There is a very special little spot in Stellenbosch which is not only beautiful but home to some top class wine estates. You would have heard of Alto, Rust en Vrede and Ernie Els Wines (including Guardian Peak) and if you are in the know you would also have heard of Bilton (winemaker is ex Meerlust) and Hidden Valley. All of these really fantastic estates are to be found on Annandale Road just of the R44 (at the berry place with the scarecrows).
Rust end Vrede, Hidden Valley and Guardian Peak all have posh restaurants with amazing food and hefty prices but there is no casual dining option in this little area, that is until recently. Bilton has cleverly decided to fill the gap and has opened a casual restaurant with light food and friendly prices. They have salads, sandwiches and pancakes (savoury or sweet) to choose from. Most options are priced in the R25 to R40 range and Bilton wines (which are fantastic) are available by the glass at R25 a glass which is almost cellar price!
Last Saturday I did a little wine tasting at Ernie Els and then at Bilton. Wine tasting experience at Bilton is made interesting by their wine and chocolate pairing. The chocolates are different flavours (salt, chilli, etc) which complement the wines. After the wine tasting we had lunch in the Bilton restaurant.
They special for the day was sirloin steaks (R70) served with potato wedges and veggies and a sauce of your choice. The whole meal was well prepared and tasty and washing it down with Bilton Merlot made the meal so enjoyable I felt like we should be in trouble. We dined al fresco, and I never tired of looking around at the beautiful scenery.
If you are going wine tasting, I highly recommend that you investigate the estates along Annandale Road, ending off with the chocolate and wine tasting at Bilton followed by a light lunch.
Bilton Restaurant
Annandale Road, Stellenbosch
Tel: 021 881 3721
http://www.biltonwines.co.za/