Soetes & Soup 2019 at Deetlefs

Being invited to celebrate Soetes & Soup in the Breedekloof Wine Valley by Deetlefs Wine Estate has become the annual winters day out to the Winelands of Western Cape and this year we took some friends along.

Next year we think we need to organise some of the tour operators to do some varying packages as well to get more people to enjoy what we have been for the past few years. 

[Image by Deetlefs Wine Estate]

The festival is a two-day showcase of the wines of the area, with entertainment for all and some interesting and good soups along with of course the beautiful wines available at the farms you visit. We get to spend the entire day as a VIP group at Deetlefs and really enjoy the vibe and setting. 

Popular snacks beside the drinks and soup at Deetlefs included hannepoot ice lollies, jelly shooters, roosterkoeke and vetkoeke with a choice of fillings; cheese and jam, chicken mayo or curry mince. There is also a hydration station selling bottled water and a coffee truck too serving hot caffeine fixes. This ensured we were kept energetic to do fun things with balloons and wine. 

Deetlefs ensures that some amazing entertainment is available for us spending the day there and the buzz all around is just so awesome. We have really enjoyed the music by the ladies from Blackbyrd the past few years we have been going. This year Axene had the beats flowing with some lovely tunes such as; Dancing On My Own | Callum Scott, Speechless| Axene and Need You Now | Lady Antebellum.

We had a really great time and thank the Deetlefs team for inviting us and making sure that everyone had a good time, so much so that it was a stage smashing moment in the end. 

Blue Gum Country Estate #InStanford

Our Tuesday past turned into the perfect #TravelTuesday road trip experience with a drive from Arniston as part of our a bit late short mid-year break. Driving through the countryside where the colors and views were just so mesmerizing and getting to stop along the way for some amazing pics was fun for me. Then ending it off with a stay over at Blue Gum Country Estate #InStanford. We will be doing a Cape Whale Coast trip in the next few months so watch out for this blog too.

Driving towards the estate we had to turn onto a gravel road which added to the whole country life appeal and along the way we got to see sheep, cows and horses too and it felt like we were home.

The open space and lush garden setting at Blue Gum Country Estate was just perfect and the type of setting we could stay in forever. Think we found the type of place and setting we would want to have ourselves one day.

We stayed in the Lion room and the fur throw on the bed actually felt like what I would say a lion mane feels like, maybe. The room was perfect for us and we ended up chatting about how this is what we need in our life, the setting and layout was great and the only thing we said we would have to add is a walk in closet, the open bath and the fact that they have their own water source was so amazing and we ended up having a lovely bath too. We also totally loved our own private veranda overlooking the little dam, part of the vineyard and the views across the way.

Food always plays an important part of travel for many, as you often get to have what you would not necessarily have at home. With the nearest eating places in the town centre of Stanford being about 15 minutes away it was nice to have a spacious and well appointed restaurant on the property as part of the estate facilities. The service was great and the tastes were definitely just what we needed. We had tea time scones and coffee in the afternoon with home made biscuits and perfectly made scones in the lounge area.

Dinner was a set menu and available as a two course or three course. Edwill had a two course and was delighted that he actually enjoyed the starter soup. He also said the oxtail was perfect and just the right amount of flavors. I had kingklip with a lovely lemon sauce and the dessert too which was the perfect ending to the day for me as I have a sweet tooth, though I have been cutting down on my sugar intake.

Breakfast was so filling and kept me sustained for most of the day. I enjoyed some muesli, fruit and yogurt from the buffet and then had a vegetarian omelette from the hot breakfast menu and Edwill had the English Breakfast but opted to not take the sausages.

A trip would not be complete for us without a fashion shoot and you will be able to view more with the regular #FashionFriday posts on Edwill‘s social media channels which you can find via @edwillmp on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter.

Blue Gum Country Estate has everything you could ask for when you want that country life feeling in a quiet and tranquil mountainside estate, which is not too far from a town centre for access to convenience and other facilities. Also check their website for more info and any specials that they may be running.

 

Whacky Wine Weekend 2018

The 15th Annual Whacky Wine Weekend proudly hosted by the Robertson Wine Valley was a success in their theme Taste The Lifestyle. It all happened from 31 May – 3 June 2018 and some of the #TeamWeekend Traveling Media Crew went for a day trip to experience it all.

With a host of estates offering up to six tastings per person it’s totally understandable why an entire weekend is required. The team opted to visit the ones as recommended by the Robertson Wine Valley team but we also booked the farm safari drive at Jan Harmsgat out in Swellendam for the late afternoon.

There were some really vibey pumping venues with tons of people enjoying the winter sun and the day was just perfect for exploring the Cape Winelands.

A firm favourite of the estates was definitely the following where we totally enjoyed the many picture opportunities too. Bon Courage seems to have been one of the more favored ones, from lovely wines to a great atmosphere and just all around awesome vibe and leaving with a box of six bottles of their Like Father Like Son Range.

The next stop that was pumping, set along the river with boat trips too was at Viljoensdrift with their Rose being a firm favourite and everyone’s glasses sparkling pink.

We continued along but decided to skip the traffic due to road works and popped in at Excelsior and the cheese and biltong was a real treat to be combined and the fact that you could also try your hand at mixing your own wine blend was an interesting twist.

Not too far from here around another bend was the lovely Zandvliet with lounge areas outside with hot fires and a buzzing tent with gin tastings too and their cellar experience with its cave like feel was really amazing. 

We then continued on quite a bit of a drive towards Swellendam for our late afternoon Farm Safari Drive to discover a bit more about the Jan Harmsgat working farm and got to taste some pecan nuts and were treated in just a bit of game viewing of their herd of wildebeest.

Ending off with a lovely late afternoon into sunset safari drive with such amazing landscape views to end of a great day and having to drive back to what was a rainy Cape Town but much needed water for the area.

Plans were being made as the day neared its end to probably do a sleep over next year for a proper #TeamWeekend and explore some more and have more fun!