Wine tasting is always a fun and delicious experience but did you know that some wine farms in the Western Cape offer a host of wonderful wine pairings? So why not pair some tasty tapas with your wine – or how about a little Turkish Delight to sweeten the deal? Below are some unique and not-to-be-missed wine tasting experiences for you to sample and savour with your vino:

1) Cupcakes and wine at Delheim (Stellenbosch)

Photo credit: Kate via Instagram Make like Alice and experience something sweet and cute with your wine when you visit Delheim. Here, for R75 per person, you can indulge in a wonderful selection of four decadent cupcakes, with flavours like pomegranate; Rooibos infused with lemon and topped with cream cheese and honey icing; pumpkin and vanilla infused with star anise, cinnamon and nutmeg and topped with diced, pickled pumpkin – and finally, the African Makataan cupcake with makataan (wild melon) syrup icing. These cupcakes are all paired with carefully selected, well-suited wines, like the Delheim Pinotage Rosé (pomegranate cupcake), Delheim Chenin Blac Wild Ferment (Rooibos cupcake), Delheim Pinotage (pumpkin-and-vanilla cupcake) and finally, Delheim Gewürztraminer (African makataan cupcake). The wine and cupcake pairing is offered at their Cellardoor seven days a week, from 9am to 4:30pm, with the cupcakes freshly baked each day. For more information, contact Delheim on (021) 888 4600 or email them at info@delheim.com.  

2) Ice cream and wine at Somerbosch Wine Estate (Stellenbosch)

Somerbosch Wines recently introduced an exciting new wine tasting experience: red wines combined with homemade, red-wine ice cream. For R55 per person, you can try three red wines paired with the unique sweet treat: red wine ice cream. Available wines include: Merlot, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. Please note that bookings are essential. For more information, contact Somerbosch on (021) 855 3615 or email them at enquiries@somerbosch.co.za.  

3) Nougat and MCC at Villieria Wines (Stellenbosch)

Photo credit: Kate via Instagram Villieria Wines have paired MCC sparkling wines with Sally Williams nougat. For R80 per person on Monday to Saturday, you can enjoy a choice of several excellent and very tasty wine-and-nougat pairings. Please note that booking is essential. The first option is the fresh, lighter bubbly, Grier Brut, paired with honey nougat and almonds/cranberries. Then there’s Villieria Tradition Brut, a fruitier, soft white bubbly, paired with honey nougat and macadamias. Next is a choice of Monro Brut, a rich, natural bubbly, paired with honey nougat and almonds. And finally, if you want a departure from the nougat, there is the Tradition Brut Rose, a fruity, sweet bubbly, paired with Sally Williams Turkish Delight (Rose). Other Sally Williams combination products may be available in the future and as it stands, you can also buy nougat to take home. For more information, contact Villieria on (021) 865 2002 or email them at wine@villieria.com.  

4) Turkish Delight and wine at Lourensford (Somerset West)

For R65 per person, you can enjoy some great wine with excellent, varied Turkish Delight offerings. Pair Brut MCC with Almond Turkish Delight; Brut Rose MCC with Rose Turkish Delight; Winemaker’s Selection Chardonnay with Orange Turkish Delight – and finally, as a real treat, Honey Liqueur with Ginger Turkish Delight. Lourensford also offers a lovely chocolate and wine pairing, if Turkish Delight is not your thing or even if you want something a little sweeter to enjoy afterwards. For R75 per person, you can enjoy the Winemaker’s Selection Viognier with White Stone Fruit Chocolate; Lourensford Estate Market with Dark Kirsch Cherry Chocolate; Lourensford Limited Release SMV with Dark Cape Malay Chocolate; and their own unique Honey Liqueur paired with Mint Chocolate. (All chocolates are also available for purchase as slabs.) Please note booking is essential for five or more people, and the Tasting Room is open seven days a week. For more information, contact Lourensford on (021) 847 2300 or email them at winetasting@lourensford.co.za.  Photo credit: Nicola Baines via Instagram

5. Food and wine at Rupert & Rothschild (Franschhoek)

With head chef Carmen Muller creating some truly tasty dishes at Rupert & Rothschild, one can expect really great food and wine pairings. Though these work out a little more expensive than the other tastings, it does, however, mean that lunch is sorted thanks to their wonderful menu. For R190 per person, you can choose between three lovely dishes under the Rupert & Rothschild wine and food tasting option. There’s Rupert & Rothschild Baroness Nadine with Kingklip Fritter on Romesco Sauce; Rupert & Rothschild Classique with cloudy pear braised pork belly and brussel sprout, fennel and apple slaw – or Rupert & Rothschild Baron Edmond with Karoo lamb shoulder, fondant potato and glazed carrot. You can also try olive oil as another wine pairing option. This costs R20 per Rupert & Rothschild’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil tasting. Please note tastings are available from Tuesday to Sunday, from 12pm to 3pm. For more information, contact Rupert & Rothschild on (021) 874 1648 or email them at genevieve@rupert-rothschildvigerons.com. Conclusion: So whether it’s Turkish Delight or full-on food that tickles your fancy, these wine farms offer it all… and they each make the perfect companion to these fine wines, adding to your ideal wine tasting experience.