The highly anticipated annual Wine Whales & Music Weekend 2023 will take place on the weekend of 23 to 25 June at De Hoop Collection, a premier Cape Country Routes member located in the heart of the pristine De Hoop Nature Reserve.
Also read: Wildlife, a villa and De Hoop Nature Reserve – a tranquil escape awaits
De Hoop Collection, located three hours from Cape Town along the world-renowned Garden and Whale Routes, offers a variety of affordable accommodation options, including campsite rondawels, self-catering cottages and houses (sleeping two to six people), romantic suites, an old stone manor house and the recently restored and refurbished De Mond Villa.
With a one-of-a-kind outdoor experience—the sea, beaches, a Ramsar-listed vlei, rare indigenous plants, whales and diverse animal and bird life – it is ideal for a weekend getaway, especially one that includes wine, whales and music.
Wine and cheese tastings, high tea, gourmet dinners, music on Friday and Saturday evenings, a chocolate workshop, high tea, nature drives, an eco-boat cruise, guided marine and bird walks, and whales on Sunday morning at Koppie Alleen are all part of De Hoop Collections’ 2023 Wine Whales & Music Weekend.
Friday afternoon begins with an optional nature drive or eco-boat cruise with delicious canapés and drinks (R395 per person; children under 12 are half price); then, at the Fig Tree Restaurant, a wine tasting with Bruce Jack Wines is followed by dinner with suggested wine pairings by Bruce Jack Wines and Solitary Man: The Songs of Neil Diamond, presented by Namibian-born Johan Liebenberg.
Liebenberg’s speciality is singing the songs of Neil Diamond, one of the most enduring and successful singer-songwriters of all time. He uncannily brings to life Neil Diamond’s evergreen hits like ‘Song Sung Blue,’ ‘Sweet Caroline,’ ‘Beautiful Noise,’ ‘Cracklin Rosie,’ and many more. He is a consummate performer with a superb voice and a charming personality.
On Saturday, there is an optional early guided bird walk along the vlei (R195 per person, children under 12 are half price), followed by wine and cheese tastings. Wines from Bruce Jack Wines, Lomond, Creation, Springfontein, Strandveld, Thelema and Giant Periwinkle, as well as cheeses from Kleinriver Cheese Farm, are available. High tea will be served in the Cloete Room in the late afternoon.
This will be followed by a fascinating presentation entitled Cohabiting with Marine Wildlife in the Urban Environment and Turtles of De Hoop by Brett Glasby of the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation. Glasby has spent the last 27 years working in wildlife rescue and management, dealing with several cetacean strandings, seal disentanglements, wildlife rescues, and a variety of other issues.
Glasby specialises in human-wildlife interaction, with the goal of creating environments in which humans and animals can coexist; he sees himself as a ‘buffer between humans and wildlife.’
The ever-popular Whale Time Serenade for Strings and Flute will be performed at the Fig Tree Restaurant on Saturday, featuring world-class musicians Irina Tsoniff, Ivo Ivanov on violin, Vladimir Ivanov on viola, Peta Ann Holdcroft on cello and Malané Hofmeyr-Burger on flute.
After breakfast on Sunday, guests will enjoy a guided Marine Walk at Koppie Alleen (where the coastline is exactly as it should be – unspoilt and teeming with life) and watch the whales with guest speaker Brett Glasby and the De Hoop guides.
The rates for a two-night stay at the 2023 Wine Whales and Music Weekend range from R2 580 per person sharing an equipped cottage to R6 800 per person in a suite.
Dinner, bed and breakfast, entertainment (music on Friday and Saturday), wine and cheese tastings, guest speaker presentations and high tea are all included in the rates, but drinks, workshops and guided activities are not. There are some restrictions.
Book now to experience the magic of De Hoop.
Details:
- Date: 23 June to 25 June 2023
- Location: De Hoop Nature Reserve | Overberg District Municipality, 6740
- Book: 021 422 4522 | [email protected]
- Contact: [email protected] | [email protected]
- Website: dehoopcollection.com | www.capecountryroutes.com
Also read:
Look: diverse marine wildlife spotted along the De Hoop coastline
