GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - The annual Stoep Tasting weekend in Graaff-Reinet will run from 22 to 24 May and visitors can still book for this, but the sibling weekend took place on 16 and 17 May in Nieu-Bethesda.
This year marks the 12th anniversary of this very busy time in our town and the neighbouring Nieu-Bethesda.
The Karoo Wine Club organises and plans both these events annually and Graaff-Reinet Advertiser had a talk with them.
Planning ahead
"This year the weather was absolutely perfect, and people came to enjoy the wine and the surroundings in Nieu-Bethesda.
We already started to plan this year's events just after the Stoep Tasting last year and we are already working and planning for the Stoep Tastings of 2026 and 2027," they say.
"Never a dull moment!"
Owners of businesses or stoeps in both towns have to register with the Wine Club to be able to host a tasting.
These are usually businesses in the hospitality industry or clubs. For this year's Stoep Tasting, about 140 producers will spread their wine tables over the two weekends in both towns.
Focus on smaller producers
When asked to name-drop or give the Advertiser an idea of the wines that would be available, the reply came fast:
"We love supporting the smaller farms, the ones less known, but to do that we do need to bring in the big brands to draw the people in.
So we have the likes of Tokara, Raats, Antonij Rupert in Graaff-Reinet, and Graham Beck, Quoin Rock and Vriesenhof in Nieu-Bethesda to draw the people in.
Then they discover the little gems in between that they have never heard of, who are producing fabulous wines."
Numbers
Karoo Wine Club could not share the number of visitors who attended the weekend's wine-tasting in Nieu-Bethesda, as all tickets are sold in Graaff-Reinet under the umbrella of "Stoep Tasting".
However, the streets and the stalls in Nieu-Bethesda were busy and visitors arrived right through the weekend, with guest houses also fully booked.
They do, however, say that the number they do have is not final as they are still selling tickets for the weekend in Graaff-Reinet, that hosts the original Stoep Tasting experience.
"The tourism office also sells tickets, so we only get the final figures after the event, but we are estimating about 4 000 to 4 500 official ticket holders.
Plus a few more thousand in terms of vendors, support staff, kids, and the like. We are guessing probably closer to 8 000 to 10 000 visitors in total."
The Nieu-Bethesda Stoep Tasting weekend was definitely a great success, as is clear from the Nieu-Bethesda Stoep tasting Facebook page where visitors can upload photos of their own experiences.
Future dreams
The wine club has definite hopes and dreams for the Stoep Tasting festivals.
Their medium-term hope is that this will become a 10-day festival with both towns buzzing with wine-flavoured events and small fringe events throughout the week and weekends, offering fine dining, food and wine pairings, master classes and many other wine-orientated offerings.
Stoep tasters are also reminded that there is a photography competition this year, with prizes being tickets to the 2026 Stoep Tasting as well as wine prizes.
The winners will be announced after the original weekend. In the meantime there will be photos posted on all social media platforms.
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