Waterford Estate: Where magic happens

The legendary and award-winning Waterford Estate is one of the most sought-after experiences in the world-renowned Stellenbosch region.  Snug in the picturesque Blaawklippen Valley this 120-hectare property owned by Jeremy and Leigh Ord and managed by partner and Cellar Master Kevin Arnold offers no shortage of eye-catching detail and luxury.

 The awe-inspiring winery was styled along the engaging terracotta design and can easily have you thinking you are in the Spanish countryside. The Estate’s lush lawn, citrus groves and aromatic rosemary and lavender beds blend in with the surroundings rather than stand out. This unique South African location offers a rich diversity of flora and fauna.  The magnificent courtyard offers a visual link to a Provence style experience with the centre piece being the Waterford Estate fountain, the feature represents a fundamental component of their philosophy and can even be found on some of their wine labels.

The infamous Waterford fountain

Experience Waterford Estate

The Waterford Estate Wine and Chocolate Tasting Experience

A tasting experience meticulously developed by Cellar Master Kevin Arnold and chocolatier Richard Von Geusau offer a unique flavour experience where guests are guided through the tasting with a description of the flavours encountered in both the wine and chocolate. One of the stand out pairings is the  Kevin Arnold shiraz with the Masala Chai Dark Chocolate. 

Waterford Chocolate & Wine Pairing – a treat for the senses

The Wine Drive Safari

While it’s tempting to think that if you’ve done one Wine Safari drive you’ve done them all, the Waterford Estate 3-hour trip allows guests to taste award winning estate wines amongst the vineyards of their origin. With a strong sense of place Waterford remains deeply rooted in making this biologically diverse and viticulture unique. Waterford also produces an old vine Chenin Blanc and the estate is part of the ‘Old Vine Project’ which you can read more about here.

Adventure Time – Waterford Wine Safari

The Porcupine Trail Walk

The trail walk offers three different routes at different intensity levels which explores both the vineyards, flora and fauna, including the famed fynbos of the Western Cape.  You can shop the Waterford Estate’s Pecan stream range here which will have you feeling closer to the rich South African diversity.

Waterford offers incredible gift packages to take home, such as the collection featured above

The Porcupine Trail Walk experience includes a light lunch and chocolate & wine pairing

Salt at Waterford Estate

Waterford Estate recently welcomed Craig Cormack and Beau du Toit of SALT to the estate. Craig has been in the restaurant industry for the past 30 years and has worked at most of the Cape’s top 5-star properties, heading places like Ellerman House and Cape Grace. Beau Du Toit started off his career working with Craig Cormack and Bertus Basson during his studies. He has gained significant experience in a lot of different cuisines, but none more so than Thai cuisine. Together these two are creating incredible gastronomic experiences for those lucky enough to dine at SALT.

Salt at Waterford Estate

The High Tea Experience at Waterford is another foodie’s delight

 The Jem

Waterford Estate will release the 2015 vintage of the iconic flagship blend, named after the owner of Waterford Estate, Jeremy Ord, or “Jem”, as he is affectionately known. This is a master blend of different red varietals that collectively epitomise the best of the vintage at Waterford Estate. Winemaker Mark Le Roux believes in a very natural, honest approach to winemaking “Our goal with this wine is to truly express the diversity of our terroir, and more specifically our soils”. The blend is comprised of different grape varietals all grown on the property. Cabernet Sauvignon serves as the base and the blend is completed by different varietals of Mediterranean origin. The Jem 2015 is available for pre-order here.

The newly released ‘The Jem’ from Waterford

If all these experiences are not enough to entice you to visit Waterford Wine Estate, then their exceptional wines definitely will. Shop Waterford wines here. Looking for more wines from this region? Shop Stellenbosch wines here.

BY Elvina Snell-Fortuin | June 11, 2021

Elvina is a millennial wine blogger who centers her own blog around impacting responsible consumption, education and exploring the world of wine with like-minded people.