Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/566324
26 w e s t w o r l d | f a l l 2 0 1 5 meticulous research allowed it to be rein- vented. Nowadays, "any half-decent Michelin- starred restaurant is not considered complete without the Vin de Constance," says Lisa. I'll have to take her word for it. e estate has run out of tasting bottles and a 1996 Vin de Con- stance is marked at around $900. On another day, I visit Babylonstoren, 45 minutes from Cape Town. One of the original Cape Dutch farms, it's now an agri-hotel, spa and winery. The old blacksmith shop looks ready for a magazine shoot: skylights open the thatched roof, a bouquet of rye wheat hangs to dry in the bakery and images of chickens are everywhere. It also used to be a slave-trading farm, Roderick Smith, the wine advisor, tells me as he pours a sample of Chardonnay. I wander the property with a map that lists stops such as "secret spouts" and "almonds + bees." Under the hot afternoon sun, I brush my hand over lavender and lemon thyme in the "fragrant labyrinth." Nearby are groves of lime, olive and guava trees. The estate's al fresco Green House restaurant features Lux- embourg-style chairs set up under oak trees; a mountain tortoise wanders about. I order a strawberry cordial decorated with a sprig of herb and a traditional Afrikaans "boerewors roll" that turns out to be the most elegant hot dog I've ever had. (clockwise from top left) Camera-ready penguins on Boulders Beach in Simon's Town; kitesurfers take a break in Big Bay; a sorbet shop near the Old Biscuit Mill; colourful change rooms in St. James.