Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* The price of petrol will increase by R1,60 per litre in the Cape at midnight tomorrow, unfortunately not an April Fool’s joke, driving the price of petrol to R12,46. The higher price reflects the higher oil price, the weaker $/Rand exchange rate, and the increase in the Road Accident Fund levy announced in the 2015/16 Budget last month.
* European beer brands such as Anheuser-Busch InBev SA, SABMiller PLC, Heineken NV, and Carlsberg A/S will be detailing the calories and other nutritional details on their products. Diageo brands Smirnoff and Guinness will soon specify their calorie content. The salt, fat, and carbohydrate content will increasingly be seen on beverage packaging.
* Catharina’s at Steenberg is hosting a 5-course lunch on 30 May, pitting Constantia Sauvignon Blancs against those from Marlborough in New Zealand, both regions home to excellent Sauvignon Blancs. Cost is R650. (received via news letter from Steenberg Farm)
* The City of Cape Town encouraged its residents to switch off their lights on Saturday evening to celebrate Earth Hour with others around the world. Unfortunately it did not switch off street lighting, only switching off the lights in the Civic Centre (should they not be switched off every evening?) and those lighting up Table Mountain (is this still done?). The 2015 theme ‘Use your power to change climate change‘ would have reflected the power the City could have had to save more electricity throughout the city. The City replied to us via Twitter, writing that they don’t switch off lights where the risk of cable-theft exists. This has not stopped the City from switching off street lighting during normal loadshedding! Eskom’s loadshedding became the butt of jokes, in that Eskom was asked to switch off the power for the hour, and that we celebrate Earth Hour every day when we have loadshedding!
* Chef Reuben Riffel, Eat Out editor Abigail Donnelly, and Boschendal winemaker Lizelle Gerber are jointly hosting a Stop Hunger Now South Africa 4-course dinner on Thursday 2 April at Reuben’s at the One&Only Cape Town, each course paired with a Boschendal wine. Cost R995.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Tel (021) 433-2100, Twitter:@WhaleCottage Facebook: click here
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