On this exclusive tour, you will avoid the crowd as you go off the beaten track by not taking the classic routes. The itinerary includes beautiful and exclusive vineyards, comments and explanations by our expert in South African wines: Mathieu Labaki, landscapes and breathtaking views of the Western Cape and Garden Route.
You also have the opportunity to meet winemakers and share with them about their profession and the life involved.
Suggested duration: 11 days
Theme: Food & wine
Difficulty : For all public
Visited countries: South Africa
Cape Town Airport
Swartland Local Municipality, South Africa
Tulbagh wine route
Robertson, South Africa
Greyton, 7233, South Africa
Hermanus, 7200, South Africa
Franschhoek, 7690, South Africa
Stellenbosch Wine Route
Noordhoek
Cape Point Rd, Cape Peninsula, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa
Matroosfontein, Cape Town, 7490, South Africa
Meet and greet and assistance of our guide on your arrival, who will give you your travel documents. Transfer from Cape Town Airport to your hotel with an English-speaking driver (+/- 30mn).
Night at The Cape Milner Hotel, in a standard room.
Today, you head towards the Swartland to discover Kloovenberg Olive and Wine Farm with a delightful olive oil and wine tasting experience. You guided tour will take you through the planting to bottling, including the olive harvest and the different varieties.
Then you go for a visit of the vineyard (the nearest plot) with the winemaker and talk about vine-growing techniques specific to the region.
You explore the cellar and learn about the wine-making methods specific to the estate, followed by a tasting of their wines.
Lunch at Cherry Lane which offers traditional South African cuisine.
After lunch, you go to meet a very small producer, Blake Family Winery. Discuss with the winemaker how he selects the plots from where he buys the grapes he uses to make his wines. Indeed, he doesn’t own a vineyard so he buys from other winemakers. Another way to make wine here!
Departure for Tulbagh in the late afternoon.
Night at Rijk’s Country House in Luxury room.
Early morning departure to visit the Opstal Wine Estate in Slanghoek Valley.
Meeting with 2 generations of winemakers who explain the evolution of their estate, the transition from bulk wine production to bottling and further to the takeover of the son, the development of a special vintage unlike the previous generation.
Tasting of wines from the estate (3 wines, only their special wines).
Lunch at the estate with the winemaker.
Then you head towards Cilmor Winery, one of the largest cellars in the region in terms of volume. This vineyard is not open to the public but you will have the privilege to access it exclusively.
Departure for Worcester in the late afternoon.
Night at Golden Valley Lodge, in Standard Room.
Early morning departure to visit Arendsig Wine Farm in Robertson.
Meeting with the winemaker, Lourrens. The defining feature of this estate is that it is divided into a single plot, planted with different grape varieties. Lourrens take the time to explain his wine-making approach. Visit of the property followed by a tasting of the wines from the estate.
Traditional braii (South African Barbercue) with the winemaker.
Night at the Rosndal Wellness Retreat.
Early morning departure for Greyton.
Visit of Lismore Winery, with Samantha the owner. Born in the United States, she fell under the spell of the region and built her vineyard and estate from scratch to produce wines of rare elegance. She tells you about her uncommon career and the characteristics of her land. Tasting of the wines locally made, as well as bottled wines.
Lunch in Greyton in a traditional South African restaurant.
Night at Greyton Lodge, in a standard room.
Early morning departure for Hermanus.
Visit of Hermanuspietersfontein, Wilhelm the winemaker explains about the characteristics of his vineyard, (which is not next to the cellar), and its specificity.
The cellar is almost by the sea, where you taste a whole range of wines in white, rosé and red.
Lunch in the Hemel Valley en Aarde at Creation restaurant. The local abalone (Haliotis midae) is endemic to the Whale coast of the Cape. This coast is the heart of abalone habitat. This interesting sea snail is a traditional delicacy, especially in Asia.
Learn more about the South African abalone before putting on boots for the guided tour. Here you discover the aquaculture industry on one of South Africa’s oldest and largest abalone farms, Abagold, located in the New Harbour of Hermanus .
Your first stop is in a nursery where baby abalone (called gaiters ) are cared for during the first 8 months of their lives. Abagold’s nursery produces about 1,000,000 gaiters each month.
Abalones are kept for nearly 5 years to reach a cocktail size of about 250 grams.
You learn about the technical infrastructure necessary to keep 16,000,000 abalone healthy and happy, housed in their 40,000 baskets!
You also go to see the very first wave energy converter in South Africa, which uses the power of the wave to create clean and renewable energy.
After this appetizer, finish the tour with an abalone tasting tray to discover the gastronomic aspect of the abalone!
Night at Windsor Hotel, room with sea view.
Departure for the world-known Franschhoek Wine estate in the early morning.
Visit to Le Lude MCC, or Colmant MCC vineyards.
Specialist in the traditional ‘Champagne‘ method in South Africa (called the Cap Classique Method), the Winemakers will explain the advantages and disadvantages of growing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (the 3 grape varieties authorised in the Champagne appellation area). Their small estate will provide a very intimate and unique visit.
Tasting of the estate’s sparkling wines, and a real champagne for comparison.
Lunch in Franschhoek.
You leave in the early afternoon for a visit of the vineyard known for its practices biodynamic viticulture from Avondale in Paarl.
You will review the conditions of such a wine-growing practice, how they apply, what influences they bring to the vineyard and the biotope in general. You will be accompanied by the owner, Johnathan Grieve.
The oenologist Cornè Marais will explain the oenological particularities and the commercial aspects of the Estate.
Tasting of the Domaine’s wines: 2 whites, 1 rosé, 2 reds and a MCC.
Night at Spier Hotel in winelands, in a standard room.
Departure in the early morning for Bartinney Wine Farm and its vineyard which is located at 450-m altitude. It thus benefits from a micro-climate. Ronel, the estate’s oenologist, will provide you with details on his approach to viticulture and his philosophy for making his wines.
You leave the great vineyards of South Africa to discover this small estate hidden in the mountains.
Picnic at Edgbaston Wine Farm.
Afternoon dedicated to discovering the city of Stellenbosch.
Night at Spier Hotel in winelands, in a standard room.
Departure in the early morning for Constantia Valley, known for its premium wines.
Visit of Klein and/or High Constantia.
Lunch at Cape Point Vineyard.
Leave in the early afternoon for a walk on Noordhoek beach.
Night at The Cape Milner Hotel, in a standard room.
Half-day (departure in the morning between 7:30 am and 8:30 am or in the afternoon between 1:15 pm and 2:15 pm) around the Cape of Good Hope Peninsula: steep coastlines, coastal villages, the Cape of Good Hope Reserve, Cape Point, the Cape Penguin colony (optional visit), the villages of Muizenberg and Constantia. Looking at the iconic Table Mountain from below is one thing, but it is quite another to be on top the mountain, from where one is afforded such wonderful views of Cape Town, Robben Island, the Peninsula and beyond.
The cable car (funicular) trip to the top is an outing in itself, as you are safely and gently transported from the lower cable station to the top of the mountain and visa versa. The journey takes a little more than 5 minutes and the high tech rotating cable car offers the best views of the city.
Night at The Cape Milner Hotel, in a standard room.
Transfer to Cape Town International Airport to board your international flight home.
Estimated time: 40 min.
