Escape Wines

Escape Wines: press esc, unwind at Die Afdak

Escape Wines—also branded ESC Wines—is a small vineyard-and-protea farm on Karwyderskraal Road in the Walker Bay / Bot River maritime belt, roughly 15 km from Hermanus, with views toward the Bot River Lagoon and cooling sea air off Walker Bay. Official site: escwines.com. Contact published on the estate contact page: info@escwines.com · +27 76 073 6421. Location line used by the estate: Karwyderskraal Rd, Hermanus, 7200.

The Botriver Wine Route recounts a December 2016 holiday idea that became a farm purchase on the Afdaks River by September 2017 (engineers and wine lovers Tian Claassens and CJ Venter, later joined by Dawid Upton and Corne Richards). Vineyards were planted from 2018 with consultant viticulturist guidance; protea plantings followed. In 2021 award-winning winemaker David Nieuwoudt (Cederberg) joined as a fifth shareholder and makes the wines at his Cederberg cellar. The public tasting space opened in December 2023. Treat that narrative as route/estate history, not a guarantee of every vintage or label on pour today—confirm the current collection in the tasting room.

Die Afdak: Wednesday to Saturday, walk-ins welcome

Official tasting copy invites guests to taste the Escape collection under “Die Afdak”—a relaxed, atmospheric space framed around wyn en samesyn rather than a formal restaurant. Published hours on both the tastings and contact pages:

• Open: Wednesday to Saturday, 10:00–16:00
• Closed: Sunday, Monday and Tuesday

Walk-ins are welcome; arrive, unwind, and enjoy the wines and the view. The estate does not publish a detailed tasting-fee tariff on the official tastings page at the time of research—call 076 073 6421 or email info@escwines.com if you need a price before you travel, and confirm on arrival. Do not assume restaurant-style menus or fixed platter pricing exist unless the farm states them when you visit.

Third-party Overberg write-ups describe Saturday braai moments (braaibroodjies and boerewors) and a dog-friendly, nature-walk culture; the Botriver Wine Route tags the farm as picnic, function venue, hiking, pet friendly, and child friendly. Those amenities are useful planning cues, but they are not a substitute for asking staff on the day about picnic spots, fire etiquette, and which areas are open to children and dogs.

Wines: Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, and a maritime Walker Bay story

Botriver Wine Route notes that most vines sit on southern or south-western slopes with a direct Walker Bay aspect, so cool sea breeze shapes the fruit. The same source cites strong showings for the farm’s Sauvignon Blancs (gold) and Shiraz (double gold) in the Gilbert & Gaillard International Challenge—competition results are vintage-specific; ask what is open for tasting now. Official marketing emphasises a minimal, memorable brand voice (“Press esc. unwind”) and an evolving collection rather than a long historic cellar catalogue.

Because fruit is grown on this Overberg lagoon-facing farm and bottled under the Escape/ESC label with Nieuwoudt’s involvement, visitors should expect a contemporary Walker Bay tasting—white freshness and cooler-climate red spice—without inventing unlisted cultivars or MCC programmes that the official site does not currently spotlight on the homepage or tastings page.

How to plan a visit (honest expectations)

Escape suits travellers who want a low-key Bot River / Karwyderskraal stop between Hermanus and the inland Overberg, not a full-day fine-dining estate. Practical tips:

1. Aim for Wed–Sat 10–16—do not arrive Sunday–Tuesday expecting a tasting room. 2. Tariff is thin publicly—budget flexibly; buy wine if you want to support the young farm. 3. Bring picnic gear only if staff confirm a spot; this is not positioned as a formal restaurant. 4. Kids and pets are widely listed as welcome via route partners—still leash dogs and ask where they may go. 5. Pair with other Bot River open-hours farms (for example Gabriëlskloof or Genevieve MCC on overlapping Wed–Sat windows) rather than assuming every neighbour is walk-in.

Navigation: set Karwyderskraal Road toward the Bot River Lagoon side of the Hermanus hinterland; GPS from Botriver Wine Route lists approximately −34.34220, 19.155998—verify with the farm if your map looks wrong.

Why Escape fits a Walker Bay itinerary

Walker Bay’s draw is maritime influence—lagoon light, ocean breeze, and styles that favour freshness over heavy inland ripeness. Escape’s protea-and-vineyard landscape, Afdak shelter, and Saturday fire culture lean into that Overberg identity without claiming Hemel-en-Aarde Pinot density or a centuries-old Cape Dutch homestead story. It is a young farm with a new cellar door, best enjoyed as a sincere unwind rather than a trophy cellar checklist.

Contact again before large groups or functions: info@escwines.com / +27 76 073 6421. For route context see also Botriver Wine Route’s Escape listing. Always re-check escwines.com/tastings/ for hours before you drive.

Snapshot

Escape is for guests who want lagoon-side Walker Bay wine, an informal Afdak tasting, and honest “thin tariff” planning—confirm fees and food options with the farm rather than inventing a menu that is not published.