Stellenbosch: The Magnificent New House of JC Le Roux

Remember that time I lied about not blogging about our road trip to the Cape? I'm about to do it again. The House of JC Le Roux has reopened after a much-anticipated four month makeover. I've been following the progress on their Facebook page, so when we were staying in Stellies, I just had to check it out!

I've never been to the House before, and the road from Stellies was quiet with breathtaking views. Driving into the wine farm is just as spectacular, but far from quiet! There were families, tourists, groups of friends, and buses filled with people in the parking lot, and for a moment I wondered if this was a good idea.

My hesitation lasted only until we walked through the majestic glass doors and were greeted by a maitre d', an exquisite entrance hall, and (most importantly) lovely refreshing aircon. The decor was absolutely magnificent! Large open spaces, awe-inspiring lighting, fresh flowers and bright colours - I could write about it all day and still not do it justice (you'll just have to see it for yourself!).

Our welcome included an introduction to the House and our options for tasting: regular sparkling wine tasting, nougat and sparkling wine pairing, or marshmallow, meringue and sparkling wine pairing. 

We picked the marshmallow and meringue option, took ourselves on a (really interesting!) walking tour, and then settled in to the lower deck to await our tasting. Of course, I was soon distracted by the shiny pink La Flueurette Room (can you blame me? It was shiny! And pink!).

Our waitress (who was absolutely lovely and extremely knowledgeable) came to find us and directed us to the main tasting room, where our table awaited us, boasting some gorgeous looking sweet treats and glasses of bubbly!

She walked us through each of the pairings, explaining the flavours and the characteristics of the bubbly as she went. The sparkling wine was delicious, and the pairing with marshmallow meringues completely set it apart from any other wine tasting I've ever done.

We left the house awed, inspired, and, yes, a little tipsy. If you're in the Cape, I highly recommend making a trip to the House of JC Le Roux! You won't be disappointed!

Check out the JC Le Roux website, or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.