Saturday afternoon we headed to Wellington, arriving at about 1pm. We were given our goodie bags stuffed with a Diemersfontein wine glass, a roast beef ciabatta, chocolate brownie, information booklet, and meal ticket for later.
The organization was awesome and barrels of the good stuff were all over, close enough for filling up no matter where you were. We'd arranged with 1 For The Road to come collect us, so we were free to enjoy the endless supply of purple red goodness till we could enjoy it no longer.
We settled on a spot conveniently located right next to a barrel, and relaxed against the hay bales, enjoying the music from the amazing Albert Frost. When hunger struck, all we had to do was find the nearest food stations and decide what we were keen on first: curry, tagine or pasta.
The awesome thing about Pinotage On Tap, is that once you've bought your ticket, you're not likely to spend another rand for the rest of the day. Wine, food, entertainment, chocolate fountain, its all there. Trays of snacks are constantly being brought round by the Diemersfontein staff, and even if you're not a fan of red (who are you?), there's a barrel of white too. The only thing you might be tempted to spend some cash on is a case of the good stuff to take home, or a couple of Darling Brew's.
Once we'd entered the chocolate fountain room, there was no turning back. I tried to control myself. I tried to stand back and only enjoy the sights and smells. But I couldn't control my desires. The mounds and mounds of strawberries, and the hot, melty fountain of Lindt chocolate was just too much for my senses to bare. For a brief period in there I lost all control of my mind, body and spirit.
All around me, girls were going mental! Men were standing back, too afraid of the carnage to attempt their hand at the skewers and fountains. There was chocolate everywhere! Faces! Clothes! It was beautiful.
The day's focus was on relaxing, having a rad time, drinking and eating. That was all there was to it. The vibe was so chilled, the music was real good. Nash won us a case of wine in the chipping competition. We got home safely... I'm already dreaming of next year.
By Natalie Roos - Tails of a Mermaid
