Tag Archives: London Wine Fair

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 21 May

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   Daniel ‘Harry Potter’ Radcliffe was spotted climbing Table Mountain yesterday.  He is in Cape Town for the filming of ‘Game Changer’.

*   Lion’s Head is closed to hikers, due to a rockfall, but Table Mountain National Park is hoping to re-open it in time for the weekend.

*   Cape Vintner Classification will be launched officially at the London Wine Fair this week, to counter the image of our country’s wines as ‘cheap and cheerful‘.  The Classification will represent the 80% of brands that make up 10% of our wine export volume, and will market quality local Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 8 May

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   Comair is taking SAA to court for its bailouts received from the government, challenging the constitutionality of such payments, and calling for an equal playing field with ‘equal competition rules’ for all airlines.

*   South Africa ‘generally made really bad wine‘ for a long time, writes Warren Johnston from Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 13 June

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   Food and ‘foodball‘ have a close relationship, and just like VIPs, the international soccer teams have specific food requirements for their players:  the Australian team requires a coffee machine in each player’s room; the Ecuadorean players require a freshly filled basket of bananas imported from Ecuador every day;  and the USA team will have fruit and honeycake in each player’s room every day, and they will have their meals prepared by a two star Michelin chef.  Germany has a ‘Nutella-Fluch‘, a curse that seemed to effect each soccer player’s career used in the chocolate spread’s advertising, the players’ careers plummeting after featuring in the advertisement. Needless to say the advertising campaign has been canned!

*   Western Cape Tourism Minister Alan Winde has ordered his Red Tape unit to evaluate whether the new Department of Home Affairs’ Immigration regulations are constitutional, and to meet with the national Department of Tourism as well as with Home Affairs to ‘find a way forward that will mitigate their negative impact’! The Minister said: ‘In the past week, my office has received numerous complaints from industry stakeholders whose businesses are already suffering losses’. The new legislation was not published for public feedback before proclamation.  South Africa is the only country in the world requiring an unabridged birth certificate to accompany all travelling children!

*   Cederberg Five Generations Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 is the only South African Cabernet Sauvignon out of 200 from nine countries evaluated by The Drinks Business Global Cabernet Sauvignon Masters Continue reading →

French Champagne from Reciprocal Wines paired with Oyster King at I ♥ my Laundry!

Reciprocal Laundry Louis Roderer Whale Cottage PortfolioI ♥ my Laundry hosted a tasting of French Champagnes led by Reciprocal Wines’ Tarryn Thomas, with oysters from Oyster King, at its Buitengracht Street branch with a number of bloggers last week.

We first met Tarryn at I ♥ my Laundry a year ago, when she did a fascinating tasting with The Winery of Good Hope wines and the effect of tasting them in Riedel Glassware on the enjoyment in wines compared to drinking the wine from ‘ordinary’ domestic glasses.

Riedel is one of the brands represented by Reciprocal Wines in South Africa, as is Miele temperature controlled wine storage units, but its major focus is imported wines, and 52 Champagnes specifically.  Tarryn told us that the company wasReciprocal Tarryn Thomas created in 1969, importing ‘gems and everyday drinking wines of family-owned businesses‘, which are accessible and not too expensive.

Tarryn poured Champagne Gardet Brut Premier Cru NV, made with 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir.  This was followed by Champagne Jacquinot Private Cuvée Brut, with 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir, which comes from Épernay. The highlight was the Louis Roederer Brut and Brut Rosé.  The champagne producer also makes Cristal, but only in excellent years. Continue reading →