On Tuesday evening we were exposed to Vondeling wines, three wines of which we tasted two vintages each. The tasting was led by Jane Eedes, heading up Vondeling Sales & Marketing. At the tasting OpenWine owners Marta Gobbo and Raphael Paterniti announced that the regular Tuesday tastings will be placed on hold for a while. Continue reading →
Tag Archives: Voor Paardeberg
One Ingredient magical mushroom dinner by Chef Matt Manning, paired with Vondeling wines!
On Saturday evening I was invited by Chef Matt Manning to attend the One Ingredient dinner, each of the magical five courses containing mushrooms, and each course paired with Vondeling wines. The highlight was the use of porcini in the dessert! Continue reading →
WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 17 November
Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines‘
* The Western Cape government has committed R 2,4 million to ‘preserving the Western Cape’s culture and heritage and therefore is committed to providing continued support for them’, MEC Nomafrench Mbombo has said, supporting the Cape Minstrels and Malay and Christmas choirs, and their Christmas Choir Bands March on 24 December, The Nagtroupe March on New Years Eve, and the Tweede Nuwejaar Minstrel March. The community will organise its own Cape Annual Minstrel Carnival next year, after the City of Cape Town’s interference in the past led to problems and poor publicity for the City.
* Australia has been using its unique food and wine bounty to market tourism via the ‘Restaurant Australia‘ campaign to the country. Last week it hosted some of the most important food and wine VIPs to its ‘Invite the World to Dinner‘ event in Hobart. Different creative dishes were served in different artistic venues. The organisers claim to have reached 400 million viewers through the event.
* First Thursdays is heading for Woodstock, and ‘Thursday Late‘ will take place in the suburb on Thursday 27 Continue reading →
WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 17 December
Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* Tourist arrivals grew by 5 % in the first six months of this year relative to the same period a year ago, with close to 5 million international tourist arrivals from January – June 2013. Tourist arrivals from France, Germany, Italy, Asia, India, the USA, and Africa grew, while those from the Netherlands and the UK declined.
* The Spur Corporation has bought the Hussar Grill chain of six steak restaurants for R35 million, and will develop the brand, taking it national.
* Tour operator Francoise Armour has written a hard-hitting letter to Southern African Tourism Update, feeding back the poor experience of her clients when they go on a Robben Island tour. Given that the number of bookings for the tour will now increase, she asks whether the iconic destination is worthy of the legacy of the late Nelson Mandela. Even more shocking than her detailed list of negatives about the Robben Island tours is the comments to her letter, in which many tour operators write that they no longer build Robben Island into their clients’ Cape Town tour itinerary!
* Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille yesterday announced at a Day of Reconciliation event the renaming of the Fan Mile to Continue reading →