The happy mood that will hang over the Durbanville Wine Valley during Season of Sauvignon on 5 and 6 October 2013 will banish all thoughts of winter, setting the tone for the best fun with your summer clothes on. ‘Alice in Wineland’-themed events, trendy food trucks, West Coast food feasts and old-school hospitality are just some of the draw cards to the 9th annual event.
Known for its off-the-beaten track atmosphere, exceptional wines, somewhat eccentric winemakers, big-hearted star chefs and jovial country cooks, the wine region does a wine-and-food festival like no other. The valley is a 20 minute drive from the CBD, making the festival easy to get to or arrange a car pool with fellow enthusiasts.
Each of the eleven wine farms taking part put their own creative spin on welcoming back white wine season. These are Altydgedacht, Bloemendal, D’Aria, De Grendel, Diemersdal, Durbanville Hills, Bloemendal, Groot Phesantekraal, Klein Roosboom, Hillcrest, Meerendal and Nitida. Trendy food trucks and pop-up garden-parties, family-friendly picnics, traditional fish braais, bands, bistros and tastings of the latest vintage of the world’s most loved white wine are all part of the fun in the sun.
This is what visitors love about Season of Sauvignon: how each farm hosts a unique event to reflect their character; offering a collection of experiences ranging from a relaxing picnic for the family to partying with friends to the beat of the music. No wonder Season of Sauvignon won the “Crowd Pleaser” award for the Best Wine Route Event at the inaugural Klink Wine Tourism Awards. This year it is up as a nominee in the same category again, along with Durbanville Wine Valley competing in the ‘Happy Times’ category for best wine route.
“Festival goers will be amazed by the many ways to explore Sauvignon Blanc, our valley’s top cultivar,” says Thys Louw, 6th generation wine maker at Diemersdal. He heads up the Durbanville Wine Valley Association, organisers of the event. Putting the stamp of the valley’s Sauvignon Blanc prowess, Diemersdal – with Thys at the helm in the cellar – brought the South African Young Wine Show’s top award, the General Smuts Trophy for SA Champion Young Wine, home to the Durbanville valley for the first time since the show’s inception in 1833. The lauded wine is a barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc, a variety that Diemersdal regards as one of its specialities and with which the valley has become synonymous.
Like the other winemakers in the valley, Thys sees Sauvignon Blanc as a most faithful food loving wine. “With ‘seasonality’ the big buzz in food circles the wine makers and chefs at our wine farm restaurants will combine the fresh crispness of the season with food and wine to match. The activities at this year’s festival reflects this move towards utter enjoyment of both.”
Festival highlights:
Altydgedacht’s relaxed rustic grounds are perfect to enjoy picnic baskets prepared by Eat at Altydgedacht, all you need to bring is a blanket to enjoy lunch under the trees. The restaurant will be taking bookings for their famous farm menu of pies, quiches and platters. Vineyard tours can be booked over the weekend, on arrival. Plenty for the little ones including a ‘farmstical’ course, jumping castle and a special menu at the restaurant.
Friday 4 October sees the re-launch of Bloemendal. The farm’s new packaging and wine will be showcased paired with a three course meal at Bon Amis Restaurant. While Saturday’s activities are already fully booked, Sunday’s live music and the food and wine at Bon Amis (with the kiddies catered for with lots to do) will ensure a day of laid-back pleasure.
D’Aria gets the valley rocking with The Flashbacks, Rudi die Wynmaker and Gerald Clark. Themed ‘Alice in Wineland’, come enjoy old-time favourites from jaffles, flammkuchen and home-baked pastries to more decadent oysters. Petting zoo and dedicated play area for the little ones.
De Grendel’s Sauvignon Blanc 2013 is the farm’s best vintage to date. The farm with its iconic views on Table Mountain will have alfresco food stalls, inspired by the show-stealing Sauvignon Blanc. An oyster bar cocktail bar creates new and tasty Sauvignon Blanc combinations. De Grendel Restaurant puts perfect pairs together in a tasting menu paired with a Sauvignon Blanc for lunch on both days. One of the three Durbanville Sauvignon Wine Ferry destinations.
Welcoming white wine season is a long-standing tradition at Diemersdal. Sip, swirl and enjoy multi-award winning Sauvignon Blancs. Bring the sun hat, picnic blanket and party face. Relax al fresco, under festive umbrellas or the huge tent with its convivial crowds. Live music adds beat to the day. For the adventurous, tag along with winemakers Thys Louw and Marie Branders for vineyard hikes exploring the spring vines, and learn about terroir. Diemersdal farm eatery gets playful with Sauvignon slush puppies and ice cream. To keep you going over the weekend, cheese platters, their signature artisan bread rolls, and Sauvignon loving food will be served. The little ones can enjoy horse cart-rides, games, and other festival activities.
All things Sauvignon blanc at Durbanville Hills. For something sensory, experience how food plays with Sauvignon Blanc, enjoy an interactive sensory tasting where you can discover for yourself how sweet, sour, bitter and savoury flavours change the taste profile of a Sauvignon blanc. Picnics, nachos, sushi, oysters, and charcuterie platters are on offer with live music courtesy of Chris Rain and Ricky Nass. and. There will beplenty of fun for the little ones with face painters, a jumping castle and free-form jungle gym.. The restaurant will be open for breakfast and lunch over the weekend. One of the three Durbanville Sauvignon Wine Ferry destinations.
Groot Phesantekraal on the north east side of Durbanville goes cool with laid back tunes while festival goers can enjoy cheese platters, sushi and some lekker local roosterkoek and curry and rice. Taste their Groot Phizante Kraal Sauvignon Blanc with its tropical fruit flavours and hints of figs and gooseberries. Also home to the much-hailed Anna’de’Koning Chenin Blanc, the first Chenin Blanc of the valley.
‘Wyn in the Tuin’ at Klein Roosboom. Sip Sauvignon Blanc, sway to Slip Jam and experience vivacious winemaker Karen De Villiers’ creative touches that turn each festival into the most memorable event. Enjoy trendy food trucks offering a variety of food. Bubble ball, sand art and more for the kids.
Wine lovers bring the whole family to Meerendal. Live entertainment, the popular Farmer’s Market (Saturday only) and activities for the kids are on offer. Cellar master, Liza Goodwin, takes visitors on tutored tastings and wine guru Bennie Howard showcases how well Meerendal and Durbanville Sauvignons can age. Overseas wines will be included as well (these tastings are free of charge). Sunday sees the West Coast buffet straight from the Braai, with Sauvignon Blanc pairings. The Bistro restaurant will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner the whole weekend. One of the three Durbanville Sauvignon Wine Ferry destinations.
Hillcrest celebrates the festival with Blanc and Blues. New to the Quarry this year is the On Tap Ice Bar- ensuring your favourite savvy is perfectly chilled. The Wine Theatre will be hosted by winemakers Graham Reed and Arno Smit. Stock on up wine with specials at the Wine Shop. Feast on smoked Norwegian salmon, oysters and seafood wraps, hamburgers and more. Kids will enjoy the Play Arena with rides and entertainment.
Nitida welcome festival goers with open arms. Their knack for creating a festival mood is helped along by the rolling hills and their famous dam. Cassia Restaurant serves up hamburgers sushi, cajun chicken wraps and footlongs. A jazz band sets the mood for a relaxed weekend, wine specials and activities for the kids. ‘Tables at Nitida’ will operate as normal.
Also at all the farms: ‘Ward in a box’ will again be on offer, an excellent way of tasting a Sauvignon Blanc variety from each of the 11 farms in the valley. Each farm has this on offer so festival goers can partake in a comparative tasting in one spot and get to know the valley’s cool climate style of Sauvignon Blanc.
For the jetsetters, the popular Durbanville Sauvignon Wine Ferry helicopter experience returns. Explore the valley from the air as Base 4 Aviation takes passengers on a three- stop day experience via De Grendel, Durbanville Hills and Meerendal. This exclusive shuttle service flies from one estate to the next, for visitors to enjoy tastings and festival offerings. For more information email Francois Koenig on fuzzy@base4.co.za or call 021 934 4405.
Booking
- Farms accept their own bookings for their weekend activities;
- For the full festival programme visit www.durbanvillewine.co.za
- Follow @DurbanvilleWine and #dvillesauvfest on Twitter or visit www.facebook.com/durbanvillewine
Competition [Closed]
We are giving away two double tickets to the festival.
One double ticket will be given away on Twitter. To enter the competition, just tweet us the following:
Hey @FoodBlogCT, I’d like to win a double ticket to the @DurbanvilleWine Sauvignon Festival. #dvillesauvfest http://www.food-blog.co.za/durbanville-wine-valley-season-of-sauvignon/
The second double ticket will be given away via our blog. Please comment below to tell us which festival highlight you are looking forward to the most. All competition entries via the comment section will also be added to our newsletter.
The two winners will be announced on Friday. Only enter if you live in Cape Town and can attend the festival.
Tell us in the comment section below this blog post which festival highlight you are looking forward the most.