The Wacky Wine King - No. 32/800 Arabella Wines, Robertson

Meet the Wacky Wine Festival KING - No. 32/800 is Arabella Wines, in the Robertson Wine Valley. #tastethelifestyle

I have rated this wine farm experience 4/5 star.

OVERALL RATING	WINE	SERVICE	FOOD	LOCATION
70%	70%	72%	N/A	69%

They do not have a restaurant but they do have a wide range of wine plus a great view and lawn for the kiddies! So bring your picnic and blanket and chill for the day. They are also known for the annual Wacky Wine festival which is extremely popular!ACTIVITIES and OTHER AMENITIES: 

• Wine tasting – FREE!
• Jungle Gym
• Bring your own picnic and picnic blankets

BOOKINGS: Bookings are not necessary and there is plenty of space!Tel: + 27 23 615 2256http://www.arabellawines.com/ WHEN TO GO: Summer or winter - there is an outside area as well as an indoor fireplace.

CHILD FRIENDLY?  yes, there is a great area with jungle gym for the kids, all within eyesight.LOCATION: Situated in Robertson about a 2 hour drive from Cape Town. Google Map

OTHER RATINGS:  CLICK here to view what others have said on Trip Advisor.

Click HERE to view the ranking of this farm against others I have already reviewed.FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit Robertson Wine Valley for more information on Wine farms in Robertson. http://www.robertsonwinevalley.com

Here is my experience:

It wasn't the best of sunny days but the clouds made for some great dramatic photos. There is plenty of parking as well as plenty of places to sit and enjoy the view with a glass of wine.This is the jungle gym area complete with 2 x jungle gyms, trees and a sand pit.The perfect distance from the tasting room.  Families can take their own picnic basket and blanket, just buy a bottle of wine at the tasting room and enjoy the day on the farm.These are the two ladies that greeted me at the cellar. They were great and told us many interesting stories about the wine and the farm.I was super impressed with the amount of wines that they produce! Just look at all these bottles!This is the tasting room which is steeped in history.We got stuck right in with the tasting. The wines are extremely good value for money ranging from R33 - R95 a bottle. CLICK HERE to view the price list.First up was the Arabella Sparkling White Wine for only R58. I am not going to go overboard with the tasting notes here because that is not the style of the brand. It is a fun, everyday, good value for money wine.Fresh, crisp, lemony and full of bubbles. I enjoyed it and because it wasn't too sweet but I could drink the whole bottle very easily :)This was the fab, fruity and easy drinking, every day Merlot. R44 a bottle.Here are the views. Horses, cows, mountains and even the occasional friendly dog.The wine in the below photo is the Shiraz Viognier Reserve at R68. Ripe plums, coffee and chocolate. Soft tannins with a well rounded spicy finish. Michelangelo Silver Award - 2012.This is the Pinotage at R44 a bottle which has just won a Gold Michelangelo award.  Mocha, chocolate and prunes with the typical spice of a good Pinotage. A deep ruby colour.I then wandered into this room! Look at that dining table set! The current owner's parents imported it from overseas. Their names were J.S. (Kowie) de Wet born 1871 and died 1951 and his wife Joey (van der Westhuizen) born 1880 and married in 1902. Kowie was the largest Ostrich Farmer outside of the Oudtshoorn district.You can see Kowie and Joey in the below couple photo.You will enjoy spending some time looking at and reading the family photos. That is Kowie and Joey's son in the main photo. They have a great love for horses and the family actually lives on the farm.De Wet family bibel. 1905.I ended off with the Arabella In Unison Reserve for R95 a bottle.It is clearly the one with the most awards!2013Ultra Value Award 2015 - Double Gold2010Michelangelo 2012 - Silver Award2009Michelangelo 2011 - Silver Award2007Michelangelo 2010 - Silver AwardOld Mutual Trophy 2010 – Bronze Award2006Swiss International Air Lines 2008 – Silver MedalOld Mutual Trophy Awards 2008 – Bronze MedalMichelangelo 2008 - Silver Award

Here are Arabella's most recent awards:

MICHELANGELO AWARDS:Pinotage 2016:  GoldPink Panacea 2016: SilverULTRA WINE VALUE AWARDS:Merlot 2015:  GoldNatural Sweet Rosé 2016:  GoldPink Panacea 2016: SilverChenin Blanc 2016:  SilverCabernet Sauvignon 2015: SilverViognier 2016:   SilverNatural Sweet White 2016: SilverChardonnay 2016:  SilverWhen writing this post, Arabella was waiting to hear if their Pink Panacea & Natural Sweet Rosé won any awards in the Rosé Rocks competition- good luck!So which farm will be next? :)x