For a quick lunch during my Stellenbosch visit, we ended up at Dornier, also on the Blaauwklippen Road. Sitting on the patio of the Bodega restaurant housed in an 18th Century historic barn, overlooking their modern winery (its curved roof mimics the slope of the Stellenbosch mountain behind it), the original plan of just quickly grabbing a meal tends to go out the window a little bit! You end up ordering another glass of wine, you find yourself sitting back and the afternoon just slips away while you soak in the beauty of the view.
The Dornier family’s history is fascinating – they can trace back their family roots to the 13th Century in France. The name Dornier describes a profession, that of a merchant of potteries. The family later moved to Germany and one of the ancestors was Claude Dornier, a German airplane builder. His legacy remains in that several aircraft is named after him.
In 1926 a Swiss aviation pioneer, Water Mittelholzer, embarked on a flight from Switzerland across the African continent to Cape Town in 77 days. He did this is a Dornier Merkur that was reconfigured as a seaplane so that he could plan his journey along the Nile, lakes and the open sea, independent from airfields. The amazing thing is that the original propeller of the Dornier Merkur is now exhibited in the international departure hall of the Cape Town airport.
Born into a family of engineers, the founder of Dornier, Christoph Dornier, was a lover of art and against the will of his father, he persisted to became a recognized artist. That love is now showcased in the beautiful artworks displayed in the restaurant and in the artwork that is Dornier Wine Estate.
Dornier Wines
Blaauwklippen Road
Stellenbosch
You can visit their website or like their Facebook page.
Image credits: Elanie Fourie
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