Generated by All in One SEO v4.9.1, this is an llms.txt file, used by LLMs to index the site.NativeGrape ## Sitemaps - [XML Sitemap](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website. ## Posts - [What exactly is wine and where does it come from?](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/2024/01/23/what-exactly-is-wine-and-where-does-it-come-from/) - Wine is one of the most widely consumed alcoholic beverages in the world and it has been since the biblical days (don’t forget that Jesus turned water). However, like most things, very few people actually know what wine even is. You might be thinking, isn’t wine pretty much just grapes? Although that is somewhat correct, - [The Rose Trip](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/2022/09/12/the-rose-trip/) - This project was great fun and highly anticipated! Finding a flight of Rose / Blush wines that my family and friends could enjoy and compare. Over the years I have come to enjoy the likes of Waterford’s Rosemarie and Delaire Graf‘s Rose and have used these delicious wines as a benchmark when comparing various blush - [Plaisir De Merle Wine Estate](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/2022/09/12/plaisir-de-merle-wine-estate/) - This estate has evolved over the years and since I was last here, has added a fun market concept to the already good wine offering. I visited the estate recently on a Saturday afternoon for wine tasting, a cool charcuterie board and a look at what is on offer. After trying some tasty Chardonnays - - [Constantia Glen Wine Farm](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/2022/09/12/constantia-glen-wine-farm/) - The view is a massive draw card on this elevated Constantia farm. It's a ‘first' for me, as I normally visit the valley, but needless to say, I was not disappointed. We stopped to have lunch at Constantia Glen Vineyard at ‘Eat” and were welcomed by a super friendly team and a very knowledgable sommelier - [Cape Point Vineyard](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/2022/07/13/cape-point-vineyard/) - Now this was an unexpected surprise… while I am familiar with the wine, I have not had any in a few years. The location and views over the Noordhoek valley are stunning. I can imagine sitting outside in summer could be very pleasant. On this winter afternoon, the family and I tried a bottle of - [To My Surprise :)](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/2022/06/16/to-my-surprise/) - It has always amazed me that I am able to find South African wine labels from farms I have never heard of, when travelling overseas. And yes, while we always focus on the labels and farms we know… thanks to some good brand management and marketing, these “unknown” labels are around. I was recently surprised - [Under Oaks Vineyard, Farm and Restaurant](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/2022/06/30/under-oaks-vineyard-farm-and-restaurant/) - Now this was a first for me, I’ve never been to the farm and never seen their wines retailed, but it was on my list of farms to visit. So, on a stunning warm winter’s day before the first heavy rains arrived, off we went and were not disappointed. First, we dropped past the restaurant - [Vonderling Wines](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/2022/06/30/vonderling-wines/) - Now, this is a visit worth making as Vondeling is not on any of the regular wine routes. We made the trip as I needed to see the farm I had heard so much about from our recent travels abroad - I was not disappointed! About 30-odd minutes outside Paarl and nestled on a nice - [Glen Carlou Vineyard](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/2022/06/30/glen-carlou-vineyard/) - Still a super place for a meal with fantastic, well-priced wines, a convenient location and terrific views - one of the best in the area in my opinion. I must add the food was exceptional. I have been going to the restaurant at Glen Carlou for many years now and each time it gets better - [What's in a box?](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/2022/06/16/whats-in-a-box/) - While I embrace the new world of wine and sustainability, you may call me old-fashioned in that I enjoy a few of the classic touches and romance that is ‘wine'. Of late, while overseas, I have noticed more wines being distributed in wooden boxes with the estate or farm logos being displayed in varying creative ## Pages - [My Journey: Swirl, Sip & Smile](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/home/wine/) - [Sipping and Nibbling](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/the-farm-restaurant/) - [My Favourites](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/the-story/) - [Wine 101](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/lifestyle/) - [About Me](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/about-me/) - Hi everyone, My name is Michael, and I’ve spent most of my life in the hospitality industry around the world - from China to Azerbaijan, Japan to Johannesburg and Cairo to Cape Town. Over the years, I’ve developed a passion and enjoyment for all things wine. The lifestyle and fun around the industry and the - [Home](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/home/) - What we stand for Responsive Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. 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Support Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do - [Blog](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/blog/) ## My Templates - [Default Kit](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/?elementor_library=default-kit) ## Categories - [Packaging & Presentation](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/category/packaging-presentation/) - [My Journey: Swirl, Sip & Smile](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/category/wine/) - [My Favourites](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/category/the-farm-and-restaurant/) - [Wine 101](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/category/wine-101/) ## Tags - [wine](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/tag/wine/) - [SAwine](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/tag/sawine/) - [Wineboxes](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/tag/wineboxes/) - [Stellenbosch](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/tag/stellenbosch/) - [Maastricht](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/tag/maastricht/) - [Chardonnay](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/tag/chardonnay/) - [Chenin Blanc](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/tag/chenin-blanc/) - [Under Oaks](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/tag/under-oaks/) - [PaarlWineRoute](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/tag/paarlwineroute/) - [GlenCarlou](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/tag/glencarlou/) - [CapePoint](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/tag/capepoint/) - [Sauvignon Blanc](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/tag/sauvignon-blanc/) - [Plaisir De Merle](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/tag/plaisir-de-merle/) - [Constantia Glen](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/tag/constantia-glen/) - [Cape Town](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/tag/cape-town/) - [Wine Tasting](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/tag/wine-tasting/) - [Rose](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/tag/rose/) - [Whatiswine](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/tag/whatiswine/) - [Wine101](https://www.nativegrape.co.za/tag/wine101/)