Wine Tours
How does this grab you?
Nothing quite compares to
a personal, chauffeured wine tour. Qualified local wine tour guides will
indulge you with sparkling wine as they guide you to some of the Cape’s finest
wineries. You can sit back and relax as you take in the picturesque wonders of
the wine country, and spend the day tasting wine without the hassle of driving
your own car. During the day you can banquet al fresco among the vineyards with
a gourmet picnic lunch at an exclusive, scenic winery setting. From honeymoons
to your next company meeting, our wine tours will accommodate all your
requirements.
Lunch can also be served
at one of the elite winery locations, depending on accessibility and proximity
to the wineries you have chosen to visit on your excursion. It is customary to
buy a bottle or two of wine from the host winery to have with your lunch. The
costs of wine tasting and wine purchases will not be included.
Tips
on Wine Tasting
Many are intimidated by
wine tastings and I hear phrases like “I don’t know much about wines but …”.
The variables that influence how a wine is experienced are countless.
Everything affects the drinking of a wine: your frame of mind, the ambience in
a restaurant, or your girlfriend has told you to piss off.
No
matter how intangible one may view the experience, there are people out there
who want guidance on how best to evaluate wines.
One
suggestion would be to decant each wine into exactly the same decanter, allow
them to stabilise at the same temperature, and then drink them out of exactly
the same quality wine glasses. At the end of the day, you are the one that has
to quaff it and, therefore, it must gratify your palette. That’s the be all and
end all.
Should
any of you want more “technical” information on tasting wine, please let me
know.
Wine Route a’la Vino-Tech
Something I never get the chance
to do ….. wine touring.
Some associates and I hired a
vehicle for the eight of us and decided to do a wine route with a difference.
“Yours Truly” plotted the route with specific wines in mind. We wanted to go
somewhere off the beaten track – so Wellington it was!
Windmeul Co-Op had a
superlative Cabernet/Merlot; and their Merlot was very first-rate as well.
Their prices were the cheapest of the lot. Their Cab/Merlot has a 4 star JP
rating; so does their Cabernet Reserve but sadly this is not available for
tasting.
Nelson’s Creek’s staff were
not too conversant. Their Shiraz is exceptional, as is their Chardonnay. They
also sponsored the first black-owned wine estate - "New Beginnings". New
Beginnings was donated by Alan Nelson (owner of Nelson's Creek) to 16 black
families, who are also employees at Nelson's Creek. They produce mainly
Cabernet, Pinotage & Rose. The winemaker is Matthewis Thabo, an ex labourer
of Nelson's Creek.
We then popped along to Oude
Wellington where I hosted the wine tasting. We had a brief amble around the
rustic farm. By now I’m sure you all know enough about Oude Wellington (being
one of my long established suppliers).
We had lunch at Rhebokskloof.
Most had duck which evidently was to die for. The desserts were so attractively
presented, it seemed a discredit to eat them. Service was outstanding and what
a magnificent setting. They also sell their own extra virgin olive oil. It is
such a lovely venue; complete with a lake and swans; nestled in a valley where
the shy rhebok reside. You may want to take a horse ride around the estate too.
Most of their wines are 4 star rated. We particularly liked the Cabernet and
Sparkling wine.
Last but not least was
Laborie. This is KWV's model estate, with its 200 year old Cape Dutch Manor
House. All their wines are exceptional including the MCC sparkling.
Should any of you want to
arrange such a tour (not necessarily Wellington per se), please let me know and
I will arrange it for you. The tour will be lead by a registered tour guide and
together we’ll give you a day to remember.
Contact Janine Smith
[email protected]
+27 72 182 0439