This past September we had the pleasure and honor to receive an invitation to travel to South Africa to attend Vindaba 2012, the first trade fair dedicated to Wine Tourism in South Africa.
Vindaba- First wine tourism fair in South Africa- a success!
It coincided with the annual, comprehensive Cape Wine Event and the fairs were located across the hall from each other. From London Heathrow we flew South Africa Airways to Johannesburg then caught another 2 hour flight to lovely Cape Town, where the event was taking place.
Cape Wine 2012
Our hosts swept us away for a fun packed wine tasting weekend in the regions of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Wellington. We then spent 3 days at the Vindaba event followed by more wine touring in Franschhoeck.
There was an eclectic and very interesting mix of wine journalists from around the world (Italy, Hong Kong, USA and India to name a few) bloggers, travel specialists and luxury wine tour operators like ourselves attending, so we had plenty of networking opportunities.
Wonderful winemaker dinners were organized for us, special VIP tours and wine lunches and unique activities like a wine walk through the stunning hills of Wellington, a wine picnic and more.
Our charming hosts on the Wellington Wine Walk, a phenomenal initiative
Our captivating host Jeremy Borg, sharing his Painted Wolf wines with us. This was an absolute fave estate, we can not stop raving about their wines and extra special animal conservation aspect
Unbelievable winemakers dinner at the beautiful Vineyard Hotel and Spa outside of Capetown, where a lucky few of us were wined and dined by the rockstars of the South African wine world- the owners/winemakers of Waterford, Warwick, Meerlust, Simonsig and Klein Constancia. Amazing food, wine and people!
In the Vindaba hall, apart from exhibitors, there were also various interesting wine tastings taking place with top wine estates shown by grape varietal and theme. I tasted lovely wines from Hermanus Bay, Elgin and other wine regions that I did not have the chance to visit in person on this trip.
We would like to warmly thank the organizers of Vindaba, Rufaro Destination Management, Winchester Mansions and South Africa Tourism for selecting us to attend this important and exclusive wine tourism event!
Check our blog for upcoming articles on the stellar and much recommended South African winelands!
And a special thanks as well to the exhibitors at Vindaba, it was a pleasure meeting you all>
Durbanville Wine Route
Kristall Kellerei
SAA
Robertson Wine Valley
Elgin Wine Valley
Hermanus Wine Route/Cape Whale Coast- Heaven on earth
Elgin Valley Tourism
Painted Wolf Wines- find these wines, visit them! Supreme favorite…
Paarl Tourism
Wines of South Africa
Paarl Wine Route
Cascade Manor
Wellington Tourism
Glen Carlou- a must for art lovers, gourmets and bon vivants
Wellington Wine Route
Rhebokskloof- fun place for picnics and their seasonal outdoor concerts
Swartland Wine & Matzikama
Grande Roche
Westcoast Tourism
Simonsvlei International
Klein Karoo Wine Route
Stellekaya
Spier- what a terrific lunch we had here, thank you for the special event!
Gourmet Travels
Stellenbosch
Wine Guides
Franschhoek Wine
Mhudi Guesthouse
Solms Delta- feel good initiative, read about it here
Plasir De Merle
Winelands District
Thokozani
KWV
Burgundy exchange programme
Laborie
Kingsriver Estate
Ubizo Events & Tours- a dynamic young owner, originally from a township, who organizes educational and meaningful tours of the townships…support him!
Cape Town Tourism
Great Wine Capitals
Terrific dining at the chic Winchester Mansions
[...] Our trip continued with an enchanting day in the Paarl wine country. The region borders Stellenbosch to the south and is a mere 45 minutes’ drive from Cape Town, yet the growing conditions and resulting wine styles are quite different here. The town of Paarl itself is the third oldest European settlement in South Africa and the region has played a major role in the country’s 20th century history. On 11 February 1990, Nelson Mandela was released from Victor Verster Correctional Centre in Paarl, where he spent the last few years of his long imprisonment. His release signaled the start of a new era, and the end of apartheid. Today, a bronze statue of Mandela is proudly displayed in Paarl, a reminder that there is more to this scenic region than its viticultural legacy. Paarl winelands [...]
[...] wine region was such a surprise. The Majestic and stunning Cape wine-route in South Africa I visited has many internationally known stars – Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and increasingly regions like [...]
Great to be included in ‘The Rockstars of the South African Winelands’ category – very flattering.
We hope that you will be back to visit us at Warwick Wine Estate http://www.warwickwine.com
Please also follow us on http://www.twitter.com/warwickwine