Why you should experience Wine Blending at Grande Provence | Franschhoek, South Africa | #GPblending

“Grande Provence Estate wears her 300-year history with dignity. Sitting in the magnificent Franschhoek Valley in South Africa’s Western Cape, her lush vines spread across 47-acres with gentle vistas over the valley floor, with the rugged mountains beyond. This is heartland South African wine country at its very finest.”*

Grande Provence is one of those spectacular estates which apart from having a breathtaking location, offers luxury accommodation, fantastic service, great dining and much more to her visitors. One can enjoy the beautiful manicured Sculpture Garden. The Gallery features both talented South African and International artists- pampering for the senses. The adjacent Shop boasts the finest African artefacts, textiles as well as their world renowned wines.

Visitors can indulge in a wine blending experience. A “unique food and wine pairing that brings together the expertise of two of Grande Provence Estate’s award-winning talents – Executive Chef, Darren Badenhorst and Winemaker, Matthew van Heerden.”*

We have been invited by Grande Provence for this Wine Blending Experience. Wow, what a day to remember.

Why you should do The Wine Blending at Grande Provence.

A unique affair and perfect for both the connoisseurs and novice’s alike. You are seated around a table set with glasses, blending tubes and given three varieties to enable you to blend your own style of wine.

Our Wine Master explained the intricate ways of blending and reasons why certain wines harmonise better than others. This peppered with interesting facts and history of Grande Provence and her wines.
He challenged us until we had “that perfect blend”. We were able to cork our very own bottle of wine to take home. How impressive is that?

Grande Provence offers a fantastic learning experience- interesting and lots of fun. You feel like a wine maker for a couple of hours. It’s the perfect outing for couples, families, friends or even a team building exercise.

Highly recommend it – can’t wait to do it again!

What others are saying? 

Nadine Carroll | Twitter: @livingitupct 

Firstly, a visit to the elegant Grande Provence is a must! This estate offers so much for everyone from picnics, fine dining, luxurious accommodation to fine wines, an art gallery and of course, the very unique experience of blending your own wine! Wine blending is a unique experience in itself but even more so in the wine cellar. It’s the perfect opportunity to learn more about the wine making process from the winemaker himself. It’s a fun experience that is especially great to enjoy with friends, family or team building – lots of laughs are guaranteed! Create special memories of a unique experience making your own wine and bottling it to take home. I’m sure that once will not be enough and you’ll want to go back and do it again!

MLT Car Hire & Tours | Twitter: @MLTcarhiretour 

The sense of smell and taste is directly linked to our memories of people, places and sensations. Our visit to Grande Provence was an experience that awoke all five senses:
The sight of the beautiful manor house, the sculptures in the garden as the rain softly fell, the dark reds and warm woods of the cellars.
The smell of the wines that we were blending and tasting.
The sound of laughter and companionship, and the pouring of wines into the test tubes.
The taste of the wines – especially when we did the blind tasting of each others’ concoctions.
The sense of touch, as we sampled local cheeses and fruits, or felt the coolness of the pottery amphorae in the cellars.
Added to all that was the heart – the new friendships forged, the shared experience of the road trip, and the easy companionship among the bloggers.

All in all, it was a day to remember, and MLT was privileged to be a part of it. Grande Provence is most definitely on the #RoadTrip #BucketList that we recommend to our clients.

Marlize Stander | Twitter: @Winelands 

The magnificnet Grande Provence estate is located in an exquisite setting, set snugly amongst its own vineyards in the gorgeous Franschhoek Valley. I enjoyed a most memorable wine blending with a group of travel bloggers recently and what a treat! A bit daunting at first, seeing all the test tubes and mixing gadgets prepared for us in the wine cellar, but it turned out to be an extremely enjoyable and quite intense learning experience. I totally forgot the world outside the cellar and fully engaged all senses, coming up with my own winning blend (using already delicious award-winning wines!). It is interactive and informative with a high fun-factor guaranteed for groups. A definite must do!

Letishia Charles | Twitter: @QueenBee_Mktg 

Such a unique experience and so different to a straightforward wine tasting! So much fun attempting to blend your very own wine AND ensure that it is still quaffable! You will be amazed at how much of an art this wine blending is… A perfect day out with friends who love wine and are looking for a relaxed and entertaining way to spend the day together in a magnificent setting like Grande Provence!

Gaynor van Rooyen | Twitter: @tulipandphoenix 

GP Blending is a fun, unique and informative social experience that’s great for all groups! So whether you’re looking for an ideal girls or boys day out or even an end of year staff function – this wine blending experience is absolutely perfect. You also don’t need to be a wine connoisseur to enjoy it – blend, swirl and sip until you like what you’re tasting! And if you’re going for the option that includes their winemaker, you’ll have great expertise at your disposal throughout.

NOTE: The Tasting Room is open daily for wine tasting from 10h00 – 19h00 in summer and in winter from 10h00 – 18h00, with Cellar Tours on weekdays between 11h00 and 15h00, except during harvest.

W: www.grandeprovence.co.za

Written by Patrycja @ travel opulent box. Featuring South African Bloggers and Writers. Images travel opulent box. 

We have been hosted at Grande Provence for a Wine Blending as a part of #TravelChatSA Experieces / Opinions are ours and based on personal experiences.

*Source: Grande Provence Website