Salsa the Night Away at Benguela Cove

Visit Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate to experience a salsa dance night with live music, cocktails and dinner every Saturday beginning March 4th. El Rito, who previously shared the stage with Andrew Young, will perform modern Latin music at the Moody Lagoon restaurant.

The winery venue features à la carte dining including options of cheese and meat boards and fresh oysters. The elevated position offers guests delightful views across the lagoon where the estate is situated, separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a narrow sandbar.

The estate developer, Penny Streeter OBE, says:

“Our new seafood and oyster bar is already a great success, open seven days a week in the summer from 10 am to 8 pm. We are constantly expanding the range of attractions and events for visitors staying in the estate's luxury seaside villas, as well as to our friends in the Hermanus community and beyond. There is something for everyone, anyone who enjoys a great day or night out with wonderful food, award-winning wines and plenty of fun things to do”.

The 2023 events calendar also includes salsa dance lessons with South Africa’s former Latin American dance champion, Jenielle Solomons, who manages the tasting room at the Hermanus wine farm.

The salsa dance academy offers a course of eight weekly Latin dance sessions from 6 pm. Each evening, there will be a range of hospitality options that include half-price offers on cocktails and wine specials.

The salsa dance academy kicks off with a special Valentine's Day event on Tuesday 14th February, from 7 pm to 10 pm, when tickets will include a glass of wine and a group salsa dance class, with prizes for the best-dressed dancers.

Jenielle says: “Dancing is so much fun, and it's also a great workout. It's one of the best ways to get in shape, and it gives you an excuse to be out on the dance floor all night long. And if you're single, dancing is an amazing way to meet new people.”

On Valentine’s Day, there will also be gourmet picnics and pontoon cruises aboard the Lady Bonnie in the afternoon and again at sunset. The picnic for two includes a bottle of Lighthouse Collection Sauvignon Blanc at R1200 per couple.

On Saturday 25th February at 5 pm, Cloud 9 will be rocking the lagoon as the band takes visitors on a musical journey through the ages, including classics by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and other favourites. The estate’s Airstream caravans will be open throughout the show, serving hot dogs, burgers and chips, platters, wine, beer and cold soft drinks.

The programme also includes an art retreat led by Betzy Geldenhuys. Visitors can benefit from her 35 years of experience to master the fundamentals of painting and create their own works of art to take home. The retreats take place on 28th and 29 August 2022 from 11 am to 4 pm, priced at R1700.

On Sunday 26th March the TINMAN starts at Benguela Cove, the oldest triathlon series currently running in South Africa, which started in 1999. It is a grassroots development series, offering races for adults and children from 8 years old and upward, with all competitors running together in five different events on race day.

Visitors should keep an eye on the Benguela Cove website as new activities are added throughout the year.

www.benguelacove.co.za. 

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Editors notes

Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate, Hermanus, is a vineyard and wine tourism destination located in the Walker Bay region of South Africa. The Benguela Collection wine and hospitality group is owned by the Streeter family. The Benguela Collection includes Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens and Mannings Golf & Wine Estate in the UK.

It was founded by Penny Streeter OBE in 2013 when she acquired and developed the 543-acre Hermanus wine farm and residential estate at Benguela Cove, located on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean at the start of the Hermanus Wine Route.

The cellar-door wine hospitality experience includes luxury oceanside villa accommodation with every modern facility, including en suite bedrooms and a private swimming pool. There is also the ‘Moody Lagoon’ Hermanus restaurant, a seafood and oyster bar and a popular wine-tasting pontoon tour with beautiful views across the tranquil lagoon, protected by a sandbar from the Atlantic Ocean.

Guests can book cheese and chocolate pairings, winemaking experiences, and enjoy a programme of major art exhibitions, music and other year-round events, as well as children’s entertainment.

Cultivars are Sauvignon Blanc 45%, Shiraz 25% and others, to create some of the best South African wines.

Vineyard - Acquired in 2013; 170 acres; First vines planted in 2004; 500,000 bottles produced per year.