It has been said about war that it is 90% boredom and 10% sheer terror. The past few weeks have not been that bad, but life has been hectic. So many stories to edit and collate that it has been all we can do to post them on social media and now there is a bumper number of stories to put into one MENU. And we are preparing some more… We are sorry if this occupies you for too long and hope you’ll find them interesting. Click on the titles and photographs to see the complete stories
An invitation to attend the induction of two new Cape Wine Masters at a lunch held in the Tangram restaurant at Durbanville Hills. Tangram is a Chinese geometrical puzzle consisting of a square cut into seven pieces which can be arranged to make various other shapes. Some of the wines now bear this name. Click here to read on
David & Nadia tasting at Culture Wine Bar
A chance to taste the newly released 2022 vintage Swartland wines of David and Nadia Sadie was exciting. It was arranged at the Culture Club venue in Grub and Vine in Cape Town by Karen Visser of Great Domaines. Click here to read on
SA Terroir Awards 2023 at Lanzerac
The South African Terroir Wine Awards competition is the brainchild of Marius Labuschagne, renowned wine writer and marketer from Durbanville. It was created in 2005 to define the various terroir types of the Cape and then award specific wines as being the best examples in that terroir. The awards highlight our many different wine growing areas. Click here to read on
Tasting Catherine Marshall's Pinot noirs at her cellar
An invitation to a tasting with Catherine Marshall of her Pinot Noirs, followed by lunch, was quickly accepted. We so respect what Cathy has done in her career and really love the wines she produces. Her cellar / tasting room is on Lavinia farm, at the very top of the last hill on the Polkadraai Road, as one approaches from Stellenbosch, so there are magnificent views across toward Stellenbosch. Click here to read on
Sunday Brunch at The Granary Cafe, The Silo Hotel
The Silo building was a grain silo in the Cape Town docks. It has been adapted and hugely altered by heatherwick studio into premises for two tenants: The Silo Hotel and the Zeitz Mocaa Art Gallery.
After a fortuitous meeting at a wine tasting, we received an invitation to sample their Brunch which takes place from 11.30am to 3pm every Sunday in the hotel's Granary restaurant. Click here to read on
NT Wines and Ree Marketing trade tasting at the Pepper Club
Nicoleen Traut (NT Wines) and Riana Smit (Ree Marketing) are independent wine distributors who, between them, represent eleven farms. They are friends who work as two independents and sometimes collaborate with one another. They put on a tasting of their farms' wines at the Pepper Club. Click here to read on
40th Blaauwklippen Blending Awards
New leaves on the oaks which surround the Blaauwklippen manor house, passed as we went into the new restaurant where we would meet the five teams who were finalists this year. Two long tables held magnums of the winning wine which would be opened and served with lunch. It is always a competition to see if any of the teams recognize their own blend. The winners are announced after lunch. Click here to read on
Cape Winemakers Guild 2023 VIP Tasting at the Westin
The 2023 Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild auction will take place over two days, Friday 6th of October and Saturday 7th October, at the Lord Charles Hotel, Somerset West and on line, hosted by auctioneers Strauss & Co. Click here for details
Before the evening Public tasting of this year's auction wines, a VIP tasting of the wines, presented by the winemakers, was held in the ballroom at the Westin Hotel, next to the CTICC. The wines in this year auction are really spectacular; we were so impressed. There will be one more VIP tasting just before the Auction and the wines will be available for tasting early on the days of the auction. We have written about a random selection here. Click here to read on
Cape Winemakers Guild Auction Showcase
A public tasting of wines selected for this year’s Auction, presented by the winemakers. There was a long queue of enthusiasts wanting to taste the wines, which reflected the crush inside. The venue was somewhat smaller than might have been ideal. Click here to read on
Morvino trade wine tasting at the Mount Nelson
To the Morvino Trade tasting, to taste just a representative selection, as there are so many good wines represented. We so enjoyed Rianie Strydom's 2022 Rosé made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Cinsault. It has a superb nose that draws you in to the lovely excitement of red berry fruit. Click here to read on
John Collins trade wine tasting at Auslese
John Collins Boutique Wine Collection had its trade tasting at Auslese, the events venue of chef Harald Bresselschmidt's restaurant, Aubergine, in Gardens. Click here to read on
Next issue: Clanwilliam flowers, Cederberg, Hilda's Kitchen at Groote Post
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