WhaleTales Blog

As writers we are invited to many events. I have attended the FNB Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 Awards over a number of years, but none have been as much fun as the one I attended at The Franschhoek Cellar on Thursday!  (more…)

Yesterday Ben Goble, Llewellyn Lambert, and I tried the new Christmas Tasting Menu at Benguela on Main in Somerset West, at the invitation of Chef Jean Delport. I was impressed with the creativity which Chef Jean has become renowned for, and how he put Christmas on the plate with his Chef’s Christmas Tasting Menu. The seven course Tasting Menu had two added courses and costs R720 per person, and R1050 with the wine pairings. It runs until 24 December.

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I love seeing how restaurants can reinvent themselves, and often a new chef can be the catalyst. Chef Archie Maclean has been at Catharina’s for about four months, and has gone back to the history and origin of Steenberg wine estate and its first owner Catharina Ras for inspiration for his creative new menu. (more…)

The Ledbury is London’s top restaurant, and was ranked 14th on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in June. It also boasts two Michelin stars.   (more…)

How exciting to experience a restaurant, on its fourth (followed by its 6th and 8th!) day of opening, and enjoy the meal, the service, and the experience! Villa 47 is an exciting three-story Italian food emporium, (more…)

The SA Sommelier Association took in its first students yesterday, for its first locally-developed Foundational Sommellerie course. The course has been developed for aspirant and young sommeliers, (more…)

Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   Mrs Liz McGrath, owner of The Collection by Liz McGrath, which includes The Cellars-Hohenhort,  The Marine, and The Plettenberg, with The Lord Milner in Matjiesfontein recently taken over by her too, passed away this weekend.

*   James Laube, writing for Wine Spectator, generically describes South African wines as aiming for longevity, of up to 40 years.  Cape Point Vineyards winemaker Duncan Savage told him: ‘South African winemakers say they feel as if they’re in a state of limbo. “It’s as if we’re in the New World of the Old World, or part of the Old World in the New World’.  He expressed his personal dislike of our country’s ‘low pH, high-acidity wines’.

*   Cape Town already has a street named after former President FW de Klerk, in Wesbank it has been discovered, (more…)

I have not been to Nitida wine estate in Durbanville in a long time, nor to its Cassia restaurant.  As the FNB Top 10 Sauvignon Blanc awards were held at the wine estate, it was a good opportunity to revisit, and to experience the new function venue, which comfortably seated 120 guests for lunch yesterday.

Invited guests included two representatives each of the FNB Sauvignon Blanc Top 20 shortlist, writers, and FNB staff as well as their clients.  Prior to the lunch, each of the 20 Sauvignon Blanc producers manned a tasting table, and provided information, making it a good opportunity to rub shoulders with other guests.   (more…)

Yesterday’s 30th Winemakers Guild Auction held at Spier set a new record, reaching close to R12 million in sales, compared to R8,4 million in 2013. Three wines reached record prices of R8600 per case of six. The average price per bottle was R702. A silent auction raised more than R200000 for the Guild’s Protégé mentorship programme.

The Tsogo Sun hotel group outbid the 177 other registered buyers, buying wines to the value of R2,5 million, followed by Alan Pick of the Butcher Shop and Grill at R1,9 million, Singita at R469000, Tedeum Vin Denmark at R450000, and Restaurant Mosaic at R330000.  The bulk of the buyers were local, despite the favourable exchange rate.

 The top three red wines in terms of price, achieving a record price of R8600 each for a case of six bottles, were Boekenhoutskloof Syrah Auction Reserve 2012, Kanonkop CWG Paul Sauer 2011, and Etienne le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Auction Reserve 2004.  The top white wine (more…)

Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*  Robert Redford has been spotted in Cape Town and Franschhoek, and visited Cape Point Vineyards twice in three days earlier this week, writing in their Guest Book: ‘A calm elegance with good food and good wine and no hangover’.  He visited the Appelbaums at De Morgenzon today.

*   In a poorly written article, with words omitted and typing errors in the headline, News24 has reported that new Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom has appointed Zwelibanzi Mntambo as the new Chairman of SA Tourism, after the sudden resignation of former Chairman Frank Kilbourn.  There is no indication in the article as to the Tourism link of Mr Mntambo.  A Google search shows that no person by this name has business interests in Tourism, but that he was appointed by former Minister of Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk as Deputy Chairman of SA Tourism two years ago!

*   Jordan has won the first Novare Trophy for Top Terroir Producer, out of 276 wines entered, in addition to winning three national awards for its Chenin Blanc 2013, Sauvignon Blanc 2013, and Chameleon 2013, as well as a Top 5 Estate Wine category (more…)