Horst Frehse, previous GM of Grande Roche in Paarl, and current GM of Singita Grumeti Reserve in Tanzania, and formerly of Singita Sabi Sand, takes over as General Manager of Asara Wine Estate and Hotel outside Stellenbosch from November.
Asara has quietly opened alongside Neethlingshof, and makes one think of a brand new Spier. Whilst the staff are friendly (and recruited largely from Spier), and the Estate is pristine in terms of its landscaping, it still lacks soul. No doubt Frehse will infuse his cigar-smoking charm onto this new estate, and allow it to live up to its pay-off line “Out with the Ordinary…In with the Extra-Ordinary’. The service in the restaurants does not yet live up to this promise.
Asara’s logo incorporates a slave bell and the date 1691. It is a relative unknown in terms of its wines, and new five-star hotel, two restaurants, deli, conference center, and wellness services, which opened five months ago. Its High End Kitchen shop sells porcelain, cutlery and crockery,as well as kitchen accessories. A “shopping emporium” is set to open, with “exclusive showrooms & boutiques”, according to the Asara brochure.
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