Tag Archives: Norman McFarlane

Franschhoek Literary Festival off this year, with poor aftertaste before it starts!

The organisers of the 7th Franschhoek Literary Festival have attracted negative attention to the 2013 event, taking place this weekend, before it has even started, with the announcement last week that no South African wine writer was good enough to win this year’s South African Wine Writers Award, sponsored by Boekenhoutskloof’s Porcupine Ridge to the value of R25000.

Organised by Franschhoek Wine Valley Tourism (FWV), the media release to announce this slap-in-the-face news to all local wine writers did not offer any further explanation. What is not known is which wine writers entered the competition and why the judges John Maytham of radio station Cape Talk and occasional wine writer himself; BBC radio producer and author Duncan Minshull, with no apparent wine writing experience or wine knowledge; and Canadian VINES editor Christopher Waters did not find any of the entries to be of a high enough standard.  The winner and first runner-up were to have been announced at Essence (hardy known for its winelist!) on Friday, as part of the Franschhoek Literary Festival.  In its fifth year of the Award, past winners are Joannne Gibson, Norman McFarlane, and Tim James (who won twice).  The Award recognises technical quality and literary quality, the Franschhoek Wine Valley said in its media release when calling for entries, having to do a reminder call, possibly due to too few or too poor quality entries received.  Oddly the media release regarding the outcome of the judging appears to have been removed from the FWV website, and has not been sent by the PR agency of FWV, Smart Communication and Events, nor by its CEO Jenny Prinsloo, nor by the publicist Claire Richards for the Franschhoek Literary Festival, when requested!  This may be due to the amusement with which wine whiner Neil Pendock has written about this state of affairs (e.g. ‘SA wine writers; From Bad to Bizarre’), the only wine writer who appears to have commented about the poor quality wine writing, as judged by the Franschhoek Literary Festival judging panel!  Pendock cheekily suggested a course in wine writing for the Literary Festival after this fiasco!

The programme for this year’s Literary Festival is disappointing in terms of the quality and stature of the Festival, given the great authors who were invited in the past. Part of the reason could be that other Book and Literary Festivals have sprung up in Cape Town and in Knysna, since the successful Literary Festival was first conceived in Franschhoek.  The organising committee too may be to blame, having become rather arrogant, as we noted last year when we provided feedback to Literary Festival Director Jenny Hobbs, which she responded to with a curt ‘noted‘, unlike previous years, when she welcomed and discussed feedback. Leaking information to her infamous daughter Jane-Anne Hobbs about a Blogging workshop proposal for the Festival we had discussed with Hobbs snr, and mocked on the now defunct Twitter abuse account by Sonia Cabano, further demonstrated the lack of ethics of the Hobbs mother and daughter. No surprise is the inclusion of Hobbs jnr on the Festival programme!   Nepotistically Hobbs snr’s brother David Walters features in the Literary Festival programme too, with a ceramics exhibition ‘Words on Pots’ at his gallery!  Noseweek editor Martin Welz has managed to organise the first ever Franschhoek Literary Festival side event, with a weekend workshop at the Protea Hotel addressed by ‘activist experts’ Richard Young on the arms deal, David Klatzow on criminal prosecutions, Shaheen Moolla on the destruction of our marine life, and Mariette Liefferink on acid mine drainage and radioactive fallout.

Going through the programme to plan my attendance, I found little to excite me on this year’s programme. Twitter has one session dedicated to the fast-growing 140 character communication form, with past speaker and Woolworths’ social media practitioner Sam Wilson (8550 followers), writer/editor Julian Rademeyer (3500 followers), and Business Report columnist Ann Crotty (6 followers and still has an ‘egg’ profile picture, demonstrating what a newbie she is at Twitter!).  Blogging still is not recognised as a writing form by the Literary Festival organisers.  Alexander McCall-Smith probably is the biggest name the Literary Festival offers, but its media sponsor the Sunday Times is offering Capetonians an opportunity to hear him speak in Cape Town later this week! Award-winning writers on the programme are Lauren Beukes, Christopher Hope, and Antjie Krog, with Jane Raphaely, Finula Dowling, Marguerite Poland, Hermann Giliomee, Tony Leon, and Melanie Verwoerd also being well-known.

Every year Christopher Duigan runs the Autumn Music Festival alongside the Franschhoek Literary Festival, and performs ‘Literary Liszt’ on Friday at 19h30, two Schubert-dedicated concerts on Saturday and on Sunday morning, and a free ‘Voices for Africa’ performance on Saturday evening, all performed in the Dutch Reformed church on the main road.

Despite the disappointing programme this year we are grateful to the organisers for putting on the event, and for most Franschhoek accommodation establishments and restaurants already being fully booked weeks ahead of this coming weekend.  Attendees of the Literary Festival do not only enjoy attending the sessions, but also like interacting with each other at guest house breakfasts, and at coffee shops and restaurants in Franschhoek.  Booking in advance is advised, as a number of sessions are sold out already.  Excellent weather is forecast for the weekend.

Franschhoek Literary Festival, 17 – 19 May. www.flf.co.za Twitter: @FranLitFest R60 per one hour session. www.webtickets.co.za

POSTSCRIPT 13/5: We have received the following statement, written by organisers Jenny Hobbs and Sheenagh Tyler and sent by Claire Richards, the Franschhoek Literary Festival PR consultant, to explain the lack of a 2013 South African Wine Writers Award:

‘STATEMENT ON THE WINE WRITER’S PRIZE

The FLF wishes to clarify a few points around the 2013 Wine Writer’s Prize, which was not awarded this year.

· The prize is funded by the Franschhoek Literary Festival and presented by the CEO of Franschhoek Wine Valley.

· The independent judges for 2013 were John Maytham (South Africa), Christopher Hope (a South African who lives in France) and Christopher Waters (Canada).

· 20 submissions were sent to the judges after the deadline was extended.

· In 2012 there were 23 submissions.  Several wine writers declined to submit entries this year, feeling that they had nothing suitable to offer.

· Submissions are sent to the judges anonymously.  Two in Afrikaans were judged as such by John Maytham and Christopher Hope and translated for Christopher Waters.

· No payment is involved.  The judges are thanked for their work with the offer of a case of South African wine.

· Their unanimous decision this year was that not one of the entries lived up to the expected literary and technical qualities of wine writing.

· The FLF is funded by Porcupine Ridge Wines and the Sunday Times, neither of which groups has any say in the judges’ decision, and ticket sales.

· A discussion will be held by the organisers and their advisers after the FLF about the parameters for the prize in future years.

· We warmly thank those wine writers who made positive suggestions in this regard and welcome further suggestions from wine writers.

· Contact details of more South African wine writers to add to our mailing list would also be very welcome.

Jenny Hobbs, FLF Director & Sheenagh Tyler, FLF Manager’

POSTSCRIPT 17/5: There appears to be confusion between the sponsor Porcupine Ridge and the Literary Festival organisers about the hashtag for the Festival.  It has been confirmed that it is #FLF13. Porcupine Ridge appears to have printed all its marketing material for the Festival as #FLF2013!  A much larger problem to befall the Festival is that one of its lead speakers Anthony Horowitz has withdrawn from the Festival in the very last minute!  Franschhoek felt very commercialised today, with a massive bottle of Porcupine Ridge and many Sunday Times banners outside the town hall, the marketing effort of its two sponsors!

POSTSCRIPT 17/5: Sadly the Christopher Duigan ‘Literary Liszt’ concert in the Dutch Reformed Church this evening clashed with a wannabee Cat Stevens singing outside the church at the Night Market!

POSTSCRIPT 17/5: Neil Pendock has written another attack against the Franschhoek Literary Festival and its Director Jenny Hobbs , for insinuating that no local wine writer is good enough to win the prize. He suggests that each of the twenty entrants should sue the Franschhoek Literary Festival for the prize money of R25000, a total of R500000!  What is ironic is that the Sunday Times is the media sponsor of the Franschhoek Literary Festival, yet its irreverent wine whiner Pendock is disparaging the Festival on the blog which belongs to the newspaper!

POSTSCRIPT 18/5: The Franschhoek Literary Festival is in further trouble – a documentary ‘Truth be told’, which Noseweek was to flight in a fringe event to the Festival this weekend, was stopped after the SABC lawyers served papers on its producer Sylvia Vollenhoven, who was to speak about her battle to get the documentary flighted.  Earlier this year Vollenhoven flighted the documentary to a number of Noseweek reader groups in the dungeons of the Baxter!

POSTSCRIPT 19/5: Wine writer and PRO Emile Joubert has written an Open Letter to the organisers of the Wine Writers’ Award!

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage

Chenin Blanc largest SA wine cultivar, one of least known by SA winedrinkers!

The Chenin Blanc Association hosted the ‘Cape Chenin Unveiled’ seminar at the One&Only Cape Town yesterday, and its main focus was the presentation of a comprehensive three year research project on South African Chenin Blanc wines, a tasting of twelve Chenin Blancs, and a pairing of five dishes at Nobu with fifteen Chenin Blancs.  The research presentation by Dr Hélène Nieuwoudt of the Institute for Wine Biotechnology at the University of Stellenbosch highlighted that despite Chenin Blanc being South Africa’s largest cultivar at 19% of production, it is one of the least known and understood by wine drinkers.

Dr Nieuwoudt related that scientific research was conducted between 2010 and earlier this year, at three levels: at the chemistry level, analyses were done on grapes, fermentation, and maturation; at the sensory level, the sensory intrinsics, taste and smell were evaluated; and at the consumer level, the perceptions and psychology of wine-drinking were analysed.  The research project has been conducted in conjunction with Stellenbosch University, Consumer Check (in Norway, Italy, Australia, South Africa and the Netherlands), and Consumer Perception (in France and USA).  Chenin Blanc was one of the wine cultivars which was evaluated in the study.

The diversity of Chenin Blanc in its chemistry, sensory make-up and consumer perceptions led the researchers to conclude that Chenin Blanc suffers from a ‘confusion of style identity’, as to whether it is dry or off-dry. Seventy cellars making 170 wines were evaluated, and at the chemical level there was no obvious measurement of the chemistry of Chenin Blanc.  At the sensory level a database of descriptors was built up, and lemon, citrus, peach, pear, and apple were most often identified, and recorded in terms of number of mentions, but also their intensity.

Research conducted amongst 5261 consumers at the Johannesburg Wine Fair and Robertson Wine Fair found that Chenin Blanc has a ‘vague knowledge as a wine style’ amongst local consumers, with only 8% of all respondents interviewed knowing and understanding the cultivar. Chenin Blanc had a very low level of awareness amongst wine drinkers, which would result in a low likelihood of it being bought.  The research also showed that there is a confused segmentation of local Chenin Blancs, ranging from ‘fresh and fruity’ (and also less expensive) on one end of the spectrum, to the other end of the spectrum of ‘rich and ripe’, being the more expensive Chenin Blancs.  A spontaneous Liking score of 5,8 out of 10 increased to about 7 out of 10 when respondents were exposed to information about Chenin Blanc, showing that consumers need to be informed about Chenin Blanc, to improve their probability of buying it.  Dr Nieuwoudt said that consumers are becoming label readers in general, and suggested to Chenin Blanc producers that they evaluate how they are communicating the cultivar on their labels.

Ross Sleet summarised the research findings, and said that the Chenin Blanc Association had contributed financially to the research, to improve the ‘production of quality Chenin Blanc in South Africa.’  The Association wants to position Chenin Blanc as a ‘desirable drink‘, he added.  Whether ordered by the bottle or glass, Chenin Blanc is an excellent wine to pair with food. An ‘on-bottle device is being investigated to demonstrate the continuum of Chenin Blanc styles‘, said Sleet.

Jeff Grier, winemaker at Villiera, took the delegates through a wine tasting, segmented into ‘Fresh and Fruity’ and ‘Rich and Ripe‘ Chenin Blancs:

*   Fresh and Fruity: Perdeberg 2012, Slanghoek 2012, and Simonsig 2012 were the entry level Chenin Blancs, costing below R40, a price point which is excellent for younger drinkers.  These young drinkers will evolve into ‘Rich and Ripe’ drinkers over time.   Lutzville Diamond Collection 2011, Radford Dale Renaissance 2010, and Mulderbosch Small Change 2009 are lightly wooded, medium bodied, with minerality, and not too high in alcohol. The latter two wines cost around R200.

*   Rich and Ripe:   Spier 21 Gables 2010, Rudera Robusto 2009, and Rijk’s Reserve 2008 are wooded, while Remhoogte Honeybunch 2011, Graham Beck Bowed Head 2010, and Ken Forrester FMC 2010 are noble late harvest wines influenced by botrytis.  Generally these wines have more tropical fruit, and more yeast on the palate. The Rijk’s costs R170, the Ken Forrester FMC R325, and the other wines in this segment around R120.

Stellenbosch is associated with Chenin Blancs, and the majority of the wines selected for the tastings were from this region, reflecting that a large proportion of Chenin Blanc is made here, with low yields of 7 tons per hectare.  The Chenin Blanc Association was formed to collectively market the category, the ‘Fresh and Fruity’ Chenin Blanc brands being used to draw consumers into the category. Jeff warned that Chenin Blanc should not make a Chardonnay look-alike, given that international feedback reflects that our Chenin Blancs are excessively wooded. He recommended using bigger barrels, and coopers in Loire and Burgundy to help the ‘wooding’.

Ken Forrester is the Chairman of the Chenin Blanc Association, which is administered by Ina Smith.

At lunch at Nobu I was lucky to sit at what someone described as a ‘VIP table’, with Jeff Grier, Chenin Blanc Association founder and MW Irina von Holdt, Alan Mullins from Woolworths, wine writer Norman McFarlane, and Olivia Mitchell from garagiste Andy Mitchell in Greyton.  For each of the five courses, three Chenin Blancs were poured for pairing, the first 12 being the same Chenin Blancs we had tasted in the seminar. The Whitefish New-Style Sashimi with chives, ginger puree, garlic, and yuzu citrus soy sauce was paired with Perdeberg 2012, Slanghoek 2012, and Simonsig 2012.  The latter wine was found by our table to pair best.

This was followed by a Baby Spinach Salad with Lobster, a sprinkling of parmesan, and a drizzle of truffle oil and yuzu, which was paired with Lutzville 2011, Radford Dale Renaissance 2010, and Mulderbosch 2009.  The table found the Radford Dale to pair the best.  Shrimp Tempura Cut Roll was served with light soy, and was paired with Spier 21 Gables 2010, Rudera Robusto 2009, and Rijk’s Reserve 2008, the table choosing the Rudera as the most suitable Chenin Blanc to pair with the dish.  Irina von Holdt shared that Chenin Blanc is the ‘ultimate restaurant wine‘, she said, being so versatile.

Grilled salmon topped with a salmon skin crisp, served with brown rice salsa, with a light soy sauce, a jalapeno dressing, lemon juice and olive oil was paired with Remhoogte Honeybunch Reserve 2011, Graham Beck Bowed Head 2010, and Ken Forrester FMC 2010, the Graham Beck found at our table to pair best.  The dessert was excellent, being a Passion fruit Brûlée served with coconut ice cream, and was paired with Villiera Inspiration 2010, Kanu Kia-Ora Noble Late Harvest (NLH) 2008, and Joostenberg NLH 2005.  Jeff explained that the Villiera wine name came from a trip to France, which he and his team had won in a blending competition, where they tasted lots of Chenin Blanc and Noble Late Harvest, which was the inspiration for the creation of the Villiera.

The Nobu lunch demonstrated how well the spectrum of Chenin Blanc wines can be paired with foods, and will have gained Chenin Blanc producers a whole lot more fans.

Disclosure: We received a bottle of Villiera Chenin Blanc 2011.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage

Crush! celebrates first anniversary – good improvement, still inconsistent quality!

We have written about six issues of Crush! since it was launched a year ago, and the initial excitement of opening a new copy of the digital food and wine magazine edited by Michael Olivier has faded, to such an extent that three issues of Crush! were sitting unopened in the Inbox.  The magazine appears to have developed a rythym, and regular features can be expected in each magazine, with few new surprises in it.  After reading Crush! 7, Crush! 8, and Crush! 9, and looking back at the pevious Crush! issues, our evaluation is that Crush! has settled down, that it knows where it is going, and that it has mastered most of its technical and design problems highlighted initially.  But its quality remains inconsistent:

1.   The design flashes have been largely removed, having been irritating in initial issues. Yet they remain in the focus on a personality (Squashed Tomato’s Linda Harding in Crush! 7; I’m no Jamie Oliver’s Matt Allisson – nice that the five point overview is about his lifestyle of food writer, stay-at-home father, and avid vegetable gardener – in Crush! 8; and Norman McFarlane in Crush! 9), distracting one in reading the content.

2.  The covers don’t need to sell a magazine as the print equivalent have to, but it was disappointing to note how the cover photograph choice in the last three issues was far more unattractive than those of some earlier issues.  The cover pic is usually one of four recipes developed by Sophia Lindop and beautifully photographed by Russel Wasserfall.  The problem lies in the choice of photograph for the cover, and the placement of text on the pics, often making the text unreadable.  Most front-cover flashes have been removed.  The Crush! design and publishing team has no print magazine experience, and it still shows!

3.  It is easier to navigate the magazine now, with clearer instructions of how to continue reading a story, but one does make the odd mistake in jumping to a next page, and not finishing a story.

4.    A problem that continues is that pack shots in the ‘Essentials’, ‘High Five’ and ‘Quaff Now’ features are too small to allow pack recognition, bad news for the marketers of these products, no doubt paying a placement fee. It was odd to see a sunhat in an ‘Essentials for the kitchen’ collection, in Crush! 9!

5.  Advertising support remains poor, and the state of the economy must be making itself felt at Crush! too, with the last two issues reduced to 42 pages, and carrying very few advertisements – only Old Mutual and Fairview having been regular advertisers.  Insurer 1st for Women started advertising, and Le Creuset and Tokara olive oils have had once-off ads.

6.  The contribution by ‘The Foodie’ blogger David Cope has changed dramatically – from initally having messy looking red-and-white check pages reflecting his blog design, the design linkage has been dropped in the past two issues.  This has been replaced by far smarter looking features, but they have no credibility, as the pot and the knife features have the Chef’s Warehouse branding on them, almost hidden in a corner, and Cope does not declare that he does the Public Relations for the Chef’s Warehouse and Cookery School!   The photography however is excellent, probably the best ever seen in any issue of Crush!

7.   The main features vary in their quality, and there has never been consistency in their design and quality – the Hermanuspietersfontein feature looks fantastic, with many beautiful photographs.  The Glen Carlou and Hidden Valley features look less attractive due to black and white photographs on the first page of the features.  It seems as if Oliver has run out of material to write about, in featuring Hidden Valley, and Overture’s Bertus Basson, twice in the first year.

8.   Re-opened Massimo’s Pizza Club in Hout Bay is featured in Crush! 9, but does not have enough pizza photographs to create appetite appeal.  The oddest restaurant feature, a six page story by David Cope on Le Quartier Français’ The Tasting Room, does not contain a single photograph, and it takes Cope three pages to start writing about the Tasting Room, via a profile on Spanish chef Ferran Adria!  Cope did not make notes of his nine-course meal, and therefore he is quite vague about what he ate there!

9.  Recipe features do not interest me generally, but the most stunning feature ever is that of soups paired with Monis products in Crush! 9, including the lesser known Monis Muscadel and Port.  The photographs are outstanding, and one wonders why all the photography used for and design of Crush! cannot be of this quality. 

10.  The features on winemakers Morné Vrey of Delaire Graff and Russell Retief of Van Loveren, on charcuterier Richard Bosman, and on the Steenberg Hotel are ineffective, in being broken down into blocks, some profiles having as many as 27 blocks to click, a guarantee that one would lose interest to read it all.  Chef Christiaan Campbell of Delaire Graff, the Foodbarn, as well as the Vineyard Hotel are also featured.  However, none of the three issues contain a restaurant review anymore.

11.  The ‘Fine Print’ book page and ‘Crushifieds’ remain too busy, although the latter has improved greatly – ‘less is more’ should guide design in these features.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com  Twitter:@Whale Cottage

Adoro Mourvedre wine and cheese Taste & Tweet a treat!

Last night Adoro Wines held a Tweet-Up at L’Aperitivo in Loop Street, with twenty-five Cape Town Bloggers and Tweeters invited to join them for a cheese and wine Taste & Tweet.

Erica Liebenberg from Meles PR organised the Taste & Tweet.  She has a number of PR clients, including Graham Beck, Belfriend, Elgin Valley Vintners, Eagles’ Nest, Freedom Hill Restaurant, Glenwood, Hidden Valley, and Paarl Vintners. 

The wine that Adoro winemaker Ian Naude used for the cheese tasting is his Mourvedre, with a port nose, and sweet taste on the palate, having acidity of 8gm per litre and 14 % alcohol, creating a good balance of sweet and sour.  Ian explained that what makes South African wines so unusual is that it makes “old world meets new world wines”.  The Old World (German, French, Spanish) style wines are created from grapes from the Elim/Hermanus area, while the New World Style wines are made from grapes sourced from the Swartland.  Ian says he makes his wines in his head first, and then he decides on the regions from which he can source the grapes to make his dream wine.   The Adoro Mourvedre bottle is an attractive and slim one, described by some as looking like an olive oil bottle.

All present were in agreement that the wine was excellent as an accompaniment to the six cheeses tasted, being the following:

*   Simonsig six-month matured Gouda, a soft cheese with sweet andfruity flavours.  This cheese won second place in matching with the Mourvedre amongst those present.

*   Fairview Roydon Camembert, made from pasteurised Jersey cow’s milk and cream, with some goat’s milk added, and aged for four weeks

*   Asiago is an imported Italian cheese from Veneto, made from pasteurised cow’s milk, and is aged for 12 – 14 months.

*   Taleggio is imported from Italy, made from pasteurised cow’s milk and aged for four weeks

*   Gruyere tasted came from Kleinrivier near Stanford, and had a surprisingly bland taste.  It is classified as a hard cheese and is aged for 4 – 6 months.

*   Gorgonzola is imported from Lombardia in Italy, made from pasteurised cow’s milk and aged for 6 – 8 months.  This cheese was voted as being best matched to the Adoro Mourvedre.

To reflect the reaction of the Tweeters present to the cheeses tasted and their match to the six cheeses, we list the Tweets written during the Taste & Tweet (read from bottom up): 

StefanLuka 8:36pm via web

Verdict: Gorgonzola cheese is voted the best match for Adoro Mourvedre 2009! Couldn’t agree more! Connoisseurs watch out! #adorocheesewine

spitorswallow 8:01pm via Mobile Web

Final verdict: cheese really works with Adoro Mourvedre ’09 and the wine retails at R110 for 500ml #adorocheesewine

quietriotgirl 7:57pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®

Amazed at the gorgonzola pairing, great match but the asiago wins for me #adorocheesewine

winetourismnews 7:56pm via Mobile Web

Game over. Now we can park our analysis and just enjoy the evening. Really interesting exercise. Cheers! #adorocheesewine

whalecottage 7:54pm via Echofon

Best Tweeter at Adoro Taste and Tweet @StefanLuka #adorocheesewine

HarryReginald 7:53pm via TweetDeck

#Adorocheesewine Seriously guys.

spitorswallow 7:53pm via Mobile Web

Having a OMG moment with this Gorgonzola, imported from Italy. #adorocheesewine

HarryReginald 7:53pm via TweetDeck

#Adorocheesewine I really deserve to win.

HarryReginald 7:53pm via TweetDeck

#Adorocheesewine Vote for me

21thingstodo 7:53pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®

Last cheese great gorgonzola gastronomic heaven! #adorocheesewine

DiProc 7:52pm via Snaptu.com

Gorgonzola wins this for me – wine shines like a superstar #adorocheesewine

NormanMcFarlane 7:50pm via Mobile Web

#adorocheesewineAdoro Mourvedre & Gorgonzola: a match made in heaven

HarryReginald 7:50pm via TweetDeck

Find the Gorgonzola shortens the finish of the wine on the first sip. It kinda offers swell of flavours, troughs and peaks #Adorocheesewine

StefanLuka 7:49pm via web

Gorgonzola cheese & Adoro Mourvedre, spirit is lifted & brooding above earthly things, heavenly match & made for lovers #adorocheesewine

DiProc 7:48pm via Snaptu.com

Woohoo imported gorgonzola rocking the room! #adorocheesewine

spitorswallow 7:47pm via Mobile Web

Not my gig @laurencohenGot invite from melespr for the #adorocheesewine Will slap organiser for not inviting you.

HarryReginald 7:47pm via TweetDeck

@406 Is very excited about the Gorgonzola. apparently “the real cheese has arrived #Adorocheesewine

winetourismnews 7:46pm via Mobile Web

Ok, final round. Let’s see how it handles gorgonzola! #adorocheesewine

DiProc 7:45pm via Snaptu.com

The wine is mouvedre with 14% alc and 60g residual sugar #adorocheesewine

21thingstodo 7:45pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®

Just in case we forgot to say what this amazing wonder wine is- Adoro Naturally Sweet Mouvedre… #adorocheesewine

StefanLuka 7:41pm via web

Gruyere & 09 Adoro Mourvedre: a symphony of sweet and salty flavours resulting in seamless match, a pure dolce vita concept #adorocheesewine

NormanMcFarlane 7:41pm via Mobile Web

#adorocheesewinecardboardy gruyere spoils the Adoro Mourvedre ’09

winetourismnews 7:40pm via Mobile Web

Ok, left field comment: the adoro mourvedre apparently goes well with choc souffle. #adorocheesewine

StefanLuka 7:39pm via web

Gruyere, sweet and salty profile, creamy & nutty (when younger), develops earthly & complex flavour over time, hard cheese #adorocheesewine

21thingstodo 7:39pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®

Difference of opinion now, gruyere up for some grrr-not for others they balance out…#adorocheesewine

HarryReginald 7:38pm via TweetDeck

Combination of Gruyere (our first hard cheese) and the Sweet Mourvedre is nuts, full on mushroom flavour has been created #Adorocheesewine

DiProc 7:37pm via Snaptu.com

Now tasting gruyere with the wine. Saltiness assertive makes wine too sweet #adorocheesewine

whalecottage 7:35pm via Echofon

Adoring Adoro Mourvedre 2009, perfect to drink with cheeses, @StefanLuka writes the most beautiful wine tweets #adorocheesewine

AussieWineChick 7:34pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®

#adorocheesewine James diligently taking notes… http://twitpic.com/353l88

HarryReginald 7:31pm via TweetDeck

@StefanLukaKak! You’re wrong. Raw garbage more like! #Adorocheesewine

NormanMcFarlane 7:31pm via Mobile Web

#adorocheesewineAdoro Mourvedre: Taleggio cheese intensifies the flavours of the wine

HarryReginald 7:31pm via TweetDeck

The Taleggio pairing with the Sweet Mourvedre is like a slap in the face. Bam. flavour! Bam Bam! Other flavour! not fun. #Adorocheesewine

DiProc 7:30pm via Snaptu.com

Taleggio creamy, tangy delicious! Bit nutty. Wine coping well. #adorocheesewine

StefanLuka 7:30pm via web

Taleggio with its distinct smell & 2009 Adoro Mourvedre from Swartland – a marriage of elegance and raw power. Superb match #adorocheesewine

quietriotgirl 7:29pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®

Italian asiago cheese and this adoro mourvedre like each other are u over it yet, I’m having fun #adorocheesewine

HarryReginald 7:29pm via TweetDeck

Adoro spam continues…..Now on to Taleggio from the North of Italy, feet smelling wine. Not a good pairing. #Adorocheesewine

whalecottage 7:27pm via Echofon

Adoro Mourvedre wonderful pairing with cheeses: Asiago, Taleggio, Gruyere, Gorgonzola, Camembert, Gouda #adorocheesewine

drizzleanddip 7:27pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®

@smokingsheddoesn’t normally drink, but loving the Adoro Mouverdre, fab cheese #adorocheesewine

21thingstodo 7:26pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®

Get stuffed… Not you but where you can buy the wine! #adorocheesewine

spitorswallow 7:26pm via Mobile Web

3rd cheese from Veneto Italy – Taleggio. So yum & strong – good match #adorocheesewine

NormanMcFarlane 7:26pm via Mobile Web

#adorocheesewineAdoro Mourvedre, Asiago, creamy sweetness intensified by the wine

winetourismnews 7:26pm via Mobile Web

Heading into stronger territory, Asiago. 12 – 14 months of ageing. Remarkable that the wine is standing up to it. #adorocheesewine

StefanLuka 7:23pm via web

Taleggio: soft, washed-rind cheese made from cow’s milk, aromatic & mild, tangy, meaty notes, a fruity finish, aged 4 weeks #adorocheesewine

HarryReginald 7:23pm via TweetDeck

Asiago, from Veneto is semi-soft cheese from cows milk. It was fated to be consumed with this wine. Coming on a bit strong? #Adorocheesewine

DiProc 7:23pm via Snaptu.com

Wow – asagio has lovely bite that sings opera with the wine #adorocheesewine

StefanLuka 7:22pm via web

Sweet, passionate and gentle confluence of Asiago and Adore Mourvedre 2009… a poetry in making, a hint of fiery desires #adorocheesewine

HarryReginald 7:21pm via TweetDeck

The cheese is now asiago. The pairing is killing. Adds massive complexity. I just heard it is “haunting” #Adorocheesewine

HarryReginald 7:19pm via TweetDeck

Pairing with the Camembert is like a fresh berry falling from a tree, quickly squelching into the mushroomy forest floor #Adorocheesewine

21thingstodo 7:19pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®

#adorocheesewineasiago up next. For those as clueless as I was asiago is imported italian semi-soft cheese…

StefanLuka 7:19pm via web

Erica from @aussiewinechickis a supremo behind this gorgeous wine and cheese exercise at L’Aperitivo bar #adorocheesewine

quietriotgirl 7:16pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®

I prefer nr 2 @fairviewwinecamembert roydon paired with #adorocheesewine

spitorswallow 7:16pm via Mobile Web

2nd cheese from @FairviewWine– Roydon Camembert. Creamy & delish. Gouda better with wine #adorocheesewine

DiProc 7:16pm via Snaptu.com

@fairviewwineroydon next pairing #adorocheesewine

HarryReginald 7:15pm via TweetDeck

After the romp home there is a funky, forest floor flavour left behind. #Adorocheesewine

StefanLuka 7:14pm via web

Asiago: cheese from Veneto, Italy, semi-soft, from pasteurized cow;s milk (aged 12 -14 months) & is DOP (Protected origin) #adorocheesewine

NormanMcFarlane 7:14pm via Mobile Web

#adorocheesewineRoydon camembert & adoro ’09 mourvedre: strawberries & cream

HarryReginald 7:12pm via TweetDeck

Next cheese Camembert: four week aged from Fairview. I find the wine romps home, trampling the cheese in the process. #Adorocheesewine

whalecottage 7:12pm via Echofon

Fairview Roydon 4-week aged Camembert paired with Adoro Mourvedre #adorocheesewine http://plixi.com/p/55761479

winetourismnews 7:11pm via Mobile Web

Cheese 2, Fairview Roydon – yum yum. Creamy but a little cool. Again great affinity withe wine. #adorocheesewine

StefanLuka 7:10pm via web

Camembert and naturally sweet Mourvedre… awesome… like a kissing softly a young lady 🙂 #adorocheesewine

21thingstodo 7:09pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®

Sorry forgot #adorocheesewine! On the ball now got too carried away with fab mouvedre….

NormanMcFarlane 7:08pm via Mobile Web

#adorocheesewineAdoro Mourvedre 09 and aged gouda. Better together than apart

quietriotgirl 7:06pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®

“This is a semi-soft or semi-hard cheese” lol only in sa #adorocheesewine

whalecottage 7:06pm via Echofon

Gouda Tasting with Adoro dessertstyle wine, specially made for pairing with cheese #adorocheesewine http://plixi.com/p/55760726

MamaAfricaCT 7:06pm via TweetDeck

Hello everyone #Adorocheesewine

spitorswallow 7:05pm via Mobile Web

The chef says its a semi soft/hard cheese -haha! a gouda from parmalat #adorocheesewine

HarryReginald 7:05pm via TweetDeck

Adoro has done well to get everyone tweeting. Hoping everyone likes the wine. Good Launch. #Adorocheesewine

AussieWineChick 7:04pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®

#adorocheesewine Fee Mac is loving the fruit garnish with the wine http://twitpic.com/353e5k

quietriotgirl 7:04pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®

Parmalat gouda with adoro works well… Wine a lot lighter than nose gives away #adorocheesewine

HarryReginald 7:04pm via TweetDeck

The sweet Mouvedre: like a loveable uncle with a sharp wit. #Adorocheesewine

StefanLuka 7:04pm via web

Gouda: traditional hard cheese with sweet & fruity flavours that intensifies with & is made from pasteurized cow’s milk #adorocheesewine

HarryReginald 7:03pm via TweetDeck

Liking the Gouda with the Mourvedre. Cheese gets more creamy with added nuttiness, wines’ fruit undiminished #Adorocheesewine

DiProc 7:02pm via Snaptu.com

First cheese a six-month matured gouda good match #adorocheesewine

whalecottage 7:01pm via Echofon

Gouda Tasting with Adoro Mourvedre #adorocheesewine

winetourismnews 7:01pm via Mobile Web

Cheese 1, local gouda. Described by chef as semi-hard or semi-soft. One wag quipped: “sounds like a porno!” #adorocheesewine

AussieWineChick 7:00pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®

#adorocheesewinechef James explaining cheeses gouda up first http://twitpic.com/353d60

HarryReginald 6:59pm via TweetDeck

At L’aperitivo about to begin tasting new Adoro Natural Sweet Mourvedre. Starting with a Parmalat gouda #adorocheesewine

StefanLuka 6:59pm via web

Gouda is very mild, creamy and fruity cheese which blends in superbly with Adoro Mourvedre Natural Sweet 2009 #adorocheesewine

StefanLuka 6:58pm via web

Natural sweet 2009 Adoro Mourvedre with 14% alcohol rocks… let’s se how the marriage with Gouda will work 🙂 #adorocheesewine

DiProc 6:57pm via Snaptu.com

Smells like port but not jammy #adorocheesewine

spitorswallow 6:55pm via Mobile Web

So we are gonna taste a wine that’s not fortified but it has 60mg residual sugar. #adorocheesewine

AussieWineChick 6:55pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®

#adorocheesewineGreg Ladman’s comments priceless!!

DiProc 6:54pm via Snaptu.com

Its a sweeter red wine made to pair with cheese but not fortified #adorocheesewine

StefanLuka 6:52pm via web

This is our naturally sweet Mourvedre(it is not fortified, RS is around 60g/l) #AdoroCheeseWine

quietriotgirl 6:51pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®

One of the first south africans about to taste adoro’s new wine made specialyfor cheese #adorocheesewine

DiProc 6:51pm via Snaptu.com

Wine maker Ian naude talking about how this project started #adorocheesewine

StefanLuka 6:50pm via web

Mourvedre from Swartland was our first “cheese wine” (it is very much sought ‘sweetish’ red wine) #AdoroCheeseWine

StefanLuka 6:48pm via web

The basic idea: we need wine that will complement cheese #AdoroCheeseWine

21thingstodo 6:48pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®

#adorocheesewine

whalecottage 6:47pm via Echofon

At Adoro cheese and wine Taste & Tweet at Aperitivo #adorocheesewine

AussieWineChick 6:46pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®

#adorocheesewine http://twitpic.com/3539jo

StefanLuka 6:46pm via web

Adoro Wines from Latin word meaning “to adore” #AdoroCheeseWine

A great evening was had by all, and new friendships were made over lovely glasses of Adoro Mourvedre, six cheeses and lovely snacks presented by L’Aperitivo. Dusan Jelic, Tweeting as @StefanLuka, was proclaimed the most creative and eloquent Twitterer of the evening.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage