Boplaas is celebrating its first high season with a full array of tasting rooms open and trading. Having rolled out a network of visitor centres in the wake of the pandemic, its total four venues hosted record numbers over the past two months.
In addition to its brand home on the farm in Calitzdorp, the renowned family-owned wine and spirits producer has tasting rooms outside the Garden Route centres of Mossel Bay, George and Plettenberg Bay.
“The season is certainly a milestone for us,” says Boplaas marketing manager Rozanne Nel, sixth generation Nel on the farm along with her siblings. “Their popularity has been fantastic and it kept us on our toes. All the good reviews we’ve had are a real credit to the teams at the various locations.”
Boplaas at Hart & Bosch Village in Hartenbos
The Boplaas tasting room in Hart & Bosch Village opened in December and was the third on the Garden Route. A great location, the 14ha property includes plenty of entertainment for children, food stalls, shops and even a padel court. The tasting room itself was inundated with visitors, who made full use of tastings of the full portfolio of Boplaas’s award-winning wines, ports, whiskies and brandies. The venue offers different tasting options and sit-down pairings and cheese boards with local cheeses and charcuterie and fresh roosterkoek from the farm. Boplaas Hart & Bosch is conveniently located on the R102, next to Salt & Copper restaurant and there’s ample parking too.
Boplaas at Redberry Farm in George
The tasting room in George also received numerous visitors eager to try the Boplaas wares. In addition to wines, this venue has Boplaas spirit cocktails, wine tasting and local beer on tap, and the option to enjoy a cheese platter on the stoep. Redberry Farm is famous as a family destination thanks to the variety of entertainment, from strawberry picking to pony rides. It also claims to have the largest hedge maze in the Southern Hemisphere and the largest model strawberry. Over the season, the tasting room was led by manager Nicel Dunlop and winemaking students from Stellenbosch University eager to share their knowledge.
Boplaas in Plettenberg Bay
The Boplaas venue at the Old Nick Village off the N2 at Plettenberg Bay is among Boplaas’s cosiest. All Boplaas drinks are available here, for tasting and purchase – at cellar door prices. Thanks to the bustling holiday traffic, store manager Masithembe Kukayihas been able to welcome visitors from all over the country and even some from further afield since we opened.
Boplaas in Calitzdorp
Boplaas’s brand home and cellar on the farm in Calitzdorp was also a magnet for visitors seeking a country getaway this season. The region itself is famous for its restaurants and guesthouses as well as the Klein Karoo climate, landscapes and dramatic mountain passes in the Swartberg and Rooiberg. While offering the full portfolio, the farm tasting room also gives visitors the chance to enjoy all wines by the glass or bottle on a shaded stoep beside the vineyards. Distillery tours may also be undertaken, by appointment. During the past season, tasting room manager Ray Cromhout, and the team comprising of Jenny Januarie, Annarie Cornelius and Williemien Fourie gave tutored tastings.
For more information, email admin@boplaas.co.za or call 044 213 3326. Boplaas is also on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Boplaas1880/).