BRING OUT the tasting glasses! Just days after turning a page on the calendar, word came down the grapevine that new wine festivals have been planned and that some of the old favourites are making a comeback, having shut up shop during the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic.

Besides the many and varied tastings and auctions being staged by specialist wine shops and wine bars around the country, in September, wine lovers can pick and choose from the Heritage Festival programme put together by the Cultivate Collective in Cape Town, whereas in Graaf-Reinet there is the Karoo Classique Festival to look forward to on 17 and 18 September.

Come October there’s the Summer Drinks Show in Cape Town on the 2nd and 3rd. Franschhoek Uncorked returns on 16 and 17 October. Then it’s the turn of Port Elizabeth, where The NEW Wine Show takes place on October 22 and 23, after which the circus will arrive in Stellenbosch for Noble Vice on 30 and 31 October.

November? In these trying times, few are making commitments that far ahead. To see what might come to pass, click here.