A Unique South African Specialized Wine Holiday in the Western Cape

Day 1
You will be met on arrival at Cape Town International Airport.  Weather permitting you will transfer directly to the majestic sandstone bastion guarding over the “Mother City” of South Africa – Table Mountain.  Ascend the mountain by cable car and spend free time viewing the surrounding area of the Cape.  From the mountain you will be transferred to Stellenbosch, where you will check in at d’Oude Werf.  Established in 1802, d’Ouwe Werf is South Africa’s oldest and most historic hotel and has defined hospitality and fine dining for centuries.  Situated on vibrant Church Street, d’Ouwe Werf retains the graceful ambience of Georgian style throughout.  There will be some free time to refresh and relax before your welcome dinner is enjoyed at an award winning traditional restaurant in town.

Day 2
After the long incoming day, a leisurely breakfast is suggested for this morning.  Your Wine Expert THETA Accredited Tour Guide will meet you at your hotel after breakfast.   Visit a wine estate just outside Stellenbosch, for a cellar tour and tasting.  The attendance of either the winemaker or the marketing manager will be requested.  By mid-morning you make your way to another great wine estate for a tasting of selected products and a light lunch.  You now make your way to one of the oldest family farms in the Stellenbosch area, and arguably the leading producer of Pinotage wines in South Africa.  The winemaker of the Estate recently received the honour of world winemaker of the year.  At the estate you will visit the cellar to taste some of their leading wines, and if available even taste some of the young wines directly from the barrel (barrique).  By mid-afternoon you will be returned to your hotel, allowing some free time to wonder around the historic town of Stellenbosch, or time to relax and refresh before dinner.  Depart for dinner at the Moyo African themed restaurant at the Spier Estate.  Tonight’s dinner is more than just a meal, it is a true African experience.

Day 3
You will be met at your hotel after breakfast and depart for a wine estate toward the Helderberg.  Here you will taste a range of selected wines in the company of the marketing manager.   Return to Stellenbosch to visit another fine winery.  For many years Giorgio Dalla Cia was the winemaker at this estate, where he was the father of the now world famous Meerlust Rubicon.  Lunch will also be enjoyed here.  After lunch, transfer to another award winning wine estate.  The owner will be requested to host the group.  View the cellar and taste some selected wines.  Transfer to your hotel to relax with the evening at your leisure.  Sit back and sip sundowners in the tranquillity of a lovely verdant garden, or bask in the sun on the wooden deck.  Enjoy a dip in the heated swimming pool.  A myriad shops, museums, art galleries and beautiful examples of Cape Dutch architecture are within easy walking distance of the hotel.

Day 4
After breakfast you will enjoy a tour into the Valley of the Huguenots.  Your first stop is at a historic farm, where you will visit and view the manor house, before enjoying a tasting of selected wines at two other renowned wine estates.  Next visit is at Graham Beck Coastal Wine Cellar for a tasting of various Coastal and Breede River Valley wines.  A Cape cuisine lunch is enjoyed at a Traditional Farm Kitchen, from where beautiful views are enjoyed of the Cape sandstone mountains.  After lunch you now make your way to the Paarl area, where you will visit a Wine and Cheese Estate.  You will view the flock of Saanen goats, taste selected wines and cheese, and also hold discussions with some of the labourers who are members of the Fari Valley Workers Association – one of the oldest of its kind in South Africa.  In the late afternoon you will be returned to your hotel in Stellenbosch with the evening at leisure.

Day 5
This morning after breakfast you will depart on your journey on the R62 to the Breede River Valley and then the Klein Karoo (Little Karoo).  En route you will visit a Brandy Distillery, the largest of its kind in the world (they use 120 Cognac potstills for the distillation).  By late mid-morning, you make your way to the Calitzdorp region, where you will enjoy a picnic lunch at a beautiful picnic site near the Nelsriver Dam.   After lunch you visit a world renowned estate, where you will taste a selection of top Port wines.  You will also visit another cellar to taste their ports.   After the tastings you will the check in at the Calitzdorp Country House.  Evening at leisure.  Serendipitously situated in the heart of the Klein Karoo, this luxurious boutique hotel enjoys spectacular views across a fertile valley to the majestic Swartberg Mountains beyond.  Dining and sitting rooms flow seamlessly out to a flagstone-paved courtyard, ideal for al fresco dining on hot still summer evenings, or just for lazing, drink in hand, to enjoy the scenery.

Day 6
After a leisurely breakfast you will depart for Barrydale and then travel via the very scenic Tradouw Pass to Swellendam, Stanford and Hermanus.  In Hermanus you will visit a new Cellar for a wine tasting and you will enjoy a seafood lunch at Bientang’s Cave on the rocks at the old harbour.  After lunch, you will make your way to Grabouw and a very innovative and interesting Wine Estate, for a mid-afternoon wine tasting of some selected wines.  After a photo-stop in Sir Lowry’s Pass with its great views on the Helderberg basin, you will finally make your way into Cape Town to check in at your hotel in the V&A Waterfront area.  The Radisson Hotel situated in the Waterfront, Cape Town, enjoys arguably the best position of any hotel in South Africa.  It overlooks a private marina, the famous Robben Island and is within walking distance of various tourist attractions.

Day 7
The full day will be spent on the exquisite Cape Peninsula, as you undertake the grand tour of the most scenic area of the Western Cape.  Depart from your hotel, heading for Hout Bay.  Photo stop is possible at Maidens Cove.  The day starts with a sea cruise from Hout Bay harbour to Duiker Island, to view the colony of Cape fur seals and other aquatic life on the island.  On your return to the mainland there will be some time to browse amongst the wears of the informal traders on the quayside, before you make your way to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve.  From Hout Bay you will travel via Chapman’s Peak Drive to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve where you will view Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope itself.  Just before lunch, you will make your way to Simonstown, the last British Naval Base to be handed over to South Africa before independence.  Lunch is enjoyed at a great restaurant near Boulders Beach.  After lunch you will visit the breeding colony of African penguins, before returning to the Victoria  & Alfred Waterfront.  Tonight’s farewell dinner will be one to remember, with interactive drumming and African marimba bands entertaining you.

Day 8
Morning at leisure to enjoy the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront and maybe a bit of last minute curio shopping.  After a leisurely breakfast and pre-arranged late check out, you will be met at your hotel and transferred to Cape Town International Airport for your homebound flight.  Road Travel look forward to sharing the magic of our wines and the magnificent wine estates and cellars in the Cape with you. Contact us to start creating your own specialized wine tour.