Friends in good food and wine and owners of The Pinotage Restaurant and Wine Cellar in Centurion will once again be presenting The Pinotage Wine Pressing Festival, the only one of its kind in Gauteng.

A hundred guests will have the opportunity to press their own wine on 14 March 2009, coinciding with the anniversary of the first ever pressing of Pinotage wine in February 1659.

Initiated by owner Allan Clingham, the wine pressing event is an extension of Allan's passion for the quintessentially South African Pinotage wine.

This will also enable The Pinotage to be the only non-grape producing winery in the country to enter the prestigious ABSA Top Ten Pinotage Competition, which requires a winery to produce a minimum of 2000 bottles to enter.

Three tons of grapes will be flown up to Gauteng by Meerendal Estate in Cape Town. The full-day event will commence with the registration and a champagne breakfast where the mechanics of the wine pressing and making will be explained by Meerendal's wine guru Bennie Howard, as well as the different prizes that will be given out on the day for teams and individuals.

After a champagne breakfast, guests will be required to wash their feet in a salt solution before stepping barefoot into half-barrels to destalk and 'stomp' the first ton of Pinotage grapes.

After the first half of the pressing, every participant will have the opportunity to design a bottle label for their team's vintage. Each team will then choose which design to put forward for their team.

During a delectable four-course lunch, judging of the wine labels will take place, and thereafter the second half of the grape pressing will continue. The prize-giving will be held after all the grapes have been pressed, and cheese and biscuits will be served.

Meerendal Estate will be displaying their full range of wines during the course of the day, and guests will be able to taste each wine and select a bottle for their table.

The freshly-pressed juice will be kept in 300-litre French oak and American oak barrels for 12 months in the winery which was purpose-built to store the wine pressed from the annual event.

All guests will be invited after three or four months for a wine tasting. In February 2010, a cocktail function will be held for all the participating teams and each team member will receive a bottle of the wine bearing the winning team’s label. A smaller label on the back of the bottles will contain the names of the participants.

Tickets are on sale at R1550 per person including breakfast, lunch, cheese and biscuits, all wine provided by Meerendal and sparkling wine served during the course of the day. Only 100 tickets are available, space is limited and reservations will be confirmed with proof of payment.

For more information about The Pinotage Restaurant and Wine Cellar, visit www.thepinotage.co.za