THE Ommiberg ‘Round the Rock’ wine festival which hits the Paarl Wine Route on Saturday promises loads of fun activities and performances by various artists.
This is a unique opportunity to taste the first of the 2010 vintage at local wineries - unfiltered and straight from the tank in the middle of harvest time.
The event pairs the wines with creative adaptations of the traditional onion tart, along with other unusual gourmet offerings.
The Popular Cape Town band Coda will be performing in the garden in front of the KWV Head Office “La Concorde” in Main Street, Paarl South, from 15:00 to 17:00. This event will also offer audience members a chance to get in step for 2010 by learning the Diski Dance, South Africa’s very own soccer dance routine. Coda’s Afro-fusion sound is classy, refreshing and uplifting and is a rich blend of warm vocals, electric strings, saxophone, hypnotising beats and a few other surprises, all brought together with a distinctly South African flavour.
Other activities at KWV include the tasting of wine, grape stomping with great prizes. Food, ice-cream and coffee will also be sold.
At other venues children can enjoy pony rides, slip-n-slides, tractor and trailer rides, while cooking demonstrations, art exhibitions and glass blowing entertain the moms.
Traditional harvest activities, such as cellar tours, grape stomping and grape tastings will keep dads occupied, while the young at heart zip around Paarl Rock in a Cessna or chill to the tunes of Zinkplaat and Mari Bosman (Windmeul kelder), and other live bands.
* Rhebokskloof Wine Estate presents a whole day’s entertainment on Saturday, and Pieter Smith will be performing all day with a guest performance by Ivan Zimmerman (from 12:30).
* Be one of the first to taste Nederburg’s 2010 tank and barrel samples. Sip on a refreshing glass of Nederburg bubbly on arrival and taste two red and two white wines from the 2010 vintage, straight from the cellar, with finger snacks to complement the young wines. There will also be grape picking and tasting and cellar tours will be held at 11:00 and 14:00.
Picnic food will be on sale in the lush gardens surrounding the historic Manor House and add to that a farmers’ market, jumping castle for the kids, games of boule for a perfect Saturday.
* At Laborie Wine Estate there will be activities from 10:00 till 18:00 with live entertainment by Sima from 14:00 till 16:00.
There will also be a free wine blending competition with a prize for the best blend, food stalls, fresh produce, breads, activities for the kids and much more.
Other activities will take place at 10 Chapters Wine Bar, Fairview, Juno Wines, Mellasat, Ridgeback Wines, Seidelberg, The Mason’s Winery, Under Oaks, Taalmonument and Windmeul Kelder.
Tickets at R50 per person can be purchased at your first port of call on the day.
Visit www.ommi berg.co.za for a list of participating wineries and the program. Join them on Facebook or Twitter for the latest festival news.
