This is one of our favourite festivals. Who wouldn’t want to taste
lovely wines with very friendly and welcoming people from the area on the banks
of one of our most beautiful rivers, in the balmy October late Spring weather.
“Dit is die maand Oktober! Die mooiste, mooiste maand!”, to quote the song by
C. Louis Leipoldt. We bought lots of wine, ate lots of food and tasted lots of
good wines. Next year we will try to go
for longer. Just one day at the festival is not enough
What could be a better
choice? A guided tasting of Chardonnays
of the valley OR a boat trip on the river with bubbles?
Or lazing on the side of
the river with some good wine and food? Clever exhibition people covered up the
hay bales!
In one of the wine
marquees. Lots of people tasting and getting to know Robertson wines
Lourens van der Westhuizen of Arendsig opening more of his good bottles
of wine for tasting
Talking to customers
Showing us his new
labels
Fun on the Quando
stand. Winemaker Fanus Bruwer tastes and
his brother Martin pours. We loved his wines so much we bought a case of the
Chenin Viognier and a case of the
Pinot Noir.
Fanus discusses Pinot
Noir with Journalist Graham Howe.
Time for some lunch. We
had vouchers for the Zandvliet Fish and Chips and Waterblom Bredie
But we started with
crisp and hot tempura prawns and some excellent sushi from the Mimosa stand
Bernhard Hess of
Mimosa Hotel in Montague
Fida Hess, who was taking the
food orders and was very busy, but not too busy to pose for John
The waterblommetjie
bredie had lots of bones it in. It came with sweet potato mash. In the round
container is the snoek, chips and fried onion rings
One of our favourite
Bonnievale people, Elzette Steyn from Weltevrede
Fanus needs food and
this late in the day all that was left was a Spur burger
Um ... there is
something wrong with this picture. Shouldn’t she be on the pony and he be leading
her around? Looks fun though.
A painting project
underway in the childrens’ tent. Keep them amused so parents can get on with
some wine tasting
A lovely selection of
Weltevrede Bubblies. We came away with a bottle of the LindeLize rose. Deeply refreshing and fruity
but bone dry.
No, you are not getting
him with the wine. Henk van Niekerk on the Wonderfontein Paul René stand. A major attraction for the ladies that
weekend
“NO I don’t want to nap
like my twin sister. Multitasking mothers can have fun and mind the children
Emden & Monja Stemmet, Excelsior Winemaker Johan's family minding the stand
The afternoon draws on
A very long baby? No, tandem twins
Steyn Fullard of
Weltevrede and Colyn Truter
A very happy customer
with his purchases
He introduced us to his
friendly family, having a lovely day on the riverside
Oh we SO approve
Time to wend our way to
the tent to buy wine before leaving
The woman who organised
it all was in the tent. Talented and fun Elizma Spangenberg Botha of The Robertson Wine Valley. We can’t wait for next year
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2014
