Horses & Wine, what else do you need?

I have been horseback-riding for decades, and I am only 27. Needless to say, horses are a huge passion of mine. 

I did some jumping when I was younger, but competition was not my thing. I played some polo when I got more "sophisticated," but I always worried I would hit one of the horses or my own horse with the wooden ball or the mallet. Honestly, nothing ever beat simple trail riding in the mountains while having private conversations with my horse, and No I am not crazy - I am sure you talk to your dog too 😝




Best Listener Ever! 

Then one day I went to the beach with my beautiful Jincin and swam with him. That was a whole new level of awesomeness and I was sure nothing could ever beat that. I was wrong. 

Horseback-riding while wine tasting is the bomb! Seriously! 

I am not talking about getting drunk while riding. That would be dangerous and pretty stupid. I am talking about riding through vineyards and pit stopping for a few sips of wine here and there. Spectacular! Seriously. 

I am not sure if Louis Geyer invented this concept, but he is the one who introduced me to the wine and horse combo and for that I need to thank him. 

All in all our excursion was supposed to last 3 hours, but we spent so much time chatting with Louis and with Danwin, the Backsberg Cellar Door Manager and Sommelier, that the tour ended up extending to 4 hours. 

The horses at Cape Winelands Riding were beautiful, the scenery was breathtaking, and the wine, well, I am not an expert so I don't know the proper terminology, but it was delicious. Louis had to literally kick us out of the winery, and if Backsberg had not been fully booked for brunch, we would have been right back. Also, the plums I picked from the trees during the trail were the best and the most juicy I have ever had in my life. 

Selfie with Louis


Selfie with Danwin




At Leopards's Leap 

Lucky for you, I am a sharer. So here is all the info you need. 

Contact Louis at +27(0) 82 924 6728 to book a fantastic horseback-riding and wine tasting tour or check out his website and call Danwin at +27(0) 73 653 0932 to make a reservation at Backsberg for brunch. Make sure you try the family reserve white blend with roussanne.

Also in the area, check out the Leopard's Leap. Beautiful setting and very good buffet style brunch. The pineapple wine cocktail and the pork belly are both must tries. And on the way out, make sure you don't forgot to stop at the gift store with really good wine bottles for as low as $3. I know it's good because we had plenty -:)  

If you have extra time, hop on the Franschhoek  wine tram.We ran out of time to do it, but heard it is amazing.

Looks pretty amazing, doesn't it?

Lastly, if you are an advanced rider, check this out: it's my Dream Vacation and probably yours too.

Happy Riding everyone, and Happy Drinking Too :-)

Until next time we meet ... Live, Love, Laugh & Travel

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