Wine and Vineyard Tours in South Africa's Cape Region

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Grape Town, South Africa: A Tour through the Vineyards of the Western Cape Province
One woman, 1001 wines, and winning over one's aversion to the grand pleasures of the grape.

By Joanne Mills


	Start wining: The unmistakable landscape of the Western Cape Provence (Index Stock/Walter Bibikow).

First, a confession. I've only recently started to enjoy drinking wine. Over the past few years, I've slowly eased myself from wine coolers (wine connoisseurs, recoil at will) to fruit wine to a very sweet (and more respectable) White Zinfandel. But, with a beau whose meal is never complete without that perfect accompanying glass, I knew it was just a matter of time before I delved into the heady world of the wine connoisseur.

My oenophobia—the fear of wine—is nothing new. According to Leslie Brenner, author of Fear of Wine, several hundred thousand Americans suffer from the same fear. In keeping with surprisingly common phobia, Brenner wrote her book to soothe even the most nervous and hesitant of taster.

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For the goods on South African wine and the best ways to take in the Western Cape's grape escapes, click here

So, with Brenner's book under my arm, I decided to jump in neck deep by immersing myself in a week of intense wine tasting under the expert guidance of Cape Wineland Tours, a U.S.-based tour operator specializing in the finest wines of South Africa—whose winemakers, I was assured, would greet my novice status with kind enthusiasm.

Next Page: Appearance is everything: Stellenbosch, part I

Joanne Mills is a freelance writer focusing on the specialty travel industry. Whether its traipsing through the gardens of Britain, exploring the culinary traditions of Thailand, or drinking in the wines of South Africa, Joanne can often be found following her lifelong passions...wherever they may lead.