Planning underway for annual wine weekend

KAROO NEWS - The biggest wine festival in the Karoo is once again filling the town and surrounds of Graaff Reinet with thousands of wine aficionados from around the country planning to descend on the Gem of the Karoo at the end of May.

Ticket sales are going at breakneck speed and organisers are estimating that they will be sold out by mid-February.

This the sixth year of this community orientated event hosted by the Karoo Wine Club, which this year will have over 50 of South Africa's finest wine estates and producers as well as a few international ones in attendance.

Added to this there is an influx of thousands of well-heeled tipplers to the town from all corners of South Africa - bringing a much-needed economic boost to the region.

The organisers are working closely with the local Tourism Office to try to assist ticket holders to find accommodation. Establishments in town are already almost fully booked as for obvious reasons, visitors are loathe to stay outside of town unless there is a shuttle service provided by the farm stay hosts.

This has created a new income-generating opportunity for townsfolk who have a spare room or garden flat that they could consider renting out for that weekend. Head of the organising committee Rose Wright recently appealed on a local social media site for anyone who may be able to help out to contact the organisers, or even for anyone who is going to be away at that time and is willing to rent out their home over that weekend.

A massive "Stoep Tasting Tent Village" has been organised and will be coordinated by the Graaff-Reinet Cricket Club at the Botanics Sports Grounds. Bookings can be arranged through Willie van Rensburg at botaniesgrt@gmail.com

The Karoo Wine Club requests that any charities and institutions who are planning on selling food and various items over that weekend are to please drop the KWC an email on karoowineclub@gmail.com and give them the details so that they can be included in the marketing and placed correctly on the route map.

"This way people can support you, and know who it is they are supporting too," said Wright. It also allows the organisers to ensure that there are not too many duplicated goods on the stoeps. "Thank you to those of you who are doing these initiatives to help worthy causes, this is exactly what this weekend is all about," she added.

Union Prep School will, once again, host a market and there will be a fun run which will end at the school too.

If anyone has any queries about the market, please contact Diane Murray on oudelandfarm@gmail.com Further information about the fun run will be coming soon. In one of the many firsts for ST19, there will be a black-tie Gala Dinner on Thursday, 23 May, hosted by Glen Carlou Wines and the Coldstream Restaurant to kick the weekend proceedings off. Locals can purchase tickets at Foto First (while stocks last) and can follow the Karoo Wine Club on Facebook to get announcements first. www.facebook.com/karoowineclub

The annual wine weekend starts end of May.