Come and enjoy our Lazy Afternoon Fridays at Harvest where we have live music between 17:00 and 20:00.

We have charcuterie platters avaialble, a boulle court to enjoy a game with your friends, child friendly environment & panoramic views from our Harvest veranda.

Summer is nearly here and after all the hibernation of the last few months, it’s time to get out and about with your kids and enjoy the sunshine. So here are 5 reasons why we think Laborie is the most family-friendly wine farm you can visit.

1. Safe space. With kids, you just can’t beat the benefits of giving them space to run around, explore, chase each other, squirrel-watch etc etc. Our lovely lawns are away from car parks and roads so you don’t have to worry about traffic and there is lots of room to play whilst you sit and relax.
2. Child Minders. During busy periods (& subject to availability), we are able to provide a child minding service to help you enjoy your time with us safe in the knowledge the kids are being well looked after.
3. Homemade Kids Meals. Chef Matthew Gordon of Harvest Restaurant has put together a delicious homemade kids’ meals sure to please mini-gourmands. Healthy, tasty and easy to handle, it’s a menu designed by a parent who knows what other parents want for their kids, and what every kid loves to eat. And the prices are family-friendly as well.
4. Jungle Gym. Our jungle gym is a riot of slides, swings, ladders and lots of other bits and pieces designed to keep your children interested, amused and exercised whilst you enjoy a glass of wine on the stoep of Harvest Restaurant. For slightly older kids and all the adults out there, we also have a great boulle pit with equipment available for your use.
5. A slice of history. You don’t want to overdo it, but it’s always nice to have a bit of focus to an outing. Let history come alive for your kids with a visit to our Manor House and then take a gentle stroll to the Anglo-Boer War Monument with its moving brass plaques depicting the harsh facts of war. And then reflect on a day well-spent on our sunny lawns or shady stoep with a glass of wine, family and friends.

Fabulous wines, delicious, well-priced food, oodles of space and friendly, welcoming, helpful staff – all this only 45 minutes from the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town! Don’t take our word for it – come and see for yourself and bring all the family with you. Our Laborie family is waiting to welcome yours.

Wine Tourism South Africa has nominated us in two categories that are now open to public voting to establish the eventual winners. Please click the links below to support us and you may win a fabulous prize that they are offering through your participation.

Award for Best Bistro or Café on a Wine Farm
This award goes to the best bistro or café in the Cape Winelands at a venue that combines quality, cuisine, setting and service without all the frills of silver service. We were looking for venues that source local, artisanal farm produce and showcase good food and wine in an informal, relaxed style as well as offer value-for-money on own wines and wines served by the glass.

Award for Boutique Accommodation on a Wine Estate
The winner of this category offers boutique accommodation on a wine farm that promises something extraordinary in a vineyard setting, whether that be in a Cape Dutch manor house or a luxury guesthouse. The winning venue will capture the romance of a wine farm getaway and offer world-class accommodation.

Many thanks!

Two years ago, it was the 2006 vintage of the Jean Taillefert Shiraz that was named overall champion in the competition, having pipped some of the region’s biggest stalwarts at the post. Commenting on the repeat performance, Laborie winemaker Christiaan Coetzee said that whilst it is always satisfying to win awards, this particular victory demonstrated Laborie’s consistency in maintaining premium quality.
He said this commitment was reflected across the brand, resulting in achievements such as the naming of the Laborie Alambic brandy as the best in the world at the International Wine and Spirits Competition in 2010.

“Winning first place at the Paarl Santam Shiraz/Chenin Challenge is indeed a proud achievement for the winemaking team,” Christaan Coetzee said.

The judges in this year’s competition described entries as being “rich, fresh and vibrant”, displaying “great versatility…power and elegance”.

The Jean Taillefert Shiraz 2010 is a juicy wine with notes of raspberry, blackcurrant and plum fruit. The fresh fruit is complimented by flavours of dark chocolate, black pepper, soft vanilla, toffee and toast. Tannins are well integrated to produce a silky smooth wine with a soft, lingering aftertaste. Grapes were harvested at optimal ripeness and hand sorted in the cellar. After two days of cold maceration the juice was inoculated with a combination of selected yeast strains. Malolactic fermentation was done in the barrel. Maturation over 16 months took place using a combination of 85% French and 15% American oak barrels. A total of 60% of the barrels comprised new oak.

• The average snowflake has a top speed of 1.7metres per second.
• Chionophobia is a fear of snow.
• The world’s largest snow sculpture was carved in China and was 115ft high and 656ft long.
• About 12% of the land’s surface is covered permanently with snow.
• There are 180 billion molecules of water in the average snowdrop.

So now you know! Keep warm and keep the Shiraz-levels topped up this weekend!

• Try not to let your glühwein boil! Alcohol evaporates at a lower temperature than water, so if it bubbles – all the goodness has gone!
• Use whole spices rather than ground otherwise your glühwein will be cloudy
• Try and use a lightly-wooded or unwooded wine if possible. Our Shiraz works well for us!
• Warm up your glasses – very important!

And that’s it! Come and try our glühwein this weekend and see all the wonderful Christmas treats, fun and excitement we’ve got going on. And then cosy up for the rest of winter with a recipe of your own – if it’s a goodie, please let us know!

Highly acclaimed consulting chef, Matthew Gordon of Harvest at Laborie, will be collaborating with internationally recognised Belgium chefs to present a menu of epic proportions. The exclusive dinner will take place on Friday, 3 February, starting at 7pm for 7:30pm, and will consist of a delectable four-course meal, each course being paired with a wine from the Laborie range.

Supporters and brand ambassadors of the Laborie wines in Belgium, the chefs are visiting the country as opportunity to experience South African culture, sharing ideas on food and wine. In turn this allowed for the ideal opportunity of showcasing some of Belgium’s best with one of our country’s top.

The visiting chefs are internationally recognised in their field of expertise, two of them currently working in Michelin rated restaurant, Atelier Yves Mattagne – David Hagenaars and Damien Audusseau. Both chefs have extensive, international experience having travelled the world and earning the reputations as Belgium’s finest. Frank ‘The Vegetables Chef’ Fol, who specialises in creating mouth-watering dishes using only vegetables, completes the line up. Frank is the author of several cookbooks as well as consultant and advisor to restaurants and culinary schools throughout Belgium.

During his 26 years as a chef Matthew has built up an impressive curriculum vitae, heading up restaurant kitchens at the Sandton Sun and the Mount Nelson Hotels, appearing as guest chef in Houston, Texas, and at the James Beard Foundation in New York (established by Julia Child to celebrate, nurture and preserve America’s culinary heritage and diversity), as well as doing a short spell at the Tokyo Hilton – all this in addition to owning five of his own restaurants.

Sure to whet the appetite the menu, which consists of locally sourced produce where possible, includes an ‘instant’ BBQ of Langoustine with fennel, tomato and tarragon paired with the 2011 Laborie Sauvignon Blanc. Eel, crayfish and vegetables ‘Pralines’ are some of the other delights guests can expect. Each course has been carefully paired with a wine from the award-winning Laborie range, to allow for a truly unforgettable dining experience.

Seats to this one night only dinner are limited to 50 patrons only, and booking is essential. Tickets costs R325 per person and include the wines paired with the food. Contact Yolanda Prinsloo at Harvest before 30 January to secure your seat. She can be reached on 021 807 3390 or yolanda@laboriewines.co.za.

Download the Belgium dinner menu.