La Vie En Rose

The Spectacular Hemel- en-aarde Valley Near Hermanus Now Boasts an Equally Heavenly Pink Tasting Lounge

- Hilary Prendini Toffoli

Elegance doesn’t get more plush than this. On Mount Babylon wine farm in the Western Cape’s Walker Bay district, Yolanda and Johan Holtzhausen have created a cool yet intimate space where guests at private events can savour the delightful pink Méthode Cap Classique made by Jean- Claude Martin, the winemaker who coowns Creation Wines next door, from the seven-hectare estate’s Shiraz grapes.

There’s no doubt that the venue is a glamorous one, and boasts magnificent views as well as alluring interiors. As you enter, what engages you from the start is the seductive smoky pink decor. The hue predominates both in the soft velvet of the upholstery and the high gloss of the walls, which are painted a shade Yolanda says is as close as they could get to the subtle peachy pink of Mount Babylon’s MCC Brut Shiraz.

It’s a stylish colour that’s smoulderingly feminine and warms up what was once a dark and cold tasting room, a previous extension of Mount Babylon’s cellar. Now full of life and light, the space draws you in.