Steeped
in history, vibrant Stellenbosch offers so much more than just quality wines.
This September, the City of Oaks will celebrate an entire Heritage Month of
taste and traditions unique to this quaint town, with a rich tapestry of old and
new attractions waiting to be explored.
“One
cannot get away from the fact that we were the first wine route in the country
and that we are still leading the way in so many facets. With our enviable wine
lifestyle also comes an incredible, multi-layered history and charming, yet
contemporary culture weaved throughout our forever young town, and that is what
we want to bring to life during the month of September,” shares Annareth
Bolton, CEO of the Stellenbosch Wine Routes.
As
part of the duo’s wine tourism marketing campaign, Stellenbosch Experience,
the wine route and Stellenbosch 360, the dynamic tourism outfit of the town,
have come up with a treasure chest of ‘local is lekker’ activities for young
and old to enjoy this September.
Highlights
on their heritage menu for 24 September include numerous Braai Day
get-togethers that will add a tantalising twist to the ultimate South
African pastime. Fires will be lit at Delheim Estate for a traditional braai; a Bring & Braai party will attract a merry crowd at Hazendal
Estate, whilst Hidden Valley have teamed up with renowned chef
Bertus Basson for a 2014 Gourmet Braai & Wine Festival with smoking hot
events on the 22nd and 24th.
Bodega
restaurant at Dornier Estate will serve up a special Braai Day bill of
fare, sizzling with an upscale version of the traditional barbeque and the
iconic Lanzerac Hotel & Spa goes all out this year with a royal
Heritage Banquet with a buffet lunch to complement their heritage wines.
Asara
Estate
will host a Pure Food Braai Market with producers sharing tips and tricks on
how to make your braai all the more enjoyable and live music and kiddies’
entertainment adding to a fabulous day out with the family. Also do not forget
about Middelvlei’s popular Boerebraai’s on offer, seven days a week,
where homemade potbrood, ‘braaibroodjies’ and Ouma Annie’s pumpkin fritters put
the Momberg Family in a league of their own.
Those
in search for some cultural engagement and enlightenment can set foot on one of
Bites and Sites’s inspirational township walks through Kayamandi,
complete with an authentic Xhosa lunch prepared by the ‘mammas’ who will
welcome you into their homes and hearts. Their Foodies on Foot tours are
also popular, so why not spice things up in September and get your friends to
join you for a Cape Malay Cooking adventure and learn more about the traditions
of the Cape Muslim community.
Craving
more of that ubuntu spirit? Then head down to the Stellenbosch e’Bosch
Heritage Festival in the famous Die Laan on the Eerste River on the 24th.
Various communities from neighbouring ‘dorpies’ will bring an eclectic mix to a
buzzing festival site, which stretches from the historic Ou Landbousaal to
Coetzenburg Bridge. This include stalls of authentic Stellenbosch products and
food; a beer and wine tent, braai sites, captivating art exhibitions and live
music by local talent from the various communities including well-known and
loved musician, Valiant Swart.
Other
festival attractions for the more adventurous include the Spier Eerste River
Challenge, an elite paddling contest, which finishes 11km downstream at the
Spier Wine Estate as well as the highly popular Eerste Tube Race, which
finishes just below the festival site.
“This
festival is the perfect hotspot to meet and mingle with the genuine people and
authentic offerings that make Stellenbosch such a real and memorable
destination. We love how the festival builds bridges and brings the different
communities of the ten dorpies in Stellenbosch together and we are proud to be
involved with it,” shares Annemarie Ferns, CEO of Stellenbosch 360.
To
end your Heritage Month on a high, the wine route is hosting their inaugural Savour
Stellenbosch Valley experience at Neethlingshof’s Manor House on 27
September, World Tourism Day, for a celebration of cultural diversity and the
area’s rich and varied narratives. This is in keeping with the United Nations
World Tourism Organisation’s (UNWTO) theme for this year’s World Tourism Day,
Tourism and Community Development.
The
Stellenbosch Valley sub-route is home to a myriad of wine estates, hotels and
restaurants and participants such as Middelvlei,
The House of JC Le Roux, Van Ryn’s Brandy Distillery, Fleur du Cap and
Neethlingshof will add their own unique flair and
tastes to the evening. Each of the wine farms will offer up to five
wines for tasting, whilst celebrated chefs will lend gourmet glee with their
signature sweet and savoury indulgences. Tickets are limited and cost R300 per
head, including all the wine tastings and food.
Other
sans wine tourism attractions to explore during the month of September
include a visit to Spier Estate, their Gables Audio Walk, a fictional
account of the reality of life on a Cape wine farm in the early part of the
19th century.
One
simply hires a headset and an audio device and is guided to various points
where the story unfolds, narrated by Sannie de Goede, the ghost of a fictional
slave on the eve of her freedom. The estate also offers a Heritage Walk through
fynbos beauty and lures guests with a captivating 42.6 sqm outdoor mosaic
sculpture, The Dying Slave, conceived by Marco Cianfanelli and created by the
Spier Architectural Arts.
A stopover at
the Van Ryn Distillery to watch skilled craftsmen practice a dying art,
making up barrels of French oak at the on-site cooperage, also makes for a
riveting, Proudly South African encounter.
And
if you are into art, make a date with Tokara on the 11th
September for their Wine Made Art event. It will see forty-five students from the Marié Stander School of Art literally
transform wine into art when they dip their paintbrushes in 2011 TOKARA Shiraz,
to visually portray their interpretations of this year’s relevant theme: “2014
World Design Capital – Cape Town”
For more
information on what is on offer in Stellenbosch this Heritage Month contact
Stellenbosch 360 at Tel: 021 883 3584 or swing by at their
information centre at 36 Market Street before you explore the beauty and bounty
of the town. Also visit www.wineroute.co.za
and follow blog.wineroute.co.za for an interactive blog on the heritage
happenings.
September
also marks the end of Stellenbosch Experience’s Come Sit, Stay & Savour
campaign which makes it possible for everyone to linger longer in Stellenbosch
through three tiers of value-added stay-and-play packages, ranging from budget-friendly,
to top end. Visit www.stellenboschtravel.co.za
for more.