Wine Farms - Inspired Living SA

Events, Lifestyle, Out & About, Wine Farms

The Winter Food and Wine Festival

Calling all food and wine lovers in Jozi!!! I thought I would give you a heads up on The Winter Food and Wine Festival, hosted by Boucheron Wines, happening in Johannesburg later this month.

The festival will be held at a private lodge, just 10 minutes’ drive from Fourways, Johannesburg and will take place on the 26th of July from 11:00 am until 17:00pm.

You can expect a wide variety of artisanal foods, wine tasting from many premium wine estates plus lunch and dessert are included. You will also receive 2 free bottles of wine (including the white merlot) and a gift hamper full of delectable delights for just R365 per person.

You can bring the kids along, as there will be plenty of fun for them too! R50 per child under 12 years and R100 per child between 12 and 18 years of age (No alcohol served to under 18s). Puchase 10 or more tickets at once and enjoy a group discount of 10%.

Festival Details:

Date: 26th of July 2014

Venue Address: 132 MacGillvray Rd, Lone Hill

Times: 11:00 am – 17:00 pm

Pay by credit card or EFT. We’ll take your credit card payment over the phone:

CLICK HERE for tickets or call 011 708 3444!

No tickets available at the door!

Your ticket price of R365 per person includes:

• A gift hamper filled with goodies and a wine glass

• Delicious lunch and dessert included and served from 12:30 …

• Free bottle of White Merlot 2013

• Free bottle of ZenMaster 2013 (red blend)

• Meet your favourite winemakers

• Live Bands

• Kids Zone for under 12 years

• Taste foods from top artisanal producers

Disclosure Ranking: 2

Events, Lifestyle, Out & About, Travel, Wine Farms

South African Wine Index Awards 2014

I recently attended the South African Wine Index Awards 2014, which acknowledges South African wine excellence. The South African Wine Index{SAWi} gala awards were held at the luxurious Grootbos Private Nature Reserve near Gansbaai.

Grootbos not only sponsored the event but also entered into a partnership with SAWi, to exclusively offer the complete range of the ‘SAWi Grand Wines Collection’ (wines scoring 93+ points through the unique SAWi Algorithm of Excellence) at this world renowned Reserve.

For those of you who are not familar with the SAWi wine judging Algorithm of Excellence (Arabic tenfold system), it is based on the combined results a wine has achieved over multi vintages, in any of 84 different multi-national wine competitions or reviews (each weighted according to the compilation of judging panels and the number of medals on offer).

Consistency in results, top 10 mentions and trophies won are also taken into account during these calculations. As such, a wine is not judged on one occasion only but its consistency is tracked over a period and built out to a 10 year quality window.

SAWi Platinum is the highest accolade that may be achieved by any single wine. A score of 95 or more, out of a possible 100, will secure this award. These wines are referred to as the ‘SAWI Ambassadors Club’ the top end of the ‘SAWi Grand Wines Collection’ which also include wines which received Grand Gold status for scoring 93 and 94. No score below this attracts any accolades, ensuring that SAWi decorations are aspirational and really the cream of the crop.

The day started off with a lovely lunch at the Forest Lodge, giving wine makers and invited guests the opportunity of socialising and getting to know one another.The rest of the afternoon was spent at leisure exploring the beauty of the reserve, indulging in the luxuries of the Grootbos Estate or watching a bit of rugby!

In the evening all the guests, producers and wine makers were treated to a tasting of the winning wines, before the presentation of the awards got under way. The event was a showcase of South African ‘Grand Wines’ – highlighting the value of the SAWi principles and methodology.

Constantia Glen took top honors on the night, receiving the SAWi Trophy for Wine Producer of the Year, with Justin van Wyk (Winemaker) and Ettiene Southey (Vineyard Manager) and his team acknowledged as top achievers for 2014.

De Morgenzon received the 2014 SAWi Trophy for White Wine Producer of the Year. The Trophy for the 2014 SAWi Red Wine Producer of the Year went to Kanonkop Estate, also from Stellenbosch.

The inaugural Trophy for Best South African Brandy Producer was awarded to KWV.

Chardonnay dominated, with 17 accolades, followed by Shiraz wines with 12, Sauvignon Blanc and Bordeaux Blends with 10 each, Pinotage 8, Pinot Noir 6 and Red Blends 5.

Hemel and Aarde Valley had 14 wine accolades, followed by Constantia with 10 and Tulbach with 7, whilst Elgin, Franshhoek, Paarl, Stellenbosch Kloof, Blaauwklippen and Idas Valley had 5 each. Wines from Stellenbosch West, , Blaauwklippen, Cederberg, Somerset West, Franshhoek and Durbanville made up the rest.

Once again, outlying wine pockets like Cederberg, Tulbach, and even Barrydale featured prominently.

Since the start of the SAWi Ratings four years ago, only 32 wines out of a total of 914 which were rated have scored 95+ points, with repeated good performances by the majority of these wines. This year another 13 wines were added to this category.

SAWi also welcomed a number of new wineries to its honors list in 2014, including Constantia Glen, De Morgenzon, De Grendel and Journeys End Vineyards.

What an amazing evening spent enjoying and celebrating some of the most accomplished wines offered in South Africa, in one of the most beautiful settings in the Cape!

AWARD HIGHLIGHTS
Top scoring wines
99 points – Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay, Saronsberg Cellar Full Circle, Rijks Private Cellar Pinotage and Kanonkop Estate Paul Sauer

98 points – Eagles’ Nest Shiraz and Stellenrust Wine Estate “48” Chenin Blanc

97 points – Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak Pinot Noir, Diemersdal Wine Estate Pinotage Reserve, Hamilton Russell Vineyards Pinot Noir, Spier Wines Creative Block 3 Rhone Blend and KWV The Mentors Shiraz and Raats Mvemve Raats de Compostella Bordeaux Blend.

Top Wine Producers
Constantia Glen
Kanonkop Estate
Groot Constantia
Bouchard Finlayson
Saronsberg
De Morgenzon
Hamilton Russell Vineyards
Rustenburg Wines
De Grendel
Cederberg Private Cellar
Joubert Tradouw
Cape Chamonix
Eagles Nest
Raats Family Wines

Images: Event ~ [email protected], Grootbos Villa ©FAR Photography

Disclosure Ranking: 4

Exploring the Cape, Lifestyle, Wine Farms

Beau Joubert Wine Estate

I was recently invited to spend a Stomp and Sip Day at Beau Joubert Wine Estate, in Stellenbosch, Cape Town. We were advised to bring our swimming gear along – as we would be “swimming” in grapes! I must admit I was a tad nervous of what we actually be doing but we were promised a fun day in the vineyards!

First a bit of history:

Beau Joubert wine farm, in the renowned Stellenbosch Wine Region, dates back to 1695. Governor Simon van der Stel originally granted the land then known as Veelverjaagt, to Coenraed Visser. A century later, in 1795, the farm was bought by a French Huguenot descendant, Dirk Daniel Joubert, who divided it between his two sons. One of them retained the Veelverjaagt name while the other named his portion La Provence, to honour the birthplace of his forefathers. Five Joubert generations have since placed their unique stamp on this mountainous 80-hectare estate.

An exciting new era dawned at the turn of the millennium when a group of families from Wisconsin, USA fell in love with the grandeur of the Cape.This led to a vibrant American-South African joint venture and a change of name for the farm. The name BEAU JOUBERT combines the French for ‘beautiful’ with the name of the family who originally put the farm on the wine map. Adding to the sense of history is the fact that the dwellings built in the 1700s as well the splendid historic manor house built in the late 18th century still grace the estate.

Stomp and Sip Day:

The day began with grape picking, which we actually missed as we arrived a bit late but we did get to see the grapes being loaded up and transported back to the cellar for sorting.

After grape picking we wandered back down to the cellar to get ready and change into our swimwear, for some grape stomping! As we were advised not to take any cameras or cell phones near the grape tanks, will have to take my word on this one! You could choose from three levels of submergence – being a complete scaredy cat, I opted for the 1st tank, which on reached waist height! There was quite a bit of hysteria and grape throwing which ensued, it was as promised lots of fun and definitely a memorable experience!

Once we had rinsed off and removed grapes from places they should not be, we were treated to a tasting of the first ever bubbly produced by Beau Joubert. The bubbly is still in its infancy stage and is yet to be named. I was rather impressed with the flavour of the bubbly, even in its young state and cannot wait to taste it, once it has been released to the public.

After tasting a few more young wines we were treated to a lovely alfresco lunch.

During lunch we had the opportunity to taste a few of the estates red wines – the highlight for me was definitely the Beau Joubert Shiraz. I liked it so much, I bought a few bottles to take home 🙂

A wonderful day was rounded off with a delicious apple desert and cream, paired with the Beau Joubert Fat Pig Port.

Thank you to Beau Joubert for an awesome experience! What a lovely day, spent with great people, in an stunning setting, eating and drinking delicious wine!

For more information on the farm and their wines please visit the Beau Joubert Website.

Cape Town Lifestyle, Events, Lifestyle, Out & About, Wine Farms

Elgin Cool Wine and Country Festival 2014

The annual Elgin Cool Wine and Country Festival returns to Cape Town on Saturday 3 May 2014. Wine estates of the Elgin Valley will be open for wine tastings throughout the day and will offer mouth-watering luncheons and top class entertainment.

The festival, sponsored by Nedbank and Orchard Suppliers, offers wine enthusiasts and leisure seekers the chance to enjoy the beauty of the Elgin Valley while discovering a vast variety of fine wines from the unique wine route, which lies just an hour outside of Cape Town. Festival goers can look forward to a day filled with fine wines, good food and plenty of entertainment for all ages.

The Elgin Cool Wine & Country Festival is divided into three sections- morning, lunch and afternoon -starting from 09h30 and coming to an end at17h00. Each estate offers not just the chance to experience the wines produced, but also the rich culture and heritage that is part and parcel of the Elgin Wine Route.

The morning session: From 09h30 – 11h30and will see all the estates participating in the festival open for tasting. Visitors are welcome to move freely from one estate to the next.

The Lunch Session: From 11h30 – 14h30. This session consists of each estate offering a unique lunch experience, highlighting their estate and wine selection. Visitors select the lunch destination and offering they like and book accordingly. Bookings are essential via the Elgin Valley Wine Guild Website. Space is limited per estate and prices will vary per estate offering.

Afternoon session: From 14h30 – 17h00: All participating estates are open for wine tastings. Visitors are welcome to move freely between estates.

What to expect:
As well as amazing wine and food, different kinds of entertainment will be on offer at each participating winery during the day to appeal to all ages, ranging from live bands to amazing art collections, tractor rides and kiddies playgrounds. During the pre-booked lunch session, visitors can choose from a number of estates to enjoy their world-class dining experience, explore the estate grounds and meet the renowned wine maker or estate owner.

For wine lovers and those in need of a rewarding day out, the Elgin Cool Wine and Country Festival offers the chance to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and indulge in a memorable day of wine, entertainment and spectacular natural beauty. Day passes can be purchased at any participating wine farm on the day of the festival for just R50 per pass; however lunch sessions must be pre-booked in advance. Please note that the festival promotes designated drives and the responsible use of alcohol.

Times:
• Morning:09h30 to 11h30 (open format)
• Lunch:11h30 to 14h30 (bookings required for lunch)
• Afternoon:14h30 to 17h00 (open format)

Please visit the Elgin Wine Guild Website for more details hope to see you there!

Disclosure Ranking: 1

Cape Town Hotels, Cape Town Lifestyle, Child Friendly Travel, Exploring the Cape, Lifestyle, Local, Travel, Wine Farms

Spier Wine Farm and Hotel

I was recently invited to spend a family, fun-filled weekend at The Spier Wine Farm and Hotel , as part of the “Spier New Journey” campaign. We have visited Spier Wine Farm often for picnics and wine tasting but we have never stayed in the hotel before, so I really was keen to experience this for the first time.

Unfortunately in true Cape Town fashion the weather did not play along and we experienced one of the worst storms this winter but this did not stop us from enjoying our new adventure!

The Spier Hotel is situated on the historic Spier Wine Farm, in the heart of the Stellenbosch winelands. Village-style buildings, lush green lawns and spacious rooms, are some of the defining characteristics of the 4 star hotel.

155 rooms are clustered around six private courtyards, each with its own swimming pool. The design is reminiscent of the Bo-Kaap or Mediterranean villages where pedestrians have right of way.

Rolling lawns, gardens and walkways connect the rooms with the reception area, lounge, bar, terrace and restaurant. The décor features a sophisticated, vibrant style with strong colours, patterns and textures, and a collection of art that explores contemporary South African culture.

The hotel is a pioneer in responsible tourism and was one of the first in South Africa to be awarded the Fair Trade in Tourism SA accreditation in 2004. In 2011, Spier won the top award in the Doing It All category in the Condé Nast Traveler World Saver Award. The Spier Hotel has also recently won a Gold at the Virgin Holidays Partners in Sustainability Award.

After checking into the hotel we were whisked off in a hotel shuttle to enjoy some wine tasting – one of my favourite things to do! While the adults enjoyed quaffing a variety of the estate wines the kids were treated to a grape juice tasting. 🙂

Spier’s winery has won multiple awards in recent years, including Producer of the Year (Mundus Vini, Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show 2011).

We tasted wines from The Spier Creative Block blended wine range, which takes its name from a Spier Arts Academy project, which combines artworks from different artists and rearranges them to create something unique. The Creative Block wines are made with the same principal in mind. The Spier’s winemaking team select grapes from various vineyard blocks, which are blended to create wines, which are said to be “Wines greater than the sum of their parts.” My favourite wine was the Spier Creative Block 3: Shiraz, Mourvedre & Viognier – yum!

After wine tasting we enjoyed a leisurely lunch in Eight Restaurant, which was delicious! The restaurant offers a farm to table dining experience and the produce is either grown on the farm or sourced from nearby farms.

We could not the resist the decadent chocolate fondant, which was heavenly! It is definitely one of my favourite deserts and this one did not disappoint 🙂

If you are looking for a slightly more relaxed dining experience then Eight To Go Deli offers sumptuous gourmet picnics. We were unfortunately unable to enjoy a picnic outside on the Saturday afternoon because of the bad weather. {The photo below was taken on the Sunday, which was perfect picnicking weather!}

If its adventure you are looking for Spier offers Eagle encounters which is great for the kids, as well as Segway tours, which was definitely the highlight of our stay at Spier.

After a Segway master class we were whizzing around the vineyards at no time at all! It is a really fun way to explore the wine farm and see the sites. I think my hubby enjoyed the Segways even more than the kids and was attempting all sorts of death-defying moves! 🙂

The Hotel also has a kiddies playroom kitted out with games and activities for the little ones to enjoy in a safe environment. While you are out wine tasting, relaxing by the pool or enjoying lunch, you can have complete peace of mind that your children, ages 2-12 years, are in safe hands.This is a complimentary service for hotel guests and is not only a fun experience for kids but an educational one too.

If you are looking for relaxation and pampering then a visit to the Camelot Spa is a definite must!

We really enjoyed our Spier experience, the service was top-notch and nothing was too much trouble. Any issues that arose were dealt with speedily and professionally! We are planning to go back very soon, the girls are really keen to do the Segway tour again and the grownups are keen for a bit of spa pampering!

Thank you Spier for an amazing stay!