Fodor's Expert Review Allesverloren

The red wines here are big, bold, and delicious. Packed with black-currant and tobacco flavors, and with a lingering fruitcake finish, the port (called the Allesverloren Fine Old Vintage) is an award-winner and perfect for cool winter evenings. A family-friendly restaurant and pub on the premises means you can dine in a beautiful setting. Translated from Afrikaans, Allesverloren means "all is lost." The bleak name derives from a story from the early 1700s, when the widow Cloete owned this farm. Legend has it that she left the farm for a few weeks to attend a church gathering in town, and in her absence the resentful tribespeople set her homestead alight. When she came back to a smoldering ruin, she declared, "Allesverloren," and the name stuck. These days though, there's plenty to celebrate and plenty of reasons to visit.