Tours in Cape Town

During the first week of July Stellenbosch will be host to a wine festival. This year because the event takes place during the world cup special arrangements have been made for foreign and local visitors who would like to visit the estates participating while visiting Cape Town.

Stellenbosch scenery

The hub of the festival is at Doornbosch in Stellenbosch where there is parking available and from where one can get a shuttle bus to the wine estate of your choice.

For foreign and local visitors who would like to visit the festival arrangements have been made for you to get there without having to drink and drive.

People flying in from abroad or elsewhere in South Africa can arrange transport directly from the airport while people in the city can get transport to Doornbosch from the V & A Waterfront.

If you choose to visit the festival using your own car there are eight park and ride venues where you can leave your vehicle and then catch a shuttle bus to the wine estate or along the wine route of your choice.

The routes have been colour coded, Burgundy, Violet, Orange, Green, Lime, Yellow, Sky, Gold and Purple and the routes cover the whole of Stellenbosch winelands area.

Waterford Wine estate

Waterford Wine Estate

I recently visited the beautiful Waterford etate on the green route.It’s situated in a beautiful valley  just off the road to Somerset West from Stellenbosch.

View from the Waterford Estate

The Waterford Wine Estate was created through a very special partnership between two families who shared a dream of creating a wine farm where life could be cherished while the seasons marked the passing of time and where the fruit always reminded one of blessings, abundance and the beauty of nature.

Waterford tasting room

The Waterford estate was founded in 1998 when the present owners purchased piece of farmland which was previously part of the Stellenryk vineyards. From its early days the owners have worked hard to build a new winery while at the same time having to resurrect the existing vineyards and orchards. Their hardwork has paid off and today they have a showcase wine estate. They have produced a number of unique wines and combine a chocolate tasting with a number of these wines in their tasting rooms.

To make the farm more accessible to the public and to teach their visitors more of the secrets of winemaking they have put together a two hour vineyard tour with a special wine tasting experience in the vineyards for their guests. The cost of the vineyard tour is R500.00 per person and is proving to be popular amongst visitors wanting to learn more about winemaking, the soil used to grow the grapes in and the history of wine in South Africa.

Lounge area off the main courtyard of theWaterford winery

Stellenryk farm

The original Stellenryk farm is still in existence and it has recently come up with a unique program where they allow the public the opportunity to stomp their own grapes and make their own wine. They still do this and label wines for the public under their logo.

As a result of the program a new label known as JJ Handmade wines came into being where wines are produced using no machinery and only the free running juice through gravity flow and of which total production reached about 500 cases.

It became so popular that the estate converted an old dairy into a boutique cellar where everything works on a gravity basis. Grapes come in at the top of the cellar, are crushed with wooden stomps by the women on the farm and then allowed to ferment naturally. A basket press is used and soft pressure applied to fermented grapes to suck out the essence of the grapes and this juice is then combined with the free running juice from the tanks at the top of the cellar (with gravity flow) to finish fermentation in the barrels and start their ageing process.

Do you want to try your hand at making your own wine then click the link provided to find out more.

The winelands of Stellenbosch have so many surprises waiting for you that I cannot even begin to tell you about so why not i go out and get your tickets for the wine festival.

Airport Shuttles phone Jacques on 0832584769

Shuttles from the V & A Watefront

For shuttles to and from the V & A Waterfront phone Norman on 0825698299

The Waterfront shuttles depart from V & A Clock Tower entrance at 9.30 am and 11.00 am and return daily at 15.00 and 17.00 from the Doornbosch estate

The cost of the shuttle and the the festival pass is R300.00 per person.

Helicopter Shuttles

For those interested in using a helicopter shuttle , Base 4 Helicopters are offering a shuttle service on Saturday and Sunday at R750.00 per person and this includes the festival pass.

The shuttle service will fly between Blaauklippen, Zorgvliet and Skilpadvlei.

To find out more about the helicopter service phone Fuzzy or Michelle on 021 9344405

Own transport:

For those using their own transport there are eight park and ride facilities where you can link up with a shuttle service tom take you on the wine route of your choice.

The farms to park at are Doornbosch, Blaauklippen, Eikendal, Oude Libertas,Bottlery Hills Centre, Delvera and Zorgvliet.

The park and rde centres are open between 9.00 am and 17.00pm

Where to buy your pass.

Doornbosch Information centre

Park and Ride sites on festival days

Online at www.wineroute.co.za

Computicket inside Checkers stores.

Bring your printed ticket to any Park and Ride site or information centre to collect your glass and festival pass. For internet ticket collections please collect your pass at the Doornbosch information centre only.

For more information phone 021 8834310 or visit www.wineroute.co.za

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