Arts writer
CELEBRATE the 2015 harvest in the Paarl winelands at The OmmiBerg Round the Rock Festival this Saturday. Named after Paarl Rock, visitors can expect authentic farm experiences with barrel tastings and great gourmet offerings, as well as harvest activities and live entertainment. Participating members of the Paarl Wine Route will host the jam-packed programme featuring young wine tastings and promotions.
Wine lovers can snap up the opportunity to be amongst the first to taste the young, unfiltered wines from the 2015 harvest. These wines can only be tasted in Paarl and if the region’s past performances at the South African Young Wine Show are anything to go by, visitors will be in for a rare treat.
Harvest season is a special time in this award-winning wine region and each farm will host special harvest activities to give visitors a glimpse into the magic of winemaking. There are fun activities for the whole family ranging from grape games to tractor and trailer rides through the vines, grape stomping, guided cellar tours and barrel tastings to making harvest focaccia, blending competitions, wine making exhibitions with grape identification competitions, cork spitting, wine barrel golf challenge, games of boules, jenga or croquet, as well as vineyard horse rides and quad bike trails.
Punters will be able to savour gourmet offerings starting from harvest breakfasts to German specialities like flamkuchen, cheese tastings, bread and sorbet stands, special lunch offers, tapas and wine pairings, foot-long cheese grillers, sosaties, toasted sandwiches, gourmet fast food, cheese and meat platters, a la carte menus at participating restaurants as well as harvest food stalls and deli stands.
The Paarl Wine Route is divided into five regions, namely the Voor-Paardeberg, Klein Drakenstein, Suid-Agter Paarl, Paarl and Simonsberg. Participating wineries include Boland Cellar, Druk-My-Niet, Fairview Wines, KWV, Laborie, Landskroon, Mellasat, Nederburg Wines, Olsen Private Vineyards, Perdeberg Cellar, Rhebokskloof Wine Estate, Spice Route and Windmeul Cellar.
On the day wineries will also offer special wine promotions and visitors can purchase great wines at incredible prices. Different farms will offer music while guests enjoy a glass of wine, laze on the lawns and listen to the sounds of Newton, Andriette Norman, Idols contestant Lize Mynhardt, Nic Stephens, Viljoen Retief, Slow Jack, saxophonist Mario Arnolds, 5th Avenue and Mark Haze. Kids can take their pick from petting zoos, junior cheese master classes, egg and spoon games, ‘sakresies’, apple bobbing and wheelbarrow races
l Early bird tickets for over 18s: R100, www.webtickets.co.za or R120 on the day at estates, accompanied children free. Tickets include access to over 15 wineries, tasting of unfiltered wine, music and select events. Pre-book sit-down meals and special activities, www.ommiberg.co.za