|
Featured
in our World Culinary Expo Edition
Stellenbosch Wine Festival lines up off
the pitch festivities during soccer season
and following the series
The beautiful game meets barrels of fun
this year when the 9th annual Stellenbosch
Wine Festival togs up to accommodate
visiting soccer fans with a myriad of 'off
the pitch' activities hosted in the
Winelands from 1 to 5 July. Welcoming all
football fans descending on the Mother
City, the Stellenbosch Wine Festival
happens a month earlier this year to give
them a chance to visit and experience
South Africa's first and foremost wine
route &endash; rich in diverse wine
estates and cellars.
Stretching way beyond 90 minutes of action
on the field, this year's decentralised
Stellenbosch Wine Festival will showcase
its divine gems through an extensive
network of shuttles between the
participating farms. It is as simple as
blowing a whistle...Just park your car at
any of the allocated Park-and-Ride areas,
or visit the Info Centre at Doornbosch in
Stellenbosch, to purchase your festival
pass and catch a shuttle to the wine farms
of your choice. Participating farms are
offering visitors wine tastings and untold
activities including the opportunity to
rub shoulders with your favourite
winemakers.
Soccer
enthusiasts will certainly not be left out
in the cold as transport to and from this
meandering wine extravaganza has been
arrange from Cape Town. Visitors will also
be able to experience the true history,
culture and genuine hospitably of
Stellenbosch and its wine routes in the
comfort of their own vehicle and
transport.
During
the Festival's five-day celebration,
participating wine farms situated along
the popular Stellenbosch American
Express® Wine Routes will open their
cellar doors for a wide-ranging
kaleidoscope of family-friendly activities
and attractions to entertain the merry
crowds en route.
This
year's programme ranges from adventurous
day trips to interactive winemaking
experiences, unbelievable restaurant and
accommodation offerings to rare vertical
and varietal wine tastings and exclusive
winemaker dinners, each offering a
different yet unique
With
more than 140 wine farms in and around the
quaint town of Stellenbosch and various
Park-and-Ride areas, it is your ticket to
enjoy the true spirit of the Stellenbosch
Winelands up, close and personal, without
any hassle.
The
Festival will also support the biggest
sporting extravaganza to hit South African
shores in true 'Winelands style'. Idiom
Wines are inviting visitors to participate
in a fun Supporters' Football Competition
on their newly prepared mini-pitch in the
middle of their vineyards in the
Helderberg. This 5-a-side competition
offers enthusiasts the chance to loosen up
and emulate their heroes in a relaxed Cape
Winelands setting, complete with friends
and families cheering at the sidelines
with their Vuvuzelas. For the less
energetic, Idiom will host a Supporters'
Boules Competition on their brand new
courts adjoining the soccer field, as well
as wine tastings in their hillside bomas,
overlooking the vineyards and False Bay in
the distance.
Delheim,
Jordan Wine Estate and Webersburg are some
of the estates who will be carrying the
fans' interests at heart by having big
screens showing the soccer.
Outdoor
lovers can soak up the beauty of the
Boland by signing up for game drives at
Villiera, with plentiful birdlife and
antelope to see whilstending their scenic
expedition with a Méthode Cap
Classique tasting. Or why not saddle up at
the new spectacular 'cellar in the sky'
Waterkloof, with its arresting
architecture and its panoramic views, for
a picturesque wine tasting on
horseback.
L'Avenir
Estate goes all out French during the
festival with a host of activities
celebrating the culture, culminating with
an awe-inspiring performance by The
Matthew Kruger Band, South Africa's very
first composers and performers of original
rock music in French, at the farm.
Simonsig will also get their grapes and
gourmet vibe going with live music offered
at their estate throughout the duration of
the festival.
The
Stellenbosch Wine Festival has become a
tradition during the winter months in
Stellenbosch and is a popular destination
for both local and international visitors.
The 2009 extravaganza attracted more than
13 500 visitors with another record
attendance anticipated this
year.
With a
host of wine experiences, entertainment,
participating restaurants and exclusive
winemaker encounters galore, book your
Stellenbosch Festival pass now!
Stellenbosch
Wine Festival a travellers delight three
and last.../
Tickets
for the Stellenbosch Wine Festival are
available on-line at R150 per person per
day, and R500 for the Golden Pass for the
entire duration of the festival. Under
18's are free!
For
more information on the Stellenbosch Wine
Festival and its 2010 programme, contact
021 886 4310 or visit www.wineroute.co.za.
Issued
by: GC Communications
Tel:
+27 (0) 21 462-0520
Contact:
Leanne Loots
Email:
leanne@gc-com.co.za
Issued
on behalf of: Stellenbosch American
Express® Wine Routes
Tel:
021 886 4310
Contact:
Annareth Bolton
Email:
info@wineroute.co.za
..jpg)
Cape
Wine Collection Tour
Packages
Breath-taking
scenery, warm hospitality, world-class
cuisine and the finest wines. This is the
world-renowned Cape winelands, situated on
the southwestern tip of Africa. The
picturesque region with its spectacular
vineyards, has become a magnet ˆ
drawing both local and international
tourists who wish to explore this
inspiring rich cultural and historical
heritage. To avoid making a visit to the
Winelands with its vast number of wine
estates and diverse facilities a daunting
task, a range of customised tour packages
under the Cape Wine Collection banner has
been launched. The route and location of
each facility has clearly been mapped out
in an illustrated and user-friendly Cape
Wine Collection map.
Comprising
some of the finest wine estates in the
Winelands, the Cape Wine Collection covers
everything from ultra modern cellars to
300 year old homesteads as well as
allowing visitors to experience the age
old tradition of a working brandy
cooperage. The concept of the self-guided
tour packages is aimed at facilitating and
assisting tourists by providing visitors
with an easy yet comprehensive method of
enjoying the best the Cape Winelands has
to offer.
Tailor-made
packages offer visitors the choice of one
- or half day tours ˆ depending on
how much time they have available or on
their personal preference. The tours
include the option of a sparkling
breakfast at the House of JC Le Roux, a
picnic lunch in the shadow of the Cape
Dutch homestead of Nederburg Estate, or a
gourmet lunch at the spectacular @ The
Hills at Durbanville Hills winery,
overlooking Table Mountain and Table Bay.
Two of the packages, the Historic and The
Connoisseur‚s Tours also include an
overnight stay at the original Plaisir de
Merle homestead and each package offers
tours and tastings at some of the finest
wine estates in the world.
The World
Wine Tour takes you on a journey around
the world ˆ starting off with the
French culture at Plaisir de Merle and
continues on to Nederburg Estate, steeped
in German tradition. Enjoy a pleasurable
lunch at @ The Hills and end the day with
a tour of Durbanville Hills winery,
producers of award-winning New World style
wines.
The
Complete Winelands Tour offers tours and
tastings at the world-renowned Nederburg
Estate and South Africa‚s leading
house of sparkling wine, The House of JC
Le Roux. Discover quality and sparkling
wines before enjoying an indulgent lunch.
End the day with a tour and sundowner at
Van Ryn brandy distillery.
If you
are pressed for time the Half Day
Winelands Tour provides an all round
Winelands experience in only half a day.
Enjoy a tour and tasting at The
Bergkelder, the wine cellar in the
mountain at the foot of the historic
Papegaaiberg on the outskirts of
Stellenbosch and experience the tranquil
ambience of this awesome cellar. Indulge
in a relaxing cheese lunch under the
trees, next to the river and end the day
with a tour of Van Ryn brandy distillery
and a glorious brandy cocktail next to the
fountain.
Experience
the rich culture and historic nature of
the Cape Winelands with the Historic Tour.
Visit the 200-year-old Drostdy Hof Estate
and museum in Tulbach before heading back
to Paarl for a tour of the Cape Dutch
style Nederburg homestead. End the day
back in Simondium, outside Paarl with a
tour and overnight stay at the
300-year-old farm of Plaisir de Merle.
This trip down memory lane is one not be
missed by any wine connoisseur.
facility
tour packages: There are 8 of these
exciting packages to choose from,
highlighting the splendor and magnificence
of South Africa‚s premier wine
regions. Explore the possibilities, choose
one that is most suitable for you and
enjoy the best wine, food and hospitality
in the Cape this festive season. Most
local tour operators offer the tour
packages and The Cape Wine Collection map
is available at leading tourist
information centres, tour operators,
filling stations and wine
estates.
For
reservations and further information
please contact the relevant wine
estate:
 Plaisir
de Merle Tel: (021) 874 1072
Nederburg
Tel: (021) 862 3104
JC Le
Roux Tel: (021) 865 2590
Drostdy
Hof Tel: (023) 230 1086
Bergkelder
Tel: (021) 809 8492
Neethlingshof
Tel: (021) 883 8988
|
..