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Following a very long and wet winter, most of us are
ready to head to our local wine farms and restaurants, for long
afternoons with great food, wine and company.
This month I would like to
tell you about some new and interesting places to visit. |
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Modern yet unadorned
with spectacular vistas,
Waterkloof Wine
Estate’s new
signature restaurant,
perched high on the
slopes of the
Schapenberg on the
outskirts of the
Helderberg, is literally
taking the quality and
popularity of Winelands
dining to new heights.
Dining with French chef
Grégory Czarnecki –
fuelled with a decade’s
wealth of experience
from working in some of
the finest Michelin star
restaurants in France –
calls for an unhurried
indulgence of
contemporary classics
complemented by the
estate’s European style
wines.
The restaurant opened
its doors on the 1st of
December 2009 and will
serve lunch and dinner,
from Mondays to
Saturdays and lunch only
on Sundays. For more
information, visit:
www.waterkloofwines.co.za
or phone 021 858 1292. |
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The Restaurant at Clos
Malverne opened its doors in
November, and I can definitely
recommend visiting the Pritchard
family. The food is not only
exceptional but provides you
with great value at affordable
prices. Wines are sold at cellar
door prices per glass (quarter
bottle per glass), and makes the
whole dining experience even
more tantalizing. Join Nadia
Louw, award-wining Chef, for
lunch on Tuesdays to Saturdays,
from 12pm to 3pm. For more info,
phone 021-865 2022.
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Highly acclaimed chef
George Jardine and award
winning winemakers Gary
and Kathy Jordan have
joined forces to open a
new restaurant in the
grounds of Jordan
Wine Estate in
Stellenbosch. The
partnership brings
together the Jordans,
owners of one of the
country’s best known and
respected wineries, with
former South African
Chef of the Year Jardine.
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The
new restaurant, which is called The Restaurant
at Jordan, is located next to the estate’s
tasting room in a former tobacco curing house
and seat up to 80 guests, either indoors or
outside on the patio.
Open for lunch on Tuesday
to Sunday, and dinner only on Thursday and
Friday evenings. The Restaurant opened to
visitors on 1 December 2009. For
further info, contact Rachel on 021 881 3441 or
rachel@jordanwines.com.
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The House of J.C. Le Roux has created a
refreshing new summer taste sensation by pairing delicious fruit sorbets
with a selection of sparkling and Méthode Cap Classique wines in their
new Sparkling wine and Sorbet tasting. By carefully pairing their
sparkling wines with sorbet, South Africa’s first dedicated sparkling
wine cellar offers you sheer indulgence on spectacular summer days.
For
just R30 per person you can indulge in three exquisite J.C. Le Roux
sparkling and Cap Classique wines paired with delicious sorbets crafted
by Seasons Restaurant at The House of J.C. Le Roux.
Bookings are
essential for special tastings, breakfast or lunch so call 021 865 8200
or visit www.jcleroux.co.za. |
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Talking about restaurants, the Prudential Eat
Out Top 10 Restaurant Awards 2009 were
announced last week, with Stellenbosch again
scooping three of the top 10 positions.
A
triumvirate of three of South Africa's top chefs
consolidates the golden triangle of the
Helderberg as the culinary epicentre of the
winelands - led by David Higgs of
Rust en Vrede ("Gorgeous
attention to detail in every dish" commented the
judges), Michael Broughton of
Terroir ("An exciting menu with the
finest sauces and some classics revisited with a
modern philosophy") and Bertus Basson of
Overture
("Modern architecture,
mind-blowing views ... unique
fresh flavours and
combinations").
Congratulations to our
Proudly
Stellenbosch restaurants! For full results,
visit www.eatout.co.za. | |
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Make the most of the
sultry summer days and enjoy the bounty of
Mother Nature. Nature lovers will be spoilt for
choice between animal excursions such as bird
watching, horse riding, game drives, cycling and
hiking trails and even strawberry safaris.
Villiera Wines have recently introduced a
scintillating combination of wine and wildlife
when they launched the 175-hectare Villiera
wildlife sanctuary. Although the farm
already had a vibrant birdlife including 1000
Peking ducks, pheasant, guinea fowl, blue
cranes, owls etc, the reserve now also contains
steenbok, duiker, springbok, red hartebeest,
zebra, bontebok, eland, grysbok, gemsbok as well
as bush pigs, foxes, mongeese, porcupines and
caracal. |
Visitors can enjoy tasting Villiera’s
award-winning sparkling wines before
experiencing a 2-hour game drive. Game drive
prices are R150 per adult and R75 for children
under 12 years of age. Booking is essential,
please contact 021 865 2002. |
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The full
moon and sunset hikes at the
Dirtopia Trail Centre can
probably be counted amongst some
of the most incredible hikes in
and around Stellenbosch.
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Visitors can enjoy amazing
sunsets or dazzling moon risings
from the top of Klapmutskop with
panoramic 360˚ views. Hikers can
enjoy a leisurely stroll along
the clearly marked vineyard
trail through a Renosterveld
conservancy and yellowwood
forest. The route is 9.75km, but
shorter routes are available on
request. Mouthwatering picnic
baskets can be ordered in
advance for R90 per person or
visitors can bring their own
refreshments along.
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Visit
www.dirtopia.co.za
for a schedule of upcoming
full-moon and sunset hikes for
the 2009-2010 season. Costs are
R40 per adult and R20 for kids
under 10, which include
shuttles, permits and maps.
Space is limited so advance
booking is advised. Guests can
also rent a bike and take a spin
on the fabulous MTB tracks on
the grounds.
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The
Children’s Route will
provide loads of entertainment
and not only for the kids.
Points of interest include the
Tygerberg Zoo, Butterfly World,
the Drakenstein Lion Park, The
Giraffe House animal sanctuary,
Le Bonheur Crocodile Farm as
well as the Cheetah Outreach
programme at Spier. Summer also
mean strawberry season and
members of the public can pick
their own strawberries at the
Mooiberge Strawberry Farm or
Polkadraai Farm Stall, both
child-friendly establishments.
Many of the Wine Routes’ members
welcome children and offer special
activities to entertain the
youngsters, while parents enjoy
fabulous food and wines. Click
HERE for a quick
index of facilities. Further trails
are available at Amani, Beau
Joubert, Bilton, Bein, De Toren,
Hartenberg Estate, Mount Rozier
and Sylvanvale. Click
HERE for a full list
of things to do in and around
Stellenbosch. |
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From 14 December onwards, Warwick Estate
is set to raise the bar in terms of their Wine
tourism offering.
They will be offering Gourmet picnics to be
enjoyed from the newly landscaped grounds on the
Estate.
The picnics have been created in conjunction
with celebrity chef Bruce Robertson. Enjoy a
gourmet picnic under the trees in the courtyard
or in one of their luxury picnic pods.
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For the more adventurous why not go
on "The Big Five Wine Safari" - a guided tour of
the vineyards in a safari truck to view the "Big
Five Wine" varietals on the Estate. This could
culminate with a picnic at the top of the
vineyards in the new Warwick Penthouse with
stunning views of the surrounding winelands.
Bookings advised and everything is super kid
friendly. Visit
www.warwickwine.com or email
visit@warwickwine.com for more info.
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I attended the
Great Wine Capitals
AGM in Bordeaux in
November. Stellenbosch
won four of the seven
national awards –
Vergelegen (Art and
Culture), Waterford
(Wine Tourism Services),
Rust en Vrede (Global
winner : Wine Tourism
Restaurants) and Devon
Valley Hotel
(Accommodation).
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The
‘Best Of’ winery tourism
awards were created in
2004 to honour
outstanding wineries as
well as other wine
tourism-related
businesses in several
categories in the member
cities and wine regions
of the Great Wine
Capitals Global Network.
The awards are
recognized as an
industry-wide benchmark
for excellence.
Congratulations to our
members! For full
results, visit
www.greatwinecapitals.com.
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Visit our website for a complete
list of summer events and
special offers, like
helicopter trips, sundowners,
New Year’s Eve parties and
corporate gifts. Do not miss
out! Click
HERE!
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Well, that’s it for 2009. On
behalf of the Wine Routes, have
a splendid festive season and I
look forward to seeing you in
the New Year. For those
travelling away from
Stellenbosch on holiday, please
take care on the roads. And for
those coming to visit us – we
are waiting with arms wide open
...
Annareth Bolton
CEO Stellenbosch American Express® Wine Routes
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