Vuvuzelas will meet fine wines and family fun when the 9th annual Stellenbosch Wine Festival kicks off a month earlier this year from July 1 to 5, offering football fans a wide range of ‘off the pitch’ activities.   Visitors can park their cars at any of several park-and-ride areas in Stellenbosch and catch shuttles operating between the 140 participating wine farms. There will be also be transport from Cape Town, or visitors can drive there as well. This year’s programme includes day trips, interactive winemaking, restaurant and accommodation deals, wine tasting and exclusive winemaker dinners. Wine farms getting into World Cup spirit are Delheim, Jordan Wine Estate and Webersburg, which will have big screens showing the soccer. Idiom Wines of Helderberg will host a five-a-side supporters’ football competition, a supporters’ boules competition and wine tasting.

Villiera will offer game drives ending with Méthode Cap Classique tasting, while Waterkloof will offer wine tasting on horseback. L’Avenir Estate will offer a host of activities celebrating French culture, ending with a performance by The Matthew Kruger Band, while Simonsig will have live music throughout the festival. Tickets are available online or from the Information Centre at Doornbosch, Stellenbosch, at R150pp per day or R500 for a festival pass. Under-18s are free.