Tag Archives: Sunday Times

‘Pendock Uncorked’ Times Live blog corked, blanked out!

Pendock Times Live Whale Cottage Portfolio‘South Africa’s leading independent drinks commentator‘ is no more, the ‘Pendock Uncorked’ blog on the Times Live (owned by the Sunday Times) platform having been blanked out, after a week long wine web war about the lowest-of- low loathed Pendock has reached in lashing out at all and sundry in the wine industry.

A week ago Pieter de Waal, (former?) Secretary of the Sauvignon Blanc Interest Group, wrote a widely-distributed e-mail to explain his side of the story to counter persistent Pendock’s attacks on him re the recent FNB Top 10 Sauvignon Blanc 2013 judging.  De Waal provided the e-mail addresses of Reuben Goldberg and Derek Abdinor at the Sunday Times, and encouraged others to write to them and to share what they think of Pendock’s wine business bashing. We must have been one of many sending them e-mails of complaint, and requesting that Pendock’s posts be removed.  Not responding to any complainants at all, the powers that be at the Sunday Times took action silently, having disallowed any new blogposts by Pendock to be added to his Times Live blog from 10 October onwards, and from yesterday onwards removing all past content of these blogposts, only retaining the first paragraph of his last ‘Pendock Uncorked’ blogpost ‘Beaverbrook of Botrivier‘, Continue reading →

Pieter vs Pendock: Plaintiff posts Publik Pendock punch!

Neil Pendock Sour GrapesThe wine industry is surprised about the repeated missives i.e. missiles from Neil Pendock, the blogging bully attacking Pieter de Waal, Secretary of the Sauvignon Blanc Interest Group (SBIG), sponsor FNB, Christian Eedes as chairman of the judging panel, and the Sauvignon Blanc producers generically.  Most readers of Pendock’s raving ramblings have no idea what his fight is all about.  There is no better book title to describe this mess than the one penned by Pendock himself, appropriately entitled ‘Sour Grapes‘!

The Sauvignon Blanc Interest Group, with the material muscle of its sponsor FNB, is not allowing polemic Pendock to get away with his defamation, denigration, and  disparagement, and has taken action Continue reading →

Breaking news: Pendock proceedings pending!

Cape Winemakers Guild Neil Pendock Whale Cottage PortfolioThe dominant talk at the Chenin Blanc Association summer tasting at the Cape Grace hotel this afternoon (other than how fabulous the 21 Chenins we tasted were) was that Pieter de Waal, Secretary of the Sauvignon Blanc Interest Group (SBIG*), which recently announced its FNB Top 10 Sauvignon Blanc list to much criticism by Nasty Neil, is allegedly suing puerile Pendock via FNB.  It is speculated that the attack resulted from sour grapes, after Pendock was not invited to serve on the judging panel this year, and his services were cancelled at short notice for last year’s judging!

Prickly Pendock was visible by his absence at the Chenin Blanc Association tasting today, and appears to have gone into hiding, not having blogged for most of the day.  He has been a furious blogger in the past week, and has lashed out wildly at a number of victims, including ourselves.  Odd then that he blogged about David Cope’s (the first WhaleSpotter) new wine bar Publik on a personal website neilpendock.com this afternoon for the first time today, and that no blogpost by him has appeared on the Sunday Times Live blogsite today.  Could it be that Pendock’s column has been suspended, as the rumour mill is alleging?   Cope and Continue reading →

Cape Town Tourism Sweet Service and Sunday Times Sour Service Awards!

The Sweet Service Award goes to Cape Town Tourism for appointing Enver Duminy as its new CEO, effective from 1 August.  Duminy is Tourism Services Executive Manager of the tourism body, and was acting-CEO during the maternity leave of current CEO Mariette du Toit-Helmbold last year, and showed himself as a very modest yet effective and communicative non-political leader of the tourism body, unlike his boss! One thing is for sure – there won’t be any ‘Mommy Tweets‘ from Duminy, compared to his boss’ dominant Twitter content.  One hopes that Duminy can address the politics from and selective marketing of Cape Town tourism products and services by his PR and Communications Manager Skye Grove, so that all have an equal opportunity to have the information about their products and services shared with tourists on Social Media. (Image: Cape Town Tourism).

The Sour Service Award goes to the Sunday Times and its publishers Times Media Limited for its new ‘Business Class‘ magazine, linked to the Business Times, which is inserted into the Sunday Times every second Sunday of the month.  Its content is 100% male orientated in terms of its editorial as well as the advertisements, signalling its sexist perception of business ownership being in male hands only!

The WhaleTales Sweet & Sour Service Awards are presented every Friday on the WhaleTales blog.  Nominations for the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be sent to Chris von Ulmenstein at whalecot@iafrica.com.   Past winners of the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be read on the Friday posts of this blog, and in the WhaleTales newsletters on the www.whalecottage.com website.