South Africa/WC: Orange River Vineyards & Bezalel Winery
As we continued north toward Kalahari Desert, the Orange River offered a unique (if somewhat unexpected) wine region in South Africa – fertile floodplains in a dry region with thriving wine industry. There is even the famous Orange River Wine Route – stretching from Upington to Keimoes and Kakamas. Here, there are lots of small and large wineries, including large producers like Orange River Cellars to more boutique but equally famous Bezalel Wine & Brandy Estate. We went for the latter! Bezalel has been cultivating the Orange River floodplains since 1940s. The cellar tasting room offered a good tasting variety of reds and whites as well as potstill brandies. Interestingly, it was the first time we tried the colombard grape variety – its origin is from France, but it is the most common grape grown here along the Orange River – perfect for the hot climate and producing crisp white and very flavorful wines.
