, and the estate's shady courtyard provided cool relief. We tasted three quality wines with artisan chocolate.

The highlights? A break at the dam to admire birdlife was special. Edwards transported our preferred bottle of wine, stemware and snacks in his backpack. Waterford’s Cabernet Sauvignon or Kevin Arnold Shiraz are great, but on a hot day Waterford’s refreshing citrusy single-vineyard Chardonnay hit the spot. Spotting two blue cranes with their chicks was a bonus.

Over 5km of scenery in a pocket of rural Stellenbosch we found only two quills and some porcupine poo. But we had fun. Waterford was just announced South Africa's winner of the Great Wine Capitals Best of Wine Tourism Awards. It also took top place for sustainable wine tourism and wine tourism service. It’s easy to see why.

Porcupine Trail, Waterford Estate, 021-880-5308, www.waterfordestate.co.za, R250 including wine

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