A few weeks ago I spent a weekend exploring the Robertson & McGregor area with a fun group of blogger / media types – a mini getaway that was coordinated by a lovely lady by the name of Mira from McGregor Country Getaways.
It was a jam-packed 3 days that left me with so much to tell, I decided that I’d break it down into a weekly “Getaway Tuesdays” feature.
For my first post I’m going to focus on Robertson & the 3 beautiful wineries we visited in the area on our first day out in the countryside.
We all met for a quick coffee & snack at Strictly Coffee (5 Voortrekker Road, Robertson). If you’re ever in Robertson looking for a good cuppa, I can highly recommend this spot. It’s super cute, they roast their own beans, they make a mean breakfast & as an interesting sidebar, they also make their own delicious salami.
After lining out stomachs, it was time to tackle a few gems of the Robertson Wine Valley…
First up: Van Loveren Wines – Now apart from being a beautiful farm with a lush garden setting, they have a seriously impressive menu of wine pairings ranging from cheese & wine, to nougat and nuts.
Have you ever seen a selection like this? I didn’t know what to choose…
This is the Four Cousins Fan (R50)…
And then I went for a classic cheese & wine (R50) in the end…
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They are open: Monday – Friday 08:30 – 17:00, Saturday 09:30 – 15:30 & Sunday 11:00 – 15:00
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Tastings: Choose from their various pairings starting at R45 pp (kiddies non-alcoholic tasting is R25 pp)
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Other things to do: Enjoy a meal at Christina’s, take a walk through their beautiful garden, or if you’re feeling adventurous – they also do a hiking trail, mountain bike trail & birding route.
- You can contact them on: 023 615 1505 or info@vanloveren.co.za
Our 2nd stop was: Viljoensdrift – What makes this wine farm special is that you can go on a little river cruise while enjoying some of their wines & a few picnic snacks which you can purchase at their deli before you embark.
The river cruise takes place on their flat-bottomed river boat named Uncle Ben 2, and it’s an approximately 1 hour-long leisurely trip along the river.
Things you need to know:
- About the river cruise:
The cost is R50 for adults (including a wine tasting prior to departure) & R20 for children between 3 & 12 yrs. The boat departs daily at various times depending on reservations & a minimum of 6 adults are required per cruise.
Thereafter there will be trips hourly depending on bookings (a minimum of 6 Adults or a minimum amount of R300 will be required to let the boat depart). Advanced bookings essential. Check-in 30 mins. prior to departure.
- They are open: Mondays – Fridays 9:00 – 17:00, Saturdays 10:00 – 16:00, 1st Sunday of the month 10:00 – 15:00 (but in peak season mid Dec – mid Jan they’re open 7 days a week). Also the deli closes 30min prior to closing time.
- Other things to do: You can also do a normal wine tasting or a picnic on the lawns.
- You can contact them on:023 615 1901 or info@viljoensdrift.co.za – and for river cruise bookings: 023 615 1017 or rivercruises@viljoensdrift.co.za
The 3rd stop (and final one for today’s post) was Esona Boutique Wine – Here we did an extra special tasting called “Taste-the-Difference” which includes comparing two vintages of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay & Shiraz plus comparisons between Joker glass and grape specific Riedel glasses, paired with Fruit Preserves and chocolates.
Now before this tasting I would have been one of those people who’d say “come now, how much difference can a glass make!?”. But after this tasting I was completely sold. Riedel, my friends, is where it’s at. My wedding gift registry (if I ever get to that point of course) aint gonna be cheap… 😉
Seriously… it doesn’t get prettier than this…
I also really enjoyed their Blanc de Noir. Beautiful wine for a sunny day… The name of course makes it even cooler…
Our Taste-the-Difference tasting took place down in their old cellar. And these are those gorgeous Riedel glasses I mentioned above…
- About their tasting options: R20.00 pp
Tastings between two vintages of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Shiraz. No bookings required – Refund per person for each bottle purchased.R90.00 pp
Taste-the-Difference including two vintages of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Shiraz plus comparisons between Joker glass and grape specific glasses (RIEDEL) and paired with Fruit Preserves and chocolates (to be booked at least 4 hours prior to tasting times – 11h00, 13h00 and 15h00) - They are open: Monday – Friday 09:00 – 17:00, Saturday 10:00 – 16:00
10h00 – 16h00 - Other things to do: They also do a Taste of Africa food & wine pairing – more info here. They also have a deli where you can organise yourself a basket of goodies to enjoy.
- You can contact them on: 023 616 2023 or info@esona.co.za
I’d say if you’re in the area, all 3 these wineries are definitely worth a visit. Just depends what your mood is on the day. But then again, if you can’t fit them all in, it’s a great excuse for a return visit.
xxx