Last Friday we traded city life for tranquil Clanwilliam and surrounding areas. It seems we left at the right time with the cold front approaching Cape Town as the drive along the N7 was frought with heavy downpours and kamakazi drivers. Upon arrival the rain gave way to semi-cleared skies and crisp winter […]
Situated at 1100m above sea level in the Midlands area of Lions River, Abingdon Wine Estate is truely unique, as is its wine in the glass. Ian and Jane Smorthwaite bought their farm in 2000 and planted vines in 2004. The estate has 2ha under vine and this includes the only certified […]
What a great winter we are having thus far, with week long spells of rain and gusting winds giving way to beautifully clear and sunny days. My cat is really confused by it and at times I guess I am too – for example, last night I enjoyed a traditional braai […]
When it comes to SA wines entered this year virtually every letter of the alphabet was represented, from Anura to Zoetendal Wines. It is fantastic to see the rise in entries, close on 680 wines this year and no doubt Cape Wine 2008 created the necessary platform for trade networking. […]
The Chocolate & Port tasting presented by Marita Lamprecht of Rococo la chocolaterie was a definite highlight of the Calitzdorp Port Festival.  Marita traded her corporate life for that of chocolate maker by taking herself off to Belgium to learn her newfound trade and upon her return launched her business in the Little Karoo […]
My six weeks spent in the UK recently afforded me the opportunity to taste a wide range of wines, spanning various continents and price points. There is no doubt that the UK offers the consumer hedonistic pleasure with wines for various palates and wallets. Wines tasted include: Royal Tokaji Essencia 2000, […]
I attended the Grand Diploma Examination of Megan Swan on Monday 4 May at Hunters Country House, Knysna. Megan is a third year student at Silwood and has been based at Hunters since 2008, working fulltime at Zinzi’s restaurant. Upon arrival guests were presented with a glass of bubbly, Villiera […]
There is a difference between English wine and British wine as follows: British wine is made from grapes imported from other countries, whilst English wine is made from grapes grown on home soil. Armed with this information and having sampled numerous English wines of late I headed for Dorking and Denbies Wine Estate. As […]
More than 60 top New World wineries will be coming together under one roof on Saturday 9 May 2009 for a spectacular event for wine-lovers. Tokara, Cederberg, Kleine Zalze, Elgin Vintners and other star producers will be pouring their wines for over 600 devotees of fine wine. Â Visitors will have […]
The credit crisis has casualties on a daily basis and one simply needs to stroll down the streets of central London to witness first-hand how shops are relocating, shutting down or struggling to survive. Top end stores like Waitrose and M&S have also felt the sting, with customers trading down […]
