THE annual Elgin Cool Wine & Country Festival returns on May 3. Wine estates in the Elgin Valley will be open for tastings as well as mouth-watering luncheons and excellent entertainment.
This event offers wine enthusiasts the chance to enjoy the beauty of the Elgin Valley while also discovering a vast variety of fine wines from a unique wine route that lies just an hour outside Cape Town.
The Elgin Cool Wine & Country Festival has been divided into three sections – morning, lunch and afternoon, from 9am to 5pm. Each estate offers the chance to explore the wines produced, but also the culture and heritage that is part and parcel of the Elgin Wine Route.
The morning session, from 9.30 to 11.30am, will see all the estates participating in the festival open for tastings. Visitors will be able to move freely from one estate to the next. The lunch session is from 11.30 to 2.20pm. Each estate offers a unique lunch experience, highlighting the estate and its wine selection. Visitors select the lunch destination and offering they like and plan accordingly.
Booking is essential, via the Elgin Valley Wine Guild, see www.elginwine.co.za
Space is limited at each estate and prices will vary for each offering.
For the afternoon session, from 2.30pm to 5pm, all participating estates will be open for tastings.
Entertainment will include bands, art collections, tractor rides and kiddies’ playgrounds.
During the pre-booked lunch session, visitors can choose from a number of estates to enjoy a world-class dining experience, explore the estate grounds and even meet the renowned wine maker or estate owner.
Elgin is the coolest wine-growing region in South Africa, with a high altitude and climate that allow grapes a longer hanging time on the vines. Surrounded by beautiful mountains, the lush green valleys of this region offer the ideal place to grow fresh produce such as pears, apples and grapes, which adds even more appeal to this distinctive region.
The Elgin Valley is known for its wide range of adventure sports, which include 4x4 wine tours, mountain biking, quadbiking and kayaking.
Day passes are available at any participating wine farm on the day of the festival for R50. – Arts writer
l Tickets go on sale on March 28. See www.elginwine.co.za or www.facebook.com/pages/Elegantly Elgin/103931769707624 or www.twitter.com/ElegantlyElgin