Wanderer Wines

Featherbed Nature Reserve

Catherine Dillon — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 13:39:21 +0000

The Featherbed Nature Reserve located on the western head in Knysna offers visitors unspoilt views of the river mouth, Thesen and Leisure islands and the Outeniqua mountain range.

Tours depart daily from 10h00 and 12h00 and includes a buffet lunch. For those wanting a shorter tour experience, the afternoon tour will suit.

Not having been across the Knysna Estuary for 18 months, I decided to be a tourist and departed on the 10h00 tour. Our ferry guide, Gary, was presentable, friendly and provided sound commentary.

Once on terra firma, we took the journey by road to the top and then embarked on a gentle walk (if you are accustomed to regular walks) via the coastal caves back to the restaurant. A buffet lunch greeted us upon arrival and combined with cold draught beer (for own account) made a memorable lunch.

Featherbed is under new ownership, however the experience still rates as a must do. Booking is advisable and for those with weary sea legs, the morning trip is advisable as the wind does tend to get up in the afternoon.

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Michelangelo- International Wine Awards of South Africa

Contributor — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 14:25:35 +0000

Asking an Italian about Michelangelo would perhaps invite a scorn and a frown but in South Africa it has a different connotation, where the 14th Michelangelo International Awards wine competition is underway in Stellenbosch, writes Subhash Arora who has been invited as one of the international judges.

Founded by a PR person with no background of wines in 1997, it started almost as a low key affair, admits Lorraine Immelman, owner of the competition, well entrenched and respected in South African wine industry where the number of wine competitions perhaps outnumber the number of varietals used to make wine.

Free vineyards in Margaret River

Contributor — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 06:00:37 +0000

FOR a limited time only, buyers can pick up a vineyard in the Margaret River free.

The decline in value of wine assets in the millionaires’ playground of Western Australia has been so great that some vineyards lost all of their value, after being priced at $60,000 to $70,000 a hectare just a few years ago.

The catch is there is still an underlying price for the land underneath the vines, known as the “bare-land value”, although even that is subject to negotiation, The Australian Financial Review reports.

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Another grape idea to save energy – New Zealand

Contributor — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:06:52 +0000

A Blenheim man’s invention takes wineries one step closer to going off-grid.

Kevin Parker, of Blenheim company Vine Gas Ltd, has invented an engine with an inbuilt distillation column which produces and is fuelled by ethanol made from winemaking waste.

Heat from the engine is captured and used to drive the distillation of ethanol from grape-skin pulp. The engine could power a compressor which could be used to drive refrigeration, the biggest energy user in a winery, Mr Parker said.

Experts want alcohol prices to rise

Contributor — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 08:59:28 +0000

Research that ranks Australians among the world’s worst abusers of alcohol is more proof of the need for alcohol tax reform and price increases, experts say.

Professor Paul Haber, medical director of Drug Health Services for the Sydney South-West Area Health Service, said introducing a volumetric tax would help to reduce the broadscale but overlooked impact of alcohol abuse on Australian communities.

RMB WineX Cape Town 2010

Contributor — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 05:15:29 +0000

RMB WineX Cape Town will open at the CTICC on 19 August as a completely different show. After seven years as the largest and most important premium consumer wine event in the Western Cape, RMB WineX will be raising an already elevated bar. Aiming for quality rather than quantity, the organisers have amended the show format cutting it back to a two evening event, instead of the usual three night rolling party.

“The reason for hosting a show of this kind – and the reason that Rand Merchant Bank has been its headline sponsor since its inception – is to put the country’s finest producers and the region’s true wine enthusiasts into the same space,” said show founder and international wine judge Michael Fridjhon. “By reducing the number of evenings at which the winemakers are required be in attendance we make it possible for them to be present for the entire show. This in turn means that we’ve narrowed the focus by creating an environment in which wine consumers can actually engage with the people who make the wines. Obviously this means we’ve had to restrict the number of exhibitors as well as the number of visitors – all in order to ensure that the wine enthusiasts get quality time with quality producers.”

This show upgrade comes with a venue change within the CTICC and with a new look and feel to the exhibition space. “Some of the décor changes implemented in the past couple of years have been taken a step further,” says Janice Fridjhon, who heads the event management team. “With restricted space for visitors there will also be a smaller allocation of the Early Bird discounted admission tickets. We obviously want to encourage the wine clubs and the serious students of wine to take advantage of this arrangement without making WineX just another night out,” she said.

As in the past, WineX visitors can stock up on exhibitor wines at competitive prices via Shop@Show. For those too busy to make it to the wine farms, this facility offers a convenient one-stop-shop alternative and includes a delivery to your door. The annual Best Wines on Show ballot, with great prizes attached, adds to the fun of a wonderful wine evening in the city.

Show details:

*Dates: 19 and 20 August – Two days only!

*Venue: Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC)

*Time: 5pm to 9pm daily

*Tickets and Bookings: Early Bird R90 for all tickets booked by Sunday 15 August . Thereafter and at the door: Thursday night R100 and Friday night R120.

Includes tasting glass and unlimited tastings.

Computicket bookings open. Telephone 083 915 8000 or book online at www.computicket.com.

Special discount for group bookings (10 tickets or more for Thursday night only) booked via the organisers: telephone 073 265 3094.

*Exhibitors: A full list of exhibitors will be available on www.winex.co.za; festival guide and list of wines available from 1 August.

*Parking: Ample parking available at the CTICC.

*Event queries: Telephone: 011- 482 5936; Email: alex@outsorceress.co.za; winex@outsorceress.co.za

*Website: www.winex.co.za

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KEEP FLYING THE FLAG (MY WORLD CUP EXPERIENCE)

Natalie Roth — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:30:44 +0000

The very first goal scored at the Fifa World Cup on the 11^th of June 2010 by Tshabalala was electrifying…Soccer City exploded!

But it was not only about the beautiful game…

The united spirit of the rainbow people of South Africa during the joyous month of the World Cup had such a profound effect on my life. There were moments I felt so emotional and proud of what we had achieved it brought tears to my eyes. Even though we did not actually win the football, WE WON FOR SOUTH AFRICA. I am pleased to say I am one of those who believed in our capabilities to pull off such a successful event right from the start.

Not only did we get a feast of Soccer, but we got to be PATRIOTIC AND WAVE OUR FLAGS.

I got to stay in the Friendly City during our College holidays. I got to see the jubilant Dutch wearing their orange clogs and dressing gowns along the boardwalk after upsetting Brazil. I got to have a beer with the patriotic Germans while they whitewashed the pommies on the big screen at the German club. I got to see a celebrity like Paris Hilton in our local court being let off a drug charge. I got to wear my Roth 22 Bafana Bafana players shirt and Fifa takkies at a live television broadcast from Port Elizabeth .

I think South Africa defeated France because I got to wear my “I love South Africa” underwear to the Fan Park at St. Georges. I got to blow my vuvuzela until my lips were numb, watching gorgeous Ronaldo at Nelson Mandela Stadium. I got to set the Waka Waka ringtone on my cell phone, I got to teach my students and fellow colleagues the Diski dance.

Leaving OR Tambo International for a short trip to Germany during my college holidays, I got to see the tourists making their way home with vuvuzelas in their backpacks… realizing that we really IMPRESSED our visitors…who will one day return with their friends bringing fresh opportunities for tourism and business to South Africa.

Perhaps this is one of the reasons Shakira and Freshly Ground felt that singing the Waka Waka – this time for Africa, at the opening concert, was the most emotional and uplifting experience of their lives.

KEEP FLYING THE FLAG whether it be literally or figuratively. IT’S A SIGN OF A VICTORY.

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World Travel Awards winner

Contributor — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 08:46:20 +0000

&Beyond has been voted Africa’s Leading Responsible Tourism Company and has also received Africa’s Leading Responsible Tourism Award at the 2010 World Travel Awards.

&Beyond (previously CC Africa) was established 18 years ago and their commitment to delighting guests, sustainable responsible travel and community empowerment is world-renowned.

For more information contact www.andbeyond.com

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There’s a reason why we don’t like every wine…

Catherine Dillon — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 15:40:07 +0000

I was recently asked by an international visitor the standard question we all get at some or other stage: “which is your favourite wine?”. Dare I say that I am known to blush quite easily as I struggle to answer this seemingly innocent question.

Blushing has been part of my life ever since I turned six and discovered that my two older brothers were anatomically different to myself. Since then, being truthful when asked questions has also taken its toll, because the honest truth is I genuinely love all wine, except badly made wine. There is ever chance that I may create the impression that I drink copious amounts of wine and do not differentiate between them, hence the fear of blushing…

In vino veritas, as the saying goes, and the old adage of “you get what you pay for” rings true, to a point. There really are amazingly good wines under R50 and also uneventful wines at R150. Which wine ends up in your basket should be based on what you enjoy drinking. However, if you are purchasing wine for a cross-section of people perhaps your final selection will not reflect your personal preference.

Today a colleague asked what I thought about the Diemersfontein Pinotage? My answer was truthful: it has a following, a specific market that loves that coffee, mocho chocolate, red berry compote that it offers. Do I drink it? Yes, I have had it, but I prefer to have my coffee in the morning and red wine after 4pm. However, here’s a wine fact: KWV have excelled with their Cafe Culture Pinotage, selling out year on year. The reason is easy to understand: there is a market for the wine in terms of price point, style, accessibility, easy drinking, soft tannins – I could go on, but then you would think I love the wine!

Having thought about how we can damn a wine or inflate its importance, I thought about my other passion – cheese. On its own, untoasted, cheese offers a totally different experience in terms of texture and flavour. Cheese put under the grill changes personality and even takes on a oily appearance. The same with wine: use a different barrel with a heavier toasting and you are bound to effect changes that are loved by some and loathed by others.

Cheese, sorry Cheers!

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Stellenbosch Wine Festival

Catherine Dillon — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:13:39 +0000

No football matches to watch or fan mile to walk? Then head out to the Stellenbosch wine district to enjoy the wine festival that kicked-off today.

Feedback from our wine guides today indicate that this festival promises to be the best. Good weather, good company and good wine – wish I could be there!

For those who can make it plan your day first by visiting the official website. Click here…

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