Tag Archives: Tim James

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 6 August

imageTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   The Design Indaba has announced that it will eliminate the Design Indaba Expo, largely due to the large drop in attendance this year, reaching the 2009 attendance level. The venue of the Design Indaba conference will change to Artscape, and the date will move from the last weekend in February. Owner Ravi Naidoo would like to take the event to Johannesburg and Durban too, as well as internationally.

*  South Africans traveling in Europe can now access data via an Orange Holiday Continue reading →

A whale of a Hermanus FynArts Festival: 5 – 16 June! A feast of food, wine, music, art, books, and more!

Hermanus FynArtsI did a quick visit to Hermanus yesterday, and at a stop at Rivendell Restaurant, between Bot River and Hermanus, I was told that Chef Thomas Sinn was coming back from his overseas holiday especially to participate in a super-sounding feast, for which he is one of eight chefs cooking on Monday evening. The staff brought a copy of the programme, and I could not believe what the organisers have planned for the 11-day Festival, ‘A Celebration of South African Arts’ its 80-page Festival brochure proudly proclaims!

The programme consists of different themes: Continue reading →

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

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   Platter’s is evaluating its 5 star wines differently this year, already tasted blind by its panel of wine evaluators.  Tim James, one of the Platter’s tasters, has explained in his blog today what changes publisher JP Rossouw has introduced, the selection of the more than 200 potential 5-star wines taking place today.  The potential 5-star wines are nominated by the tasters.  For the evaluation, additional tasters will be used, who were not used for the sighted tastings due to their commercial links to some wines.  Seven panels with three tasters each will blind taste about 30 wines, scored in silence, and discussed thereafter, one by one.

*   Dame Helen Mirren was seen arriving at Cape Town International this morning, to star in a film with actors Colin Firth and Aaron Paul, in Gavin Hood’s ‘Eye in the Sky‘.

*   Chef and MasterChef SA judge Pete Goffe-Wood is a new SecretEATS chef, having recently cooked at the by-invitation- Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 11 August

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   Etihad Airways has bought a 49% share in Alitalia.  The investment will benefit Alitalia as follows: ‘The recapitalized Italian national airline will now be able to invest in a comprehensive strategic business plan which will see new long-haul routes from Rome and Milan, a revitalized brand, and a greater focus on Italian tourism and trade promotion’.

*   The award-winning winemaking team of Andrea and Chris Mullineux, of 2014 Platter’s Winery of the Year Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines, now has access to the Roundstone wine farm inRiebeek-Kasteel, on which they will plant new vines (with viticulturist Rosa Kruger) as well as Continue reading →