Living a French dream at 48/800 - Glenelly Estate, Stellenbosch

Wine farm 48 of 800 is Glenelly Estate in the Idas Valley, Stellenbosch. #DoStelliesThe Estate was established in 1682, granted by Simon van der Stel. In 2003, May de Lencquesaing at the age of 78 purchased the farm. #lifegoalsHer family is from France and they have been producing wines for over 250 years! She removed all the fruit trees on this Estate and planted vineyards instead to produce some amazing red wines and Chardonnay.

I have rated this wine farm experience 5 star.

OVERALL RATING	WINE	SERVICE	FOOD	LOCATION
91%	95%	95%	90%	85%

ACTIVITIES and OTHER AMENITIES: 

• Wine Tasting - free, however shortly it will be R50 to taste 5 wines
• Bistro - French inspired, menu changes weekly
• Food and wine pairing upon request and booking
• Glass collection museum

BOOKINGS: Booking are not essential however as the farm becomes more popular it is best that you book in advance. Mail BISTRO@GLENELLY.CO.ZAWHEN TO GO: Summer is a must. There is a beautiful outside area and plenty of air conditioning inside. It does have climate control so totally fine in Winter too.SERVICE: The service is excellent, knowledgeable and professional.CONTACT:

TASTING ROOM & CELLAR

tasting@glenelly.co.za+27 (21) 809 6446CHILD/PET FRIENDLY? Leave the kids and pets at home, this is definitely a sophisticated affair. Especially when there is so much glass around.LARGER OR SMALL GROUPS? 6-8 people is recommended for a better experience.LOCATION: About a 40 minute drive from Cape Town in Idas Valley, Stellenbosch. Google Map

OTHER RATINGS:  Check out what others say about this farm on Trip Advisor by CLICKING HERE. 

Click HERE to view the ranking of this farm against others I have already reviewed.

Here is my experience:

What a treat it was to find this hidden gem not far from the main road in Stellenbosch. I had to drive through a suburb and thought I was lost because all of a sudden you were transported from houses into wine country :) Just look at those views for days!It is R50 to taste 5 wines but at the moment because they have just opened, the tasting is free and what a treat!I tasted 8!An Unwooded Chardonnay, a Wooded Chardonnay, Merlot, Cab Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Estate Reserve and the Lady May Flagship.The service is professional and informative. The tasting room had a climate control inside area and an outside balcony. I opted for the balcony because the views were just incredible!I really enjoyed the different aromas which are pictured on the back of the bottle. I quite liked debating what we could smell as people tend to pick up different aromas first.What totally took me by surprise was this Syrah which had a distinct aroma of BACON!  I kid you not!17 700 bottles were produced and the wine was matured in French Oak Barrels for 12 months. It was only R95 a bottle, directly from the farm. It was incredibly smooth for this spicy grape varietal but after the initial fruity taste, I could pick up white peppery notes on the palate. I can imagine how wonderful this would be with a BBQ.The wine bar explains how the farm is sub divided for the different grape varietals which is an interesting touch.This is the Bistro. I arrived before lunch time so I opted to enjoy some wine downstairs too.The bistro is headed by Chef Christophe Dehosse who offers a French-inspired dining experience.What a relaxing setting :)I enjoyed the day with one of my best friend's who is a wine fanatic too, and clearly a better model than I am haha. Or am I the better photographer? lol.The Estate Reserve 2011 is R159 a bottle and a perfect blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Just look at that dark colour. Matured in French oak barrels for 18 months. It was a great smooth blend that had a bit of a spicy kick too. An excellent food wine.Why not end off your wine tasting with some food from the Bistro and a coffee. They do food and wine pairing and the menu changes weekly so best to check upon booking. I really like that you can book a 3 course set menu on Sundays for R300. Otherwise, the meals generally range in the R200 a plate range.I will have to visit again next week as I hear they are opening their glass collection museum![embed]http://glenellyestate.com/2017/01/06/glenelly-glass-collection/[/embed]On the way out we enjoyed even more views...and grapes too!Glenelly harvests their grapes pretty late to allow the grapes to ripen for maximum flavour.And you cannot resist some vineyard shots ;) So which farm will be next?:)x