Welcome to Fairview, one of the biggest oldest and most family friendly estates we visited through the course of our day in Paarl. Our stop at Fairview was not originally part of our trip plan, but as I mentioned in ‘The road to Paarl’ it just so happened that while we were sitting in traffic for over an hour, they had tweeted an invite to all to join them for lunch and I couldn’t help taking them up on that offer.
If you are looking to take the family out on a trip to Paarl, this is definitely a stop worth making. One of their wine ranges ‘The Goats do Roam’, captures the spirit of this estate perfectly and considering I felt a little like a goat on a journey of discovery on this particular day, it was perhaps fitting that we stopped here.
Situated right next door to our first stop Landskroon, this farm is also steeped in history dating back to 1699 and has been bottling wine under the Fairview label since 1974. Their innovative approach to winemaking and marketing has seen them go from strength to strength under the watchful eye of Charles Back, who is currently the proud owner of the farm.
We arrived at the Goatshed restaurant as arranged at 13h30 and I must admit that through the rest of our trip we did not encounter a busier bustling estate. It was busy and yet, still well managed. Just when we were thinking maybe they forgot about us, the manager appeared from her seemly endless seating of the row of people at the front door to show us to our outside table for two.
Once seated I couldn’t help noticing a few things, Fairview produces its own goats milk cheeses, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and fresh breads. Then there is the menu on offer. The foods are delicious, well priced and the choices available, abundant. As we had had our hearts set on a large dinner we decided to opt for two lighter meals. I chose the warm stir fried springbok and Le Roux fell in love with the thought of chicken pie. Even which what seemed to be over 200 people in this restaurant, the service was spectacular, quick, efficient and delivered with a smile and a few jokes to lighten the mood. We indulged our senses enjoying the buzz of the place thoroughly.
When we we had thoroughly enjoyed our lunch we set out to the tasting rooms. Let me tell you this is a sight to behold! Practically one of the biggest tasting rooms I have ever visited ( and I have visited many). Besides being extremely large and welcoming the entire place is practically adorned, ceiling to floor, in accolades and certificates showing why this estate needs such a large tasting room and happened to be the busiest place we visited the entire day. People were everywhere tasting wines, not only in the tasting rooms itself but here you can go and taste the wines straight from the tanks which reside to the right of the tasting room. Fairview really works on creating a unique experience for every visitor and if you don’t mind the bustle you and your family should defiantly stop by for a visit.
