Farmstead Cheeses and Wines: Jeff’s Blog

What a transition - after 18 hours in transit (Mendoza, Santiago, Dallas Fort Worth, San Francisco), I’m met at the San Francisco airport by Mrs. Cheesemonger.
We say adieu to our Bay Area compatriots (Meryll from JV in Napa, Jim from Wine Steward in Pleasanton, JP and Andy from Angeles/Kysela), and pile into the [...]

After the visit to the Olive Oil factory, we repaired back to the hotel, where I blogged and napped before dinner. Surprise, we were going out to have some Asado and Malbec! This time to the famed Don Mario restaurant, a trdition of Parilla and Asado in Mendoza for generations.
We had [...]

We traveled back from the Estancia tired but happy, and arrived at the hotel a little after dark (we’re in the height of winter, and have about 10 hours of daylight - from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.). After a wee siesta, some of us gathered in the hotel and wandered around in search [...]

We woke up and piled into the vans for a trip out to Chakana Winery a beautiful modern facility set in the Agrelo sub appellation.

Chakana makes the Maipe and Cueva brands with and for Fran - well priced wines priced from $12-16/ bottle. Produced in the Luján de Cuyo subregion of [...]

Today, we visit the wineries of Charles Back.
Charles is arguably the CRobert Mondavi of South Africa, producing great wines in a user friendly, marketing-centric environment. He’s the mind behind Fairview, Goats do Roam and Spice Route wineries, and the head of a bustling food and wine empire, producing 25 different varieties of cheese, and [...]

Today, we were supposed to go to Table Mountain to see the views and unique plant species that live there, but the weather was bad, so we tried plan B, a walking tour of Capetown, followed by a traditional Cape Malay lunch at a restaurant on the top of Signal Hill.
Capetown architecture is [...]

Boo hoo, it’s raining!
Tuesday was a busy day, three wineries - a trip through Stellenbosch and then to Boekenshoutscloof (easy for you to say, Cheesemonger!!) in Franschoek.
First stop, Man Vintners, a partnership between Fairview, Stark-Condé and a large cooperative, that produces quality wines at a very attractive price point. Our host for most [...]

South Africa - Day Two
We packed into our bus - with trusty Mario at the wheel- to go visit Walker Bay, a beautiful spot on the coast, and the home of Hamilton Russell, maker of South Africa’s most elegant Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs.
We took a non-direct route to Walker Bay, over the ridge [...]

The journey to South Africa took 30 hours - I left SFO on Friday morning at 7:00 a.m. and I arrived, shagged, dragged and bagless, in Capetown, Saturday night at 11:00 p.m.
I’d never flown for so long a time before. Believe me, it wasn’t fun. Compression socks, Ambien, and lack of [...]