The Postcard Café

The Postcard Café at the Stark-Condé wine estate opened just over two years ago, and I only managed to get to it today, together with a divine friend and colleague, for a picturesque lunch. Set in the Jonkershoek Valley in Stellenbosch, at the edge of a dam, with the mountains in the background, it has an awe-inspiringly beautiful backdrop.

The Café is on the Oude Nektar farm, next door to the well-known Old Nektar, belonging to 99-year old Una van der Spuy, well-known for her garden and the books she has written about it. One can sit inside or out, and still enjoy the spectacular view, despite the cool wintery day today.

The Postcard Café is set at the edge of the dam, with wooden tables and chairs set up on the terrace of the restaurant. The menu is small, with only ten options and there is no distinction between starters and mains. Although I had a perfectly delicious roasted pepper and baby marrow quiche, I had menu envy when the lamb curry dish arrived at the next table. It looked and smelled delicious. Each of the menu items has wine recommendations and wines cost R35 per glass on average. For dessert we had the pear and blackberry crumble, which I would recommend.

The Stark-Condé wine tasting venue is on an island in the middle of the dam. A small family-owned winery dedicated to making hand-crafted wines, they use traditional techniques: hand-picking, meticulous sorting of the grapes, open fermentation, hand-punchdowns, basket pressing and maturation in French oak barrels. They produce about 70,000 Stark-Condé bottles of wine per year.

Postcard Café has the most amazing location, and its Stark-Condé wines on the estate are exceptional and very affordable. Give it a go: Postcard Café, Stark-Condé, Jonkershoek Valley, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Tel (021) 887-3665
www.postcardcafe.co.za
Open Tuesday-Sunday 9h30-16h00