In vino verandahs — the insider’s guide to Karoo Stoep Tasting

The Karoo offers a magical time for wine lovers just before May tips into chilly June. 

Rose Wright of the Karoo Wine Club in Graaff-Reinet was the first to notice it. The days are warm (crisp Chenin blancs are more than perfect). The nights are cold and conducive to firesides and spicy shiraz. 

In the Western Cape, the winemakers and estate owners have just come through the frantic picking and barrelling and bottling of harvest. There is a brief hiatus before the next frenzy of activity.

It is, in short, the perfect time to exhale and contemplate the long winter ahead, to stock up with cases of Tinta Barocca, Merlot and Malbec, and to talk at leisure of their provenance. And why not do it in the friendly Eastern Cape Karoo, where the verandahs are broad, the streets are quiet and the people are friendly?

And so was born the annual Stoep Tasting weekend in Graaff-Reinet.

The first one was held in 2013, and Rose was elated to sell 45 tickets which gave wine tasters access to the products of five estates. The second attracted eight winemakers and 120 wine lovers. In 2016, there were nearly 300 people drifting around 16 winemakers and three craft beer breweries.

It grew exponentially from 2018, sprawling to include the charming dorp of Nieu-Bethesda and now, two weekends. This year, Stoep Tasting weekends are held on 16 and 17 and 22 to 24 May. 

Read more: Accolades, spicy menus and an Eastern Cape wine affair

Part of the charm is that wine lovers get to confer and chat with the estate owners and winemakers, not marketing staff.

They talk with passion and deep knowledge about their terroir, the altitude and weather and soils and cultivars, and the best times to drink their particular merlots, pinots, sauvignon blancs, wooded and unwooded chardonnays, shiraz, malbecs and ports – red and white.

Up to 140 wine estates bring about 150 tonnes of wine for the weekends. Sales go up to several million rand. The two towns go through more than two tonnes of ice each day.

Apart from that, the Stoep Tasting phenomenon means a massive injection of money into these towns, just before winter when tourism trade slows down. Guesthouses are booked out months in advance. The butcheries see a sharp uptick in trade and the restaurants are packed. 

Apart from winemakers, you’ll meet farmers from the Eastern Cape Midlands, townspeople and visitors from around the country – from welders to heads of companies. But it’s the fun aspect that hooks visitors, along with starry nights and great braais.

Know before you go:

• In your goodie bag you’ll find a tasting glass, a nifty holder that comfortably holds your glass around your neck, and a map;
• Embrace the relaxed tempo of Karoo life. Stoep Tasting happens over three days and two towns. There is absolutely no need to rush;
• On the other hand, don’t get stuck on one stoep with only one wine estate you adore. There are many others to experience;
• Bring friends. This is a very gesellige festival and there is nothing more enjoyable than drifting along the streets with a small crowd of mates. On the other hand, this is also a great place to meet new friends with common interests and taste in wine;
• Don’t forget the other attractions of Graaff-Reinet and Nieu-Bethesda – there are great museums, the spectacular Valley of Desolation, excellent places to buy mohair and wool, and some really good restaurants;
• Book your accommodation well in advance, ideally six months before the festival; and
• Book your ticket on www.greatwineweekends.com. Email admin@greatwineweekends.com or Rose Wright on karoowineclub@gmail.com. DM

For an insider’s view on life in the South African Heartland, get the Karoo Quartet set of books (Karoo Roads I-IV by Chris Marais and Julienne du Toit) for only R960, including taxes and courier costs in South Africa. For more details, contact Julie at julie@karoospace.co.za