Tag Archives: University of Cape Town

Devastating fire destroys parts of UCT, historical Mostert’s Mill, Rhodes Memorial Restaurant, not yet under control!

 

Yesterday a devastating fire started in Cape Town on one of the hottest days this summer, not only devastating in terms of the loss of vegetation and wildlife in the Table Mountain National Park, and buildings, but also the historical nature of these buildings, some with tourism significance too. Vagrants living in the National Park illegally are alleged to have caused the fire.

The fire continued burning on Devil’s Peak last night, and now has spread to Vredehoek, with certain parts of the suburb being evacuated this morning. Unfortunately it is being fanned by a gale force South Easter. Continue reading →

Delaire Graff sparkles with new Graff jewellery store and iconic The Chinese Girl!

Delaire Graff The Chinese Girl painting Whale Cottage PortfolioOne of the social highlights of this year was the unveiling yesterday of Vladimir Tretchikoff’s ‘The Chinese Girl’, South Africa’s most internationally recognised painting, at its new home at Delaire Graff in Stellenbosch, which celebrates its 10th year of being in Mr Graff’s ownership.  The 40th Graff jewellery store was also opened at the wine estate, the first in Africa.

Delaire was bought by Laurence Graff OBE in 2003, and he invested a lot of money in setting up a cellar, a winetasting centre, the main restaurant, and investing in interior design created by the late David Collins from London. The Boutique Hotel followed, which houses Indochine and the Spa, also decorated by Collins.  Commendable has been Mr Graff’s investment in South African art, and his William Kentridge dominates the main restaurant,  while Lionel Smit’s work is striking, a four-piece work as well as a portrait of Mr Graff dominating the reception of the main building. Continue reading →

Solms-Delta launches Gemeenskap wine club for its gemeenskap!

Solms Delta Gemeenskap Mark Solms Whale Cottage PortfolioI have not previously experienced Solms-Delta owner Professor Mark Solms as such a ‘grapjas’ (could this be a new name for a future wine?), bringing the house down with his honesty and ‘loskop professor’ talk about his wines and its Gemeenskap, losing the thread of what he wanted to say on a few occasions.

Mark is a passionate wine estate owner, whose mind races ahead faster than he can say the words, and is internationally renowned as a neuropsychologist, lecturing in London and at the University of Cape Town. His students must have a ball in his lectures. On Sunday he hosted members of the wine estate’s gemeenskap, to introduce to them the latest vintages of his wines, to introduce the new winemaker Solms Delta Gemeenskap Hagen Viljoen Whale Cottage PortfolioHagen Viljoen, and to introduce the Gemeenskap community club.  He came to the farm in 2001, and explained that the building in which we were tasting the wine was already called Fyndraai, and therefore they kept the name.  They now have consolidated three neighbouring farms, ‘because we are so good at what he do’, he said.  Music is an important passion on the farm, and Mark said that they ‘farm with music’ as much as they ‘farm with wine’!  Next year a Music Centre will be established on the wine estate. Continue reading →