Botrivier Barrels and Beards 2020

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BOT RIVER BARRELS & BEARDS 2020

Celebrating a decade of fine wines & superb beards!

The tenth edition of Bot River’s Barrels & Beards is coming on Saturday, 18th April 2020 and seats are very limited. For those who know what it’s all about, it’s only the ticket and accommodation you need to book - but if it’s new to you, let’s just say this whole shebang is an invitation to one of the best parties of the year (with a conscience).

First, some history. The tale of how infuriating stubble became a ten-year tradition all started one night (after a few bottles of quality Bot River wine...) when our wonderfully eclectic, handsome bunch of very talented Bot River Winemakers challenged each other to grow the most luxuriant beard during harvest. This became known as The Great Bot River Beard-off. The challenge stuck. It begins with and event called the "Shave Off" on the 1st February which marks the start of harvest as well as the start of a new beard. You see, when harvest starts, it waits for no-one, and when the fruit is ripe, and the cellars are hopping there is little time for sleep and even less for time-intensive activities like shaving… 

And then, at the end of harvest, the now much hairier winemakers arrive for the Barrels & Beards Parade – a free-wheeling cabaret where they show us their beards in the most creative way possible - and are rated by a panel of strict, but slightly bewildered, judges. This is a hilarious highlight of the Cape wine calendar, and we are inviting you to be a part of it!

All this merriment is centred around an important charity auction of truly special Bot River wines which benefits a number of school-level educational projects in the region. This is followed by a fantastic dinner known as the Botriviera feast. And did we mention that this is also an opportunity for you to taste the new vintage’s wines straight from the barrel? As well as special release wines? And also, to meet the winemakers... make new friends... and party the night away?

The amphitheatre for all this pomp and ceremony in 2020 is Gabriëlskloof Wine Estate, home of excellent wine and warm hospitality, and features an all-star cast from: Anysbos, goat farmers with a weakness for wine; Beaumont Family Wines, home to the region’s oldest wine cellar; Gabriëlskloof, the food and wine courtyard on a koppie; Genevieve MCC, a uniquely Bot River bubbly; Luddite Wines, champion of dry-land farming and syrah; Ecology Lifestyle Farm, the single vineyard-single variety winery; Villion Family Wines, a wine producer “tempting fate with faith”; Jayne's, the artistic expressions of a female wine pioneer; Waterleliefontein, lawyers with hearts full of oil and wine; and Wildekrans Wine Estate; where wine, food and wide, wild open spaces meet.

The participating farms are:

Anysbos Wines

Beaumont Family Wines

Ecology Lifestyle Farm

Gabrielskloof Wine Estate

Genevieve MCC

Jayne’s Wines

Luddite Wines

Villion Family Wines

Waterleliefontein Farm

Wildekrans Wine Estate

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