Why the Elgin Cool Fest is the coolest wine festival
The last weekend of April is the Cheese and Wine festival in Stellenbosch but also the Elgin Cool Wine and Country Festival. For the third year running, I will be attending the latter. Why, would you ask? Well I think it is the coolest wine festival in South Africa. You don’t have to take my word for it though.
Elgin is one of the coolest (literally) wine regions in South Africa and it is a common believe that a cooler climate makes better wines. While some of it is hocus pocus, the statement does bear some truth. South Africa is way warmer than the wine regions of Europe and particularly those of France and Germany. This means that generally speaking, South African wines lack acidity and tend to have overripe fruits. Elgin, on the other hand, manages to preserve the acidity in its wine and achieve remarkable balance. It is also less affected by droughts unlike other wine regions as it rains more as well as having water reserves.
Elgin is one of the lesser known wine regions: Stellenbosch is very much wine country and Constantia’s reputation precedes popping the cork. As a result, Elgin is still incredibly good value for money. The festival tickets are R140 and give you access to a dozen or so farms with 3 tastings at each one. I’ve been to wine festivals where your entry ticket gets you a certain number of tokens for tastings with your entry and once they run out, you have to buy more… Here most farms focus on grape varietals suited for the terroir (more on that some other time) and Pinot Noir and Chardonnay thrives in that region. Paul Cluver is the most famous estate in the Valley and its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (both the estate and the more premium seven flags) always win tons of awards. My personal favourite is the Gewurtztraminer. With delectable notes of litchis, turkish delight and cotton candy, it pairs magnificently with Thai green curry. For R100, it is also easy on the pocket. If you are lucky enough to meet Paul Cluver (the third), he is one of the most enjoyable person to spend time and drink wine with.
A handful of producers focus on the bolder reds and Paul Wallace makes perhaps the most acclaimed Malbec in this country in the name of the Black Dog. Definitely a must have. Iona, Belfield and Oak Valley are also places I would strongly recommend.
So if you don’t have any plans for the long weekend, book your ticket here and go to the Elgin cool fest! Find the list of participating wine farms and their programs here. Remember don’t drink and drive.
