Peter de Wet, chairman of the Robertson Wine Valley Association, says the temporary closure of the Robertson Wine Valley coincides with a new initiative to integrate with tourism involving all five Langeberg towns.

According to the official statement, the association will be using this time to forge ahead with current plans to combine the Wine Valley Association’s tourism-orientated activities into a single administration with the local tourism bodies that would include Ashton, Bonnievale, McGregor, Montagu and Robertson.

“While the pandemic has hit wine tourism very hard, it also enables us to complete an initiative that was started over two years ago. Our original target date was July 2020. We are aiming for the launch by mid-2021,” says Peter.

The new combined destination marketing office will take on most of the traditional functions of the Robertson Wine Valley, such as wine events and generic marketing. Robertson Wine Valley stresses the importance of wine as a focus point, “as it’s geared to be a future growth engine for the region,” the statement says

“Wine-lovers, leisure travelers and adventure-seeking tourists are all looking for cellar experiences beyond a quick tasting. The numerous attractions in our beautiful and fruitful valley make it possible for our wine estates to fulfill this demand while building their brands.”

The Wine Route Association will re-open in 2021 with future functions focus largely on wine-PR, technical support to winemakers, wine orientated initiatives to support the Wine of Origin Robertson status.

Peter says the association is ready to embrace this new era of tourism. “We’ll continue to offer wine enthusiasts some of the finest wine and warmest country hospitality alongside a wealth of diverse experiences across this wide, splendid and peaceful valley.”