Western Cape Article - South African Vacations

OOSTENBERGOostenberg Tourism(Cape Town Tourism and events company / Oostenberg Area)Brighton Road, Kraaifontein, 7570PO Box 25, Kraaifontein, 7569Tel: +27 (0) 21 980 6112Fax: +27 (0) 21 980 6179E-mail: oostenbergltb@yebo.co.zaWeb: http://www.capetourism.orgOostenberg (“East of the Mountain”) is surrounded by vine-covered hills and is bordered bythe winelands to the east and Cape Town to the west. The historic wine estates in this areadate back to the eighteenth century and have faithfully preserved the architectural heritage ofthat time.On the gentle slopes of the Bottelary Hills between Stellenbosch, Kuils River, Brackenfell andKraaifontein lie some of the best wine estates the Western Cape has to offer. The first vinesin the Bottelary region were planted in the early 1700s and today, some of South Africa’sfinest red and white wines are produced here. Fort Simon Estate is the unique setting of amedieval-style castle, complete with a moat, where the winemaker creates liquid wonderscharacteristic of the area.The historic Mooiplaas homestead dates back to 1833 and nestles deep in the BottelaryHills. A unique feature of Mooiplaas (“Beautiful Farm”) is the fact that this estate uses thesteep slopes to create its exceptional wines. The Roos family grows and bottles its own wineon the estate.In addition to being beautiful, wine estates such as Hazendal and Mooiplaas offer some of themost outstanding vintages of the South African wine industry. The Hazendal Wine Estatedates back to 1699 and has been lavishly restored. The old cellar, the homestead and thegate posts have been proclaimed as a national monument in 1991. The wine-tasting centrealso offers light al fresco lunches and picnic baskets are available in season. The conferencecentre and the Russian Art Gallery / Marvol Museum on the estate exhibit some superbFabergé jewellery.The Oostenberg region is also conveniently close to the centre of Cape Town City andattractions such as the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront.KRAAIFONTEIN (including Brackenfell)The name Kraaifontein means “Crow Fountain”, referring to the many crows which nest in thetrees in the area. Development in this area started during the late 1600s and the Kraaifonteinof today is famous for its delicious fruit and especially for its vineyards.Brackenfell, a lively suburb, means “Fern Hill”, referring to the Scots word for hill, “fell”.FAUNA AND FLORABonzai Estate: Wide ranges of Bonzai trees can be found at the Bonzai Estate inKraaifontein.77