Wine Tour - 2007
TORONTO SOUTH AFRICAN WINE SOCIETY
The Pinotage Collection, South Africa, October, 2007
Approx price for the LAND portion $2500 (16 days land).
Saturday 06 October, IN FLIGHT
Sunday 07 October,
CAPE TOWN
Morning arrival at Cape Town International Airport. Coach transfer to the Victoria and Alfred City Lodge..
14h00 cable car ride to the top of Table Mountain for fabulous views of the city far below. Visit Blaauwberg Beach just north of Cape Town for the best photo oportunities of the mountain. Welcome dinner at Hildebrandts on the Waterfront. /D.
CAPE TOWN 09h00 visit Cape Point in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. Venicular ride to the point where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet. Watch out for those baboons. Wine tasting at Cape Point Vineyards. Lunch at dockside Bertha’s in Simonstown. Visit the rare African Penguin colony, followed by a stop at the Rhodes Memorial for a perspective on the mining magnate, Cecil John Rhodes. L/. Tuesday 09 October,
CAPE TOWN 09h00 to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens where over 4000 of the Cape’s flowers and especially the 1456 species of protea can be seen. Wine tasting at historic Groot Constantia, makers of some of Napoleons favourite ports. Lunch at Jonkershuis at the estate established in 1685 and the oldest freehold farm in South Africa. Afternoon at leisure for shopping in “the most beautiful Cape on the circumference of the earth” (sir Francis Drake). L/. Wednesday 10 October,
RIEBEEK KASTEEL 09h00 to Darling, north of Cape Town for tea at Evita’s Peron, owned by a famous South African comic. Then a ten course seafood lunch cooked eighteen century style, right on the ocean. The crayfish is the last course! Wine tasting at Lammershoek. Overnight and dinner at the Riebeek Valley Hotel in Riebeek Kasteel. L/D. Thursday 11 October,
CALVINIA 09h00 visit the nearby Kloovenberg Estate for a olive oil tasting. Rated in the top 15 in the world in 2005. Continue through miles of citrus orchards to Van Rijnsdorp and then desert landscape, which changes to lush and green environment at the top of the Van Rijn’s Pass. Lunch at the Hendrik van Zijl Restaurant in the world’s bulb capital, Nieuwoudtville. Overnight and dinner at the Hantam Huis in Calvinia, rated as on of the top five Cape Dutch architectural treasures in the country. Your host the mayor will address you and also show you his interesting Karoo garden. L/D. Friday 12 October,
NUY 09h00 return to van Rijnsdorp for a tasting at the Excelsus estate, part of the Olifants River Co-op, processor of over 60,000 tons of wine grapes annually. Snack lunch at a small nursery in Citrusdal. Continue through Tulbagh and their historic Church Street. The mountains and wine estates are quite spectacular. Through Worcester for overnight and dinner on a wine estate, Nuy Valley. Formal Nuy Estate wine tasting included. /D. Saturday 13 October,
NUY 10Hh00 wine tasting at Zandvliet. Lunch and tasting on a barge on the Breede River at Viljoensdrift, a tour highlight. Afternoon olive oil experience at Bon Courage. Overnight and dinner at Nuy Valley. L/D. Sunday 14 October,
OUDTSHOORN 10h00 to the Tradouw Estate of Meyer Joubert. A friendly reception, super wine and cheese tasting and snack lunch. Continue to ostrich capital Oudtshoorn for overnight at farm based the Thorn Tree guest house. 14h30 visit to the Cango Ostrich Show Farm for a demonstration of the huge but flightless ostrich. Dinner at the top ten in the country, Jemimas Restaurant. L/D. Monday 15 October,
KNYSNA 08h30 to Minwater in the district for an open landrover and hiking experience in a reserve with perhaps the biggest variety of succulent flowering plants anywhere. Magnificent views of seven mountain ranges and a most knowledgeable host. Schnapps tasting at Grundheim Cellars. Wine tasting and snack lunch at the Cango Wine Cellar. The vegetation changes from semi desert to Lush rain forests in just 20 km en route to George. The lakes district for overnight at Knysna Quays in Knysna. Dinner at the Heads where the ocean broke through to form the beautiful lagoon. L/D. Tuesday 16 October,
MOSSEL BAY 09h00 to Monkeyland 16 km Tuesday east of Plettenberg Bay to walk on elevated wooded walkways on observe an amazing variety of primates in the dense forest conditions. The even more spectacular one of a half km of elevated walkways in the world’s largest free flying aviary, 3,2 hectare of forest canopy covered with mesh. 180 species totalling 2000 exotic birds. Lunch at Birds of Eden. Return west through the lakes district for overnight and dinner at the Boutique Hotel, set on a glorious 11km beach, in Mossel Bay. Opportunity for a long walk before dinner. L/D. Wednesday 17 October,
HERMANUS 08h30 time for a visit to Monroe Bay where the Chinese landed with 500 feet long ships in 1421 and where Khoi fish comes from and where the Portuguese landed in 1488. Mail a letter from the oldest post office in the southern hemisphere, a tree.Continue west through miles of wheat fields to Hamilton Russell near Hermanus for a tasting and lunch. Time for whale watching. Southern Right whales come to within 50 metres of land to perform. Dinner at Bientangs Cave (weather permitting) and overnight at the sea front Windsor Hotel. L/D. Thursday 18 October,
STELLENBOSCH 10h00 after more whale watching a tasting at Beaumont Wine Estate near Botriver. Continue to Somerset West along the stunning coastal drive via Betty’s Bay for a tasting at Flagstone Wineries. Overnight at the Stellenbosch Hotel, in the historic quarter in Stellenbosch. The inn is one of the oldest in South Africa and the town, established in 1679 one of the nicest. Dinner and tasting at Ken Forresters. /D. Friday 19 October,
STELLENBOSCH 10h00 tasting at Vergelegen. Then a tasting highlight. A Pinotage tasting at Knorhoek Estate conducted by the doyen of the industry, Duimpie Bayly. (Lunch included). Dinner at Hartenberg Estate. L/D. Saturday 20 October,
DULLSTROOM Early transfer to Cape Town Airport for a flight to Johannesburg. By coach east along the mile high High veld and myriads of cattle and corn ranches to Belfast. Turn north to the trout farming center of Dullstroom for overnight and dinner at the sheer elegance of the Walkerson’s Country Lodge. Set near the Drakensberg Escarpment, one wonders what the poor people are doing! /D. Sunday 21 October,
TANGALA PRIVATE RESERVE Through the magnificent Long Tom Pass, so named after the long range gunsused during the Anglo Boer War of 1899-1902. Visit the historic and renovated 1870's gold mining village of Pilgrim’s Rest. Stop for pancakes at Harries in Graskop (own account). Then a final highlight. Turn back the clock to the late nineteenth century, the days of kerosene lamps, for a Big Five experience. Old world elegance of Tangala and Gomo Gomo camps in the Thornybush conservancy. 23,000 hectare of pristine wilderness with the majestic Drakensberg keeping an ever obvious lookout as you enjoy sundowners on safari. Near Timbavati and west of Kruger Park. Jimmy is the best game ranger in the business and an authority on stars. Two game drives, a bush walk and all meals daily. L/D. Monday 22 October,
TANGALA PRIVATE RESERVE The excitement of seeing that first giraffe is tremendous as we “hunt” for lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino and elephant. Take broad rimmed hats and sun tan lotion and off course a flashlight to find your chalet. The group will be split in to the two camps as both camps are small and all activities personalised. L/D. Tuesday 24 October,
JOHANNES BURG/IN FLIGHT Alas time to leave after a last game drive. Return through Steelpoort to the Johannesburg Airport for your evening flight home.
GOOD BYE TO THE LAND OF THE SPRINGBOK
Wednesday 25 October, HOME
