On Monday night, we were whisked off from the
Waterfront in rather speedy minibus taxis with 23 other food and wine bloggers
to join many others at Dornier Estate’s regal Homestead, an original Sir Herbert Baker design, for this very large and fun event. Four international bloggers, Matt Long of the luxury adventure travel site, Landlopers (www.landlopers.com), Niamh Shields (www.eatlikeagirl.com), recently recognised by The Times as the most influential food blogger in the UK; Norman Röhlig of I-REF (www.i-ref.de), one of the most reputable lifestyle websites in Berlin and Keith Jenkins of the opulent Velvet Escape travel blog (www.velvetescape.com) have been touring SA, hosted by Stellenbosch American Express® Wine Routes.
Tables had been set up
for local wineries and each had a dish to support one of their wines. If they
have a restaurant, their chef was there and so we could sample lovely food from
Michael Broughton of Terroir and Richard Carstens of Tokara among others We were meant
to blog throughout the evening but, sadly, the WIFI was not working terribly
well. John did manage to get some out, Lynne did not. We didn’t get to meet any
of the international bloggers but believe they were staying at Dornier for the
week.
Kleine Zalze, The House of JC Le Roux, Stellenbosch
Vineyards, Tokara, Spier, Simonsig, Dornier, Majeka House, The Devon Valley
Hotel, Oldenburg, Van Ryn, Warwick Estate, Delheim, Middelvlei and Lanzerac had
tables with their wines paired with matching foods. The international bloggers
for #Stellenblog were selected for the quality of their content, ideal target
audiences and social media reach, representing the wine route’s core
international markets: the USA, UK, Germany and the Netherlands. Before the party, they were joined by local bloggers and online influencers for
a #Stellenblog Tweet-Up of discoveries when they were let loose for a
see-sip-and-savour of the Stellenbosch Way of Life. This sensory meander
included stopovers at Bartinney Wine & Champagne Bar, Brampton Wine Studio,
the SMAC Art Gallery and the 5-star Coopmanhuijs Boutique Hotel & Spa,
whilst Thrifty sponsored all the transport on the day.
By the 5th of May, the campaign’s launch day, it had
already generated a digital reach of 20 million opportunities to see (OTS)
content generated via Twitter with a reach of 2.1 million accounts. Over 550
pictures have been shared on Instagram. Hashtracking, a twitter tracking tool,
shows more than 23 million OTS and a reach of 2.7 million Twitter accounts,
whilst the global online tracking agency Brandseye, shows a slightly higher OTS
because they also monitor Facebook.
This week-long digital exploration of the beauty and
bounty of the region, forms part of the wine route’s year-long Stellenbosch
Experience wine tourism marketing campaign, which was initiated in conjunction
with Stellenbosch 360, to showcase the region’s authentic, multifaceted and
must-experience wine tourism offerings on a global scale.
#Stellenblog is hosted and digitally monitored in
association with iAmbassador – renowned for successful blogging campaigns like
#Blogville in Emilia Romagna, Italy. This online initiative is also supported
by South African Tourism and is aligned with its #MeetSouthAfrica and Indaba
2014 programmes, which will see a number of top international bloggers visit
South Africa, and especially Durban from 10th to 12th May. The international
#Stellenblog bloggers were flown to South Africa courtesy of South African
Airways and connectivity was provided by Afrihost. Pick 'n Pay, another
campaign partner, has stocked the Homestead, home to the bloggers for the week,
with typical South African food and snacks.
The red carpet
to the entrance was blocked by something interesting
Have a glass
of lovely Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Brut and take a mask.
They were a challenge over tri-focals but we managed for a while!
They were a challenge over tri-focals but we managed for a while!
Not only the delightful Miles Mossop of Tokara
with his super Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, but also...
...Tokara's divine chef Richard Carstens
with his dish of tuna on sushi rice with a fresh pea jus
Executive chef Michael Broughton of Terroir,
now famous for his BBC series Seasons,
gave us a very delicious, comforting Braised Lamb risotto,
paired with Kleine Zalze Shiraz 2011
The lovely ladies of Oldenburg,
with their Cape Malay chicken sosatie and Oldenburg chenin blanc
Periperi chicken liver paté, well matched with Warwick's Three Cape Ladies
and fish croquettes with their Professor Black sauvignon blanc
Host winery Dornier had their Donatus white blend to taste, paired with a good spoonful of tender pork belly
How to finish a great evening.
A taster of Van Ryn Brandy
which went excellently with all the dessert choices on offer
Chatting and
tweeting on the terrace
with his super Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, but also...
with his dish of tuna on sushi rice with a fresh pea jus
now famous for his BBC series Seasons,
gave us a very delicious, comforting Braised Lamb risotto,
paired with Kleine Zalze Shiraz 2011
with their Cape Malay chicken sosatie and Oldenburg chenin blanc
and fish croquettes with their Professor Black sauvignon blanc
A taster of Van Ryn Brandy
which went excellently with all the dessert choices on offer
How we ended
our evening on the terrace.
Macarons and Canel from Makaron restaurant,
tiny cup cakes and some rather strange white rubbery things from JC le Roux, with a good double Espresso
and a van Ryn 15 yr old brandy
Macarons and Canel from Makaron restaurant,
tiny cup cakes and some rather strange white rubbery things from JC le Roux, with a good double Espresso
and a van Ryn 15 yr old brandy
Then it was
time for the slow taxi home
For more information on the Stellenbosch Experience
and #Stellenblog campaigns visit StellenBlog at http://blog.wineroute.co.za/ or contact
Mariette du Toit-Helmbold at experience@wineroute.co.za
or phone 083 225 5955.
© John & Lynne
Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2014
