A good round number! I am already up to number 35 of 800. Van Loveren Family Wines in the Robertson Wine valley. #tastethelifestyle

A guided garden tour with a glass of MCC, an extensive food and wine pairing menu, great service, a gift shop and even a restaurant – what more could you ask for?

 

ACTIVITIES and OTHER AMENITIES: 

• Wine tasting –Any 4 wines for R20. Van Loveren Tasting Menu
• Food and Wine Pairings – R55
• Guided garden tour with free glass of bubbly – R45
• Fish Eagle hiking trail – R45
• MTB trails – R45
• Guided cellar tour including tank and barrel tasting (30 mins) – R55
• Restaurant
• Live entertainment on specific days
• This PDF document is extremely useful to prepare for your visit: Tasting room price list 2016

BOOKINGS: Bookings for smaller groups is not necessary however if you would like to avoid disappointment, then book online!

WHEN TO GO: Summer is best to enjoy the beautiful garden. I would recommend the months of Spring. September, October, November.

 Here is my experience:

It was a perfect day in Robertson! No wind and sunny skies.

As you drive to the farm, you will experience some beautiful views. This is Van Loveren’s cellars which you will see immediately when driving towards the farm.

 

The drive into the farm feels like something out of Miami with all the palm trees 🙂 There is plenty of parking too.

 

We went on a wonderful garden tour which included a free glass of MCC! Each tree has a story behind it. It might have been planted after the founder’s sons or even when Mandela became president.

 

 

Once you get inside the tasting room, you will appreciate the modern architecture and interior design. It is not stiff though and feels like home. I would suggest getting there early at 10h00/11h00 to get yourself a comfy spot. Here is the wine price list: Tasting room price list 2016

This is the outside tasting area which is quite massive and can host large groups of people. When I was visiting, they hosted an entire bus full of Americans! I would recommend booking for that though.

There are so many food and wine pairing options at Van Loveren! Check it out! All are only R55 each!

I especially thought that the bread, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and nutty bowl was a unique experience. And just check at the amount of cheese you get! It’s fabulous!

  

 

Below shows just some of the extensive Van Loveren wine range. I counted 16 different varietals! Here are just 7 of them which are well priced, every day drinking wines. They range from R259 – R353 for a case of 6. That’s R43-R59 a bottle if you buy online HERE. 

I really thought that this was a nice wine to be exposed to at Van Loveren. it is called the Rhino Run wine range which is specifically created to give exposure and generate awareness around the Rhino Poaching crisis. Proceeds go to education and conservation to help save the African Rhino.

The Chardonnay tasted quite good because it was medium bodied, lightly wooded and fruity. Have a look at the website HERE.

This was my favourite wine of the day, the Christina Heritage Collection 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is hand picked from a single vineyard and then matured in 1st fill 100% French oak barrels for 14 months! Blackberries, chocolate and cloves/mint. You can buy this wine online HERE. R746 for a case of 6, that’s R125 a bottle and so worth it! At the cellar it is R127 a bottle or R686 a case.

To end off, I enjoyed this Tangled Tree wine by Van Loveren. I got a fright when Leigh tried to smash the bottle on the shelf, but it was just plastic! 🙂 This wine is perfect to take on picnics because it won’t smash in the car! Or if you have busy pets or kids, this wine certainly won’t fall over and smash.

A full and fruity palate with notes of cassis and even a chocolate/Mocha aftertaste! It has spent 10 months in french alternative barrels. R35 a bottle from the cellar.

If you go on the guided garden tour (so worth it!) you will learn the incredible LOVE story of the Van LOVEren family. Below is the famous “Tangled Tree” which the above wine is named after. It is an extremely romantic story!

“In 1941 Jean Retief ordered a Rhus Lancea tree from KwaZulu-Natal. Her husband Hennie was convinced that it was no different from the Karee that grew along their river and planted a shoot next to her tree. Their two identical trees have since intertwined into one magnificent tree which has come to symbolize their love for each other.” – http://www.wine.co.za/

They eventually found out that it was indeed the same tree 🙂

And for some eye candy, here is Leigh van den Berg (Lip Gloss is my Life Blogger) with the love of her life – the Tangled tree range. It doesn’t break!

 

At this stage, we were feeling a little peckish and walked over to the Christina’s restaurant.

I was so impressed with these bird feeders – how cute are these little birds! They have a bird list and hiking trail! Check it out: https://www.vanloveren.co.za/Content/VLBirding.pdf

There was some great live entertainment! As you can see, this restaurant is very popular and always full! Be sure to book in advance!

This restaurant has a wonderful atmosphere, service and great food! The dishes range from pizzas and burgers to salads and fish!

If you walk around, you will get to see some beautiful family portraits.

The below is the Four Cousins Marula Flavoured cream liqueur. It is great for dessert. Only R103 a bottle. Don’t you just LOVE this packaging!

Be sure to spend some time in the gift shop! There are so many special items and packs on sale. It would make for some amazing gifts.

We had a great time!

And to end off, this was my favourite – seeing my birth year on a wine cellar 🙂 Each gable has a different year to represent when each cellar was established as Van Loveren grew.

So what farm will be next? 🙂

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