Tag Archives: Barossa Valley

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 29 September

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   ‘The Bachelor’ Australia is featuring Cape Town (with Table Mountain), the Winelands, and Pilanesberg Game Reserve in the last two episodes of the dating series, in which bachelor Blake Garvey shows the final three dates the beauty of the Cape.  The series has been produced by Channel Ten in Australia, in conjunction with the Australia country office of SA Tourism.  The publicity shot appears to have been taken at Delaire Graff.  Three complete series of ‘Der Bachelor‘ Germany have been shot in Camps Bay in the past three years.

*   A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Brazil and South Africa last week, to enhance the tourism relationship between the two countries.  Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom visited Sao Paulo to attend the opening of the new SA Tourism office in that city, and to visit the ABAV Travel Tradeshow.  Brazil is the last of the BRICS countries with which South Africa has signed such a Memorandum of Understanding.  Last year tourism from South Africa grew by 8%, and from Brazil close to 6%.

*   South African winemakers are getting younger, writes Wall Street Journal‘s Will Lyons, agreeing with UK wine writer Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 7/8 June

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   Franschhoek Wine Valley has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Barossa Valley, having similar wine tourism goals and characteristics.  Both wine regions have excellent wines, top restaurants, and good accommodation.  Tourism and wine industry expertise will be shared between the regions, and programs planned include exchanges for chefs, winemakers, sommeliers, and cellar assistants.  Experience of festivals, customer service benchmarking, sustainable wine-making, and wine tourism practices will be shared. (received via media release from Smart Communications & Events)

*   A hard-hitting video from USA asks ‘How much has really changed on South Africa’s wine farms?‘ since the protests in De Doorns two years ago, critical not only of some farm owners but also of the government.

*   The FIFA World Cup, which kicks off next week, will generate $4 billion for the soccer federation, 66% up from the revenue it earned from the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.

*   Noble Hill wine estate on the outskirts of Franschhoek has brought the Japanese Hitachino Nest beer range to our country, Continue reading →

The Peninsula Wine&Dine evenings good value, perfect pairing with Nederburg wines!

Nederburg Mastering Wine Whale Cottage PortfolioWe received an invitation via the The Peninsula All Suite Hotel PR company Communication Services Africa (CSA) to try out their monthly Wine&Dine evening, which they had paired with Nederburg.  It reflected the diversity of the food offered at the hotel’s Sunset Restaurant, paired with the diverse range of Nederburg wines.

We were welcomed with a glass of Nederburg Brut, which we serve as the welcome drink at our Whale Cottage guest houses in summer.  We sat in the lounge area, and met the other guests sitting at our table, including the very bubbly hotel GM Chris Godenir, later joined by his wife Alison, Megan Drury of CSA and her partnerPeninsula Hotel Chris Godenir Whale Cottage Portfolio Kris Erasmus, and Xandre Redelinghuys from Food24.  Chris  is a cheeky character, with many jokes up his sleeve, and has run the hotel for 12 years.  Kris is a financial services consultant by day, and a The Journey counselor privately.  With this combination of guests at our table, the discussion became very lively but also spiritual, including past lives, quite unexpected.

Wim Truter is the white wine maker at Nederburg, reporting to Cellar Master Razvan Macici, and was a good speaker in representing his brand. In introducing Wim, Hotel Chris Wim Truter wine.co.zasaid that Nederburg had been a faithful on restaurant winelists in the past, but had lost this standing. Nederburg is now focusing on getting back to where it once was on winelists, and must be hoping that its sponsorship of MasterChef SA will help.  Wim worked in Australia’s Barossa Valley and the Californian Napa valley before he joined Nederburg. He said that Nederburg is a big brand made with passion, with a tradition in winemaking which goes back to 1791. They are showcasing the focus, attention to detail, and innovation in their winemaking.  The Winemaster’s Reserve is their core range. Continue reading →