Winter in the Boland means that most things slow down – the vines are sleeping, winemakers are away on hunting trips, we see less tourists on our streets, and most of us only come out on sunny days!

Benjamin Franklin’s quote reminds me of these slower, colder months : “Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance.” It is the perfect time for full-bodied red wines, hearty meals and quality time spent with loved ones. Make sure to have a look at all our winter events and promotions on www.wineroute.co.za/winter-activities.asp

For more information, and a full festival programme, contact the Stellenbosch Wine Festival on 021 886 4310 or visit www.wineroute.co.za.

International guest speakers, Armin Göring and Robin Shaw will be amongst the esteemed line-up of speakers at this year’s annual South African Wine and Tourism Industry Conference. Taking place at the Vineyard Hotel on 21 & 22 July, the key focus will be information sharing, in particular the learning’s derived from the German wine industry during the 2006 FIFA World cup.

Retired Director of the German Wine Institute, Armin Göring, was approached for his contribution to the success of the wine industry at the time of the 2006 FIFA world cup. Strategies for success will be shared along with key learning’s taken from the experience. He will focus on his experience in dealing with FIFA, the benefits to the German wine industry, wine tourism opportunities and challenges as well as looking at long term benefits to the industry in general.

Robin Shaw, Director Tourism & Business Services: Winemakers’ Federation of Australia, will provide an overview of Australia’s wine tourism strategy and share her experiences from this perspective. A fertile forum for ideas exchange, the programme has one central goal: the improvement of hospitality within South Africa’s wine tourism industry. Local guest speakers include Alan Pick, founder and proprietor of the internationally renowned Butcher Shop & Grill; Bonita Malherbe, former CEO Robertson Wine Valley ; Itumeleng Pooe, Executive Manager at Cape Town Routes Unlimited; Jonathan Cherry, founder of Cherryflava, an innovative marketing production company; Ken Forrester, Ken Forrester Wines and Rob Stokes, Managing Director: Quirk E-marketing, amongst others. This conference is open to all involved in the wine tourism industry, particularly groups such as winery owners and managers, wine route managers, tour operators, destination marketing professionals, marketing and PR professionals, hoteliers, restaurateurs, and hospitality professionals.

For further information, visit www.winetourismconf2009.co.za or contact Zelda Coetzee-Ingram on 021 762 1442 or 084 657 5476.

Three promising winemakers have been selected as the recipients of this year’s Patrick Grubb Bursary, bringing to 18 the number of successful young winemakers to have benefited since its inception in 1998.

“We were very impressed with the high calibre of candidates this year, which really made the selection process so much harder. We look for cellar experience, level of knowledge and an understanding of the industry, and the three candidates we chose this year definitely met this criteria.” said Bennie Howard, a consultant to the auction.

The bursary is a joint initiative between the Nederburg Auction and Patrick Grubb, an auctioneer at the event for 31 consecutive years and member of the British Institute of Masters of Wine. It enables individuals from previously disadvantaged communities, working in the wine industry, to gain international experience and this year, successful candidates Nico Fischer of Simonsig, Andrew Williams of Steenberg and M’Daan Pieterse of Overgaauw will be given the opportunity to complete their tenures in the vineyards of some of the world’s finest wine regions.

  
 
Nico Fischer                                                       M'daan Pieterse

Says Nico of his selection: “I am honoured to have the opportunity to observe the difference between winemaking in South Africa and winemaking abroad. I would like to gain experience and come back to South Africa with more knowledge and a greater future.” Fellow winner, M’daan Pieterse, was equally delighted by the announcement. “It was such an unexpected surprise when I heard the wonderful news that I was one of the chosen three for the Patrick Grubb Bursary winemaking-working trip to France. Cabernet Sauvignon is my favourite varietal and it will be so amazing to work with this varietal in a cellar in the country of its birth. I am looking forward to the experience and to learning more so that I will be even better equipped to assist David, the cellar master, in the Overgaauw cellar. I do not actually know how to thank the Patrick Grubb Bursary for this once in a lifetime experience,” he said.

Well done to Nico and M’daan from Stellenbosch – you make us proud!

The Helderberg Wine Route has come up with a great idea to offer recession-proof deals with their Indulgence Festival. The festival offers wine and meal deals at restaurants in the Waterstone Village Centre, with specially chosen dishes, matched with Helderberg wines from top wineries on offer in the following restaurants: Café Dulce, John Dory’s, The Spur and Giovanni’s. Restaurants each offer up to 6 dishes with a matching glass of wine at very reasonable prices. A few examples of dishes on offer at these restaurants are:

Giovanni’s - Mike’s Special, which consists of Out of Shell Prawns & Calamari done in a mixed butter and herb sauce with a hint of chilli. This meal is complemented with a matching glass of Longridge Chardonnay 2007. This package deal will only cost R100! Indigo Spur – Eisbein and choice of French Fries or 2 Vegetables plus a glass of Alto Rouge 2006 for R97.90 Jon Dory’s – Calamari Platter with a delicious combo of Fried and Grilled Calamari, Squidheads and Calamari Steak, served with rice and chips plus lemon butter, garlic butter and tartare sauce. This meal will be matched with a glass of Ken Forrester Petit Chenin 2008. The price for this meal, including the glass of wine, is R80. Dulcè – Vegetarian Stack – Grilled Aubergine slices layered with basil pesto, fresh tomato and Feta, topped with melted Mozzarella cheese, served with a Greek side salad. This meal is matched with a glass of Uva Mira Sauvignon Blanc 2008 and total costs for this deal is R70.

These dishes with matching wines, and many more, will be available for the entire month of July at Waterstone Village Restaurants. The month-long celebration kicks off with an informal wine tasting show on Thursday, 2 July from 17h00-21h00 in the centre mall, where 15 wineries from the region will offer their wines and other delicacies like olives and cheese and for tasting. Participating wineries are: Alto, Avontuur Estate, Uva Mira, Vergenoegd, Bilton, Eikendal, Hidden Valley, Longridge, Lourensford, Ken Forrester Vineyards, Mount Rozier, Onderkloof, Somerbosch, Waterkloof and Yonder Hill.

For a reasonable R30 pp, visitors get a beautiful Waterstone Village branded glass and the chance to taste approximately 100 of the finest wines from the region. During and after the show, relax in one of the restaurants in the centre and indulge in a warming meal before heading home. Tickets are available on the evening at a welcome table in the centre or from Café Dulce’s from 22 June.

For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact Bjorn van Oort at bjorn@cvomarketing.co.za.