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Last
week the Wine Festival organisers were going
through our to-do lists, chomping muffins
and drinking coffee on an icy morning, when
it suddenly hit us: this year’s Stellenbosch
Wine Festival is just around the corner, and
it is going to rock!
Let’s face it: these days you need more than
great wine to make a festival special.
People make a festival work, and the more
diverse and appropriate your array of
offerings, the better your chance of getting
people to do what they come to a festival to
do: have fun!
So allow me to tempt you! |
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The Stellenbosch Wine Festival is taking
place from 2 to 5 August at Paul Roos
Centre. But the Festival vibe already begins
on Friday, July 27 with the Wine Week.
During this week various of our member
wineries are hosting special intimate events
on their premises. The attractions vary from
hearty stews, specialist tastings of
timeless classics, quad rides and art
exhibitions.
Last year’s Wine Week was a
huge success, especially as it allows
visitors to mingle on a casual and intimate
basis with wine makers and the other
hospitable people who delight in throwing
open their doors to visitors. |
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Turning to the Festival itself, some 100
wineries will offer their wines for
tasting. The tasting area will, however, be
conveniently spread between the Paul Roos
Centre and the adjacent marquee. This will
allow wineries and food stalls to share the
same space, a convenience factor for the
more than 10 000 visitors we expect. Once
again the Vineyard Connection will be on
hand to sell the wines of exhibitors to the
public, at special festival prices. |
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On the food side we are delighted to
announce that Craig Cormack, well-known
culinary consultant and experienced chef,
will be the Festival’s food co-ordinator.
Besides looking after all the catering
arrangements, Craig has put together an
entertaining and diverse programme of
cooking demonstrations and wine and food
pairings for the duration of the Festival.
This will take place in a new location –
right at the entrance to the Paul Roos
Centre.
“Fun and interaction will be the name of the
game,” says Craig. “The audience will sip
and taste in a slick venue and the programme
includes wine and chocolate, demonstrations
on Oriental cooking and a wine and sausage
seminar called “May the Wors be With You”. |
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Also on the food side: Checkers
will be present at the Festival as a
sub-sponsor, including their famous conveyor
belt of eats available for tasting. Not just
any tasting, mind you.
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Jenny Morris, aka the Giggling
Gourmet will present the tasting on behalf
of Checkers. Jenny is one of South Africa’s
most famous food personalities and her
humour and knowledge can only contribute to
this year’s Festival vibe. |
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And are we in for some
style, or what!
On the Saturday and Sunday
mornings a Cap Classique Finger Breakfast is taking place,
complemented by a fashion extravaganza by
the Elizabeth Galloway Fashion Academy of
Design in Stellenbosch.
This glamorous event
will take place in the Festival Café, one of
this year’s new venues. The Festival Café is
the Japie Krige Hall set just behind the
main Festival venue and is ideal for hosting
an event of this nature.
Tickets are R150
pp, includes a festival entry, and are
available from Computicket. |
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The Festival Café will also host legendary
French chanson Daniele Pascal in her show
C’est si Bon.
In this 55-minute repertoire
she performs all the old favourites and
highlights from her entertainment career in
South Africa- Songs made famous by Jacques Brel, Eartha Kitt, Cole Porter, Leonard
Cohen, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Aznavour
and many more old French café songs made
popular in the 1920’s-1940’s.
The show will
take place on 3 August at 21:15 and on 4
August at 19:15. Tickets are R120 per person
and available by telephoning (021) 855-4750. |
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Experience food and wine pairing like
nowhere else, by attending one of our
Exclusive Dinners, for one night only! I
have approached a few farms who do not have
restaurants, and they have agreed to host
intimate dinners with their winemakers, and
a few guests. Participating wineries include
:
- Bilton Wines, Monday 30 July
- Webersburg, Tuesday 31 July
- Jordan Wines, Wednesday 1 August
- Overgaauw, Thursday 2 August
- Waterford, Friday 3 August
- Ernie Els Wines, Friday 3 August
- Simonsig, Saturday 4 August
R400 pp includes dinner, wine and soft
drinks. See individual listings on the wine
week programme for contact details.
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Wine Magazine
will once again be joining us with their
Wine Magazine Tasting Theatre. Here the
wine-lover can attend informative workshops
on various topics. At this stage these
include: “Cool Climate vs Warm
Climate”, ”Reviews of the Terrific 1998
Vintage”, “Will the real Stellenbosch Shiraz
Stand Up!” and many more. |
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Up-country wine-lovers - and we know how
many of you there are – note that many
enticing Wine Festival Travel Packages
to Stellenbosch for the duration of the
Festival have been made available through
American Express and SAA, the sponsors of
the Stellenbosch American Express® Wine
Routes. For more details and bookings, call
011 790 0302, or visit
www.americanexpresstravel.co.za. |
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For more detailed information, please visit
our website –
www.wineroute.co.za. Start
planning you weekend in Stellenbosch, and
expect another update in two weeks time!
Breath it. Taste it. But most of all, live
it!
Annareth Jacobs
CEO Stellenbosch American Express®
Wine Routes
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