Cape Weekly Digest | Friday,12th March, 2021
Our curated roundup of local news & events for wine tourism
Hello,
Welcome to the second week of March, where we celebrate the weather cooling off. Harvest season is winding down in the warmer parts of the country, but in the cooler regions it’s just starting. Farmers are getting stuck into bringing in some of the best fruit they have seen in a while. Despite it being a hard year for us humans, the conditions for grapes turned out to be just perfect.
I was invited to the Bosman Family Vineyards in Wellington and it was such a great holistic experience. The Bosman Family are an 8th generation family owned business with an eye for “doing everything better”. They not only make ethically produced premium wines but are also building a sustainable legacy for future generations. Their cellar is lead by some incredible women, Corlea Fourie and Natasha Williams, who work together with the Bosman Family (and I mean the entire family) to produce vines and wines on both the Hemel en Aarde and Wellington properties.
You can see some of the highlights of my trip out to Wellington in our Instagram feed, so feel free to follow and like what you see there.
- Shirley
Cape News Roundup
A tribute to Cape Town - The Mother City, a place where history and culture blend as seamlessly as our two oceans. Having been locked away for so many months, it’s as if we’ve been given a second chance at experiencing our city for the first time. Read More…
A look into the crystal wine glass - Quoin Rock’s award-winning winemaker, Schalk Opperman, takes a look in his crystal wine glass to share his predictions for the upcoming year. With the uncertainty that 2020 has unleashed on the South African wine industry, accurately predicting the next wine craze is no easy task. Read More…
‘Drinking out of the box’: Box wines shatter wine bottle dominance - A new report by the SA Wine Industry shows that box wines had outsold bottled wines in 2020 for the first time. Meanwhile, canned wine is also becoming increasingly popular among wine lovers. Read More…
A year of Covid-19 in SA: This is why alcohol was banned - Durban - Professor Salim Abdool Karim believes that while there might not have been a need to ban the sale of cigarettes during earlier stages of the lock-down, there was definitely a need to ban alcohol due to the added pressure it placed on the country’s health system. Read More…
Cape Brandy vs French Cognac: The choice is yours - Brandy, Cape Brandy, French Cognac… If you are confused about the scope and definition of “brandy” you are definitely not alone. Brandy can be very confusing even when you’re stone cold sober. Read More…
International News Roundup
Lindeman's goes carbon neutral in Europe - The Lindeman’s wine brand is set to be certified carbon neutral in Europe, thanks to a new partnership between brand-owner Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) and the Carbon Trust. New measures introduced by TWE include moving the European portfolio to lightweight bottles, making its packaging more recyclable and using renewable energy sources. Read More...
Chilean and Argentinian wines with a sense of place - Compared to France, Spain and Italy we know relatively little about the different wine regions of South America, but it’s time we started to explore them properly. Read More…
Why wine lovers should plan a cycling trip along the Clare Valley Riesling Trail in South Australia - South Australia is home to some of the best known wineries in the world, such as Jacobs Creek, Wolf Blass and Penfolds. These are located in the Barossa Valley, the state’s most visited wine region, just outside Adelaide. It’s a few hours north, however, where you’ll find some of the lesser known, smaller boutique wineries, in one of the state’s oldest and loveliest wine regions; the Clare Valley. Read more…
Wine Legend: Screaming Eagle, Cabernet Sauvignon 1997 - In 1986, a successful Napa Valley estate agent, Jean Phillips, acquired a 23ha property on the eastern side of the valley in Oakville. There was a tiny parcel of Cabernet Sauvignon, and André Tchelistcheff was among those who recommended replanting the white-grape vines with Bordeaux varieties. Read More…
Do Mother's Day drinks have to be pink? - My inbox for the past couple of weeks has been full of gift ideas for Mother’s Day and when it comes to wine it’s all about one colour - pink. “Beautiful bubbly for mums that are proseccond to none!” trills one press release. Continuing with an apparently straight face “there’s something to tickle every mums’ fancy.” Read More…
Wine Releases
Mar 8th: South Africa’s First Sauvignon Blanc 2021 Lands from Diemersdal Estate - Just over a month after beginning its 2021 harvest, Diemersdal Estate, from Durbanville, has bottled its first Sauvignon Blanc, the estate’s signature grape variety. The Diemersdal Sauvignon Blanc 2021 hit the market on 5 March, the first Sauvignon Blanc from this year’s Cape vintage to be found on shelf. Read More…
Events
Idiom Italian Harvest Lunch - To celebrate the 2021 harvest at Idiom (and our vines turning 21), we have decided to substitute our festival with a much more intimate Italian Harvest Lunch which will take place on Saturday 13 March. Read More...
Cool things happening in Cape Town this weekend - It’s almost the weekend! Two glorious days free from work means it’s time to play. If you’re looking for something fun to do, fear not. The Mother City is always alive with possibility. Read More...
Where to have brunch in Cape Town - Capetonians are known for enjoying a good day out and about, but no one wants to rise early on the weekend. There are a number of spots that serve a yummy brunch. And the best part? Brunch means it’s perfectly fine to have a mimosa without being frowned at for drinking too early. Read More…
The KAMERS/Makers market is back – at beautiful Blaauwklippen - Crazy times require creative solutions – with the see-sawing school terms, we’ve had to relocate our Cape Town KM market to Blaauwklippen Estate in Stellenbosch. However, we’re sure you’ll agree it’s hardly a poor choice: arguably our most beautiful venue and – NB in these Covid times – plenty of outdoor chilling space! Read More…
Ken Forrester Harvest Stomp - Join Ken Forrester vineyards in celebrating another great harvest! Cost: R450 per adult, includes a welcome Cheninita, the traditional harvest stomp, lunch and Ken Forrester wines all afternoon. R150 per child (under 16) includes a mini-stomp, ice lollies and a lunch box. Tickets available on quicket.co.za or at the tasting lounge.
Community Shout Out & Local Listings
R & S Wine Shop: Fifty Shade of Chenin - Join us to try and find the Chenin that you like to drink. Fee: R200 per person. Date: Thursday, 11 March 2021 Venue: Shop 2, 199 Loop Street, Cape Town Reserve your spot: 021 462 6385 / 082 301 4968 or stanley@robinson-sinclair.co.za
Babylonstoren: Our autumn Seasons Subscription box has just launched. Sign up to receive this beautiful selection of curated treats from the farm. With a firm grounding in the farm’s rich heritage, yet with an eye to innovation, the Babylonstoren Online Shop is a reflection of our contemporary, unhurried farm lifestyle.
Gåte Restaurant: Superb Wine Sets the Stage for a Five-Course Tasting Menu - On the slopes of the majestic Simonsberg Mountains just outside of Stellenbosch, Quoin Rock Wine Estate is a serene sanctuary whose vast vineyard-dotted terrain is a fitting canvas for Gåte, its fine-dining restaurant. Contact details: +27 21 888 4750 or gate@quoinrock.co.za
The Shop Restaurant: A Buzzy Neighbourhood Bistro in Sea Point - In a quiet side street in Sea Point, The Shop has been serving delicious, fuss-free (and seasonally driven) dishes since it opened in 2017. Run by hands-on, energetic and passionate husband-and-wife team, Kyle and Gabi Knight (both qualified chefs who have worked in various countries), the 50-seater restaurant has one simple ethos: locally sourced, sustainable ingredients that produce knockout flavours. Contact details +27 83 782 5240 or info@theshoprestaurant.co.za
Kleine Zalze Restaurant Specials - The days are getting noticeably shorter and the evenings much cooler, signaling the arrival of autumn. It is also the time of harvest at Kleine Zalze when we have most of our white wines safely tucked away in the cellar and the focus shifts to red grapes. Read More…
More from the Local Listings section
For next weeks community updates, please email us your update by the 16th of March for inclusion in our next newsletter.
And Finally The Tweet of The Week…..
On a raised part of the Bosman Family Vineyards farm in Wellington, we were treated to the brand new vintages of the Loose Cannon MCC and South Africa’s first Nero “d’Africa”.
The Wine Tarte is a lifestyle Wine Tourism Directory featuring wine, travel and weddings in Cape Town and surrounding areas. If you would like us to consider your establishment for entry, please free to drop us a line for further information.
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