The ocean-facing Polkadraai Hills of Stellenbosch now have a grand new addition to enhance their glorious views over the winelands and out onto the tides of False Bay. The award-winning boutique winery, De Toren Private Cellar, has opened up its luxuriously renovated Manor House as an expansion of the estate’s premium offering. De Toren Private Cellar is now officially welcoming walk-in guests for the first time, along with a host of prebooked guided tours and exclusive experiences that are available to the public.
Options abound for casual wine-lovers and serious oenophiles alike. The Manor House’s elegant tasting lounge, trendy wine bar and two terraces – one with an ocean-facing view, and another which looks out over a landscaped courtyard with a stunning pool and fountain – amply cater for walk-in guests. Wherever visitors decide to savour De Toren’s highly ranked, bespoke wines, they will be presented with memorable vistas, showcasing Mother Nature’s best work. There is also an atmospheric underground tasting room that is available by appointment only.
With the stylishly appointed Manor House, comes an array of new wine tasting experiences and tours to choose from. These options allow for all tastes and interest levels, from aspiring connoisseurs to wine aficionados, to those who just want to enjoy a truly great glass of wine in a superb setting.
Premium Tasting:
The Premium Tasting allows you to discover the story of De Toren whilst tasting three of the estate’s premium red blends.Guests can the De Toren Délicate, De Toren Z and De Toren Fusion V for a mere R150. The exclusive and limited production Book XVII and The Black Lion are also available for tasting, at an additional R220 each. No advance booking is required.
Luxury Tour & Tasting:
Booking in advance is required for the Luxury Tour & Tasting. This is an exclusive, guided tour with one of De Toren’s esteemed senior team members. This tour is tasting is a duration of 1.5 hours in length and valued at R500 per person, the tour includes a walk-through of the vineyards, cellar and barrel rooms, offering guests unique insights into the craftsmanship behind De Toren’s world-renowned wines. The tour is then followed by an in-depth tasting of four wines, namely, the De Toren Délicate, De Toren Z, De Toren Fusion V, and either Book XVII or The Black Lion. The tasting takes place in the earthy, cool ambience of the underground tasting room.
Icon Tour & Tasting
As for our true wine aficionados, booking ahead for the top Icon Tour & Tasting, is a must. Guests should allow approximately 90 minutes for this experience, which will be hosted by a senior member of the De Toren team. This experience delves into the estate’s unique winemaking philosophy and processes. It is accompanied by an exclusive tasting of all five of De Toren’s iconic wines: De Toren Délicate, De Toren Z, De Toren Fusion V, Book XVII and The Black Lion. Valued at R700 per person, guests can relish De Toren’s acclaimed wines whilst the host impart captivating anecdotes.
In keeping with De Toren’s commitment to offering guests exceptional experiences, the tasting fee, valued at R150 per person, will be waived upon individual wine purchases for all of the above wine tasting and tour options.
De Toren will also soon be offering new corporate and conference experiences. The brand-new, stylish 12-seater boardroom is located on the terrace level and is equipped with the latest technology. It is ideal for both informal and formal meetings, mini-conferencing and breakaway sessions.
De Toren’s philosophy is to experience the exceptional, and with these new offerings, guests can expect just that.
ABOUT DE TOREN
De Toren Private Cellar is a boutique winery specialising in luxurious, world-class Bordeaux-style wines and is situated on the Polkadraai Hills, overlooking the picturesque Stellenbosch in the Cape, South Africa. De Toren was one of the first-ever South African wineries to produce Bordeaux-style wines and the very first to ever make use of a gravity-fed cellar. The farm is renowned for meticulous attention to detail when it comes to nurturing its vineyards to grow the perfect berries, and for making wine through the softest and gentlest of processes.
The result of this labour of love is a range of spectacular wines, which have over the years been awarded the honorary titles of South Africa’s Best Bordeaux Blend, South Africa’s Most Luxurious Wine, and The Highest Ever Rated Wines by the reputable USA publisher, Wine Enthusiast Magazine, to name but a few.
In recent years, De Toren was ranked as one of the Top 10 Red Wine Producers in South Africa by the South African Wine Index and was once again nominated as New World Winery of the Year by the reputable USA publisher, Wine Enthusiast Magazine. These international accolades confirm De Toren as not only South Africa’s most highly rated Bordeaux-style wines, but indeed amongst the world’s finest red wines.