English Plus Wine
Week One
Tuesday: Half-day wine tour
The protestant refugees from France brought with them their finely tuned centuries – old viticultural skills they applied locally with immediate success. Their settlement in the 1680s around the newly established village of Stellenbosch gave birth to what we know today as the cradle of the South African wine industry.
Highlights:
- Wine tasting on Stellenbosch Wine Estate
- Cheese tasting
- Stellenbosch orientation
- De Braak
- Dorp Street
- Cellar Tour
- Second wine tasting
- Opportunity to purchase wine
Thursday: Walking wine tour of the city
A guided walk through the city of Cape Town focusing on the history of wine at the Cape. Visit the only winery in the city of Cape Town for a cellar tour and tasting; the old wine warehouses; a wine merchant; a cheesery for a demonstration on how cheese is made as well as a cheese and wine tasting; and a wine and food matching experience. Learn about the influence of the Cape Malay spices on Cape Cuisine and how this all came about. Receive advice on how to ship your precious wine purchases home. Your guide is knowledgeable on wine as well as a qualified cultural guide. Tour starts at 09h00 at the Cape Town Tourism Centre, at the corner of Burg and Castle Streets, and lasts 3½ hours with various stops for short breaks, tastings and short talks. Afternoon tour available on request.
Saturday: Full-day wine tour
Let the weekend begin, and what a better way to start than by tasting some of the Cape’s finest wines. The tour will take you through the historical and majestic towns of Stellenbosch and Franschoek, where you’ll travel through the vineyards and visit some of the best wineries.
Highlights:
- Visit all of the Cape's Influential Wine Districts
- Taking in the Beauty of the buildings
- Learning the rich history of the areas you’ll be visiting
Week Two
Tuesday: Half-day wine tour Of Constantia
Constantia is the birthplace of the wine farming industry in South Africa. As you drive through the beautiful historical valley it is no wonder the first Governor of the Cape, Simon van der Stel, chose this situation for his farm, Constantia. The world famous wines from Constantia were sought after by royalty in the eighteenth century, and still to this day world class wines are being produced and accoladed for it's escalating quality. That quality is still maintained today.
Thursday: Half-day Cape Malay cooking safari
Perched on the slopes of Signal Hill, overlooking Table Bay, the Bo-Kaap is as idiosyncratically ‘Cape’ as the spicy scents and flavours that waft downhill from its eccentrically colourful cobbled streets. Our walk through the historic Malay quarter of Cape Town takes us through its nooks and crannies, its legends and secrets, as we hunt for the sources of those wonderful aromas and discover the distinctive cuisine of the Cape Malay community.
