Mohalenyane Phakela
AFRISKI Mountain Resort, has partnered with a South African wine boutique company, Eighteen13 Holdings, to make the second edition of Gin, Wine and Jazz Festival one to write home about.
The fiesta will be held at Afriski in the outskirts of Butha Buthe district and will run from tomorrow (Friday) till the wee hours of Sunday.
There will be Gin, wines and a gourmet three-course dinner on Friday night. The Saturday morning will begin with a wine master class, which will be followed by a wine tasting event with each wine being paired with a fun-filled activity with options such as Wine Pong, ‘Mieliegat’, or ‘Pétanque’, which are a form of boules. Jazz outfits, Acoustic Shackles from South Africa as well as The Origin from Maseru are expected to serenade the event with performances.
Situated at 3,222 metres above sea level, Afriski is the only snow resort in the country and organisers are “looking forward to tasting some top boutique wines and spending the weekend with friends in the northern highlands of Lesotho”.
The event aims to attract a wide range of people looking for mountain adventure, delicious food, wine and music.
Speaking to the Weekender this week, Afriski Operations Director, Peter Peyper, said that this year’s edition promises to outstrip the last year’s inaugural event which was not that successful.
“We planned the first edition within a short space of time, therefore it attracted a low attendance but then this year we hope to go big as we have partnered with Eighteen13, which has a vast experience in hosting events of a similar nature,” Peyper said.
“They regularly present wine-tasting and spirits events so they will be bringing luxurious experiences to the Basotho market. The wines that will be showcased are all boutique wines from different regions of Stellenbosch within the Western Cape of South Africa. Each wine will be paired with a fun-filled activity. Through our partnership with Eighteen13, we believe this could become the premiere wine festival in Lesotho.
“A one-hour wine masterclass is also on offer, which will give participants a greater understanding of their favourite wines. The masterclass, will cover basic tips on wine-tasting etiquette such as how to hold one’s glass and taste wine like a pro. A discussion around myths about wine will be covered as well. In addition, we will touch on the role of climate change in the wine-making process,” he said.
