Picnic Perfection in the Winelands

With autumn stealthily tiptoeing into the winelands the mornings and evenings are starting to get a bit chilly, but the days remain deliciously warm and the sky at this time of the year is the most amazingly brilliant blue. And there is no better vantage point to soak up the sun and enjoy the cloudless skies than from the good old-fashioned picnic blanket...

Since the beginning of time the picnic has always asserted itself as the ultimate summer meal out, but if we are truly honest with ourselves, a picnic at the height of summer is not always ideal: the butter melts, the lettuce wilts and the mayo splits almost as soon as the lid of the cooler bag has been lifted, conditions under the only two umbrellas you managed to dig out of the garage become decidedly crowded as everyone tries to avoid the remorseless sun and somehow the beer and wine never seems cold enough. 

So this time of the year is actually perfect for unfurling the picnic blankets, uncorking the wine, delighting in some scrumptious food and savouring the great outdoors…

The winelands and surrounds still have loads of options for enjoying the picnics that you have spent hours lovingly preparing and packing into countless Tupperware containers and the family’s trusty old Cadac cooler bag. The beaches of Gordon’s Bay and Strand and the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in Cape Town and the Harold Porter Gardens in Bettys Bay are still wonderful picnic destinations.

But most winefarms are now offering the ultimate indulgence: a picnic without having to lift a finger to pack – never mind prepare – a single morsel of food! A picnic without soggy paper plates! A picnic with no need to deal with a post-picnic-snoek-pate-besmeared blankets once you get home!

You can now pre-order delicious gourmet picnics – complete with ‘proper’ crockery, pristine picnic blankets, condiments and coffee to finish – at one of the many wineries that have realised this is a great way to showcase their wines.

Below are just a few farms in and around Stellenbosch where you can find these lazy, laid-on lunches…

Solms Delta – Here a personal guide will carry your basket and blanket and assist in selecting a quiet spot on the forested banks of the Dwars River or overlooking the private Solms lake. Guests are more than welcome to cool off in the river shallows, so pack your costumes and towels! (although we only have a few ‘beach’ spots so get here early if you want those).  Amongst other culinary delights the picnic baskets include basil pesto marinated farm vegetables with chive humus; sage and boegoe flavoured feta cheese; chicken tandoori with cucumber and honey mustard yoghurt; smoked snoek pâté with caper berries and fresh lemon; and every basket for 2 is accompanied by a bottle of Solms-Delta Lekkerwijn and a bottle of Solms-Delta Vogelvrij spring water.

Hidden Valley - Treat yourself to an elegant French Country-style picnic prepared by award winning Overture restaurant, while enjoying a glass of wine by the dam. A nature trail allows visitors to experience the natural beauty of this estate on the slopes of the Helderberg mountain and to wander around the dam. They provide you with a blanket & cushions should you wish and you will be allocated a waiter that will serve you cold beverages throughout the day.

Zorgvliet
 - At Zorgvliet you can create your own basket at the deli, or order the ‘Banhoek basket’ comprising sandwich ham and roast beef, blue cheese and cheddar with figs, olives and biscuits, salads, a chicken mayonnaise filled baguette and something sweet. For children there’s a jungle gym and a choice of two R50 picnics, one with a cheddar and ham roll and muffin, the other with a chicken burger and brownie (plus sweets, chips and a ‘squirrel’s beverage’). Once you have made the difficult decision of which foodie finds you would like to include in your basket all you need to do is bring your own picnic blanket and choose your perfect spot in the picturesque banhoek valley!

Hartenberg - 
Hartenberg now offers a country picnic hamper packed to the brim with cheeses, snoek pâté, cold meats and chicken, a homemade country terrine, roasted vegetables, crudités, pickles, seasonal fruit and dessert. Enjoy it on the lawns, or for a more active and adventurous take on the more sedentary picnic you can buy a picnic backpack from the tasting room to enjoy along the estate’s popular wetland walk, where you will be richly rewarded with wonderful sightings of birds and other wildlife including the elusive African Fish Eagle, a regular visitor to the farm.

Warwick
 - You can sit on the lawns spilling out onto the dam (where you can relax under umbrellas on scatter cushions and bean bags) or in ‘The Pods’ (designer-rustic wooden shelters flanking the dam) whilst being served by your own picnic butler. Served in ‘zero-carbon-footprint’ packaging, acclaimed chef Bruce Robertson’s menus change regularly but the promise is “to satisfy the most discerning palate and most sophisticated gourmand”.

Vredenheim - Also home to a lion park, this estate has huge gardens dotted with gazebos and benches or there are many shady spots for spreading your own picnic blanket. Hudson’s restaurant offers Deluxe Picnic Baskets containing a selection of cold meats and salads, fresh bread, a platter of cheeses, biscuits and preserves, fresh Fruit and homemade muffins Bunny Buckets for small children include a hot dog, cheese, crisps, juice and sweeties.

How can you say no to this amazing selection of beautiful outdoor settings, sweeping views of mountains and vineyards, picnic baskets crammed with delectable food and fine wines available on our guest house's doorstep?

In fact, a picnic at this time of the year, even with the occasional annoying ant or buzzing bee around, has to be one of life's true pleasures. And as Bill Vaughn says: “we hope that, when the insects take over the world, they will remember with gratitude how we took them along on all our picnics."