Not at all amused that they advertise in the Stellenbosch Wine Route pamphlet that they are open on Sundays, but are in fact closed till August. This is not how you win yourself friends or ambassadors for your wine.

Checked the “Sundays in Stellenbosch” guide, drove all the way from Cape Town city centre to Bilton today (a Sunday)…and they were CLOSED. ..Until 10 August, according to the guard at the entrance boom. MAJOR FAIL.

Very good fvalue for money wines in Stellenbosch.

Tasting room wasa bit chilly but they did light a fire while we were there. Assistant told us up front that she was a casual and didn’t know much about the farm but was quick to go and find out the answers to our questions. Wines good quality, but not cheap. Tastings are expensive: R35 for five wines plus R10 extra to taste Sir Percy flagship. And the tasting fee is not waived on purchase of wine.

Ek was baie, baie mal oor Bilton! Werner het dit vir ons so ongelooflik spesiaal gemaak met sy “warm personality” en een ding is verseker, hy ken sy ding! Die chocolate-and-wine pairing was ‘n ongelooflike ondervinding – veral die wit sjokolade met die “out of this world” Sauvignon Blanc was net to die for! Toe Werner vir ons die DVD speel, toe pik ek sommer ‘n traantjie, want ek is ‘n baie familie-georienteerde mens en dit is ongelooflik hoe “close” die familie is – met mekaar, en hulle kollegas/werkers. As jy by Bilton uitstap dan voel jy sommer “sad”, want jy weet jy gaan hulle mis! Nee maar mens kry regtig ‘n oorweldigende gevoel van liefde en familievastigheid en “down-to-earthness”, wat vir my baie, baie speesiaal was. Bilton sal my defnetief weer sien! Ek wil baie graag nog vir oom Percy Bilton probeer ontmoet. Die Sir Percy 2004 rooiwyn was vir my ietsie uit hierdie wereld uit en ek moet baie meer daarvan gaan kry! Tot weersiens, Billies!!

We visited Bilton for the first time in 2006, and were very impressed. And we were most certainly not disappointed after our visit this year. Bilton’s reds are definitely worth coming all the way from Oslo for!

And if it wasn’t enough with the wonderful wines, the estate and views are beautiful, and the staff is very friendly!

I can’t wait to go back. Hopefully sooner than later

Bilton, Bilton, and more Bilton. Yes, I could not get enough of Bilton. I love my red wines and I love family. And this farm stews with both. Generations of Bilton genius has gone into their wines and my tongue still drifts off and daydream of a time when flavours so magically enchanted every bud. My personal favourite was definitely the Shiraz and a close second Mat Black (or Black Jack if it is one of the last farms on your Helderberg Fest route).

The people seem genuinely warm and made the experience so much more enjoyable. The massive tasting room which doubled as a restaurant is laid out with lounges, dining tables and an impressive bar counter. The walls covered in blown up photos of the family Bilton and takes you to a happy place of regal elegance. How do you know if you’re a winemaker? You don’t, you just AAARRRRR, like Bilton.

PS: Mouseclick Failed – meant to give the farm 7 and not 2

Margi Hoffe het omtrent ‘n smorgasbord van aktiwiteite beplan vir die Helderberg Wynfees: ‘n Musiekfees met verskeie kunstenaars, ‘n Acapella groep, ‘n dieretuin en springkasteel vir kinders, kosstalletjies, Pétanque of te wel Boules, pieknieks en etes en dan die gebruiklike Bilton sjokelade-en-wynproesessies.

Ons het Sondagoggend vroegerig deur Bilton se goedversorgde tuine gery en vir Hempies du Toit en sy tiental perderuiters in gelid raakgeloop. Bilton fokus op rooi wyne, tiperend van wynplase in die streek. En blêrrie goeie rooiwyne daarby!
Alhoewel sekerlik uitgeput, ontvang die jonge Moira ons gulhartig in die proelokaal. Sy is ‘n storieteller van formaat en haar weergawe van die Biltonfamilie se geskiedenis asook die Matt Black-fabel, is so natuurlik en sonder inspanning, dat Moira regtig ‘n prys verdien!
Sy skink vir ons die Shiraz 05, Pinotage 07 en dan die befaamde Matt Black 07. Al die wyne is pragstukke vanuit die Bilton-kelder, maar die verbeeldingryke storie agter Matt Black beĭnvloed my oordeel en ek verklaar dit as my gunsteling – kompleks, swaar met Shiraz, volrond en meesterlik!

Ons groet Margi, Moira en die Bilton-voorvadergeeste met respek en hou koers verby Hempies se perde, en ry dan weer terug die realiteit in.

Very good reds

I had the most fun that one can possibly have on a Thursday when I got invited to a sneak preview of the Amazing Race through the Winelands. We all had to meet at Bilton where we enjoyed some coffee and cupcakes and then missioned off in chauffeur driven cars to various destinations.

After our final destination we returned to Bilton and were welcomed with food to die for. Yes, Bilton has opened a restaurant called Wine & Dine @ Bilton! Tim was our host, while Rozanne cooked up a storm in the kitchen. Together they make a mean team and I was super impressed with the quality of the food. The passion that went into creating these meals, shines through in every bite. The pairing with wines complemented the food even more and everyone around the table were in 7th Heaven!

The restaurant will be open Mondays- Saturdays from 10:00-16:00 and it should be on everyone’s “To-Do” list for summer.

They were just about to close to set up for the rugby match when we rocked up, but Richard Crebo welcomed us with open arms. We started of with there only white wine and moved on to the reds. I really enjoyed the Sir Percy Blend, but it was R5 over my budget at R155 a bottle. We eventually opted for the “different smelling” 2007 Pinotage at R90. The wines are a bit pricey, but Richards’ friendly company made up for it.