When Cathy and Kevin Marston founded their wine bar, The Nose, in 2001 in Cape Town, there were few who had ventured into the unique arena alongside them.
Rose Jordaan remembers a time when Bartinney Wine & Champagne Bar on Bird Street had few neighbours when it opened in 2013. (It is the oldest wine bar in town.)
Rose says: “Many years ago, when Bartinney Wine Bar opened, we tried to promote the idea of an Urban Walking Wine Route – it finally caught on.”
The walking wine route has expanded substantially to include Plaisir Wine Lounge, Le Grande Domaine Enoteca, QBar, Stellenbosch Wine Bar and Brampton Wine Studio, Spek n Bone is a small-plates eatery and wine bar, Beyerskloof Wine Bar, Simon Wine Bar at De Warenmarkt and The Wine Glass.
Broadcaster and host of “Dan Really Likes Wine,” Dan Nicholl recently explored Stellenbosch wine bars for his online show and says: “I’ve always loved the idea of wine bars and the chance to sample a range of different glasses with tapas or small plates, and so setting off to explore the streets in Stellenbosch searching for wine bars had considerable appeal.”
Dan concludes: “There’s a real buzz to Stellenbosch presently, and the streets are alive with people enjoying a town where walking is encouraged by the layout, proximity and relative safety of the environment. Add in the wine culture that’s such a heartbeat of Stellenbosch, and small wine bars are a natural fit for the town.”
