A surprise announcement yesterday was that Graham Beck Wines will consolidate all the wine interests in its Graham Beck brand portfolio in its Méthode Cap Classique (MCC) range. The Graham Beck MCC focus will be supported by a ‘substantial financial investment‘, its CEO Chris du Toit has announced. Continue reading →
Tag Archives: Graham Beck Wines
Graham Beck Wines celebrates 25 year Silver Jubilee with ‘Bubbles’!
Yesterday 30 or so writers, mostly from Cape Town, dedicated a full 10 hour day to travel to Graham Beck Wines in Robertson, to celebrate its 25 year Silver Jubilee with a vertical tasting of more than 25 Cap Classiques and base wines which go into the making of the Graham Beck range of MCCs. The event was also a salute to Pieter
‘Bubbles’ Ferreira, in having worked at Graham Beck for 25 years already.
Always organised, PR consultant Nicolette Waterford had organised a Le Quartier Français snack pack with water and juice for us for the two-hour bus trip. We arrived to a misty day in Robertson, but the day became sunny and warm. We were welcomed by the Graham Beck staff, and by Pieter with his trademark bubbly shirt in particular, and it felt a lot like Pieter’s ‘birthday’ party (he did recently celebrate a special milestone birthday). Continue reading →
WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 24 – 26 December!
Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* The Bureau of Economic Research Survey for the 4th quarter of this year shows that the expected growth rate in the volume of Accommodation business decreased to 5%, from 9% in the 3rd quarter. On average 11% growth is expected for the first quarter of next year. Disconcerting however is the drop in Business Confidence for the 4th quarter, down from 70 in the 3rd quarter, to 49 for this quarter, in a period which is usually buoyant. Another concern is the first anticipated decline in growth in business in the Western Cape, of -3%, for the first quarter of 2015, the drop from the 3rd quarter growth rate of 20% crashing down to +3% in the 4th quarter! (received from the Bureau of Economic Research)
* Nando’s has set up a wholly-owned subsidiary in India, and plans to open 20 company stores in addition to those to be opened by its franchisees. This is the chicken fast-food company’s second stab at the Indian market.
* Chef Massimo Botturo, owner of the 3rd Best Restaurant in the world (Osteria Francescana in Modena), has denied speculations Continue reading →
Veritas Awards: KWV, Spier, and Nederburg lead the ‘Oscars of the SA wine industry’!
KWV, Spier, and Nederburg are our country’s top three wine estates based on the number of Double Gold and Gold Awards they received at the 2014 Veritas Awards Gala Dinner at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Saturday evening, making up almost half the 51 Double Gold awards. The Veritas Awards are viewed as the ‘Oscars of the South African wine industry‘, with close to 1800 wines entered, a slight decrease on the number of 2013 entries.
KWV was announced as the Best Wine Producer for the fourth year running, and increased its Double Gold awards from four last year to seven this year. KWV also won 2 Double Golds for its Brandy. Spier has greatly enhanced its Veritas performance, with 7 Double Gold awards, compared to only one last year. Nederburg increased its Double Gold tally from four last year to six. Flagstone won Best Performer in the less than 10 wines entered category, and the KWV won in the 11+ wines entered category.
Four wine industry legends Danie de Wet of De Wetshof, Diaan de Villiers, Professor Diko van Zyl (author of historical works on Continue reading →