Calitzdorp Port Wine Festival 2012

Western Cape Festivals

Western Cape Accommodation

For one weekend every year Calitzdorp, a small town in the heart of the Klein Karoo, hosts a fun filled weekend with traditional Klein Karoo hospitality and lots of good fun.

This historic Klein Karoo village, embraced by the Swartberg, Rooiberg and Gamkaberg mountains invites you to our Port and Wine Festival. A full and diverse Festival programme is planned and will be centred around the historic Calitzdorp Station as well as various wine cellars and village venues. Hosted by the 8 wine cellars of Calitzdorp (Axehill, Boplaas, Calitzdorp, de Krans, Duswaroo, Peter Bayly, TTT and Withoek) you are welcome to enjoy an exciting and diverse programme of events. 

Port and wine tastings, cellar tours, cooking with wine demonstrations, chocolate and wine and cheese and wine pairings, exploring Port styles, and other events to present the wide range of award winning ports and wines from our area.  Place a bid at the auction of the Best Ports, a special port blended for the Festival and bottled in a range of bottle sizes with specially designed original labels. Also offered is a historical treasure hunt around our town, local arts and crafts, lifestyle market stalls to suit all tastes, the Port Dance, restaurants, food stalls and a whole lot more.  Join in and compete in the Boule competition, or the fun run or climb on your bike for a family bike race.  Tractor “taxis” will transfer visitors between selected venues.

Calitzdorp is often referred to as the Port Capital of South Africa due to the numerous prize winning Ports produced in our area.  The 8 local cellars will be joined by members of the South African Port Producers Association (SAPPA ) on Saturday.  Wines and ports can be tasted at the wine cellars or at the barn at the station where all the cellars will present a selection of their ports and wines.
The Klein Karoo has a unique biodiversity with rare flora and fauna which is a major attraction in our area.  The festival celebrates this biodiversity by hosting an exhibition with presentations by our local experts on the succulents and other plants of the area, the Cape Leopards found in our surrounding mountains, Klein Karoo butterflies and the geology of Kannaland.  Visit the Donkey Trail exhibition and meet the guides and donkeys that travel to Die Hel and back.
For more information visit our website: www.portwinefestival.co.za