A Local's Guide to the Perfect Summer in the Valley
Summer in Robertson arrives slowly and then all at once — the vines thicken, the light turns gold an hour earlier each evening, and the valley starts moving at the pace of harvest. This is our own guide to the season, kept from one year to the next, for guests who want to spend it the way we do.
Mornings belong to the vineyards. Walk the old vine blocks before the heat sets in, while the mist is still sitting low over the Klaasvoogds Valley — it's the best hour of the day here, and it's free. By mid-morning, the Robertson Wine Valley's cellar doors begin opening one by one; we'd point you toward the smaller, family-run ones first, where the person pouring is usually the person who made it.
Afternoons are for water. The Breede River isn't far, and a slow float or a picnic on its banks is the local answer to a Robertson summer's heat. If you'd rather stay closer to home, the pool and putting green are shaded and ready from noon.
Evenings are ours to keep simple: a braai under open sky, a bottle from whichever cellar caught your eye that morning, and the particular quiet that only a working wine farm has once the day's heat breaks. Stay long enough and you'll notice the stars do the rest.