I was gifted the opportunity to visit the valley over a weekend along with a few other media friends and we had the most amazing experience and visited some of the most beautiful wine farms and guest houses/hotels.
The beautiful Robertson Valley is only 2 hours’ drive from Cape Town on the renowned Route 62 and nestled between the majestic Langeberg and Riviersonderend mountain ranges with the graceful Breede River running through the valley. Today they proudly represent over 50 wineries and tourism establishments from the towns.
Paul Rene MCC
As we drove through the beautiful mountains of the Robertson Valley, our first stop was to discover what Paul Rene MCC has to offer. We met the farmer and bubbly producer Henk Van Niekerk and he told us an on how it all started and where he sees himself in the future. I am not the biggest MCC drinker, but I particularly enjoyed their Brut Rosé! It’s a light salmon colour due to the 75% Pinot Noir added to the 25% Chardonnay. I enjoyed the red fruit flavours and floral aromas. This one, I could actually drink without pairing it with food, but it does pair very nicely with a light meal, like salads and seafood.
Four Cousins brand home
Our second stop was at the Four Cousins brand home for unique food and wine pairing or to choose something different with a beer, whiskey or wine pairing.
The tastings differ from salty treats to sweet treats but they knew exactly which wine, beer or whiskey to pair with each other.
Oh my word! There were too many options to choose from! They also have a shop on site with all their product ranges to purchase from. I never knew how big this brand was until I visited.
After our tasting, we had lunch at Four Cousins, and couldn’t have made a better choice. From the roadside, the building is impressive and looks brand new. We were shocked to hear that the restaurant had been running for 3 years! The staff were well-trained, well-presented, organized, they were alert and paid attention to their clientele and worked as a team. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable on the extensive menu. I opted for A burger, and owing to the size of the meal, as hard as I tried, my partner had to help me out, I simply could not finish my meal. Prices are within range of the food on offer – every meal that I saw looked appetizing and well presented.
Blend your own bottle with Zandvliet wine
Our 3rd stop for the day was to visit the art exhibition in the underground Muscat tank at the Kalkveld Lounge on Zandvliet Estate. We also had the opportunity to blend, bottle, cork, wax and label our own wine.
This was my very first time that I had the opportunity to blend my own wine and it was not difficult at all. I named my Bottle of wine after my mom ( S.B Alexander) We had so much fun doing this.
Checked into the Montagu Country Hotel
After such a busy Friday morning and afternoon we checked into the beautiful Montagu Country Hotel. On arrival, we took a 30-minute break and went for a sunset drive and village tour in their classic modern cars with PJ Basson, manager of the hotel.
This view is gorgeous! Overlooking the beautiful village of Montagu and enjoying some of PJ’s favourite liqueur.
After our village tour, we headed back to the hotel to freshen up for the evening. We had a mouth-watering wine and food pairing while hearing all about the history of the Montagu Hotel. Dinner was lovely and the perfect way to end a very productive Friday.
we woke up to a beautiful Saturday morning. We had breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant area, and also received a tour of all the different styled rooms the hotel had to offer. Every room is different with beautiful art and furniture.
Excelsior Wine Estate
Our First stop was at Excelsior Wine Estate. Again we had the opportunity to blend and label our own wine. Their tasting venue is a wooden room on stilts overlooking the beautiful dam.
We tasted the three wines that you can use to blend your own bottle of wine: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Shiraz, but I enjoyed the Cabernet Sauvignon the most.
Esona Boutique Wine Estate
We took a very scenic route to Esona Wine Estate.
We had a wonderful wine pairing in their underground tasting room. It has a stylish rustic interior. Here you can do a vertical wine pairing. The quiet and intimate space is candlelit. Each wine is individually paired with chocolate, music and glass type for a sensory immersion that demands savouring and reflection. A truly unique experience that had us all in our feels.
After our wine tasting, we had a scrumptious lunch waiting for us on the deck. The deck overlooks the beautiful mountains of the Breede Valley.
theLAB
After our visit to Esona Wine Estate, we headed to a beautiful guest house named theLAB.
theLAB guesthouse in Robertson used to be Rosendal Winery, although the estate is now home to this magnificent guesthouse, you can still taste the winery’s offering. The guesthouse still offers wine tasting in the cellar. Each guesthouse has a living Africa box, the box controls a variety of functions. When controlling the box, you can ask Echo to make your coffee, switch on the television, room lights or even play you music haha, this was fun (J)
There is quite a lot to do at theLAB. You can have a lazy day at their heated pool, great in the day or night. If you feel like exploring, you can opt for an e-scooter that the hotel offers to all guests at no charge to enjoy during your stay. For some downtime, I would suggest a massage.
Restaurant Succulent
For Saturday night dinner, we were invited to restaurant Succulent. Chef Werner Snoek has done a magnificent job. Each meal was paired with wine from Bushmanspad Wine Estate. All the dishes were delicious.
On Sunday morning we headed down the Robertson Valley to visit our last stop at Lozärn wines for another wine tasting.
During our tasting, winemaker Salome Buys-Vermeulen shares the farm’s history and takes you through the other wines produced on the farm. Kay’s Legacy named after the family matriarch and their 2016 Shiraz. We also had the chance for a quick tour through the vineyards where we were able to see how the grapes grow.
After our tour, we had a delicious lunch served by the one and only Tannie Christa. The food was amazing and the atmosphere was even better.
I would like to give special thanks to Mira Weiner, Director of Hot Oven marketing for making this experience a memorable one.
Thank you to @Jaredincpt for taking all these beautiful images.
I DO HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED READING MY ARTICLE ON MY VISIT TO ROBERTSON VALLEY AND WILL SOON BE HEADING TO THE VALLEY TO VISIT
BLOGITWITHJODY
