SOUTH AFRICA WINE TOURS Every day departure 11 Nights accommodation Day 1: Cape Town You will be met at Cape Town International Airport and a short introduction to the Cape Winelands and wine tasting techniques follows at your hotel. Refresh yourself and put your feet up for a while, and then it’s off to experience the first gourmet meal of your wine tour in South Africa! Day 2: Wellington Your first visit on your wine tour of South Africa is to Kaapzicht – among the largest and, without doubt, the most charming estates in the Bottelary Hills outside Stellenbosch. Kaapzicht has won numerous awards, in particular for their absolutely exquisite Pinotages. Your next stop is Rhebokskloof Estate. Here you get a chance to experience wine “safari style” as the property borders on a nature reserve and the winery backs onto the mountain. Revel in the company of your gracious and gregarious host Daniel the winemaker who will lead you in sampling some of their top wines. Stay on for lunch in their Victorian restaurant. A scenic drive brings you to the picturesque valley of Wellington. The town is steeped in history and tradition, with a magnificent legacy of historic buildings and old farms. The Wellington wine area is renowned for its excellent soils and climate, which produce superb wines. Last stop for the day is at Diemersfontein Wine Estate where winemaker Bertus Fourie leads us in a tasting and a few wine-making tips to boot! Then it’s on to view the works of local artists and a stroll through Diemersfontein’s truly majestic gardens. Diinner will prove a memorable experience, washed down with Diemersfontein’s award-winning wines. You’ll have no problems dozing off in your accommodation for the evening - Diemersfontein’s luxurious manor house and cottages. Day 3: Paarl After breakfast is served you continue your wine tour of South Africa. The internationally-acclaimed Boland Kelder in Northern Paarl takes pride of place as first stop of the day where you visit their underground cellar for a tasting. You wind your way further down a charming valley until you arrive at the KWV Emporium where an impressively-informed team takes you on a tour of the expansive cellars, including the majestic Cathedral Cellar. You stop at Ruitersvlei where you meet the energetic team who are in the process of ‘doing great things’ on this 300-hectare property. German-born winemaker Hein will take you into his cellar for what, in Hein’s words, promises to be a ‘tasting with a difference’. You then arrive in ‘Paarl proper’ where you check into your accommodation for the evening – Pontac Manor Guest House. Lunch is served here and you can spend the afternoon entirely according to your mood. Reconvene in the early evening to drive back to Ruitersvlei to the famous La Masseria Restaurant for an evening of Italian cuisine, exquisite local cheeses, accordion music and (if we are lucky), the goose- flesh inducing voice of tenor Lorenzo, La Masseria’s multi-talented owner! Day 4: Paarl You begin your day on Laborie Estate where you do what you have by now become so good at – tasting award-winning wines and strolling through the estate. The world-famous Nederburg Wine Estate awaits your arrival. Nederburg’s Romanian-born cellarmaster, Razvan Macici, will take you for a stroll through the cellar where you'll sample their revolutionary new wines in an ultra-modern tasting room. An exclusive lunch follows in the manor house, perfectly matched with house wines. Ashanti is appropriately named after the Swahili word for “thank you”. This Tuscan-styled cellar produces a mean red wine! You end your day with the quintessential digestif at Wilderer’s, which boasts an impressive range of fruit spirits (eau de vie) and glorious grappa. Wilderer’s father and son team welcome us onto their small establishment which has fast gained a big reputation. You head back to your hotel to freshen up before dinner, with the remainder of the evening spent entirely at your leisure. Day 5: Franschoek Another young and enthusiastic team greets you at the Agusta winery where you will be honoured with a tasting of some of their innovative wines. You move on to two farms owned by the legendary Rupert family - La Motte and L’Ormarins – where they will present to you the farms and their elegant fruits of the wine. You then visit the quaint historical farm, Plaisir de Merle. A walk through the estate is followed by a tasting of their exquisitely-crafted wines with winemaker, Neil Bester. You stay for lunch at the gorgeous Cape Dutch manor house, set amidst a magnificent backdrop of the Simonsberg mountains. Next, a stop-over at Cotage Fromage. Enjoy a shady break under the oak trees as you sample olives and their award-winning cheeses, plus a wealth of those of rival cheese-makers. This is your last evening in Paarl and dinner is at your leisure. Day 6: Stellenbosch You start off your day with a brief tasting at a farm appropriately named “happiness” - Le Boneheur. Then it’s on to the world-renowned Warwick Estate, where you take a stroll through the cellar and sample their wines, before moving across to Uitkyk, with their recently renovated and ultra-modern tasting room. You will visit the historic manor house, drink their wines and relax on the lawns with a picnic and a game of boules ( introduced to the Cape by the French Huguenots) – all while you sip their silky smooth pot-stilled brandy. After lunch, you pop in at Slaley which boasts two ranges of wines that you will certainly want to buy. Also on offer will be a taste of their olives and olive oil. You check into your hotel, the Devon Valley Hotel, situated in one of the winelands’ best-kept secrets - the rolling hills of Devon Valley. While away the evening at Ilanga, where you are treated to a tasting of their excellent range of wines. Dinner is a typical South African ‘braai’ (barbeque) in the ‘lapa' with exquisite views. Day 7-8: Cape Town Feel the accomplishment of having “conquered” the Winelands. Today you tackle some of the other Cape Town icons: Table Mountain, Robben Island, and the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront (including the Two Oceans Aquarium). Round off the day with a sunset cruise in Table Bay – the very bay where Jan van Riebeeck arrived at the Cape in 1652. The next day you embark on a tour to Cape Point and Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens. Dinner is at leisure on both evenings. Day 9: Stellenbosch After breakfast, your wine tour of South Africa resumes with a tasting of the Sylvanvale wines produced on the property. You then head for the hills and take a drive over the breath-takingly beautiful Helshoogte pass, where the winemaker at Delaire’s ‘vineyards in the sky’ will present his world-class wines. A little further down the pass, you turn left into the illustrious and spanking new wine farm at Zorgvliet. Top winemaker Bruwer Raats and his team will host you for a tasting, and after a ramble through the estate, you'll have lunch at the historic Herenhuis 1692 restaurant. After lunch you visit Alto and Stellenzicht, where you are introduced to the last of the five LUSAN wineries. You then drive to the Jonkershoek valley for a luxurious treat - a stay-over at the illustrious 5-star Lanzerac Hotel. Dinner is at your leisure. Day 10: Stellenbosch You start off the day with an early tasting at Lanzerac, then on to Clos Malverne in the Devon Valley for their superb reds. You head up the valley for a lunch-and-tasting-with-a-difference combo at The House of JC le Roux. You then visit the largest private cellar in the country on the family farm of Middelvlei. Move on to Bergkelder – also home the famous ‘mountain cellars’, followed by a leisurely drive to Zevenwacht, where you will stay the night. Day 11: Hermanus After breakfasting at Zevenwacht, you visit the cheesery and do a cellar tour and tasting of wine and cheese with larger-than-life winemaker Karl Lambour. At Walker Bay you meet the young and passionate team at Sumaridge, taste their wines, and join them for a picnic lunch on the lawns situated above the dam and overlooking the scenic Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. Then it's a visit to the ever-popular tourist hub of Hermanus, famed for land-based whale watching in season (May to December). Hermanus also serves as your overnight spot. Day 12: Stellenbosch A hearty breakfast sustains you for the road back to Stellenbosch where you visit the Van Ryn Brandy Cellar for a brandy course. Then it’s on to Durbanville Hills to visit this modern winery and taste their remarkably refreshing wines – and your farewell lunch. From there, it’s back to your hotel or the airport and the end of your wine tour in South Africa. World Travel Service Reservation: +90 212 2379060 Click for Reservation The reservation form is a privilege for our customers to send their requests and wishes and to get their replies in a most quick way. Go to South Africa Tours home page > |