South African wine lovers, connoisseurs, collectors and farmers will celebrate the start of wine harvest with the annual harvest parade on Saturday 28 January in Stellenbosch.
The wine regions come alive with festivities celebrating the harvest. Vineyard tours, tastings, grape picking, music and feasts are among the activities. This is a great time to visit the wine regions because you get to interact with the winemakers and take part in harvesting activities.
This year’s Stellenbosch Harvest Parade takes place on the same week that South Africa celebrates the 364th year since wine was first made in Mzansi. Ours is the only country in the world with a recorded official date, 2 February 1659, for this occasion.
On 13 May 1652, little over a month after Jan van Riebeck arrived in South Africa, he wrote to his directors requesting that he be sent vine cuttings. Although there is no record of what the varieties were, it is generally accepted that they included sémillon and chenin blanc. On 2 February 1659, Van Riebeck, the first commander of the Cape, noted in his diary: “Today, praise be to God, wine was made for the first time from Cape grapes.”
Harvest Festivals around the world
Harvest festivals are ubiquitous around the world, and serve to also bless the season. In the Northern Hemisphere, the festivals generally take place in September. In Jerez, southern Spain, the Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia (The Grape Harvest National Festival) is no mere party weekend, but a full two weeks of outright celebrations. Jerez, the exclusive producers of sherry, begin celebrations with the Queen of Sherry parade, with the queen accompanied by her handmaidens on a decorated wagon. There’s also bullfighting (including a comedy bullfight), motorcycle racing, flamenco dancing and grape picking.
Douro Valley in Portugal has the wine world’s most creative harvest festival. The Douro has merged the mediums of cinema, gastronomy and the grape harvest. This feast for culture vultures includes harvest presentations and talks, film previews, a competition for best film in several categories, cooking demonstrations and free-flowing port wines. The event occurs at venues across the region, culminating with a final gala dinner and award ceremony.
La Route du Champagne en Fête is a summer event started by winegrowers in 1995. Today the Cap’C association organises this annual event.
The Route du Champagne is a 500km route for tourists who would like to discover the region that produces Champagne — Reims in France. The purpose of this weekend event is to open the cellars and bottles of the Côte des Bar region.
What to expect at Stellenbosch Harvest Parade
“Harvest is the moment Mother Nature reveals her reward for a year’s worth of care for the vineyards,” says Stellenbosch Wine Routes manager Elmarie Rabe.
The Parade takes place in collaboration with the local municipality and Stellenbosch Wine Routes, the country’s oldest wine route. People line Stellenbosch’s streets to watch a procession of farmers, workers and wine-lovers on colourful floats. Cape Minstrels, drum majorettes and brass bands are part of the entertainment. The parade gets underway at 9am, leaving from the Toy and Miniature Museum and weaving its way beneath the oaks before arriving about 30 minutes later at the Stellenbosch Town Hall. After a short thanksgiving ceremony, the parade will continue on its way. At its conclusion, people will be treated to a braai, live music and refreshments, with special entertainment for the children.
Booking is not necessary. For more information visit www.wineroute.co.za
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