Spice Route Destination, situated on the slopes of the scenic Paarl Mountains, offers various tasting and aesthetic experiences at different establishments within walking distance of each other. Its broad-ranging offerings make for a full day’s excursion that often has visitors come back to fully explore all the sensory experiences. The Destination’s passport, a pocket-sized booklet, offers guests the convenience to enjoy a selection of tastings all year-round.
The passport is great ‘pay-once’ option and ideal for a group day-trip to the Winelands.
Spice Route Destination passport is a pocket-sized booklet and retails at R220 pp. The following 5 tastings are included:
Spice Route Wine & Charcuterie pairing (5 wines paried with 5 Jewell’s cured meats), CBC Craft beer (4 beers),
De Villiers Milk chocolate (5 x 15g mini bars) and Wilderer Spirits (3 spirits)
The passport is available to purchase from the guest information office.
Tastings are offered on a first come, first served principle due to COVID-19 regulations.
On receiving the booklet, visitors receive five standard tastings at Cape Brewing Company (CBC), Wilderer Distillery, Spice Route Wines’ tasting room, De Villiers Chocolate and Richard Bosman’s Quality Cured Meats. Passport owners can choose to complete all tastings in one sitting or in various intervals over one year. If you’re looking for interesting ideas to surprise friends, family and colleagues with an all-year-round gift, or simply feel like treating yourself, the passport is a quick and easy yet innovative solution to impress anyone. Passports are available from the wine tasting room at Spice Route Destination (nearby the main parking entrance).
Spice Route Destination commemorates the Cape’s diverse cultures, the initial gathering of artisans and spice trading, and historical instances alike that inspired today’s interesting flavour infusions. From chocolate and ice cream making, coffee and beer brewing to glass blowing and painting, every craftsperson at Spice Route Destination has a unique skill that adds to the Destination’s mix of innovative experiences. The Destination recently took top honours at the fifth annual Mayoral Tourism Awards to receive the Tourism Business of the Year Award.
The introduction of the new passport offering aptly accompanies Spice Route Destination’s website’s renovated ‘look’. Turning a fresh ‘digital page’, the Destination showcases the best it has to offer with vibrant images and scenic landscape footage alongside easy to navigate information and blog sections. A great new feature is the website’s personal take on each craftsperson, where online visitors can learn more about the skill sets that make Spice Route the unique Destination it is today. Explore the new website at www.spiceroute.co.za
More on Spice Route Destination:
Barley and Biltong Emporium
With chef Philip Pretorius taking the lead in the kitchen, Barley and Biltong Emporium offers some of the best burgers in town. The venue’s ‘beer garden with a Cape twist’ look makes it the ideal spot to enjoy a pint of craft beer and a delicious range of beef, kudu, eland and springbok biltong. The restaurant menu includes decadent gourmet burgers, biltong platters and hand-cut double-fried chips. Bookings are advised and can be made at 021 863 5200.
Barn Artists Studio and Gallery
Since December 2013, the Barn Artists Studio and Gallery is a work and exhibition space for resident painters, Diane Back and Jake Watson. They regularly invite local artists to create and display their work alongside their own. Visit the studio to see the artists at work, or shop artwork. Ninety-minute art painting activities are often scheduled. The studio and gallery is ideal for an afternoon of art, holiday art activities and an art party for the kids. Enquiries and art class bookings can be made at 021 863 5221.
Bertus Basson at Spice Route
The restaurant celebrates the best of South African cuisine, with an independent take on traditional dishes. Enjoy a leisurely lunch under the oak trees or on the stoep from where you can embrace the beautiful natural surroundings. If you are in the mood for something more casual, pop into the restaurant and help yourself at the ‘Pak ‘n mandjie’ area, select a bottle of wine, artisinal meats and delicious baked goods to enjoy on the lawn.
Website: http://bertusbasson.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BertusBassonatSpiceRoute/?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BassonBertus
Brenda’s Deli
Start your exploration of Spice Route Destination with a sensory stimulation at Brenda’s Deli. As you enter the Deli, the smell of spices envelops you to evoke images of bustling North African souks, markets, and aromatic dishes such as a Tunisian tagine and Moroccan teapots. Mix your own blend of spices and create ‘flavour adventures’ for your next dinner party. Brenda’s Deli products and preserves are additive-free and made from fresh, natural ingredients.
Website: http://brendas.co.za
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brendaspreserves/https://
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brendasjams
Instagram: www.instagram.com/brendaspreserves/
Cape Brewing Company (CBC)
The CBC brewery produces a broad range of beers using only the finest ingredients, state of the art equipment and is brewed by master brewer Wolfgang Koedel and his passionate team of brewers. When visiting the modern brewery and tasting one of the fine craft beers, even the most casual observer will recognise that the CBC team not only lives, but celebrates beer. Beer enthusiasts and curious visitors are invited to discover award-winning CBC beers — brewed independent without compromise at the foot of the Paarl Mountains.
Website: http://capebrewing.co.za
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapeBrewingCo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CapeBrewingCo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CapeBrewingCo/
De Villiers Chocolate
Chocolate making was initially a hobby that took off in a garage with machines built from recycled home appliances. It then led to the discovery of the richness and diversity of single origin chocolate. The De Villiers Chocolate team’s journey soon developed into a chocolate obsession that continues to this day. The team’s passion for artisanal and handcrafted food led them, almost naturally, to making coffee and homemade ice cream. Producing chocolate from the cocoa bean (from “Bean to Bar”), allows the products to develop unique flavour profiles. All critical processes, from bean selection to roasting, grinding, refining and conching, are carefully implemented.
Website: http://www.dvchocolate.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/devillierschocolate
DV Café
At DV café, small batches of coffee are roasted from single origins and single estates around the world. The baristas strive to serve the perfect cup every time and love to show off their latté art skills. To accompany your coffee, a mouth-watering selection of freshly baked, gluten-free cakes, tarts, brownies and muffins, all made by a talented team, is on offer daily. Then there are the natural homemade ice cream and sorbets, made in the DV kitchen using De Villiers chocolate and coffee and local produce.
Website: http://www.dvchocolate.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/devillierschocolate
La Grapperia Bistro and Pizzeria
Enjoy a diverse and flavourful selection of wood-fired, thin-based pizza (rated the best this side of the Winelands!), flammkuchen and platters with wine or beer on tap. Situated next-door to Wilderer Distillery, La Grapperia Bistro and Pizzeria offers a relaxing, unpretentious atmosphere. In summer, guests can sit under the oak trees and experience the panoramic views of the Cape Winelands that stretch as far as Table Mountain, almost 70kms away. Or, on cold winter days, guests can huddle near the indoor fireplace and warm up with Grappa, Schnaps and Gin that is made on site.
Website: http://wilderer.co.za/menu-la-grapperia/
Red Hot Glass
Red Hot Glass is a world-class glassblowing studio which has been producing original glasswork for over twenty-five years. The team strives to make the studio the top glass destination in Africa. Each piece is unique, from hand-blown perfume bottles to designed colourful vases, chandeliers, sculptures and piece unique artifacts. Today, Red Hot Glass artworks grace some of the top hotels and homes in the world. Visitors to Spice Route Destination can observe the live glassblowing at the studio.
Website: https://www.redhotglass.co.za
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/redhotglassstudio/
Richard Bosman’s Quality Cured Meats
Since 2009, Richard Bosman’s Quality Cured Meats has been producing exceptional Italian and Spanish style charcuterie. Traditional salting and drying methods are used to make the cured meats. Partnerships with farmers have made it possible for the small factory to source the finest pasture-reared animals, delivering superior quality and flavour to the meat. Bosman’s philosophy is to interfere as little as possible with the meat, and to rely on the quality and time to make the magic happen. The meat is hand-salted, hung and cured for two to twelve months, resulting in delicious, artisanal fare that’s well worth the wait.
Website: https://richardbosman.me
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Richard-Bosman-Quality-Cured-Meats-158733270805050/
Spice Route Wines
The new age of the Swartland commenced in 1997, when Charles Back stumbled across an old Tobacco farm, called Klein Amoskuil. Bewildered by the quality of grapes in a region better known for its wheat and rolling fynbos hills, the potential was obvious. Charles set forth to acquire the farm and study its soils and extreme climate. Hence, Spice Route Winery was born. The hand-crafted wines were brought from the Swartland to Spice Route Destination in Paarl, to be enjoyed by all. Enjoy wine tasting in a rustic underground tasting room, or outside under the pergola, while enjoying the panoramic views of Table Mountain and the Simonsberg Mountain range.
Website: http://www.spiceroutewines.co.za
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spiceroutewines/
The Trading Company
The Trading Company is an eclectic décor store filled with a melange of old and new, trendy and colourful and fresh and artistic. The key philosophy of the shop is to collate local creative talent and make it available for all in one unified space. With an array of carefully selected bespoke homeware, toys and games to keep the kids occupied while parents enjoy tastings, and handpicked local jewellery – with pieces that have a spiritual message and are perfect for gifting – the Trading Company is a celebration of local design.
Wilderer Distillery
Visit Wilderer Distillery and witness some of the world’s finest grappa, gin and eau de vie (schnaps) in the making. Pop in at the on-site distillery and experience how the best raw material and cutting-edge German distilling equipment are used to create the products that have made Wilderer the brand of choice for world connoisseurs.
Website: http://www.wilderer.co.za
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildererSA/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Wilderer_SA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wilderer_sa/
Situated on Suid-Agter Paarl Road, and a 40-minute drive from central Cape Town, Spice Route Destination is open 9h00 to 17h00 daily.
For instant updates and news, follow the Facebook page on (www.facebook.com/SpiceRoutePaarl), Twitter (twitter.com/SpiceRoutePaarl) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/spiceroutepaarl/)
Spice Route Destination’s latest offering, its Passport, is a pocket-sized booklet that includes five standard tastings and is valid for one year.
Tastings: Standard CBC beer, Wilderer spirits, De Villiers Chocolate, Spice Route wine, Richard Bosman’s Quality Cured Meats.
Passport price: R170 per booklet
Purchases can be made at Spice Route Destination wine tasting room or booked in advance at 021 863 5200 or info@spiceroute.co.za
