SA Cheese Festival 2009 review with thoughts on Glen Carlou

The Cheese Festival this year was not much different to the one last year. The one big difference was that there were no tickets available for sale at the  door. All tickets had to be purchased online before the day. The tickets were also more expensive this year, up to R110 depending on which day you chose to go.

The place was still packed and there were the same number of tents with similar stands, that is nothing particularly out of the ordinary. The second picnic area has expanded which meant it was easier to find a table at which to sit. The second picnic area also had slightly better music than the other, which is not saying much.

As usual, it was great fun. I tasted cheese, I tasted wine, I relaxed in the sun. I bought some things, I bumped into friends, I checked out the animals. It was fun. I’ll go again next year.

On the way there, we stopped at

Glen Carlou wine estate. I’ve always enjoyed Glen Carlou wines but this was my first visit to the estate. We ambled through the Hess Museum of Contemporary art which is currently showcasing pieces by Andy Goldsworthy, Deryck Healy and Quattara Watts. Do those names mean anything to you? I’d never heard of them, in fact, I’ve never seen Derrick spelt like that before. Despite not knowing much about contemporary art, I quite liked some of the pieces.

Then we were given a tour of the wine making facility, from grape processing, through fermentation, to bottling. They have quite a serious setup there. We then tasted some of their lovely wines, while sitting on the balcony and enjoying the great view. They have recently opened a restaurant on the estate and I promised myself I would be back to check it out.