Explore Africa's Most Extensive Wine Cellar at One&Only Cape Town

Explore Africa's Most Extensive Wine Cellar at One&Only Cape Town
With its magnificent wine cellar and its proximity to both renowned and undiscovered vineyards, One&Only Cape Town is the ideal destination for wine lovers seeking a better understanding of New World vintages.

One&Only Cape Town boasts the most diverse and extensive cellar on the African continent, housed in an impressive glass and steel wine loft that has a spectacular mezzanine tasting room. The hotel’s Head Sommelier, Luvo Ntezo, is famous for having one of the best palates in the country, and is passionate about South African wines, spending most of his time exploring the lesser-known wine producing regions of the Cape in search of new grapes to introduce to guests. “The wine list at our hotel is simply enormous and features Old and New World wines as well as many vertical vintages. We are, however, particularly thrilled to offer our guests a wide selection of South African wines, some of them award winners, though many of them little known outside of the region. It is our job to help our guests better understand what local wines can offer, and to help them explore their own taste preferences.”

Luvo recently led his sommelier team in developing Wine&Dine evenings at One&Only Cape Town, where groups of up to 70 people can learn more about South African offerings by dining with Luvo, South-African celebrity chef Reuben Riffel and a top local winemaker. “I like Reuben’s approach to food and to South African cuisine,” says Luvo, “this works very well with our extensive locally sourced wine collection. It is also particularly thrilling for our guests to meet South African wine makers, as they get to better understand the process and the vintages available. We love it when guests come away having learnt something new and with a deeper understanding of what South Africa can offer.”

The Wine&Dine series launches in February with Boschendal, one of South Africa’s oldest and most prestigious estates. In March, “False Bay’s Burgundy” will be showcased by Hamilton Russell Vineyards from Walker Bay followed by one of the founding fathers of the South African wine industry as Neil Ellis Wines in April and so on. .

For those new to South African vintages, Luvo suggests three wines to begin with, including the Bizoe Henrietta 2012, the Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir and the Boekenhoutskloof Syrah: “The Bizoe Henrietta 2012 we have is made in Stellenbosch by Rikus Neethling. It is a complex blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. The wine has all the zestiness and crispness of a Sauvignon Blanc and also has the bold waxiness of an elegant Semillon, thus creating a perfect food wine. The Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir is the most Burgundian and stylistically unique of South Africa wines, and is a credit to vineyard management and climatological conditions that have allowed this to be one of South Africa's most prestigious wines. The Boekenhoutskloof Syrah’s grapes, meanwhile, are sourced from the renowned Swartland region and create a big, bold, powerful, stewey taste yet with a softer mouth feel.”

One&Only Cape Town’s Wine & Dine Calendar for 2013:

27 February Boschendal Wine Estate
27 March Hamilton Russell Vineyards
24 April Neil Ellis Wines
29 May De Grendel Wines
26 June Simonsig Wines
31 July Kanonkop Wines
28 August Bellingham Wines (The Bernard Series from Bellingham)
25 September De Wetshof Wines
30 October Ernie Els Wines
27 November Haute Cabrière Wines

For further information visit www.oneandonlyresorts.com