Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   Greg Lambrecht has created the Coravin device, to draw a glassful of wine from a bottle without removing the cork, thereby preventing oxidisation, and thereby keeping the bottle drinkable for another few months.

*   e-Tourism is on the up, says SafariNow, a local booking portal.  Due to the weak exchange rate, making international travel expensive, more locals are choosing to travel locally, choosing less expensive accommodation options, spending on average R2300 per day. Social Media is vital, the company says, becoming an electronic word-of-mouth, which is driving the choices of travellers.

*   Not one of South Africa’s many steak restaurants have made the e-Turbonews’ world top twelve restaurants for meat eaters.  Their list includes restaurants in Nairobi (The Carnivore is the only African restaurant on the Top 12 list), New York, Chianti in Tuscany, San Diego in California, Bairrada in Portugal, Chicago, Alberta in Canada, Rosemary Beach in Florida, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Lake Tahoe in California.

*   ‘We are desirous of doing business with South Africa‘, says Nigeria’s Minister of Power on receiving a South African trade and investment delegation.  The Minister highlighted how well MTN is doing in his country.

*   Fairview’s Chenin Blanc 2013 was chosen as one of three Wines of the Week in a Montreal publication, selling for under $17.

*   High praise comes from an Indian newspaper for Boekenhoutskloof winemaker Marc Kent’s The Chocolate Block: ‘Winemaker and owner Marc Kent is a ‘rock star’ in the South African wine world – he’d been in India last year and I understand that hotels here can’t get enough of the label’.  South Africa is the fourth largest source of Indian wine imports, and Meerlust, Thelema, and Fairview are known in that country.

*   Kent also receives praise for his Wolftrap 2012, which is one of five wines suggested by a New Jersey publication for drinking at ‘holiday parties’, and costing less than $20.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com  Twitter: @WhaleCottage

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