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DAZED and confused – that is how
most people I came across lately
are looking. What happened to
the month of April?
Time sure flies when you are
having fun! At least the harvest
activities have come to an end,
which means that marketing is
now again top of everyone’s
minds. |
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IN December last year I told you about our
new clean-up campaign. With the help of a
sponsorship from Nedbank Winelands
Business Banking, the Stellenbosch Wine
Routes launched a project encouraging the
local community to clean-up the damage done
by inconsiderate littering public. I am
happy to report that we have rewarded the
first successful clean-up action!
Pebbles Project, an educational trust and
charity established in 2004, works closely
with several wine farm owners, who support
their work and assist them with the
upliftment of their farm worker communities
and the education of the workers' children.
Pebbles also established after school clubs
on 5 wine farms, which includes Bellevue,
Eikendal, Delheim, Remhoogte and Villiera.
Using the Stellenbosch Wine Routes Clean-up
Campaign as inspiration, Pebbles decided to
make “The Environment” the theme of
activities that took place at the Pebbles
Project After School Clubs (ASC) during the
month of April. Over a hundred school age
children were provided with black bags and,
along with the ASC staff, walked through the
vineyards to pick up the litter that was
scattered around their farms. Putting
nothing to waste the children proceeded to
participate in art classes after the “Big
Clean-up” where, using the litter they had
collected, they made collage art. Each ASC
was also given a talk on the environment,
sponsored by Delheim, where they were
informed about recycling and some ASC’s were
provided with different bins in which they
could place their glass, paper and plastic
rubbish.
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For their efforts, Pebbles received
a donation of R12 000, which will be
used by the staff, children and
teenagers that make up the ASC’s on
the 5 participating farms. Pebbles
believes it is important to educate
and create awareness amongst
children around looking after the
environment, and has thus decided to
make the “Big Clean-up” a monthly
activity. They are establishing two
more ASC’s in the Bottelary Hills
sub-route and thus will ultimately
have about 130 school age children
collecting litter on a monthly
basis. |
A partnership has also been formed between
Stellenbosch Wine Routes and the
Stellenbosch Municipality, whereby farms are
taking responsibility for the areas
surrounding their farms. Staff and children
working and living on the farms will keep
their areas clean on a weekly basis.
Stellenbosch Municipality will supply black
bags, and collect the filled bags along with
regular garbage at no extra charge to the
farms.
To support the Pebbles Project, contact
Sophia Warner on 072 472 2797, or visit
www.pebblesproject.co.za. |
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OUT with the ordinary, in with the
extraordinary. This is the slogan for the
launch of the new and exciting Asara Estate
& Hotel. Opening on the 1st of May 2008,
Asara now offers both local and
international guests a taste of five star
luxury accommodation in the heart of the
Stellenbosch Winelands. The stylishly
decorated thirty-seven bedroom hotel also
includes three different restaurants, led by
internationally experienced French Executive
chef, Patrick Bischoff.
The main restaurant, Raphael’s, offers
classic European style cuisine. The Bistro &
Tapas serves sumptuous bite-sized,
Mediterranean style dishes alongside the
more rustic bistro fare. The exclusive Fine
Dining Restaurant, opening later this year,
will serve the traditional French Haute
Cuisine in a stunning, glass enclosed dining
room allowing guests an exquisite panoramic
view of the dam, mountains and vines.
The Asara range of award
winning wines can be sampled in the new wine
tasting centre, or in the relaxed atmosphere
of the beautiful courtyard alongside the
Asara Bell Tower. Later this year, the
Delicatessen & Confectionary will also open
its doors. Accompanied by a range of Asara
clothing and an exclusive Kitchen &
Tableware showroom – there will be something
to satisfy every taste.
For further information
or to make a reservation, please call 021
888 8000, or visit
www.asara.co.za. |
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AN
important note on my
to-do list is to visit
neighbouring wine
routes. A few marketing
girls from Stellenbosch
got together, and did
exactly that! Pippa
Wordie (Vilafonté),
Petru Els (L’Avenir),
Nicole Arnold (Uva Mira)
and myself got into our
cars and headed for the
mountains! We spend a
weekend in the Cederberg,
being treated like
princesses by the
marketing guru of
Cederberg Wines, Pieter
du Toit. We drank
heavenly Chenin Blanc,
ate non-stop, and
visited the caves to get
rid of some of the
kilojoules. And of
course left with a boot
full of wine! We are
already planning our
next trip, and would
love some more ladies to
join us. You know who to
call! |
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THE Wine Route continues to create
ambassadors for Stellenbosch and our
wine industry. In March we hosted
eight students and one lecturer from
the University of Johannesburg’s
School of Hospitality and Tourism.
The aim is to give these young
tourism and hospitality students a
real feel for Stellenbosch through a
wine course, tour of the old part of
the town and visits to wineries and
local restaurants. By creating a
lasting impression of Stellenbosch
and our cultural, food and wine
experiences, we trust our brand will
be top of mind when these energetic
people become influential young
professionals in the hospitality
industry. |
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And judging by the enthusiastic response by
Andrew Sutherland, one of the students,
these biannual exercises are helping us wine
the right friends in the right places: “What
we have received from last week was more
than a trip to the winelands, but valuable
information, and a mindset on service that
will equip us long into the future. The
information and passion that you shared with
us ignited a spark that can only reap
rewards in the future. The past educational
trip was certainly a life changing
experience. Thank you so much!” |
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TALKING about
creating ambassadors, Stellenbosch
now also have a Royal ambassador!
Eikendal wine farm, situated in the
picturesque Helderberg, hosted the
incumbent Zulu king, His Majesty
King Goodwill Zwelithini and Her
Royal Highness Queen Shiyiwem Zulu
for a weekend in the Winelands.
Their special visit to this renowned
cellar, which celebrates more than
25 years of dedicated winemaking,
culminated in a black tie gourmet
dinner courtesy of Harald’s,
Eikendal’s signature restaurant.
The royal
visitors’ itinerary comprised a trip
to the Rupert Museum in
Stellenbosch, a private presentation
on the Peace Parks Foundation and a
visit to Bowy House, a safe haven
for children affected by HIV/Aids,
situated in Paarl. For more
information on Eikendal, click
HERE. |
From left to right
: Eikendal co-owner Hansjürg Saager
with
His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini
& Her Royal Highness
Queen Shiyiwem
Zulu. |
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ATTRACTIVE travel and
accommodation packages are available for the
annual Stellenbosch Wine Festival, taking
place from 31 July to 3 August 2008.
Visitors can now soak up the splendour of
the historic oak-lined town of Stellenbosch
and its unique surroundings with six
exclusive two-night packages courtesy of
American Express® Travel, specially tailored
to appeal to a wide array of leisure
preferences during the weekend of the Wine
Festival.
Ranging from South
Africa’s oldest existing inn to luxurious
spa pamperings on a working wine farm; warm
and friendly lodging in a Victorian boutique
hotel, to a modern sleepover on a pristine
golf estate, these packages are available
from as little as R498 to R3779 per person
for two nights. The six accommodation
destinations extending these invitations are
the D’Oude Werf Inn, Protea Hotel
Dorpshuis, Kleine Zalze Lodge, Protea
Hotel Stellenbosch, Zorgvliet Vineyard Lodge
and Spa and The Spier Hotel.
Each of the overnight
packages include return economy class
flights from Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth
and Durban to Cape Town, a KWV wine or
brandy tasting and cellar tour, a two-day
Avis car hire as well as 20% off your bill
at Cape Town Fish Market Restaurants.
Tickets for this
year’s festival are available at Computicket,
ranging from R100 to R350 per person. For
more information on the Stellenbosch Wine
Festival, click
HERE.
For more information
on the special travel packages contact
American Express® Travel on 011 790 0009 or
click
HERE. |
I am off to Durban to attend the Tourism
Indaba. And straight after that I leave
for London International Wine Trade
Fair. I will be carrying the
Stellenbosch flag with pride, and
hopefully return with armloads of new
business!
Until next month!
Annareth Jacobs
CEO Stellenbosch American Express®
Wine Routes
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