The annual pilgrimage of wine aficionados and producers from across Southern Africa will start descending on Graaff-Reinet and Nieu Bethesda from Wednesday, May 25.
The two towns will play host for the ninth annual Stoep Wine Tasting weekend.
With 70 of South Africa’s finest wine and spirit producers each bringing an average of six to eight wines for stoep tasters to taste and purchase, there will be a lot of wine to get through over the weekend.
The festival of wine tasting will take place in the towns from Thursday, May 26, through to Saturday, May 28, 2022.
Gordon and Rose Wright, heading the organising of the festival, said stoep tasters will need careful planning as visitors will surely need all three days to do proper tasting.
“The two beautiful Karoo towns have become a mecca to thousands of wine lovers from around the country who love soaking up the warm Karoo hospitality and the big open spaces that city folk are deprived of on a daily basis. Many side events are being planned and every local business, charity and organisation that has chosen to be involved is putting in enormous effort to ensure a wonderful weekend for our visitors,” said Gordon.
With Graaff Reinet’s Volkskool celebrating its centenary year, they have gone the extra mile this year, with a number of wonderful collaborations being put together.”
Pop-up shops and restaurants are being organised by various locals, charities and organisations and they are working with wine producers to host master classes and food and wine pairings to raise much-needed funds and to keep visitors entertained.
Accommodation is being offered in many different ways, from tented camps at the Nieu Bethesda Tennis Club to hostel accommodation in Graaff Reinet to private homes, apart from the traditional options.
“All our guest-houses and B&B’s have been fully booked for months.
“This event brings in so much extra revenue to both towns, it has become an iconic weekend for so many people in so many ways.
“The whole Camdeboo community stands to benefit when the towns get so very busy,” Rose added.
An added bonus is that both Nieu Bethesda and Graaff Reinet are contenders in the annual ‘Dorp van die Jaar’ competition 2022.
Apart from the usual media attention, there will be film crews from Kwela in attendance over the weekend to take in the ‘Gees of the Fees’ and showcase both towns and regions.
Gordon said an unfortunate and increasing trend of ticketless free loaders coming for the weekend has led the organisers to increase security at the tasting venues and thus only official ticket holding stoep tasters – identified by their bright yellow wrist bands, branded stemless tasting glasses and wine sling, will be allowed to participate at the tasting stoeps around the towns.
“It is a sad and selfish trend that, unchecked, will see the death of this great event, should it get out of hand,” said Gordon.
The organisers asked that all tasters purchase their tickets before the weekend at www.greatwineweekends.com or directly from the Graaff-Reinet Tourism office in Church Street, to ensure they have full access to all venues and stoeps.
As usual, tasting packs can be collected from the Graaff-Reinet Tourism office from Monday, May 23, after 10:00.
“The economic impact of this event on the Karoo as a whole is immeasurable and stoep tasters are in agreement that the annual Stoep Tasting Wine weekend is the best little wine fest in South Africa,” Gordon and Rose said.