Beer, Wine & Tasting 

Wine Cellars

• Kleinberg Wines was started in 1994. The Kleinberg label is sold in South Africa exclusively to restaurants, pubs, guesthouses and hotels, usually with a specialized back label incorporating the name and logo of the restaurant, pub, guesthouse or hotel. Back labels are also designed specifically for special events such as weddings, conferences, school centenaries, etc. The Seven Oaks label was launched in 1999. Seven Oaks is sold in South Africa exclusively to the retail trade (bottle/liquor stores and grocery stores).
  
  Kleinberg wines has been successfully exporting wines, which are Western Cape wines produced and bottled under their own two labels, since 1996 all the while running their business from Natal. They moved from Pietermaritzburg to the Midlands in 1999. They sell 75% of their wine on the export market, and the balance is distributed throughout KZN from their premises in Birnam Wood. The wine shop was opened last year. The first grapevines were planted on the farm in 2001 as part of a pilot program run by Cedara Agricultural College. (Only 10 farms were chosen to participate.) The second lot of vines was planted in September 2002. We look forward to the harvesting of their first fruit in 2006/2007 and finally making KwaZulu-Natal wines!
  
  

• The Wine Cellar - A piece of the Cape Wine Route on the Midlands Meander. Speciality wine and coffee shop, stocking a wide variety of wines, liqueurs, beers, coffees and cigars. Cheese platter/picnic basket by prior arrangement, to be enjoyed beside the river. B&B / Self-catering cottage is also available.
  
  Open Friday to Tuesday. On Wednesday and Thursday by appointment only. Open every day during school holidays.
  
  Tel: 033 263 7044
  

Brewers

• Nottingham Road Brewing Co. A rustic brewery producing some of the finest beers around. Taste a Whistling Weasel Pale Ale, a Pie-eyed Possum Pilsner, a Pickled Pig Porter or a Tiddly Toad Lager - quality draughts traditionally hand-brewed from secret recipes, using the pure spring water from the Rawdons Estate. One of the must-see attractions of the Midlands Meander! Shop hours 8am - 5pm Daily.
  

• The Junction Welcome to our coffee shop/restaurant. Open 7 days 8am - 5pm. Friday night is pizza night 5pm - 8.30pm. Join us for country breakfasts, lunches, delicious teas, pizzas, waffles, home-made cakes & soft-serve ice-cream. Enjoy our Deli, Cape Estate Wines, nougat, old-fashioned sweets, gifts, pickles, jams, take-aways, trout & chicken delicacies & frozen home-made meals. Licensed, log fires and Jungle Gym. Children welcome.

KZN's New Brew Route

KwaZulu-Natal is set to rival the Cape, not with grapes but with hops. The latest in self-drive meanders in the province is a beer brewery route which takes in between seven and nine micro breweries in the province. These include the Firkin Brew Pub in the Pavilion near Westville, the Nottingham Road Brewery in the Midlands, Farmers Brewery in Hattingspruit near Dundee, Wartburg Hof Breweries and the Zululand Company Brewery in Eshowe.

A visit to the Brew Route includes a demonstration of beer brewing. The plan is that KZN, within five years, could host the equivalent of Germany's annual Oktoberfest beer festival.

Experience the scenic splendour of the Zulu Kingdom, its wildlife abundance, its rich cultural heritage and its warm hospitality by way of the congenial micro breweries. Durban/Beach/Drakensberg/Zululand &Game Reserves 9 day/ 8 night Group or Self Drive Hotel Tour

DAY 1 DURBAN - Arrive in Durban, gateway to the Kingdom of the Zulu – a region rich in culture, history, scenery, and wildlife. Some time to refresh and relax, a short city tour of this subtropical melting pot of African, Indian and European cultures washed by the warm waters of the Indian ocean. South Africa’s largest harbor city, Durban is also its premier coastal resort. After the tour proceed directly to the Pavilion shopping centre in a suburb known as Westville, where the Firkin Hophouse Brewery and Pub is located. Besides the famous local brands such as Castle, Lion or Carling Black Label produced by South Africa’s largest national brewery, you can taste up to 4 different types of Firkin beer brewed right on the premises.

A full tour of the brewing process is available – the kettles being part of the pub – and then a hearty dinner (optional extra is eaten right there. The Firkin brewery has an excellent pub menu. 

DAY 2 DURBAN to WARTBURG - After breakfast proceed to either the NSB (National Sorghum Brewers) in Durban, the largest sorghum brewery in the southern hemisphere, or to SAB (South African Breweries), the worlds 3rd largest brewer. At NSB the traditional African wheat/maize beer (UTSHWALA) is brewed and distributed throughout the city. It only has a short shelf life, fermenting in the containers during distribution and retailing, though a “long life” brand has recently also been launched.) Thereafter depart Durban and continue to Wartburg, a small farming town about an hour’s drive outside of Durban, heading towards the Drakensberg mountains.

Wartburg, named after the famous German castle in Eisenbach where Dr Martin Luther translated the bible into German, was founded by German settlers, and our hotel for the night is reminiscent of a small piece of Bavaria in Africa! Even the owner and brewer is a German, who takes great pride is his hospitality, cuisine, and of course brew – fully compliant with the strict German Reinheitsgebot for purity in beers!

DAY 3 WARTBURG to DRAKENSBERG - After breakfast depart Wartburg and travel through the Midlands to Howick Falls for a brief stop. Here the Umgeni river tumbles nearly 100 metres down the gorge Then it is on to the Southern Drakensberg mountains

DAY 4 SANI PASS - After breakfast depart for a steep incline 4x4 tour of Sani Pass, the gateway to the roof of Africa and home to the Basotho people. Thankfully, on the summit, the highest pub in Africa offers cold beers with a light lunch (lunch included), whereafter we return to the hotel. Afternoon enjoying the beautiful mountain scenery, and sampling other local beers, like Windhoek Lager or Hansa Beer from the desert based Namibian breweries.

DAY 5 DRAKENSBERG to MIDLANDS - Continue to Rawdons Estate There are other worthwhile stops along what has become known as the Midlands Meander – a cottage craft experience. Once at Rawdons home of the famous Nottingham Road Brewery – typical of the English tradition and influence in South Africa, offering visitors a wide range of lagers and traditional ales. A short tour of the Brewery includes the excellent souvenir shop where all sorts of Beer kit can be purchased. Close to the hotel is also a typically Austrian pub, the Bierfassl, which would make a great optional lunch stop for the energetic. Alternatively enjoy the tranquility of the trout dams and scenic rolling hills while enjoying a couple of great pints of Nottingham brew in the character Boar’s Head hotel pub. 

DAY 6 MIDLANDS to DUNDEE - Then on to Dundee, where you visit another sorghum brewer to view the plant. If possible, a visit to a local eating & drinking house can sometimes be undertaken, sharing the traditional drink with local Zulu’s. Thereafter continue to the Farmers Brewery near Hattingspruit, where a local farmer and industrialist has built a huge brewery and restaurant in the middle of nowhere! The present Zulu brew master mastered the art of brewing beer in Germany.

DAY 7 DUNDEE to ESHOWE & RICHARDS BAY - In Eshowe at the local Hotel, home of the Zululand Brewing company. Sample their beers, thereafter proceeding to the nearby harbor town of Richards bay  with a visit to the Tuzi-Gazi Waterfront where congenial local pubs and restaurants offer another chance to taste the local brew – why not Bavaria or DAS Pilsner for a change?

DAY 8 RICHARDS BAY – HLUHLUWE GAME RESERVE - After breakfast depart for an hours trip to the southern gate of the Hluhluwe Game Reserve, well known for its White Rhino’s, but also other abundance of game. We visit the Centenary and Game Capture Centre, and then spend the rest of the day game viewing in search of the Big 5

DAY 9 ZULULAND to DURBAN - Some early morning game viewing before proceeding to enjoy a Zulu Cultural experience at DUMAZULU.