Is this Soup and Wine Pairing Festival the Cape’s Best Kept Secret?
I’ve attended a lot of food and wine festivals in my life but the one that has stuck with me as the best ever is Soetes & Soup in the Cape’s Breedekloof wine valley. If you’ve never ventured out to the Breedekloof valley then it’s time you pull up your socks and mission out there because not only is it beyond beautiful, the wine they produce in this valley is also suck-the-cork delicious! Of course, some people always need a good excuse to try anything new for the first time and there’s no better excuse to visit the Breedekloof valley than the Soetes & Soup festival 2016. Here’s why you should definitely cancel your plans this weekend and head to Breedekloof side on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 July 2016.
The Breedekloof valley churns out some of the best sweet wines in the country and there even better when enjoyed with farm-style soups in all sorts of different flavours. Think Red wine & Onion Marmelade soup, Chicken Curry soup, Chocolate soup (eep!), Waterblommetjie soup, and Spicy Cowboy “Bullet” soup – these are just a handful of the different soups on offer at this magical food and wine festival. Guests attending the festival hop from farm to farm in the valley sampling the different home-style soups made specially for the festival. Of course, while you’re there it’s only right to pair them with some delicious sweet wines from each farm’s tasting room.
I’ve been to the festival at least three or four times now and each time I am more and more impressed. This year the festival promises to be even bigger and more exciting than ever before with more live entertainment, a farmer’s market, craft beer, children’s entertainment, and so much more to keep you busy in between soup and wine tastings. Of course, even with all these new additions, one thing is for sure, the soup will be as delicious as always. I am beyond obsessed with soup and there’s no doubt that the soups these farms whip up is some of the best you will ever enjoy and of course, nothing beats a cup of piping hot soup on a cold winter’s day.
And, if for some reason soup isn’t your thing then you can also sample some of the other delicious eats on offer at each farm – with everything from mouthwatering pancakes and freshly baked Roosterkoeke and Vetkoek with various fillings to delectable craft burgers, cupcakes, biltong and more on offer, you’ll never go hungry. Some of the farms participating in this year’s festival include Badsberg Cellar, Bergsig Estate, Du Toitskloof Cellar, Jason’s Hill, Merwida Winery, and Slanghoek Cellar.
Your festival pass for the weekend only costs R120 per person and can be bought online from webtickets before you arrive. But beware, this year there are limited tickets available and there will be no ticket sales at the wineries. Another bonus when attending the fest is that all wineries will be offering discounts of between 10% and 25% on red and fortified wines over this weekend!
For a full festival programme and information on accommodation facilities, visit the Breedekloof website here.
