New Motto: Live with Wine
Stellenbosch, in many ways, is very similar to Evanston — bougie shops and bougie people in a pretty college-y town — but in One Major Way, it is Very Different, indeed:
Wine.
There is much wine to be had in Stellenbosch, and if you are over the age of 18 and open to imbibing alcohol, you should definitely partake. For people in this specific audience, you’ll be happy to know that the first and last class trips we take for our Culture, Language and Identity class are an exciting grouping of wineries, paid for by your Northwestern tuition.
Things to know before you go:
- Wineries have excellent waitstaff, who will describe the wines’ “notes,” subtle flavors and smells, and specific distilling processes. Ask lots of questions!
- Before you sip, you can do a number of things to pretend like you know a lot about wine. Swirl the wine in the glass and peer closely into your glass. Smell the wine and describe fruity, nutty or spicy smells — for red wines, use dark fruit words like “raspberry” and for white, use light fruit words like “melon”. Always say these smells are “on the nose,” which I’m pretty sure just means that you can smell those things. Notice the aftertaste of the wine as well and describe them as best you can. This gets more fun as you drink more wine.
- If you hate the wine you try, you don’t have to finish it! There will be a vessel of some kind in the middle of the table where you can dispose of wines you don’t like.
- Wineries are literally beautiful. Take lots of pictures to make all your friends jealous at home. Rows and rows of vines, mountainous surroundings and a wine glass in hand make for great pictures. Dress accordingly.
- When you decide to go to wineries on your own, rest assured: tastings range from 30 to 80 rand (~$3-8 USD) for three to five wines. My favorite wineries were probably De Waal, where they invented pinotage wine, Uva Mira, because it was named after me, and Postcard Cafe, which has stunning views and an amazing selection of wines. A couple of friends also went on the Franschoek Wine Tram and enjoyed a whole day of endless wineries.
Uva Mira was beautiful AND was named after me.
As you visit wineries, take the chance to relax and enjoy yourself —but always be conscious of the fact that you are participating in one of the most exclusive experiences in South Africa. Though tastings are cheap in American dollars, they are not cheap for a majority of South Africans.
The wine industry is one created by white European colonizers, who began distilling wine to keep away scurvy as they sailed around Africa to “trade” with the Far East. White vineyard owners enslaved Malay and African peoples to work for them and often kept their workers on a diet of wine that bred alcoholism and kept them subservient.
Now, however, wineries are used as a tourism tactic for the country. Many wine shop attendants and winery waiters have insinuated to us that South Africa is “not like the rest of Africa” in part because it has wine — and in that way, is more European — more civilized — than the rest of the continent.
Just like every other aspect of South Africa, apartheid, racism and colonialism touch wine culture. Do not divide your ‘vacation’ experience from the experiences of South Africans and the historical context of the privileges you enjoy.
That said, explore as many wineries as you can! In that way, you can understand more about this unique aspect of South African culture — and hopefully store away enough memories of incredible wine to tide you over when you find yourself back in Evanston.