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South Africa,
after harvest.
A journey through Cape Town and the South African Winelands of Constantia, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch, where kitchens, homes, vineyards and people reveal the country at the table.
by World Cooking ExperienceCAPE TOWN · CONSTANTIA · FRANSCHHOEK · STELLENBOSCH · PENINSULA
WHY MAY · SOUTH AFRICA
A season
for connection.
In May, Cape Town and the South African Winelands are in autumn. After harvest, we follow the changing landscape between the city and the vineyards.
The light softens, vines change colour and estates take on a more intimate atmosphere. Conversations can unfold, lunches follow the rhythm of the table and encounters have time to become memories.
- Season
- South African autumn
- Places
- Cape Town and the Winelands
- Hosting
- A personally hosted group
WHAT COOKING MEANS
Cooking is a verb
before it is a theme.
It means entering a Cape Malay kitchen and understanding a recipe through the hands that preserve it. Following wine from slope to cellar and from cellar to table. Reading a garden as the origin of an ingredient. Cooking, asking questions and staying close enough for a relationship to happen.
“At the table, stories unfold. In the kitchen, we listen and build connections that stay with us for life.”
Discover the source
Visit gardens and vineyards before meeting their flavours at the table.
Make time to stay
Lunches with room for conversation and pauses between experiences.
Explore for yourself
Discover the villages with maps and recommendations selected by WCE.
SIX MOVEMENTS · ONE NARRATIVE
South Africa changes landscape.
The table follows.
Bo-Kaap’s kitchen opens the journey. The mountain broadens our view; Constantia, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch connect wine to its origins. On the Peninsula, we return to the sea for our farewell.
Explore the six movements ↓SOUTH AFRICACape Town and the Winelands
BO-KAAP
The city enters through the kitchen
Preparing a Cape Malay recipe introduces us to the hands and stories that keep this Cape Town kitchen tradition alive.
See it in the journey →
CAPE TOWN
Between mountain, coast and city
From the mountain above to a table by the sea, Cape Town changes scale and reveals new layers.
See it in the journey →
CONSTANTIA
Time held in wine
Between vineyard and cellar, we discover how Constantia’s history continues to be written with each vintage.
See it in the journey →
FRANSCHHOEK
The table as landscape
Mountains accompany our lunch. Afterwards, the village and its gardens invite us to discover other ways of living in the valley.
See it in the journey →
STELLENBOSCH
Street, soil and wine
From historic streets to Waterford’s vines, wine brings us closer to the choices of those who care for the land.
See it in the journey →
CAPE PENINSULA
Between two coasts
We meet the penguins at Boulders and explore the working harbour of Kalk Bay, between cliffs and tables overlooking the sea.
See it in the journey →ANCHOR EXPERIENCES
Three encounters.
Many discoveries.
A private kitchen, a historic wine and an estate revealed through its land. Discover three encounters in the 2027 edition and the stories we shared with these hosts in 2025.
PRIVATE KITCHEN · REUBEN RIFFEL
When the kitchen stops having an audience.
The encounter begins with the ingredients of Babylonstoren and continues with a private cooking experience and lunch with Reuben. There is room to join in, ask questions and discover what guides his cooking.
Read the first-edition story (PT) →
WINE AND HISTORY · KLEIN CONSTANTIA
A wine that crosses time.
We explore the estate, learn its history and taste its wines, including Vin de Constance. Lunch at the Bistro continues our discovery of Constantia at the table.
Read the first-edition story (PT) →
VINEYARD AND HOSPITALITY · WATERFORD ESTATE
Wine begins before the glass.
At Waterford, the visit and tasting connect the wine to the estate that produces it. The conversation takes in the vineyards, the soil and the people welcoming the group.
Read the first-edition story (PT) →Photographs from the first edition · 2025
Access the full presentation →THE JOURNEY
Nine days.
One continuous narrative.
From welcome to farewell, seven full days of encounters bring you closer to South Africa’s culture, food, wines and landscapes. Explore the journey and discover each activity in the full presentation.
DAY 0 · 14 MAYThe first table
Cape Town · V&A Waterfront
A first-edition story (PT) →
Arrival, settling in at Queen Victoria and a welcome dinner at COY.
DAY 1 · 15 MAYCooking to discover
Bo-Kaap · Cape Town
A first-edition story (PT) →
Cape Malay Cooking Experience, coffee and roasting, time to explore the Waterfront and dinner at Galjoen.
DAY 2 · 16 MAYA day in Constantia
Constantia · Cape Town
A first-edition story (PT) →
Klein Constantia: the estate, a wine tasting and lunch at the Bistro. After a rest, dinner at Upper Union.
DAY 3 · 17 MAYFrom mountain to table
Cape Town · Noordhoek · Woodstock
A first-edition story (PT) →
Table Mountain, lunch at FoodBarn and time to rest before dinner at The Pot Luck Club.
DAY 4 · 18 MAYArriving in the valley
Franschhoek
A first-edition story (PT) →
Lunch and wine tasting at Mont Rochelle, arrival at La Providence and Franschhoek Village Edit. An optional evening at La Petite Ferme, at your own expense.
DAY 5 · 19 MAYInto the kitchen with Reuben
Franschhoek · Babylonstoren
A first-edition story (PT) →
Babylonstoren with Reuben Riffel, a private cooking experience and lunch. A free evening to enjoy La Providence.
DAY 6 · 20 MAYFrom town to vineyard
Stellenbosch · Constantia
A first-edition story (PT) →
Stellenbosch Town Edit and Waterford Estate. We continue to The Last Word Constantia and end the day at Little Fox.
DAY 7 · 21 MAYBetween two coasts
Cape Peninsula · Constantia
A first-edition story (PT) →
Cape Point, Boulders, lunch at Harbour House and Kalk Bay Edit. Farewell dinner at Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia.
DAY 8 · 22 MAYThe next horizon
Constantia · airport
Breakfast, assisted check-out and departure transfers. Guests choosing safari continue to the separately booked extension.
OPTIONAL EXTENSION · 22–24 MAY 2027
Two more sunrises.
Another South Africa.
From 22 to 24 May, the three-day, two-night extension invites you to observe wildlife and discover the inland landscape. Accommodation, safaris and logistics are described in the full presentation. Priced and booked separately from the main programme.
Photographs from the first edition · 2025
THREE HOMES · THREE MOMENTS IN THE JOURNEY
Where we stay is
part of the journey.
We begin near the life of the Waterfront, continue to the gardens of Franschhoek and end at a home in Constantia. Each change of address accompanies our discovery of a new region.
CAPE TOWN · WATERFRONT
Queen Victoria Hotel
The urban base for arrival, autonomy and return between Cape Town experiences.
FRANSCHHOEK · WINELANDS
La Providence
Small scale, garden and quiet allow the journey to slow down and the house to become part of the experience.
CONSTANTIA · CAPE TOWN
The Last Word Constantia
A residential atmosphere and proximity for the final days between Waterford, the Peninsula and farewell.
WHO BUILDS AND ACCOMPANIES THE JOURNEY
People before
brands.
The experience combines authored curation, local insight and relationships with those who cook, produce, receive and translate the territory.
CURATION · WORLD COOKING EXPERIENCE
Victor Barros
The founder of World Cooking Experience selects the encounters and accompanies the group throughout the trip. The 2025 edition gave rise to this portal’s stories; in 2027, Victor reconnects those relationships with the discovery of new tables and landscapes.
CURATION · NARRATIVE · HOSTING
LOCAL INSIGHT · RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TERRITORY
Sonia Freire
Sonia lives in the region and brings an understanding of everyday South African life. Her familiarity with the places and people hosting the group helps guests understand customs, discover local favourites and feel welcome far from home.
LOCAL CONTEXT · MEDIATION · WELCOMETHE EDITION WE LIVED · 2025
What stayed
with us.
A farewell among vineyards, a conversation at a coffee roastery, a lunch that brought the group together. Step into the stories of our first edition.
AT THE TABLE · BEAU CONSTANTIA
The last table above the vineyards
With Ivor Jones, our farewell brought together the stories the group had gathered along the way.
Read the story (PT) →
EVERYDAY LIFE · CAPE TOWN
A city tasted through coffee
A conversation about coffee opened another window onto everyday life in Cape Town.
Read the story (PT) →
PEOPLE · FRANCK DANGEREUX
Technique without ceremony
At FoodBarn, we discovered how precise cooking can be served with an easy welcome.
Read the story (PT) →ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
What is part
of the experience.
Hospitality
Eight nights in the properties indicated for the journey, breakfast, Day 0 welcome and assistance throughout.
Food & wine
Cape Malay cooking and the encounter with Reuben Riffel, wine experiences at Klein Constantia and Waterford, plus the meals and pairings listed in the itinerary.
Journey
Scheduled private transfers, luggage movement between houses, indicated admissions and WCE accompaniment.
Curated time
WCE maps, recommendations and selections for discovery moments in the Waterfront, Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and Kalk Bay.
Flights, insurance, personal expenses and independently chosen activities are not included. The full presentation specifies inclusions, exclusions and terms before any payment.
LETTERS FROM THE TABLE · WCE
Stories that arrive
at the table.
An editorial email relationship with people, territories, producers, tables and stories from the World Cooking Experience universe.
Enter Letters from the Table →YOUR EXPERIENCE
May 2027.
Join us at the table.
- Dates
- 14–22 May 2027
- Duration
- 9 days / 8 nights
- Format
- Curated and hosted by WCE
- Safari extension
- 22–24 May · booked separately
- Pricing and rooms
- Rates and options in the full presentation
- How to access
- Register your details and open the itinerary immediately
FULL ITINERARY & PRESENTATION
Your next story
could begin at the table.
Discover every day of the journey, the accommodation, room options, pricing and terms. After you register your contact details, the full itinerary opens immediately.
Access the full presentation →