A taster of Wine Town

IN THE first week of November, Stellenbosch will be hosting its inaugural Wine Town show.

The five-day festival will be showcasing local wines and food at venues around the town and at participating wine farms.

Stellenbosch Wine Routes manager Elmarie Rabe says they are happy with the new show dates that have been moved from August to November 3-7.

“We’re extremely excited about Wine Town Stellenbosch. As the inaugural show, it’s an exploded version of our traditional wine festival and would have taken place in August, but lockdown restrictions put paid to it for that month. With restrictions now at level 1, everyone’s back and raring to go,” says Rabe.

The Wine Town show is in conjunction with Stellenbosch Wine Routes’ 50th anniversary. As a result, guests will be treated to a wine tasting of local wines that are over five decades old.

The Stellenbosch Cabernet Collective will also present “Cabernet through the Ages” at the newly renovated visitor centre of Ernie Els Wines, where guests can compare rare older vintages seldom offered to the public.

The Old Vine Project will be open for wine-lovers to experience wines from South Africa’s elder vineyards.

There will also be a masterclass to compare the old vine chenin blanc from various regions, followed by lunch prepared by Chef Craig Cormack.

Chenin Blanc Association vice-chairperson and wine supremo Jeff Grier will host a dinner called “Celebrate Chenin Blanc”. The dinner will feature a four-course meal prepared by Chef George Jardine, with Michael Fridjhon, the director of the Wine Judging Academy of the UCT Graduate School of Business, as a special guest.

Again, in celebration of the Cap Classique 50th anniversary, the Cap Classique Producers Association and Simonsig Estate have partnered to present an informal walk-around tasting on the lawns of the winery. Almost 20 producers are expected to showcase at least 50 wines.

And lastly, the Big Bottles, Bowties and Braaibroodjies tasting – which requires guests to wear bow-ties with any outfit – will be presenting wines from well-known and emerging producers.

And on the side, local chefs will be grilling their versions of the South African toasted sandwich. ◆ For ticket purchases and more information, visit www.wineroute.co.za.