Tag Archives: Jorgensen’s Distillery

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 3 July

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   London’s first underground farm Growing Underground has been created in a disused bunker from World War II, below the Northern Line  at Clapham, reports The Daily Telegraph. The Farm will soon supply herbs to London restaurants, all grown without any impact on the environment.

*   More capacity has been added to flights traveling to Cape Town in Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 24 November

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   The Washington Post has visited, and was so impressed with the Van Ryn’s Distillery outside Stellenbosch, and the taste of brandy, that the writer recommends that tourists should go for our brandy instead of our wines!  The writer visited Jorgensen’s Distillery Upland Organic Estate, both in Wellington, as well as Tokara.

*   The 2014 BestCities Client Workshop will be held in Cape Town from 8 – 10 December, hosted by the Cape Town & Western Cape Convention Bureau.  Delegates representing 22 international associations across a diversity of disciplines such as pharmaceutical, medical, science, academia, and technology will meet.  Cape Town and its conference facilities will also be showcased to the delegates.

*   The City of Cape Town is awaiting input from the public to its draft Coastal Management Programme, with a deadline Continue reading →

Fine Brandy Fusion: an evening of fine flavours, Bisquit takes the cake!

Fine Brandy Fusion This Is Brandy Whale Cottage PortfolioOn Thursday evening my friend Bettie Coetzee-Lambrecht and I attended Fine Brandy Fusion at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, having been invited by Manley Communications.   Fine Brandy Fusion is a fine showcase for the local brandy industry, the Bisquit cognac with South African links being our highlight.

At the registration desk we received a goody bag, and a booklet of coupons, to allow us to taste brandy cocktails and taste some of the 50 fine brandies neat.  Immediately on entering we passed a smallish restaurant, catered by the Convention Centre kitchen.  The food quality of the Convention Centre has been poor at every exhibition attended in the past, but picked up when its new Chef Warwick Thomas arrived a year ago, reaching a new low at World Travel Market Africa last month.  I was immediately sceptical, but the food options which were displayed in a refrigerated unit looked better (just from the plating) than I have ever seen there before.   We received two food couponsFine Brandy Fusion Food Whale Cottage Portfolio each, which Bettie used for linefish and I ordered tasty calamari rings, Bettie saying that it would be important to line our tummies for the brandy tasting to come.  We both ordered a cheese platter as well.  The service was excellent and professional, and the prices very reasonable at about R50 each.  We felt severely under-dressed when a fashionista wearing fur and her partner shared our table! Continue reading →

Cape Town Art Fair Sweet and SA Vodka Festival Sour Service Awards!

Cape Town Art Fair Colourful painting 1 Whale Cottage PortfolioThe Sweet Service Award goes to the Cape Town Art Fair and its impressive inaugural mega multi-gallery art exhibition at The Lookout in the V&A Waterfront last weekend, with hundreds of artworks, about 40 galleries, and more than a hundred artists’ works on show.  The excellent food by four chefs, offered by Culinary Art by Opulent Living, the Graham Beck MCCs, and excellent organisation impressed.

SA Vodka Festival 1002958_653207881360110_1228639401_nThe Sour Service Award goes to the SA Vodka Festival, an inaugural vodka tasting festival which was organised by Monyetla Communications and Events, based in Johannesburg and ‘…a young vibrant and fast growing 100% black owned event management‘ company, says its Facebook page with 31 likes! The Festival was cancelled at short notice on Continue reading →