The winelands and its tourism offering are now a click away with the newly launched wine tourism portal, www.visitwinelands.co.za, inspiring visitors to discover and explore the best South Africa has to offer in wine tourism. This one-stop searchable wine tourism gateway to the winelands forms part of a new national wine tourism strategy and marketing initiative and is a key project of the Wine Industry Strategic...

June 16, Youth Day, marks a significant moment in South Africa’s socio-political history. Yet Youth Day 2017 is set to become significant in other ways, as the local wine industry celebrates the first ever release of Vermentino with a landmark auction, held digitally and in real time, in aid of youth development. The inaugural auction will make available a limited edition of only 1500 litres of Vermentino. These ...

There is no better cure for the winter blues than enjoying great South African red wines. And if you want to try one of the country’s best Cape Bordeaux blends, look no further than the Longridge Ekliptika. This week, this sublime red blend from cellar master Jasper Raats scored 91 points in the 2017 Cape Bordeaux Red Blend Report, which placed it amongst the top scoring wines in this category. Key findings in...

It is time for marketers to take some time out to regroup, rethink, learn and network at the annual Marketing Indaba in Cape Town and Johannesburg. In an increasingly connected marketplace and a world of “sameness”, marketing professionals strive harder than ever to stand out and produce better results. To achieve this, marketers need to stay at the forefront of market trends, branding and the integrated com...

When the celebrated restaurant at Gabriëlskloof Estate, situated outside Bot River, launched its winter Sharing Sundays last year, it unleashed a sensation. This year in addition to exciting changes, the darling menu format of gastronomes-in-the-know returns, now in a truly French tradition. Sharing Sundays is about shareable cuisine in the nostalgic tone of a traditional family feast. Embracing his inner Fra...

The Galileo Open Air Cinema returns to the picture perfect Anthonij Rupert Wyne estate on 1 April for a special screening of the box office hit Life of Pi. The estate, situated in the Franschhoek Wine Valley, has been chosen as one of this year’s premier venues for movie enthusiasts to enjoy the big screen classics under a starlit sky. Directed by the highly acclaimed Ang Lee, Life of Pi is a miraculous achieveme...

The board of Franschhoek Wine Valley are pleased to announce that Reinher Behrens has been appointed as the CEO of The Franschhoek Wine Valley Tourism Authority NPC (FWV), which came into effect on 1 February 2017. Reinher has spent much of his working career in senior leadership positions at TBWA Hunt Lascaris, as CEO at Leo Burnett SA Group/Africa Network and McCann Worldwide Group SA, and recently as Acting Dir...

Escape the hustle and bustle of the city for a wholesome family friendly festival at the Cluver Family Harvest Day, which takes place on Saturday, 1 April (11am to 4pm).   The venue is the picturesque family-owned Paul Cluver Wines, which is set in the heart of the tranquil Elgin Wine Valley. The valley is well known for its cool climate wines and fruit. Less than an hour’s drive from Cape Town this promises to ...

The Eleanor Chardonnay, which forms part of Hartenberg Wine Estate’s range of Super Premium wines, pays tribute to the matriarch of the Finalyson family who, with her husband Maurice, owned the farm (then known as Montagne) from 1948 to 1977. A strong and resolute woman, yet always sophisticated and poised, the Chardonnay is her perfect partner in wine. Previous vintages of the Eleanor Chardonnay have received no...

The 2017 harvest has started in all earnest at Steenberg Vineyards with the promise of great things to come from new hatchlings in the cellar. In addition to welcoming their first Cape Winemakers Guild protégé, Mahalia Kotjane, the Steenberg winemaking team is super “eggsited” about another cellar newbie – Ernie – their very first egg-shaped concrete fermentation tank. Kotjane who enrolled in the Cap...

NEW MAGAZINE THE VEGAN LIFE LAUNCHES 30 JANUARY 2017! The Vegan LIFE (Ethical Eating For Plant-nourished People) is the new Vegan magazine launched by Media24. This 84-page glossy fills a unique gap in the market focusing on the vegan lifestyle. Veganism, a vegetarian diet that also excludes eggs, dairy and any other animal-derived products, is on the rise, with growing numbers of people becoming conscious abo...

BOUCHARD FINLAYSON RELEASES ‘PETER’S PICKS’ - OLDER VINTAGES FROM LIBRARY STOCK - Bouchard Finlayson has released a collection of handpicked older vintages that are now available for sale at the cellar door of the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley winery outside Hermanus. Known as winemaker and cellarmaster Peter Finlayson’s personal ‘Peter’s Picks’, it comprises vintage gems from library stock. These include...

For an unforgettable evening under balmy African skies, join the Longridge Langtafel on Wednesday, 22 February for an extraordinary dining experience. The elegant table will be set in the lush, organic gardens of Longridge wine estate and is the culmination of the farm’s 175th anniversary festivities, while also celebrating the current harvest season. Experience the magic and romance of dining by candle light un...

Stellenbosch Street Soirees back in full swing City of Oaks’ popular bi-monthly street parties a summer hit Warmer weather and longer days echo the return of the ever-popular Stellenbosch Street Soirees - bi-monthly street parties bringing together wine farms, restaurants, locals and visitors in the vibrant streets of the City of Oaks. The Stellenbosch Street Soirees will take place every second and last w...

Three Boplaas stars in Hall of Fame Three Boplaas Ports were included in SA Hall of Fame. The Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve, Boplaas Cape Vintage and Boplaas Cape Tawny all made it into the Top 10 SA Hall of Fame. The Boplaas Ports have a fantastic record and won the SA Champion Port trophy (SAJWS) 9 times and won 15 Platter 5 stars, 22 Veritas Double gold medals and several Grand d Or at Michelangelo. Boplaas...

Toast your Valentine in style at Constantia Glen Constantia Glen – Tuesday, 14 February 2017 Woo your beloved this Valentine’s Day with a Brut Rosé MCC French Breakfast or Antipasto sharing platter at the picture perfect Constantia Glen. Framed by outstretched vineyards and majestic mountain views, this tranquil setting is the ideal backdrop for a day of romance. Turn on the charm with a glass of Rosemar...

GREAT WINE CAPITALS GLOBAL NETWORK ANNOUNCES THE WINNERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL ‘BEST OF WINE TOURISM’ AWARDS   ‘EXPERIENCES’ ARE THE KEY TO WINE TOURISM SUCCESS STORIES   (Bordeaux, France – November 10, 2016)     On November 10th, Porto’s Sao Bento da Vitoria Monastery was the scene of the 2017 international ‘Best Of Wine Tourism’ awards ceremony sponsored by the Great Wine Capitals Global N...

Stellenbosch, South Africa – Lanzerac Wine Estate is pleased to announce the appointment of Barend Barnard to the position of General Manager in its Wine Division as of 1 November 2016. “This appointment is a logical progression as Lanzerac develops its long-term programme, which will be now managed by Barend Barnard”, says current General Manager, Boets Nel, who has managed the Lanzerac wine division the pa...

Fairview wines released a brand new Rosé wine, The Rose Quartz 2016! A perfect summer refreshment. With a name as enticing as its delicate rose petal hue, Fairview is proud to introduce a more serious style of rosé wine, the Fairview RoseQuartz 2016. South Africa’s vineyard landscape is striking, characterised by very old geological formations, such as Africa’s single biggest granite rock. Formed from anc...

Gold! Gold! Gold! Double Gold! Boplaas shines at Veritas Boplaas Family Vineyards, in the Klein Karoo hamlet of Calitzdorp, outshone many participants at the 26th annual Veritas wine awards this past weekend, amassing three gold medals as well as a double gold medal. This impressive result is testament to Boplaas’ ranking as one of the Cape’s finest producers. The Veritas Awards is South Africa’s longes...