A winey weekend, plus ... at SA’s ‘Barefoot Capital’
Wine lovers, if you’re not in Kentonon-Sea yet, best you make a plan fast!
The fourth edition of the Great Kenton Wine Festival is under way, and it gets greater every year.
The weekend is one of the most fun and laid-back wine festivals around, with lots of side events and things to do in and around the “Barefoot Capital” of SA, and an ideal opportunity to soak up some sun, sea and sand time.
The main tasting event is on today and tomorrow, from 2-5pm each day, and it’s a wonderfully informal experience as you stroll among Kenton’s bowls, tennis and deep-sea clubs to sample wines, chat to the winemakers, bump into old friends, groove to some live music and grab a bite on the way.
From 10 in the inaugural year, there are now 30 producers exhibiting their wares across the three venues.
There are well-known names like Allesverloren, Gabrielskloof, Beyerskloof and Simonsig, but plenty more that we don’t often see in the Eastern Cape, making this a must-do to taste and buy wines you won’t find on your local shelves.
You are spoilt for choice, but I would certainly be making a stop at the stands of the tiny Kirabo private cellar of the Le Roux family from Rawsonville, Domaine des Dieux for fantastic and classy Cap Classique from the Hemel-en-Aarde, the elegantly ageable wines of Stony Brook from Franschhoek, the noble reds from boutique Stellenbosch outfit Stellekaya, the premium coolclimate style of Highlands Road in Elgin ...
Apart from the tasting afternoons, there’s a full line-up of wine masterclasses, food and wine pairing brunches and dinners, wine-tasting river cruises from The Sandbar at Bushmans, and even a lawn games tournament with Anthonij Rupert Wyne on Saturday morning.
The Kenton Art Group is exhibiting at the Kenton Tennis Club, where there will be a market on Saturday alongside the wine tasting, showcasing an array of crafts and products by local makers.
For something different, you can enjoy a wine and ice-cream pairing with Clos Malverne on Saturday morning, and end the day with a “Toppies Vintage Beach Jol” at Yolo or “Starry, Starry Night” at Pizzarella with Leenders Family Wines and saxophonist Lara Michelle (and do not miss Pizzarella at some stage during the weekend for toesin-the-sand dining and some of the best pizza around).
Sunday is wind-down time, with bubbly breakfast with Domaine des Dieux at the House Kitchen, live music and wine at the Post House Grill, or a winemakers’ lunch with Donkiesbaai and Rust en Vrede at the Round Table clubhouse.
Make the Kenton-on-Sea tourism office in Kenton Road your first stop to pick up tasting tickets and a programme with contact details to book for all the side events.