GRAAFF-REINET NEWS – Oenophile or not, the Karoo Wine Club's annual Stoep Tasting weekend is a magical thing.
Since its quiet inception on the picturesque stoeps of Graaff-Reinet in the autumn of 2013, the Stoep Tasting Wine Weekend has become the premier wine festival in the Karoo - as the town has more stoeps than most towns have residents, the Karoo Wine Club's founder Rose Wright's idea to organise an annual Stoep Tasting wine weekend was bound to take off.
Click here for a photo gallery.
For two days, Friday and Saturday, 25 and 26 May, more than 30 of the country's best wine, craft gin, liqueur and beer makers descended on Graaff-Reinet to grace the stoeps of the town.
The arrival of hundreds of wine lovers from across the country soon followed, drawn by the presence of the top wine-makers and their delicious produce, local and visitors alike jumped at the chance to stroll from stoep to stoep, to quaff the different wines, meet the winemakers and sample the tasty street food and restaurant fare on offer.
Two relaxing days of meandering through this heritage-rich town meant novice and wine aficionados alike had the opportunity to mingle and taste and discuss the merits of chardonnays, cabernet sauvignons and merlots at their leisure.
Local businesses benefitted from this event a great deal, with guesthouses filled to the brim - a great business boon during the traditionally quiet month of May for the town.
The establishments who participated this year were the Coldstream Restaurant, Klub Libertas, the Graaff-Reinet Club, Pioneers Restaurant, Karoo Trade, GRT Brewery, Drostdy Hotel, Camdeboo Cottages, Polka Café, Leopards Valley Guesthouse, Muller House, AaQtansisi, Lovely Skin & Body, Kambro Cottages, Thyme and Again, Villa Reinet, Karoopark Guesthouse, Our Yard, @Karoo Guesthouse, Octofin and Elsona.
Two of the town's museums - the Reinet House and the Library Museum - also hosted tastings this year.
To ensure that tipplers didn't go hungry along the way, some of the stoep hosts sold some kind of food from their stoeps, with the restaurants also ably assisting in keeping bellies full. Several masterclasses hosted by wine-makers and craft brewers were also included in the weekend's itinerary, along with a Karoo farmers' market hosted by Union Pre-School.
When asked for her thoughts on the weekend's success, organiser Rose Wright commented, "Though it was significantly bigger, it ran very smoothly this year. We learn a little each year and we take suggestions to heart and apply what we can. This year there were at least double the number of locals involved and they all really went out of their way to make it special, every single stoep had a great vibe. We really appreciated how the community embraced the idea and added their special finishing touches and charm to their stoeps and streets. We are very proud of this town and now extra proud, this is real evidence of how a community can work together and benefit each other by paying it forward. So many locals have thanked us from the bottom of their hearts for creating this opportunity for them to generate a bit of an income in a traditionally quiet economical time. It feels really good to know that this little wine club can have a real and positive impact on people's lives, it is important to make a difference when you can."
Planning is already underway for next year's event which is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, 24 and 25 May. Visitors were booking accommodation for next year while checking out this year, wine-makers and patrons alike.
"We will make one or two changes and will certainly have a few new and improved ideas. Some fabulous suggestions have already come in from members of the participating public, which we will use," concluded Wright.
'We bring you the latest Graaff-Reinet, Karoo news'
