Wine & Wineries

Experience Durbanville Hills Winery

20 May, 2013 by Wotz Leave a Comment

Durbanville Hills Wines has transformed its tasting room and dining areas to offer contemporary spaces where you can escape the hustle and bustle of city-life. Just 20 minutes from Cape Town city centre, the relaxed indoor and outdoor areas of the cellar offer panoramic views of Table Mountain, Table Bay, the rolling hills and adjoining vineyards. The tasting room’s chic décor invites wine lovers to linger in the new lounge area and taste the range of wines on their own, or paired with either chocolate or biltong. The tasting room opens on to a new outdoor seating area where nature lovers can savour their glass of Sauvignon Blanc overlooking the new renosterveld garden; the threatened indigenous fynbos, which the cellar

Tagged With: Cape Town, durbanville hills, eating out, food and wine pairing, places to eat, restaurants, wine, wine tasting

Happy 40th Birthday to Nederburg’s Baronne

13 May, 2013 by Wotz Leave a Comment

The well known South African red blend, the Nederburg Baronne, celebrates it’s 40th successive year as one of South Africa’s top red wines. First released in 1973, the Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz blend was the brainchild of cellar master Günter Brözel. Since then the recipe has stayed true to it’s lively, easy drinking style. Nederburg Baronne shares it’s birthday with Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon; David Bowie's movie of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars as well as The Sting, The Exorcist, Last Tango in Paris and American Graffiti. At the time, people were reading Jaws by Peter Benchley and probably having a glass or two to ease the nerves. A tribute to the beginnings of South African wine making, the

Tagged With: baronne, cellar master, nederburg, nederburg baronne, nederburg red wines, red wines, wine making

Wine & spirits courses in Stellenbosch

4 May, 2013 by Wotz Leave a Comment

The International Wine Education Centre is delighted to announce the first ever stand-alone general spirits courses this May in Stellenbosch. The UK-based Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) teaches internationally-recognised wine and spirit qualifications which are the industry-standard in 60 countries around the world. WSET has been educating people about wine and spirits since 1969 and more than 43,000 people, sat a WSET exam in the last academic year alone. The course covers the history, production and style of spirits of the world: Cognac, Armagnac and other brandies; Scotch, Bourbon and other whiskeys; white spirits, including vodka, rum, Tequila, gin; and liqueurs and other flavoured spirits. Tasting is part

Tagged With: cathy marston, dave hughes, first spirit course south africa, internationally recognised spirit course, roger jorgensen, spirit course, stellenbosch spirit course, van ryns distellery, What's Up Wine, wset

One truly has to experience Groot Constantia to #FeelGrootConstantia

23 April, 2013 by Wotz Leave a Comment

Feel Groot Constantia. What better way to get involved in this historic wine estate than on the City Sightseeing Red Bus. Even a Capetonian would be surprised at the things they’ll learn. Heading out of the V&A Waterfront, the top deck of the Red Bus is the place to be. Panoramic views abound for the hour or so drive. The audio clips tell a lot about Cape Town’s history which I’m sure many don’t know. Arriving at Groot Constantia brings about a sense of heritage and nostalgia. The estate is after all a National Monument. We were fortunate to have some important figures in the farm speak with us including winemaker Boela Gerber. The Gouverneurs Reserve range of white and red blends have taken on a new look,

Tagged With: constantia wine, groot constantia, wine, wine estate, wine tasting, wine tourism

Namaqua wine sales rocket with Honeybee

12 April, 2013 by Wotz Leave a Comment

Namaqua Wines is one of South Africa largest wine distributors, distributing the Van Loveren range of wines and twenty five percent of all boxed wine. With fourteen branches and sales centers in South Africa, they have been searching for a sales management tool to fit their growing sales team. When Field Offices’ Honeybee product was presented to them, they were delighted. Honeybee is a Samsung tablet based sales management system that allows for instant information sharing. It helps sales managers monitor sales and field representative activity while also giving immediate access to necessary data like alcohol and sugar levels of a product at the touch of a screen. The Honeybee software not only helps the sales

Tagged With: field office, field office honeybee, honeybee, namaqua wines, van loveren, wine, wine south africa

South Africa’s Top 12 Pinot Noirs, you decide

8 April, 2013 by Wotz Leave a Comment

I recently had the good fortune to find myself at a top 12 Pinot Noir tasting held at La Mouette restaurant. I literally got to taste 12 of the top rated Pinot Noirs in South Africa in the company of forty or so wine lovers and drinkers. Pure bliss. So what is a top 12 wine tasting? The concept allows the everyday person to experience some of South Africa’s finest wines as voted for by the public. Each top 12 wine event held is open to everyone - whether you are a connoisseur, purveyor, fanatic or simply want to taste a bunch of wine. The fact that the bottles are covered makes it more fun and your taste isn't altered by the name of a wine label or farm. Frederic Dasse, the creator and conceptualizer of the events,

Tagged With: Frederic Dasse, La Mouette Restaurant, top 12 pinot noir, top 12 wines, Whats Up Wine and Spirits, wine, wine tasting

Oude Meester brandy comes home with a trio of medals!

7 April, 2013 by Wotz Leave a Comment

South African brandy champion, Oude Meester, has returned from the San Francisco International Spirits Competition with a trio of medals. The exclusive pot still brandy, 18-year-old Souverein, won gold while both the 12 Year Old Reserve, that took the trophy in New York, and the Demant was awarded silver. "South African brandy has established a powerful reputation in the UK and Europe but our connoisseur offerings are still something of a novelty in the US. Since Oude Meester's exposure after winning the Best Brandy title at the New York International Spirits Competition last year, American market response has been extremely encouraging. Connoisseurs are thrilled by the sense of discovery and the levels of excellence they

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Get ready for Whacky Wine Fest 2013!

2 April, 2013 by Wotz Leave a Comment

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Robertson Wine Valley’s biggest annual wine festival, with the ever-popular Wacky Wine Weekend - with Kyknet as the new headline sponsor and ‘celebration’ as the theme - taking place from 6 – 9 June 2013. Wacky Wine Weekend: a decade of wine, fun and phenomenal success... A decade ago, the Robertson Wine Valley Board, and marketing team led by Bonita Malherbe, identified wine tourism development as one of its core objectives, envisaging a series of weekend events with wine as the central theme but also embracing the wide diversity of activities and experiences on offer in the Valley. The result was the first Wacky Wine Weekend, a festival where all member

Tagged With: hands on harvest, Robertson Slow, Robertson Wine Valley, Whack Wine Festival 2013, Whacky Wine Weekend, Wine on the River

Tour the Lanzerac Wine Estate

22 March, 2013 by Wotz 1 Comment

For those interested in our wine heritage, and history, be sure to make your way to the Lanzerac - currently offering a tour around the Estate - but only until the end of March. With a glass of Rosé to get you going, your tour guide will provide you with a brief overview of what to expect during the tour. Highlights will include a tasting of the "Mrs English", a reserve Chardonnay. This wine is a tribute to Mrs English who purchased the farm in 1914, changing its name from Schoongezicht to Lanzerac. This will be followed by an introduction, and a tasting of the Estate's Pinotage. From an historical point of view, the world’s first commercially produced Pinotage - a 1959 vintage came from this Estate. (It was

Tagged With: Historic Tour of Lanzerac Estate, history of wine, mrs english, pinotage, professor perold, SOUTH AFRICA, Stellenbosch, wine tours

St Patrick’s Day at Durbanville Hills

11 March, 2013 by Wotz Leave a Comment

Whether you’re Irish or not, find something green to wear and join Durbanville Hills Wines in celebrating St Patrick’s Day on Sunday, 17 March. Extending the green concept, the cellar will give a bottle of Durbanville Hills Sauvignon Blanc for every 12 empty bottles of Durbanville Hills returned to the cellar for recycling. All food to be served on the day, will be in environmentally friendly packaging. St Patrick’s Day, known for its four-leaf clovers, green decorations and leprechauns, was established as a religious holiday in the 17th century in recognition of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Today it’s celebrated across the world with festivals bringing Irish food, culture and myths to life. Get into

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