Overberg and Somerset West wine producers have to pick up the pieces from a PR fiasco today after the last day of the three day Wines2Whales mountain bike race from Lourensford to Onrus was cancelled due to inclement weather on Sunday. As one participant from the UK put it “conditions on Sunday are what we have to deal with every day. It cost us a fortune to fly out here and then to have the race cut short leaves us feeling bitterly disappointed.”

As does the R1300 taxi fare from the Arabella on Bot River lagoon to La Colombe for a commiseration lunch. At least he didn’t fall for the taxi driver’s offer of waiting for three hours and carrying on to the airport for the special price of R2,500.00. R400 for Excite was a far better deal and confirms that SA wine tourism still has a lot to learn. But what a lunch – fabulous foie gras and Alaskan crab to die for, washed down by a bottle of Beaumont Hope Marguerite Chenin Blanc 2010 for R90 in a restaurant that will surely top the Eat Out list if there is any justice left in SA.

Cycle races should not be underestimated when it comes to selling wine or wine farms to mamils – middle aged men in lycra. It was the Argus race which sold Klein Constantia to Zdenek Bakala and Charles Harman earlier this year. Although after this whale-size fiasco, sponsors including Lourensford, Mount Rozier, Hermanuspietersfontein, Oak Valley, Waterkloof, Bouchard Finlayson, Newton Johnson, Wildekrans, Paul Cluver, Wedderwill and Vergelegen may wish to get more closely involved with the organization next year.