On our South Africa Wine Tour we'll discover the latest developments in the wine scene, as well as exploring some of the most beautiful and famous sites: the Kirstenbosch Gardens, the Waterfront at Cape Town, the Cape of Good Hope, the Hugenot town of Franschhoek and the University town of Stellenbosch, the sea-side town of Hermanus and much more...
The Cape has a long tradition of wine production dating back to the Dutch settlers of 1652. When the British took over a new wealth was brought to the country and many of the gracious Cape-Dutch homesteads seen today were built as a result of the success of that era. It was hoped initially that the Cape would become "the vineyard of the Empire". This happened partially, quality table wine production didn't catch on but Cape "Port" and "Sherry" did become quite popular and Constantia Muscat established a superb reputation.
In 1861 the Liberal "free traders" under Prime Minister Gladstone removed the "empire preference" tariffs and then in 1886 the pest phylloxera struck, devastating the vineyards. The vineyards were rapidly replanted, but largely with high yielding low quality varieties. It was not until the foundation of the KWV (Ko-operatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Zuid-Afrika Beperkt) in 1918 that any real structure was reestablished. Again the success was largely with fortifieds, Cape Sherry in particular proving very popular until the 1970s.
Today KWV represents and controls the production of 5000 of the Cape's wine growers cultivating some 100,000 hectares. Following the opening up of trade, exports are increasing and quality improving to very high levels. South African wines are getting the international acclaim they deserve - this year over 1,200,000 cases were imported into the UK. Boschedal winery, Cape, South Africa.
The Cape is one of the most spectacular wine regions in the world, and this tour covers the top wine producers and as well as some of the most beautiful and famous sites. This tour we will largely be concentrating on the smaller single estate owner-managed wineries, which, as in so many wine-producing regions worldwide, are now leading the field.
Our tour starts with 2 nights on Cape Town’s lively waterfront. There is time to explore South Africa’s oldest and largest botanical gardens, the Kirstenbosch (with its wonderful examples of Proteas), Robben Island or Table Mountain. On our tour down to the Cape of Good Hope, we’ll see penguins and hopefully baboons and antelope too! From Cape Town we explore the wineries of Constantia (on the other side of Table Mountain) with gourmet dinner at the beautiful Buitenvervachting estate and a great tasting at Klein Constantia including the fabled Vin de Constance.
Our next base is the University City of Stellenbosch, from where we visit the vineyards of the Western Cape, which are in a compact area. Visits, many to state of the art wineries attached to gracious Cape-Dutch homesteads include Meerlust, Fairview and Buitenverwatching. At the top estate of Thelema Mountain we have a superb tasting with Gyles Webb. At another of our favourites, Hamilton Russell, we taste with Anthony Hamilton-Russell, and see how dedication to detail results in world class Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs. Penguinsat Boulders Bay, Cape, in South Africa, Pigage at Kanonkop.
We have also searched out some new top performing producers who we will visit. As with all Supplier's Tours, many of our visits on our South Africa Wine Tour include meals and picnics at the wine estates. You'll taste the wines with the best local specialties so we can really enjoy them.
This is a great excuse to exchange our winter for their summer and is the most exciting time to visit as it will probably be harvest. With only a direct 10 hour flight and a 2 hour time difference, there is little jet-lag.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- Direct scheduled flights Heathrow / Cape Town (BA)
- All taxes, coach, 7 nights 4 star hotels, 8 meals with wines, visits & tastings
- Entrance to Cape Peninsula National Park and The Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens
- Wine Guide
Travel: Direct scheduled flights Heathrow / Cape Town
Sole Occupancy: £190.00
Deposit: £400.00
Room Upgrade: by request
Also see tour packages in:
Africa
South Africa
Food & Wine
Archeology/History
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