Nederburg Uncharted: Book Your Blind Tasting

I don't know if 'new territory' is more about the guest experience or about Nederburg trying something they haven't before – maybe both – but either way, I find the concept of a blind tasting wildly intriguing.

As a creative, I love how much meaning sits behind winemaking: the land, the hands, the stories, the choices that shaped it. Removing sight and letting sound, scent and touch lead the way to that story feels like the only honest way in.

That's the premise behind Nederburg Uncharted, a new addition to the estate's acclaimed Dinner of Discovery series, launching this September.

Uncharted blends wine with sound, touch, scent and food into what Nederburg is calling a multi-sensory journey through three of South Africa's landscapes, all without leaving their historic home in Paarl. Guests are blindfolded, given individual headsets playing soundscapes built specifically for each wine, and handed tactile cues along the way: a smooth pebble, a vessel of sea salt, a wedge of lime. Sight being the very last sense invited to the table.

And then, mercifully, there's a three-course dinner to follow – inspired by the same landscapes explored during the tasting. Which is exactly as it should be; a journey like this deserves more than a single pour.

General manager Kate Jackson put it well: wine, she says, has always been about more than what's in the glass – it's the stories, places and people behind it, and Uncharted is Nederburg's answer: a new way to let guests connect with all of it.

I'll be at one of the first sittings and will share what it's like – though honestly, curiosity is the only ticket you'll need to go find out sooner.

What: Nederburg Uncharted – an immersive, multi-sensory wine and dining experience
Where: Nederburg Wines, Sonstraal Road, Paarl
When: 11 & 12 September, and 9 & 10 October 2026
Price: R795 per person
Book: Via Howler here