South African Food & Wine Festival

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This annual event is a celebration of the culture, food, wine, music and art of South Africa held at Grayhaven Winery in Gum Spring, Virginia every September.

Visitors to the festival meet and greet South African winemakers and enjoy the opportunity to sample & purchase over 25 imported South African wines, from Chenin Blanc to Chardonnay, Pinotage to Cabernet Sauvignon. The festival grounds are alive with the rhythms and sounds of South African music and dance, with performances by the legendary Sharon Katz and Peace Train, The Lesedi Ntsane Trio, Rhythms of the Kalahari and others. Shoppers at the Market will find imported South African spices, teas, hot sauces and confections as well as arts and crafts. This family-friendly festival has something for everyone, with a sampling of traditional South African dishes, room to run around, kids crafts, Zulu Dancing and dog water & treats stations.

“We’ve got some really serious wines and award-winning winemakers presented in a relaxed, inclusive, un-pretentious atmosphere.” says Grayhaven’s co-owner/winemaker Max Abrams “That alone is a little unusual, so the fact that you’re in the middle of beautiful, rural Virginia and all the wines, winemakers, musicians and even the arts & crafts are from South Africa is astounding. It’s really special, and we are truly lucky to have such enthusiastic support from our customers, volunteers, community and visitors from all over the US.” The South African Food & Wine Festival is hosted by Grayhaven, a boutique farm winery located in Gum Spring, Virginia – just 30 minutes west of Richmond, 2 hours south of Washington D.C.. Grayhaven produces handcrafted wines that honor tradition and celebrate the rich terrior of Central Virginia. The winery is known for its signature wines Pinotage, Marechal Foch, Touriga and Petit Verdot as well as other vinifera and hybrid varietals and blends. Grayhaven's fifty acre farm is nestled among rolling hills of central Virginia's historic county of Goochland and is surrounded by vineyards, horse pastures and forests. Founded in 1978 by the Peple family, Grayhaven got its South African flair in 1998 when Deon Abrams, a native of Cape Town, South Africa, joined the family and the family business. Deon, general manager and one of Grayhaven’s winemakers, was responsible for introducing South Africa’s Pinotage grape into Grayhaven’s vineyards in 2001. One of only a handful of Pinotage growers in the United States, Grayhaven has continued to increase its Pinotage production through field and stock grafting to keep up with the demand. After years of planning, Grayhaven and the Abrams/Peple family, with a host of collaborators and volunteers, launched the first South African Food & Wine Festival in the U.S. in 2006. The idea was to introduce visitors to the unique cuisine, wine, food, music and culture of South Africa through a two-day festival held outdoors on the winery grounds. What started as a modest local festival has grown into a successful grass-roots cultural event attended by visitors from Nova Scotia to California to Florida, and of course Virginia. Grayhaven and the Peple/Abrams family, along with over 150 SA Festival volunteers, invite you to experience a taste of South Africa at the 15th annual South African Food & Wine Festival held on September 12th & 13th, 2020.

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