Rocking round the Rock 20 February 2008

Paarl offers the new harvest for visitors to sample

 

If you want to see what wine tastes like straight from the fermenting tanks, you’re invited to the wineries of Paarl on Saturday 8 March to find out. With the 2008 harvest probably still lingering on, and with many tanks still bubbling away as the grapejuice undergoes that magical transformation into wine, eleven producers in the region (which seems to be showing a good deal of outgoing dynamism in recent years) are organising a number of festivities – quite apart from giving visitors the chance to see what goes on in a winery at this, the busiest time of its year.

No harm, of course, in trying to establish a new tradition in an area with plenty of old ones – and one centred around the celebration of the new harvest seems a good idea.

According to the press release, this is intended as a family occasion, with food and enterntainment avalable:  ‘Each wine farm is going to make sure that there will be enough activities to keep the children occupied while mom and dad sample the young wines.’ While children will not be charged, entrance tickets for adults will be sold at R35 per person, from any of the participating cellars. This includes entrance, a glass, and 10 tasting coupons (with additional coupons for sale).

Activities are wide-ranging; you can, for example, climb Paarl Rock with Charles Back of Fairview, get together with horses, alpacas and camels at Landskroon, jump in jumping castles while eating ‘traditional’ onion tart just about everywhere, or enter a food and wine pairing competition at Boland. And plenty more. Not to mention paying serious attention to the new, cloudily unfiltered, fruity wine.

Full  details are available (though not in a very friendly format, but perhaps they'll make it more easily available) on the Wine Country website. Or phone Paarl Information (021 872 4842), or email them info@paarlwine.co.za