Wine-lovers head outdoors: New Klink Awards category honours trail-blazing farms

Friday, 21 November, 2014
Klink Awards
Getting fit has gone mainstream. And forward-thinking wine farms now offer the outdoors as part of their appeal. It’s easy to understand why: with breath-taking landscapes, a mountain or two, or lush forest, they make the perfect tracks and trails for hikers, bikers and riders. Awarding all things “new” in the Winelands for the past three years, The Klink Awards – which revealed its 2014 winners l

Presented to the farm that offered the most memorable outdoor experience, the “Track and Trails” category winner had to work up a visitor’s sweat and expend some energy on a spectacularly scenic vineyard hike, a challenging wine farm bike trail or a spirited wine route horse ride. It also needed to fittingly reward their physical efforts with a wine-tasting experience.

This year’s awards drew 13 000 unique votes from the public. Among its 16 winners the inaugural “Tracks and Trails” Award was presented to Van Loveren for its breath-taking Fish Eagle hiking trail. With its strong values and heritage, the now open-to-public walk in its historic garden, birding, or hiking along the Fish Eagle hiking trail tipped the category’s scales.

Monika Elias, Klink Awards fonder says, “It’s a match made in heaven! Turn your world-class wine estate into a bike, running or hiking track and entertain visitors with gorgeous scenery and untouched outdoors. I salute those farms who are trail-blazing this category and no doubt will welcome many more nominees next year as the trend picks up.”

For more information, visit www.vanloveren.co.za and for or the full list of Klink Award winners, visit www.klinkawards.co.za.

The Klink Awards honours the very best in South African wine tourism. From the greenest estate, to the coolest festival, to the hippest haute cuisine, The Klink Awards celebrates it all. Launched in 2012 by Wine Tourism South Africa - marketers and publishers of the must-have travel guide The Wine Tourism Handbook - it invites local wine lovers, foodies and intrepid travellers to vote for their favourite things to do in the Western Cape Winelands. It works by sharing 79 nominees chosen by a panel of independent industry experts with the public online, through Facebook and twitter; then they vote for their favourite 16.