The ultimate wine tasting experiences at One&Only Cape Town

When it comes to South African wine, the One&Only Cape Town is no rookie. Its secret ingredient? Award winning Luvo Ntezo, one of the best sommeliers in the world. We ask Luvo to take you through two of the hotel’s ultimate wine tasting experiences where you can savour the country’s wondrous wine under his tutelage.

Blend your own vintage 

When it comes to blending wine, you get free roam to personalise it right up to the percentage of alcohol 

Everybody has a favourite wine that gives them that great sense of joy. Are you a Bordeaux person? Let’s say you are. During this experience, you sit in the wine studio accompanied by me, and you taste all the varieties that constitute a Bordeaux; Cabernet Sauvignon, then a Merlot, then a Cabernet Franc. You analyse them and I guide you through the extraordinary journey behind each composition. You don’t need any prior expertise whatsoever. When it comes to enjoying wine, our aim is to allow every individual to be comfortable and unconventional in their own way. It’s just a very simple, easy, and relaxed safe space. 

When it comes to blending the wine, you get free roam to personalise it right up to the percentage of alcohol. So, you say, ‘I like 70% of that Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% of the Merlot and 10% of the Cabernet Franc.’ We then blend it right in front of your eyes. Maybe whoever you’re with whether that’s your partner, friend or whole family, feels they would like a slightly different type of blend. You agree to disagree then disagree some more until finally you come to your conclusion and bottle your wine naming it say, Joe Bloggs, Le Baron 2019 blended at One&Only Cape Town. We then pack it up on the spot for you. It’s as simple as that. 

When people return home, they tend to realise, ‘goodness this wine is really beautiful.’ Whether you’re at the Dorchester in London or Dorking where the Alfred& offices are, you can call up and say, ‘hey, can I get 10 or even 20 cases of wine?’ We link you up with the wine farm we work with situated in the western Winelands and they’ll help you with all the logistics. The wine is such a unique product of Africa to take home with you. No one else in the world will have the exact same blend as you.

Meet the Cape’s top winemakers

It’s an opportunity for guests to learn from some of our favourite wine producers 

Our Chef and the Vine experience invites the region’s top winemakers to host a masterclass paired with a sensational dinner. It’s an opportunity for our guests to learn straight from our favourite wine producers who share their personal stories while showcasing a particular harvest or vintage. 

What do I love about South African wines? This is such a tough question, I love them so much. First of all, our wines are beautiful in the sense that they’ve got accessibility and approachability. They’re quite delightful in their youth while at the same time you can throw them in the darkest corners of your cellar and a decade later, they’re still rewarding. And importantly, for high end, good quality South African wines, they’re relatively inexpensive compared to say a Burgundy or Bordeaux, Italian or even New Zealand and Australian wines. 

The majority of the old wine farms in South Africa open up to the public and are from my experience very welcoming when compared to similar estates in other parts of the world. It’s an amazing place to work and a privilege we don’t take for granted. This is what I’ll be doing today, sitting among the vines sipping away. And it’s not showing off, it’s called research!