Gillian Scott is not the type of girl to let grass grow under her feet. With two other ground-breaking business ventures already under her belt, she saw a gap in the retail tourism market and under the flagship “My African Sky”, has begun marketing an unusual Winelands Route 62 experience, in which guests not only taste wine, but actually make their own wine during a weekend getaway.

The Wine Making Experience is more than just another wine tasting tour. Clients spend a few days at the Nuy Homestead which is set on a working wine farm and cellar in a beautiful valley near Robertson in the Cape Winelands. Here, clients not only indulge in some fine food and wine, but also get out under the African sky and learn about viticulture. They pick their own grapes and learn about the wine making process, finally making their own wine. This, in due course, is bottled and shipped to them complete with their own exclusive wine label.

As the director of My African Sky, Gillian Scott is aware of the needs of urban man. “People want to escape their mundane office or urban routines, sometimes for team building exercises, sometimes for holidays. My African Sky caters for the South African corporate market seeking mind-blowing team building experiences, or client incentives, and for local and international tourists looking for something much more than just another wine tasting tour.”

“Wine making can be traced back to Noah in the Bible, and Jesus transformed water into wine. Ultimately, wine making has a long and intriguing history.

But apart from learning about the secrets of wine, we want our clients to reconnect with what’s valuable in life,” explains Gillian. But can the new wave of travel options really help people discover what’s important in life?

Gillian believes they can. “We live in a world of consumerism. People are feeling weighed down by materialism. They are beginning to seek experiences which offer something extra, add value to their lives, and which leave memories that last forever. Most of all, people want real experiences over voyeuristic superficiality. People don’t just want to watch how wine is made, they want to get out there and learn about the Winelands, be part of it, not just pass through in a superficial way,” she says.

“The tourist motto used to be, “been there, done that, tick it off.” But nowadays people want to make a difference. My African Sky is a strong supporter of environmental education and our new website has a page dedicated to conservation, featuring the work of My Acre of Africa, a charity organization committed to community education with which we are involved. We encourage our visitors, past and present, to keep up to date with all the latest development and happenings.”

“We aim to give our guests alternative, unique and exciting ways of escaping urban life or the office routine. Ways to get back to nature with the least amount of effort, planning and preparation – anywhere under the African sky,” explains Gillian Scott, director of My African Sky. “But we want our clients to take away lasting memories, which will impact on their lives, make them see things differently.”