What you need to know about the new direct marketing guidance note
Nadine Mather and Chloë Loubser
An explosion of colour erupts at Bot River this Spring
In celebration of the awakening of nature in all its forms, the annual Bot River Spring Weekend will be taking place in the Overberg town between 1 to 3 September 2017, and will feature a kaleidoscope of wine, food and genuine, country-style fun.
All participating wine farms will throw open their doors for visitors to taste cellar gems and unique local produce through enjoyable farm hopping and pantry shopping.
“The wineries of Bot River are truly a welcoming community and the Spring Weekend is one of our favourite occasions to showcase our farms and the riches to be found on them. This is what makes Bot River a real rainbow village, a place we’re proud to call our home. And this is what our Over the Rainbow Spring Weekend is all about. It’s a celebration of the diversity of our village in all its magnificent colour and swag,” says Melissa Nelsen of Genevieve MCC.
Expert food and wine
The tone of the weekend programme will be announced at the Best of Bot Wines exclusive dinner on Friday, 1 September 2017.
The event features Forage restaurant executive chef Gregory Henderson, renowned for roaming local pastures in search of ingredients for his indigenous dining experiences; Higgo Jacobs, head of the SA Association of Sommeliers, and fellow sommelier Ewan Mackenzie. Together they will present an expert food and wine pairing showcase, which offers the perfect context leading into the weekend. It takes place at Wildekrans Wine Estate, and tickets are at a cost of R850 per person, which must be purchased through Quicket, and includes a Spring Weekend pass.
A burst of colourful flavours
On Saturday, 2 September and Sunday, 3 September, Bot River’s participating wineries will turn on the charm, each representing a colour of the rainbow. These include newcomers to the Bot River wine family, Arcangeli Family Vineyards; Barton Vineyards; Villion Wines; Luddite Wines; Genevieve MCC; Beaumont Family Wines; Gabrielskloof Wine Estate; Rivendell Estate & Vineyards; Paardenkloof Estate; and Maremmana Estate.
Sundowners will also be served up at Maremmana Polo Estate, where you can relax with a drink and a boerewors roll as all the rainbow colours recede from the sky. The rainbow bar opens on Saturday evening from 5pm to 7.30pm.
Tickets for the 2017 Bot River Over the Rainbow Spring Weekend cost R100 per person and can be purchased, along with tickets to individual events, at Quicket unless specified otherwise. The weekend pass includes an armband and wine glass, which you may collect at the Bot River tourism office. Quicket stations will also be at Beaumont, Gabriëlskloof, and Wildekrans on the weekend. Youngsters under 18 years may enter for free.
For accommodation options in the area visit: Bot River Wines.
For more information on the Bot River Over the Rainbow Spring Weekend 2017 contact Melissa Nelsen on 083 302 6562 or email az.oc.ccmeveiveneg@assilem.
