Sumaridge Wines | WhaleTales Blog by Chris von Ulmenstein

Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

* The Cape Town International Convention Centre has appointed Julie-May Ellingson as its new CEO. Ms Ellingson has been CEO of the Durban Convention Centre for the past three years.

* With the assistance of Wesgro and the Department of Trade & Industry, local wine exporters Robinson & Sinclair have secured a national listing with Walmart Sams Club Brazil. The company represents 18 family-owned wine estates.

* TripAdvisor ‘reviewers’ have voted Cape Town second best in the world in the categories ‘Best for Restaurants‘ (after New York) and ‘Helpful Locals‘ (after Tokyo), in its World City Survey 2014. Helena Egan, Head of TripAdvisor Destination Marketing for Europe, Middle East and Africa, said about our country and its people: ‘Everyone is friendly and it’s a genuine friendliness. It comes from the heart. It’s natural. The joy and happiness of the people are key to your destination success’. Velma Corcoran, Executive for Marketing at Cape Town Tourism, added: ‘Any accolade awarded by destination users is a fantastic barometer for us. The fact that we have been voted second to New York as one of the world’s top restaurant cities is truly a testament to Cape Town’s talented and visionary chefs and restaurateurs. It is a moment to celebrate, and luckily Capetonians and visitors can do this at great value this winter as excellent specials abound. On behalf of the destination I would also like to thank each and every person who smiled at, assisted or shared their stories with our visitors. We are so proud to be Capetonian‘.

* The image of Pinotage is improving, as its association with ‘burnt rubber’ and bitterness is being addressed by the Continue reading →

Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

* The 2014 season will be remembered by local winemakers as one of the most challenging. For Sumaridge Wines in the Hemel en Aarde Valley it was the smallest harvest in ten years, and the most stressful for winemaker Gavin Patterson. For Kleine Zalze winemaker Johan Joubert it was the most challenging too, brought about by unseasonal rain in October, November, and January, which affected the Kleine Zalze Chenin Blanc bushvine in particular, the bunches doubling in volume. Spraying regimes were affected too. For Sumaridge’s investors it was a ‘year of sacrifice’. For Kleine Zalze the harvest was delayed, and more tartaric acid was added. Chardonnay, Pinotage, and Merlot benefited from the weather conditions, while Sauvignon Blanc was negatively affected, with disease and ripeness. The Hemel-en-Aarde Valley in Hermanus was more strongly influenced by the weather than was the Swartland. Patterson said about the 2014 vintage: ‘It’s really going to sort the sheep from the goats. Very sadly many winemakers are driven by accountants at the head of their companies and that will have an effect on how 2014 is judged’.

* Next year sees two major motor shows in Johannesburg: AutoMechanika will take place from 6 – 9 May, while The Johannesburg International Motor Show will be held from 14 – 25 October.

* Alan Winde, the Western Cape Minister of Economic Development, Tourism, and Agriculture, is at the Regional Leaders Summit in Atlanta in Georgia, to sign a ‘strategic agreement’ between the province/state. Continue reading →