Cape Winelands – 3 Day Technical Wine Tourism Tour

September 2019

Tour Itinerary

Day 1 – September 2019

Depart Spier Hotel

• Rust en Vrede
Since 1977 the Engelbrecht family has specialised in producing only red wine with the focus on Syrah, Cabernet and Merlot. Rust en Vrede was nominated as the first South African red wine in the Top 100 Wines of the World and repeated this achievement for four consecutive years. They developed a strong wine tourism focus to offer guests more than just a wine tasting experience. Rust en Vrede has won Great Wine Capitals Best Of Wine Tourism Restaurant in the past and most recently for cellar door service. Proprietor Jean Engelbrecht will talk about how he developed the cellar door experience from a basic tasting to an award-winning wine tourism destination.

• Creation
JC and Carolyn Martin literally created this wine tourism destination from nothing. Their vision was to embrace the landscape and environment and produce the best wines possible on site. Situated in the more recently demarcated Upper Hemel and Aarde ward in the Hemel en Aarde Valley, Hermanus, their focus here is to allow visitors to experience their wines through wine and food pairing. The fact that they are repeat winners of the Great Wine Capitals Best Of Wine Tourism Award for Innovation is testament to their success. You will experience the food and wine pairing and the team will explain this unique way of selling wine via an innovative food offering.

• Vergelegen
One of the Grande Dames of the South African wine industry, this estate is steeped in history and heritage which will be revealed through various tours including the historical buildings, gardens and a wine tasting. Vergelegen is the epitome of the Cape Winelands. But Vergelegen is not only famous for its typically Cape Dutch Heritage but also for world class wines. Vergelegen is annually acknowledged as one of South Africa’s top 20 wineries in this respect.

• CHECK IN TO EENDRACHT HOTEL, STELLENBOSCH ON A BED & BREAKFAST BASIS. DINNER AT LEISURE

Day 2: September 2019

• Waterford Estate
When Kevin Arnold set out to establish Waterford Estate in the late 90’s, he had a very clear vision of what he wanted to achieve: a focused wine portfolio and a world-class wine tourism experience. Both elements of this vision materialised seamlessly and are tangible when visiting this estate. Waterford has won the Great Wine Capitals Best Of Wine Cellar Door Service experience no less than 3 times. His tasting room also seems to be the springboard for many successful marketers, service professionals and brand managers, who have gone forward to work at prestigious brands like La Motte, L’Ormarins and the wine distribution and import company, Vinimark.

• Teddy Hall Historic Stellenbosch walking tour (along Dorp Street) with tasting
Teddy Hall has a colourful story to tell about the characters who populated and shaped the historic town of Stellenbosch. Most of his wines are named after controversial individuals who lived in Dorp Street over the last 300 years. He will guide you down the street with a glass of his MCC sparkling wine, relating the stories behind his wines and concludes with a tasting at the Stellenbosch Hotel.

• La Motte
La Motte’s core business pillars are: wine tourism, food, art and sustainability. They also live by the motto of offering unique experiences beyond the tasting room, based on sustainable practice. The La Motte Museum offers a stimulating cultural-historical experience, housing the biggest collection of art by one of South Africa’s great masters, Pierneef. La Motte is also a regular GWC Best Of winner, in Sustainability, Service and also over-all winner for Cape Town – Cape Winelands. Upon arrival, you’ll have lunch, inspired by traditional Cape Winelands cuisine, followed by a tour of the estate in order to experience their diverse wine tourism experiences: the art museum, the wine tasting area and their biodiversity experiences.

• Boekenhoutskloof
Boekenhoutskloof was established in 1776. In 1993 the farm and homestead was bought and restored and a new vineyard planting programme was established. The highly-acclaimed wines annually sell out before release. For this reason, they had to close the tasting room to the public. But Cellar Master and partner, Marc Kent, has a keen passion for wine tourism and introduced an innovative way of offering current and potential customers a Boekenhoutskloof experience. The tasting room was revamped and decorated with art and paraphernalia collected by Marc over the years, shaping a very personalised experience, where tutored tastings are offered only twice a week. Wines are selected from the library to suit the group. You will meet winemaker Gottfried Mocke and be taken through a selection of their famous wines.

• Leeu Collection
During Mr Singh’s first visit to South Africa during the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup, he was hosted in the Cape Winelands and immediately decided to acquire a property, with the aim to develop a wine brand, linked to hospitality and cuisine. He was introduced to one of the most exciting wine duos of this decade, Chris and Andrea Mullineux, and Mullineux and Leeu Family Wines was established. Famous for their old vine, terroir-driven Swartland wines, specifically shiraz and Chenin Blanc, they settled on Roundstone Estate in Riebeeksrivier, Riebeek Kasteel. But for this visit, you will be hosted at Leeu Estate where the Mullineux and Leeu Family Wines Tasting Studio is based. This visit will include a tasting at their wine studio

• Dinner at Tokara
Tokara is arguably one of the most impressive wineries in the Stellenbosch wine region with modern yet understated architecture. While the wines are excellent and sought after, it is the restaurant that sets this winery apart. Current style is inspired by local ingredients and traditional flavours. Your menu for the evening will be a compilation of his signature dishes, for which Tokara has won GWC Best Of Restaurant several times.

• CHECK IN TO EENDRACHT HOTEL, STELLENBOSCH ON A BED & BREAKFAST BASIS.

Day 3: September 2019

• Villiera
In a quiet, unassuming and humble way, the Grier family has always been producing solid, quality wines, with a focus on MCC sparkling wine. Sustainable wine growing is also very important for them and they were one of the first wine farms in South Africa to attempt to go off the National Power Grid. The installation of solar panels on the cellar’s roof as well as natural light windows allowed for them to achieve this. As vineyard expansion was not part of their business plan, they decided to introduce game on the rest of the farm. At Villiera you’ll experience an informative game drive in the Winelands, followed by a wine tasting.

• Spice Route-Fairview
Charles Back set off on a long road of developing one of the most innovative wine tourism experiences in the world, when he took over the reins from his father at Fairview. The goat’s cheese production plant is a welcome partner to the wine tasting experience. Charles bought the neighbouring farm where you can literally spend a day tasting Spice Route wines, dine at several restaurants, taste grappa, beer and chocolates to mention but a few. You’ll have a tour of these experiences and enjoy a traditional lunch.

• Babylonstoren
The original buildings on this farm date back to 1777 and have been carefully restored according to their original architectural integrity. A disused cow shed was transformed into the current-day Babel restaurant. When accommodation was added to create the Farm Hotel, similar care was taken and so the signature look at Babylonstoren remains whitewashed walls of thick stone or primitive brick, with ornate gables and thatched roofs. Similarly, the garden design looked to the past for inspiration, taking its cue from the Company’s Garden of Cape Town, which supplied passing ships to the Cape with food in the 1600’s. All of the 300 varieties of plants in the garden are edible or have medicinal value, with everything from blood oranges to asparagus, mushrooms and persimmons supplying the farm’s two restaurants: Babel and the Greenhouse. Babylonstoren took the lead in the farm to fork trend and you will enjoy a tour of the farm and the gardens with the garden curator.

• Kanonkop
Kanonkop is the quintessential red wine estate in South Africa and has often been assigned “First Growth” status by both local and international opinion leaders. The focus here is on red wine: Cabernet Sauvignon, a Bordeaux inspired blend and South Africa’s own indigenous grape, Pinotage. The latter is arguably the best example of a South African Pinotage. After a vertical tasting of Pinotage and some of their other wines, you’ll enjoy a snoek braai with the Kanonkop owner, Johann Krige.

• OVERNIGHT IN EENDRACHT HOTEL ON A BED & BREAKFAST BASIS

Day 4: September 2019

Day at leisure and check into Spier Hotel (For own account).