Wander through the winelands

The 10-day wine and food extravaganza festival line-up offers a wide variety of winery experiences ranging from picnics to pairings, game drives to grape stomping, high teas to golf, open air movies and gala dinners to superb gourmet pairings. Many of the wineries have included specific child-friendly activities to keep the younger crowd entertained.

One of the highlights of the festival will undoubtedly be the Longridge gala dinner, which will be hosted in the historic streets of Stellenbosch on Wednesday, January 29. Plein Street, in front of the town hall, will be transformed into an elegant open-air dinner venue for a fantastic five-course meal paired with the finest Longridge wines and accompanied by live music.

Another fine dining experience not to be missed is the five-course wine and food pairing presented at Towerbosch restaurant, recently crowned as the best country-style restaurant in the country. Knorhoek has collaborated with neighbouring wineries from the Simonsberg region Quoin Rock, Muratie and Delheim to host this spectacular gourmet offering on January 30.

Visitors will be able to enjoy a true African safari experience at several wineries to explore the incredible natural beauty of the Stellenbosch region. Take a tour through the vineyards of Jordan in a safari-style vehicle and savour the incredible views and prolific fauna and flora before enjoying a special tour and tasting in the barrel cellar. Villiera’s wildlife sanctuary offers a glimpse of hundreds of antelope, giraffe, black wildebeest, bush pigs and Burchell’s Zebra.

Fantastic family fun is on the cards at Middelvlei, Delheim and Beau Belle. Enjoy the special Middelvlei boerebraai tapas paired with great wines, while the kids can have a real farm experience feeding the animals and going for a tractor ride through the vineyards. Delheim hosts their annual harvest celebration on January 25 and 26 with a buffet-style picnic lunch, live music, a grape stomping competition and supervised activities for the kids.

Outdoor enthusiasts with a thirst for adventure and quality wine can look forward to a multi-adventure day at Beau Belle by bringing along their canoes or kayaks for a paddle on the dam before enjoying a wine tasting followed by a picnic and live music.