Cape Winelands: Franschhoek Wine Tram launched

The Cape Winelands are known for its great wines, wine estates, for its culinary delights, the stunning landscape and its unique architecture. A fantastic new way to discover the beauty of the area is the recently launched Franschhoek Wine Tram. The Franschhoek Wine Tram is a combination of an open-side tram and a open-air tram-bus and runs daily tours through the Franschhoek Valley. The tours depart from (and return to) the Franschhoek Wine Tram ticket office, located in the centre of Franschhoek Village, and include six stops:

• Grande Provence Heritage Wine Estate
• Rickety Bridge
• Dieu Donne vineyard & restaurant
• Haute Cabrière wine estate & restaurant
• Chamonix Wine Farm
• Huguenot Museum

Passengers can hop-on and hop-off of at any of the six stops along the route and experience the activities on offer - wine tasting, cellar tours, lunches, or simply a stroll through the vineyards. A commentary guided tour, focusing on the history of Franschhoek and wine cultivation in the valley, and a complimentary wine tasting, are included. The Franschhoek Wine Tram operates daily from 10:00am to 3:20pm, with departures every 40 minutes. Ticket prices are R130 for adults, R65 for children 5 to 17 years of age, and no charge for children four years of age and under. Enjoy!

Promo video: Moments of Spier (Stellenbosch)

Located in the heart of South Africa's Cape Winelands and only about 20min from Cape Town, the Spier Village and Wine Estate is not just a normal wine estate - the so-called "Spier Experience" combines wine, food, art, culture, nature and, of course, conservation. Guest visiting Spier can lounge on the lawns on the banks of the Eerste River with a picnic, or visit their innovative farm-to-table restaurant Eight. One can taste Spier's award-winning wine paired with delectable treats, or enjoy the welcoming comfort of their spacious, village-style hotel. If you are coming to Cape Town, rent a car, drive to Stellenbosch! and visit Spier, one of South Africa's oldest and most unique wine estates!

The basics of wine in South Africa (video)

South Africa's winelands, the oldest in the so-called new world, are among the most popular tourist destinations in the whole country. The heart of the winelands in South Africa is the Western Cape, particularly the southwest corner of the province near its coastal region. The area, known for towns like Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek, with its long, sun-drenched summers and mild, wet winters, has ideal conditions for a wine industry combining the classicism of the Old World with the contemporary fruit-driven styles of the New World. But it is not only the climate of the winelands, it is also the soil and the unique geography which includes several inland mountain chains and valleys, that is making South African wine so outstandingly good and popular worldwide.
Travellers who are planning to visit the winelands and its historic towns will find the following videos, produced by South African Tourism, quite helpful and interesting as they provide a very good introduction to the wines of South Africa. Enjoy!

Wine Tourism South Africa announced the winners of the first #KLINK Awards

Wine Tourism South Africa announced the winners of South Africa's first ever, consumer-driven, interactive wine tourism awards - the #KLINK Awards. The nominees were shortlisted by a panel of industry-related professionals across a variety of categories and opened for public to vote via Facebook, Twitter and email. In celebration of the winners of the #KLINK Awards and of wine tourism in South Africa, you can now download digital chapters of the Wine Tourism Handbook, the ultimate guide to the South African winelands, for free. Enjoy!

The winners in each category are as follows:

• The "Crowd Pleaser" Award for Best Wine Route Event: Durbanville Wine Valley’s Seasons of Sauvignon
• The "Happy Times" Award for Most Memorable Wine Route: Franschhoek Wine Valley
• The "Wild Card" Award for Most Unusual Attraction on a Wine Route: Cape Heritage Museum at Solms-Delta
• The "Family Day Out" Award for Best Child-Friendly Venue on a Wine Farm: Blaauwklippen Vineyards
• The "Connoisseur" Award for Best Cellar Tasting Experience: Fairview
• The "Warm Family Welcome" Award for Best Cellar Door Experience: Delheim
• The "Tread Gently" Award for Most Green Wine Farm: Villiera
• The "Delicious Deli" Award for Best Deli on a Wine Farm: Fairview Deli
• The "Comfort Zone" Award for Best Bistro or Café on a Wine Farm: Harvest at Laborie
• The "Beyond Expectations" Award for Great Food and Excellent Value: Haute Cabrière
• The "Gourmand" Award for Best Gourmet Restaurant at the Cellar Door: Pierneef á La Motte
• The "Yin and Yang" Award for Best Food and Wine Pairing on a Wine Farm: Creation canapé platter pairing
• The "Percale" Award for Best Accommodation on a Wine Route: Majeka House
• The "Country Comfort" Award for Boutique Accommodation on a Wine Estate: Doolhof Grand Dédale

Great promo video - Waterkloof Wines (Somerset West)

Although the following video is actually promo video about Waterkloof Wines in Somerset West, it has a certain documentary-style and is definitely worth watching it.
Waterkloof Wines, located off the Sir Lowry’s Pass Road, is not a conventional wine estate. Their approach is to cultivate the berries and produce the wine in a as natural way as possible by using bio-dynamic & sustainable farming, minimal intervention and a traditional approach to wine making. They somehow carried the concept of "slow food" over to "wine making" and created their own concept of "slow wine".
Talking about "slow food" - you should also visit the Waterkloof Restaurant which is definitely worth a visit and, of course, a try. It is a bit upmarket, but if you can afford it, have a meal there. Anyway, enjoy the 8min film!

New "Hermanus Wine Route R320" launched

Hermanus is now home to a new wine route named "Hermanus Wine Route R320" that runs along the R320, with 15 wine producers on the 20km route.
The R320, a regional road that connects Hermanus with nearby Caledon in the Overberg region, is leading wine lovers to the tasting rooms of estates in the aptly named Hemel en Aarde (Afrikaans for "heaven and earth") Valley.
Between wine tasting and whale watching, locals and tourists can also participate in a range of activities which include walking and hiking in the Fernkloof Nature Reserve and its fynbos covered mountains, as well as fishing in the Walker Bay or shark cage diving in nearby Gansbaai.


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To mark the re-launch, wine producers along the new wine route have collaborated in the production of a special red blend also known as (Hermanus Wine Route) R320, sales of which will go towards a charity registered to give educational assistance to pupils in the Hermanus area.
Bottles of the (Hermanus Wine Route) R320 red blend are available from restaurants and retail outlets in the area, and each costs about R100.

The essential guide to South African Wines

The current demarcation system of the South African Wine Industry often has little or no reference to the wines produced in these areas; neither does it indicate accurate geographical location. Thus, wine producing areas are presented in smaller demarcated areas, referred to as “Pockets”. The Pockets group together wineries based on their terroir (from available terroir information) with names indicating geographical similarity.
The essential guide to South African Wines presents the reader with a selection of the premium South African wine producers and explains why wines from one Pocket taste different from those of another Pocket.
The Guide takes the reader to the winery, armed with everything he/she needs to know — geographical and soil descriptions, viticultural techniques, winemaking methods, flagship wines, maps and GPS waypoints — to heighten the wine experience.
The partnership of local subject experts and internationally acclaimed wine writers and judges brings the latest research information to the reader. The easy-to-understand format, including explanatory text boxes for technical terms, demystifies the intricate world of fine wines and makes wine appreciation accessible to every wine enthusiast. [src.: cheviot-publishing.com]

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some South African Wine stats...

South Africa produced approx. 787 Million Gross Litres of Wine in 2008
South Africa is the ninth-biggest wine producer in the world
South Africa has 102 000 hectares of land cultivated to wine
South Africa is representing three percent of global output
South Africa exported just over 403.3-million litres of wine (April 08 to April 09)
South Africa had year-on-year growth of 17% (April 08 to April 09)
South Africa's biggest oversea markets are: UK 28%, Germany 19%, Netherlands 9%, Sweden 8%
South Africa's Wines are fifth biggest player in the UK, fourth biggest player in Germany and the biggest in Sweden



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