Paarl celebrated the 2015 harvest in spectacular style logging a record attendance of 5000 festival goers for the annual OmmiBerg ‘Round the Rock’ festival.
A jam-packed programme featuring grape games, tractor and trailer rides through the vines, grape stomping, guided cellar tours and barrel tastings, blending competitions as well as wine making exhibitions with grape identification competitions gave visitors a glimpse into the magic of winemaking in Paarl.
Wine lovers had the unique opportunity to be amongst the first to taste the young, unfiltered wines from the 2015 harvest. The cold and wet 2014 winter and early harvest resulted in white wines with refreshing fruit flavours and red wines with appealing colour and flavour.
Guests could enjoy a musical medley while sipping a glass of wine and listening to the soothing sounds of performers such as Newton & Co, Andriette Norman, Idols contestant Lize Mynhardt, Nic Stephens, Viljoen Retief, Slow Jack, saxophonist Mario Arnolds, 5th Avenue and Mark Haze.
Outdoor enthusiasts had a choice between the inaugural Paardeberg MTB Fun Ride hosted by Dirtopia or the first race in the “Run The Vines Trail Run Series” at Rhebokskloof, which had over 500 entries.
The Paarl Wine Route is divided into five regions, namely the Voor-Paardeberg, Klein Drakenstein, Suid-Agter Paarl, Paarl and Simonsberg-Paarl and producers yield an average harvest of 145 000 tons per annum, with 2014 recording an above average harvest of 161 000 tons. Chenin Blanc is the leading cultivar followed by Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Other promising cultivars that are performing well in the region include Mourvedre, Petit Verdot, Tempranillo, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Grenache Noir, Viognier and Grenache Blanc.
According to Annelize Stroebel, CEO of Paarl Wine Routes, they are delighted with the turnout. “We started OmmiBerg in 2008 to showcase the Paarl wine region and entice visitors to experience the diversity of our estates and cellars, while also tasting taste the region’s excellent wines. If you compare our record attendance figures to the 1200 visitors of our inaugural year, it definitely confirms that our region and its wines are becoming increasingly appealing to consumers,” says Stroebel.
Full Article and images: RECORD ATTENDANCE FOR OMMIBERG FESTIVAL – MyPR.
