A sublime day out

Every year, December is welcomed in the most superb fashion – with the Franschhoek Cap Classique and Champagne Festival.This year, I have TWO sets of FOUR tickets to give away. Tickets for Saturday 3 December have already been SOLD OUT, so if you want to indulge in heavenly fizz this weekend, you want to get in on this action.

I am giving away:

One set of 4 tickets for Saturday 3 December, and
One set of 4 tickets for Sunday 4 December.

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Nederburg Estate, Paarl

Are you (like myself) a professional procrastinator? Or did the speed with which 2015 took off leave you reeling and not noticing the days ticking by towards the 14th of February? Is Januworry posthumously eating away at your February budget? Or are you just not that good at the morantic missions associated with the month of luuuuurve? Never fear. You can still save your heart-shaped-candied bacon. Picnics are still THE romantic go-to activities. And Nederburg has an excellent one lined up for tomorrow. (Pssssst…and because they have such huge lawns, they still have space available…if you book now!)

The Red Table at Nederbug is dishing up a fantastic al fresco Valentines dining experience until Sunday the 15th of February. They are lunch only, with one exception on Valentine’s day where evening picnics are a go.

The picnic consists of a generous amount of delicious cheeses, preserves, crackers and bread, two salads (one with butternut, beetroot and feta and the other a spectacularly fresh mango salsa styled salad), a mouth-watering individual quiche and a delectably decadent chocolate brownie which may or may not be laced with love potion, because I definitely fell for the chocolate treat on the spot. I wish I could have paid more attention to the details of each treat but I was too preoccupied with depositing said treats in my mouth.

Each picnic also comes with a bottle of Nederburg Premiére Cuvee Brut, a perfect picnic bubbly: crisp, fresh and delicious.

Picnics are R250 pp (order and pay 24 hours in advance) and you can book on 021 877 5155 or email The Red Table directly. Space is still available thanks to the expansive lawns, but don’t leave booking a moment longer as bookings are filling up fast.

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Vreedsaam

Op pad Franschhoek toe vanoggend het my gedagtes aanhoudend gemaal oor my “to do” list. E-posse om te stuur, vergaderings om te reël, verslae om te skryf. Soos dit klaarblyklik die moderne mens betaam, kon ek my kop nie sover bring om rustig te raak nie, al was ek op pad na ‘n bederfie; ‘n paar uur uit my dag om rustig te raak en iets spesiaals te geniet. Nie lank nadat ek my plek by die restaurant – op die ‘glaskas’ stoep wat uitkyk op ‘n bewolkte, koel Franschhoek dag – ingeneem het nie, het die gedruis in my gedagtes begin verdwyn.

Ek is altyd op soek na ‘n storie. Dit is altyd lekker om iets te skryf oor ‘n aangename ervaring; ‘n ete of ‘n wyn, ‘n uitstappie of ‘n gebeurtenis. Maar dit is altyd beter wanneer daar ‘n storie is. Almal het vandag iets om te sê, maar nie almal het ‘n storie om te vertel nie. Hierdie verskynsel loop natuurlik oor in die wynbedryf. Almal het ‘n brand. Almal het iets om te verkoop (dit is immers baie se brood en botter). Maar wie vertel regtig nog ‘n storie?

Min het ek verwag dat ek by La Motte se Winelands tee ‘n storie sou kry. Tee? Beslis. MCC? Ja, hoekom nie? Watertand lekkernye? Verseker. Maar ‘n storie? Die storie agter die tee ervaring is die eg gasvryheid van die Kapenaars van ouds: altyd ‘n blink, blikpot koffie op die stoof of ‘n teetjie reg om te trek. ‘n Warm verwelkoming vir vriende, familie en vreemdelinge wat oor die kombuisdrumpel trap.

Die tee spyskaart word aangebied saam met ‘n skatkissie vol feite oor die gebruike rondom tradisionele tee en gasvryheid. Van die gebruiklike bediening van konfituur – gepreserveerde konfyt gemaak van heel of groot vrugte stukke – tot Boerejongens en Boeremeisies (appelkose of rosyntjies ingelê in brandewyn). Daar is ook notas oor die verskeie teesoorte: wit, swart, rooi en rypgemaak. En natuurlik, ‘n bietjie meer oor die ‘soet sopie’ wat gebruiklik aan gaste gebied is tydens middagete, namiddag kuiers en aandete.

Die tee ervaring bestaan uit ‘n bordjie met fynproewer lekkernye: ‘n gerookte forel pannekoek bedryf met gebraaide kappertjies en roomkaas, biltong soes (dis die properse Afrikaans vir ‘choux pastry’), ‘n sjokolade truffle, ‘n amandelkoekie (en dis die mooi woord vir ‘n macaron) en jou keuse van wat op die koek spyskaart vir die dag is. My knieë het lam geword vir die rooi fluweel koek.

Die liplek-lekkernye word bedien met of jou keuse van tee (‘n formidabele boks met minstens agt verskeie geure word vir jou gebring om te beloer), koffie of die moderne ekwivalent van ‘n gasvrye drankie: Méthode Cap Classique. Die soet sopie keuses sluit in Amarula, Van der Hum likeur, peperment likeur of La Motte se Straw Wine. Ek het beide die MCC en Straw wines gekies. Die MCC is verfrissend, appelgeure en geroosterde amandels met ‘n prikkelende suur en fyn mousse. Die Straw wine het intense gedroogde sultana geure met n treffende soetsmaak sonder om aan jou keel te kleef en ‘n skimp na geblikte perskes.

Tussen die aanhoudende gejaag van afspraak na afspraak, taak na taak en doel na doel vergeet ons om stil te staan en die wêreld bietjie in te asem. Ons ontneem onsself die kans om af te skakel en die gasvryheid van ander te geniet. Pierneef á La Motte se Winelands tee is ‘n intieme bederfie. Geniet dit saam met vriende of familie, of knyp ‘n uur of twee vir jouself af daarvoor. Ontspan. Haal asem. Bederf jouself.

Die La Motte Winelands tee is Dinsdae tot Sondae beskikbaar vanaf 09:00 – 17:00 teen R145 per persoon. Besprekings is noodsaaklik. Kontak [email protected] vir meer inligting.

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#SecretStellies – The Setting

‘Tis the season and all that, but if you’re like me and you’re struggling to get into the Christmas spirit (but you also desperately don’t want to be a grinch) then I may have just the solution for you. You see, while I love and have always loved the Festive season, I must admit that this being a grown-up gig has taken some of the magic out of the whole thing. Work, deadlines, last minute crises. And let’s not talk about the anxiety of figuring out leave and holiday arrangements. Bah! Humbug! Hardly things that make me want to wrap myself in tinsel and sing Fa-la-la-la-laaaa. So how do we combat The Grinch at this truly lovely time of year? What could we do to dust off the anxiety and “meh-ness” of 2014 and get ready to have some summer fun in the gorgeous winelands? Lucky for you all, I have a secret. It’s called #SecretStellies and it might just put you in the summer festive season mood.

#SecretStellies is a little project dreamt up by Lydia from Beau Joubert. I could write endless posts about the endless talents of this remarkable wine-lover but for now, just take note of her marvellous idea: Secret Stellenbosch. The idea is to showcase the real hidden gems of the area. With nearly 150 wine farms on the official Stellenbosch Wine Route, there is more than enough to see and do to keep any wandering wino busy for months. Visitors are often drawn to the bigger, more well-known farms simply because they’re hard to miss. Of course they also offer quality wines, activities and are well worth a visit. But smaller wineries that may not have the word-of-mouth presence of the more popular ones are often skipped. #SecretStellies aims to uncover these secret treasures of the winelands and give the public a little insight on what they may be missing.

The first #SecretStellies day out was organised with military precision and focused on the Polkadraai Hills area of Stellenbosch. We simply had to make our way to Beau Joubert – the first of three stops – and the rest would be taken care of by The Amazing Lydia.  At BJ we were treated not only to a tasting of their wines and a nice gab about the whole #SecretStellies concept, but we were among the first people ever to taste the very first MCC from Beau Joubert. And let me tell you, it certainly was worth the wait. If you’d like to know more, keep an eye on the Beau Joubert Twitter feed. After sampling their mind-bogglingly fantastic value for money wines (seriously, most of them are R100 or less at cellar door. I highly recommend the Chenin Blanc, the Shiraz and the “Free-run” Merlot Rosé.) we took a leisurely stroll down the road to the neighbouring Bein wines, where they had a special experience waiting for us.

Bein Private Cellar is exactly the type of winery that sits at the heart of the #SecretStellies idea; a small operation run by Luca and Ingrid Bein – Swiss veterinarians who fell in love with South Africa and moved here to study and make wine. Their focus is Merlot and they produce a fantastic selection. Bein also offers an unusual winelands experience: a donkey walk. The donkey walk takes visitors on a walk through the vineyards, up to a lookout point and picnic spot. The donkeys carry delicious picnic fare and when you reach the top, Ingrid and Luca unpack the spread and the wine and a little feast is had, overlooking the magnificent surroundings. A good time was had by all, relaxing under the trees and digesting not only the nibbles but the view. You only have to chat with the Beins for 5 minutes to uncover their love for South Africa and their enthusiasm for wine. A visit to Bein Private cellar and a donkey walk should be on everyone’s summer to-do list.

Once we rolled ourselves back down the hill (after being fed beyond elegant sufficiency with the lovely picnic) we were loaded into and onto a bakkie and whisked off to Saxenburg for a Safari Wine tasting. And no, this is not some metaphoric comparison of the Saxenburg wines with The Big Five. Oh no. The tastings are held in a game camp with zebra, antelope and other wild game trotting about around you. No rhinos, elephants or wild cats of course, but if you sit back and stare into the veld, it’s difficult to imagine you’re in the winelands and not at a luxury game lodge.

We indulged in a tasting of Saxenburg’s finest, including their truly fantastic MCC (at R180 a bottle it really is a brilliant buy – unfortunately the label design does let it down immensely as it does not visually present itself as a near-R200 bottle of bubbles, but DO give it a try if you encounter it at your local. It gives the other bubbles in that price class a real run for their money!). Saxenburg has a great selection of wines, from a creamy Chardonnay to a supremely elegant Cabernet Sauvignon which on their own make the estate worth a visit.

And with the view of zebras in the distance (and the kerfuffle of finding of an ostrich egg next to the camp), our #SecretStellies day ended. I’ve always known that Stellenbosch – in fact, all the winelands areas – are a heady mix of the historic, the well-known, the crowd-pleasers, the small and obscure. The #SecretStellies adventure reminded me that the hidden gems must be discovered and talked about. A little exposure will hardly turn them into commercial punters but rather serve to share the secrets they hold with the world. And when that happens, everybody wins.

So if you’re short on some summer Christmas cheer, I recommend a visit to one of these secret spots. It might be just what the doctor Santa ordered . Ho, ho, ho!

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A Particularly Gorgeous Meme Example

I have a soft spot for memes.  I love them. They tickle my funny bone in the best way and they are EVERYWHERE.  Condescending Wonka, Bad Luck Brian, Skeptical Baby, Grumpy Cat… the list is endless. If you’re not sure what I’m on about, do click over to the Memesly.com list of popular memes. But be warned, you may lose hours of productivity…

With the rise of meme hilarity on the internet, people have (as one does on the internet) started making their own memes. Meme generators are everywhere, where you can choose or insert an image and add a caption. Knowing this, I did a little giveaway on the SuperFANS mailing list. We were generously given 5 more double sets of tickets to pass on to deserving SuperFANS (in addition to our previous Magic of Bubbles giveaway). And the winners were chosen through trial by meme!

Here are a few of the best entries I received. A fantastic exercise in MCC driven creativity.

First up was a classic Doge meme:

Then a spectacular cat gif, which really clinched the tickets for the entrant:

A touch of Gatsby never hurt anyone:

And a bit of wrestling action, underlining the important difference between Champagne and our local offerings:

Batman educating Robin on that selfsame difference:

And finally, Ned Stark pointing out important MCC drinking etiquette:

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Magic of Bubbles

Summer is upon us, dearest winos and readers, and few things are as summery and refreshing as the Magic of Bubbles. Whether your taste is expensive and French or divine and local, we are heading into bubbly season. And there’s no better place to get your fizzy on than at the Franschhoek Cap Classique and Champagne Festival.  The festival takes place on the lawns around the Huguenot Monument on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 November. Read on, because I have two double tickets to give away…

The festival promises to be nirvana for those who seek the pleasure of bubbles. Not only will classic French Champagne – the likes of Piper Heidsieck, Champagne Guy Charbaut and Veuve Clicquot – be represented, but also some of the best MCC South Africa has to offer: Pierre Jourdan, Morena, Môreson, La Motte, Boschendal, Leopard’s Leap, Noble Hill, Plaisir de Merle, Anthonij Rupert Wines, Graham Beck Wines, Krone, Pongracz, Simonsig, Steenberg and Villiera. A veritable who’s who of the precious liquid.

Some of Franschhoek’s star restaurants will also be there to ensure festival goers are well fed with delicious menus. Bread & Wine, The Salmon Bar, Haute Cabrière, Le Franschhoek, L’Ermitage, Restaurant at Grand Provence and Mont Rochelle are only a few of those who will be fuelling the hungry Champagne-seekers.

The theme of this year’s festival is Black & White, with the focus on parasols and panama hats. There is even a ‘Best Dressed’ competition, with the best dressed couples on Friday and Saturday walking away with a 2-night safari at Ngala Safari Lodge.

Is your mouth watering yet? Are you thirsty for some luxurious treats? Tickets are R200 pp and are available through Webtickets. But how about you try your luck instead? The fabulous folks from MasterCard and the festival have given me TWO DOUBLE TICKETS to give away for entry to the festival on SUNDAY 30 NOVEMBER. To enter, you need to:

1. Comment on this post and describe to us why you love the precious, fizzy liquid this festival is all about. Be creative, put your heart into it and make me feel the love. Best entry wines.
2. Share this post on Twitter and/or Facebook. You can share the link in your own tweet, or copy and paste the one below:

The Magic of Bubbles awaits! Enter to win double tickets to the #FHKBubby festival http://bit.ly/1xd3SQD

Competition closes Friday 14 November, winners will be chosen and notified via email/Twitter. Please note, tickets will not be transferrable for the Saturday, so ensure you are available the Sunday.

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