Stellenbosch is the most widely-known and highly-regarded wine region in Africa. It is located 50 km east of Cape Town.

This region has their own signature varietal, Pinotage, which is a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault created about 100 years ago in Stellenbosch. Pinotage is very earthy and acidic, and we don't particularly care for it. After trying many different winemakers' offerings, there were only a few we truly enjoyed.

We stayed at Marianne Wine Estate in south Paarl, the town just north of Stellenbosch. The views were beautiful and our room was spacious and luxurious. We really recommend a stay there, although their wine was overpriced and not very good.

Overall, Stellenbosch is one of the most affordable wine regions we've ever visited. The food and wine are very high quality, the people are welcoming, and the attitude is laid-back. We only made to a handful of wine estates over three days and will definitely go back in the future to spend more time exploring.

Fairview

The first winery we visited in Stellenbosch was Fairview Estate. They are known in the U.S. for their budget label Goats Do Roam, which is pretty decent. Their upmarket labels under the Fairview name are incrementally better. We did a private tasting of all their premier labels with cheese pairings for only about $8 per person. We really enjoyed the Extraño, a Rioja-style blend, and the Chenin Blanc.

We also didn't realize Fairview is a major cheese producer in South Africa. The cheese was as enjoyable as the wine. They make a soft cow/goat cheese blend called Roydon in a style similar to Brie. It is rich, creamy, and the goaty sourness is well-balanced. We bought a big block to eat later on a picnic.

Fairview Estate is large and I imagine quite busy in the tourist season, but it is really worth a visit. We also ate lunch at their restaurant which has an impressive farm-to-table menu and is reasonably priced.

Spice Route

Just up the road from Fairview is Spice Route, which has a community of shops on its property. It has a really cool artisan village feel to it and is perched on a hill overlooking the vines. On site there is a craft brewery, a chocolatier, a sausage and biltong (cured meat) maker, a hand-tossed pizza cafe, and of course, a winery.

We did a chocolate tasting and a wine tasting, one paired with homemade cured meats. The chocolate tasting was outstanding. Each type of cocoa is single-sourced from countries like Uganda, Venezuela, Trinidad, and Madagascar. All are at least 60% dark chocolate and produced on site. It is a really interesting experience to taste chocolate with the equivalent of a sommelier guiding you through and teaching you about the differences.

The wine at Spice Route was unimpressive. Lindsay had a list of the 100 best South African wines, and Spice Route's signature Chakalaka blend was pretty high up. We didn't care for any of the wines we tasted, and I wouldn't put Chakalaka on any of my top lists.

However, a visit to Spice Route is still a culinary joy and worth a full afternoon.

Mulderbosch

This place is easily our favorite Stellenbosch vineyard in terms of wine and food quality. We went to Mulderbosch specifically for lunch because their gourmet pizzas were supposed to be outstanding. Not only were the pizzas excellent, the wines were, too.

Our favorites were the Marvelous Blue, a Bordeuax-style blend, and Marvelous Red, a Cotes du Rhone-style blend. Both are full-bodied and fruit-forward and are available in the U.S.

Vergenoegd

This winery was recommended by our friend Brandie Miklus from her visit the previous year. It did not disappoint!

Vergenoegd is a bit far away from town, and we were the only people at the estate that afternoon. Our hostess was a riot. She shared in the tasting with us, and we are certain she was a bit toasty after a full day of tastings. She taught us some words in the indigenous "clicking" language. Our tasting was also interrupted by a curious goose who announced his presence in the manor with an ear-splitting honk. Our new friend picked him up like a pet and told us he is a frequent guest.

The tasting was the cheapest one we've ever done, at about $5 for two people for their full range of wines. The wine is pretty decent, especially the Estate Blend, but isn't available at home. You'll have to go to SA to experience it yourself!

Spier

This wine estate is supposed to be one of the best in Stellenbosch. We had previously tried their Pinotage and Shiraz varietals off the supermarket shelf and thought they were good. After visiting other wineries, though, our bar had been raised.

Spier did not impress us, not even their signature Frans K. Smit lineup. The wine estate itself is gigantic and includes an upscale resort, conference center, and restaurant. The tasting center is huge and the tastings are pricey compared with other places. None of the wines stood out to us, especially after visiting Fairview and Mulderbosch.

Jordan

With any wine region comes a bevy of highly-ranked restaurants. After much research, Lindsay decided on a reservation at Jordan Wine Estate. It was our fancy pre-birthday dinner, since both our birthdays were within the next week.

That day we visted the Cape of Good Hope and drove the grand Chapman's Peak drive, then cut back across the city through rush hour in order to make our reservation.

We changed into nicer clothes in the car and headed inside early. This is one of the top-ranked restaurants in wine country, but it was a bit of a letdown. The sommelier was snotty and we had three different waiters who never left us alone. We felt so much pressure to just hurry up and order. It was really uncomfortable.

After ordering, we finally got some peace and enjoyed our starters. We also splurged to order a bottle of their signature wine, Cobblers Hill 2012, which was delicious. Brian's meal of springbok filet was very good, but Lindsay's fish was so average she didn't even finish it. Dessert consisted of a visit to the cheese room, but only three out of our five picks were palatable.

For such an expensive and highly-ranked restaurant, we were disappointed. However, the wines were very good. The Cobblers Hill was one of the best we had in Stellenbosch.

Beyerskloof

The final wine estate we visited in Stellenbosch was Beyerskloof. It is a large producer whose wines can be found in most South African supermarkets.

We visited on a Saturday and the tasting room was packed. We still got good service, and the tasting menu is affordable and pours are generous.

Their Pinotage Reserve was quite good, especially given that we don't care much for Pinotage. We bought a bottle and stayed for lunch, which was delicious. Lindsay had a juicy gourmet burger and Brian had a very cheap, but super quality, filet au poivre.

Beyerskloof is definitely worth the visit if you go for lunch, although probably not for just the tasting alone. Make sure you call ahead for a reservation, especially on weekends, because this is a popular place for Cape Towners.

At the Orange River, on the border of Namibia and South Africa, we stayed at a riverfront campsite with an earthy, eco-friendly styled bar.

The river rats that worked there had a nice little cocktail menu. We enjoyed the night sharing drinks with them and hearing stories of why they left it all behind from the big city to lead kayak/rafting tours for a living.

One of their cocktails, the Baboon Juice, is a twist on a planter's punch or a hurricane, and might make you act like a baboon after drinking a few.

Baboon Juice

1/2 shot vodka

1/2 shot brandy

1/2 shot dark rum

1/2 shot light rum

Top off with tropical juice blend (pineapple, peach, apple)

Several dashes of bitters

Chibuku is a type of African fresh malted sorghum and maize beer with a shelf life of a week. It's now commercially made but is traditionally a cheap home brew. I remember seeing it long ago on Bizarre Foods as some hideous drink made in a clay jar and open fermented in a hut for a few days.

I bought chibuku in Zimbabwe when my curiosity was peaked at the grocery store. Our safari guide Justin laughed at my puchase and told me I wouldn't like it. He was right, but I'm still glad I tried it.

It is incredibly strange. Entirely unfiltered, you can feel the maize grit in every sip. The flavor is very sour with a lingering aftertaste. And it looks like muddy river water. The whole combination makes for an unappealing drink, but I still convinced our whole safari group to take a taste.

If you visit Zimbabwe, or another rural area in southern Africa, give it a whirl. The only thing I can think of that is similar is old style Peruvian chicha. We never found that in Peru, and modern chicha is more like a soft drink. Drinking chibuku is a totally unique African experience.

The perfectly picturesque island of Hvar is a short distance off the mainland Croatian city of Split. It has been one of our favorite destinations for a number of reasons (just see our other blog posts).

Due to a transportation snafu, we missed the public bus upon arriving to Hvar by ferry. The ferry dropped us at Stari Grad, across the island from our destination of Hvar Town. The kind hostel owner offered to pick us up when I called him, but we had over an hour to kill in this tiny, unimpressive town.

We heard a winery was nearby, so we walked over. The wine looked terrible, but this winery happened to also be a soft drink producer. That gives you a hint about their quality.

They make an orange soda called Pipi (pronounced pee pee), which seemed worth trying. We bought a bottle and walked back into town to sit down at a cafe. With a light bite to eat, we also ordered a bottle of local Grasevina white wine. Grasevina is a uniquely Croatian grape that resembles a Pinot Grigio in flavor.

The idea struck me to make a little spritzer, and it turned out pretty refreshing. The tart wine balanced out the super-sweet orange soda nicely. The waiter looked at me strangely, but I was onto something... The Hvar Spritzer. Or the Pipi Spritzer if you want to chuckle when saying it.

On our second day in the wonderful city of Budapest, we stumbled into the annual Palinka Festival.

What is palinka, you ask? Simply put, it is really strong Hungarian schnapps.

This annual festival is relatively new. Many of the Hungarians we spoke with didn't think it was a big deal, and treated palinka like something your crazy uncle would bust out the night before a family wedding. He would giggle with delight when everyone cringes as their throats burn and smirk the following morning when the groom tries to act like he isn't hungover.

However, we found there are a TON of craft palinka distillers. Their products range in intensity and flavor. Some are barrel aged like whiskey, some are straight as moonshine. Hungary is evidently trying to elevate the reputation of palinka, and I came away with respect for it.

For around $5, you buy a tasting glass. Each stall sells samples for $2 - 3 each. It was an affordable way to try a few flavors and styles. I enjoyed a smooth honey-walnut and a golden aged palinka. The predominant traditional flavor is plum, and like Austrian schnapps, flavors like cherry, pear, and apricot are very popular.

If you find yourself in Budapest in May, stop by and give yourself a quick education on the national liquor of Hungary.

Before entering most countries, I do a quick Google search on food and drink to see what indigenous items they are known for. I searched for unique Croatian cocktails, and the results all pointed toward one concoction: the Crocktail. Press releases, blog articles, and news pieces abounded. You'd think it would be popular and easy to find. Wrong...

The Crocktail is the invention of a famous Croatian bartender who aimed to create a national drink. Croatia is well known for producing the original Maraschino cherry liqueur and for their abundant fresh cherries, of which can we ate many. The point of the cocktail was to highlight what is unique to Croatia. Sounds awesome.

This bartender works at a well known joint called Hemingway's in the city of Split. The first city we visited was the capital, Zagreb. It happened to also have a Hemingway bar, so we tried to check it out. Hemingway Zagreb was closed for renovation, so no luck.

A week later we arrived in Split, but the Hemingway bar was far away from the area in which we were staying. We couldn't make it there without a car, so I tried to find it on other bar menus. I also asked numerous bartenders if they could make it. No one had heard of the "national cocktail" of Croatia and gave me the most quizzical looks I've ever received.

So, despite the Crocktail being neither famous nor widespread, it still looks like a delicious drink and I appreciate the attempt to create something native and unique. I copied the recipe from the website (yes, it has its own website). When we return, I plan to give it a shake and see how it turns out. If you beat me to it, let me know how it tastes!