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Cooled by Atlantic breezes, carpeted in vineyards and folded in the arms of velvet mountains, this wine paradise near the beautiful coastal town of Hermanus, just 90 minutes from Cape Town, is producing, some might say, some of the best cool climate wines in the world.
The Hemel-en-Aarde has over the last few years become recognised as a destination for wine and food enthusiasts, especially of Burgundy-style Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. It is with this in mind that the producers of this unique wine area, decided to share their beautiful Chardonnays with wine lovers at a dedicated Chardonnay festival, the Classic Chardonnay Celebration at the Thatch House on Saturday, 19 November. The event will focus on the exceptional quality and distinctiveness of the Hemel-en-Aarde Chardonnays, the cool climate and excellent terroir.
The Classic Chardonnay Celebration will be more informal than the Pinot Noir Celebration and more aimed at the general wine enthusiast or rather Chardonnay lover, but it will be conducted with style to showcase the beautiful Chardonnays from the Hemel-en-Aarde. The festival will be hosted at The Thatch House, a luxury holiday villa nestling on the edge of the Klein River Lagoon offering unsurpassed mountain and sea views only 5 min drive from Hermanus CBD.
The participating wineries from the Hemel-en-Aarde will include Whalehaven, Bosman Wines, Hamilton Russell Vineyards, Bouchard Finlayson, Storm Wines, La Vierge, Sumaridge, Newton-Johnson, Restless River, Ataraxia, Creation and Domaine Des Dieux.
The Saturday will include two festival options for Chardonnay lovers. A formal tutored tasting hosted by Dr Wini Bowman (Cape Master of Wine, respected wine journalist and previous Chairperson of Institute of Cape Wine Masters), followed by a Chardonnay pairing 3-course lunch created by some of the best chefs from the area. The tutored tasting will be presented by each of the winemakers or producers from the participating wineries. This will allow you the opportunity to get upfront and personal with your favourite winemaker from the Hemel-en-Aarde.
Tickets for the tutored tasting and the designer chefs’ lunch will be limited to 150 guests. The tutored tasting will start at 11:00 on Saturday morning with registration and a glass of MCC. After the lunch guests can join in the activities on the lawn with live music, wine tasting, and gourmet food stands and food trucks. Each guest will also receive a free O glass. The Tutored Tasting and Lunch ticket is available at R1 100.
The second option of a Leisure ticket is available to all those Chardonnay lovers who like things a little less complicated and more relaxed. The gates for this ticket will open at 13:00 and will include an O glass, a picnic hamper, free wine tasting, live music, picnic pockets and gourmet food stands. Celebrations will continue throughout the afternoon as guests can immerse themselves in lawn croquet, Boule and sunset boat cruises on the Klein River lagoon. The Leisure ticket is available at R395.
The Celebration will carry into the evening with celeb DJ Tess playing some cool summer tunes until 20:00 when the gates will close. On Sunday, 20 November guests have the freedom to visit their favourite wineries in the Hemel-en-Aarde. All participating wineries will be open and many will focus on Chardonnay.
Late November is a great time to host an event of this nature in Hermanus as it is a quieter season in this coastal town and therefore offers guests a great number of accommodation options. Hermanus is indeed known for its long beautiful summer days with little or no wind at this time of the year. In addition the event will also give the local economy a pre-season economic boost.
And transport to and from the event will be made easy and fun with the Hermanus Wine Hoppers running routes from different pick-up points for the duration of the festival.
There is a good enough reason to come to Hermanus to join in celebrating this unique cultivar from such a unique wine growing area: “with only 400ha of vineyards, the Hemel-en-Aarde is one of the smallest winegrowing areas, but also one of the best-performing in South Africa and on the world stage. Today we are especially proud of the recent local and international achievements of our Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. Come celebrate with us” Says Dieter Odendaal, Coordinator for Hemel-en-Aarde Wines.
Bookings can be made online at Quicket or visit our website at www.hemelenaardewines.com for more information.