{"id":59071,"date":"2014-07-03T02:20:04","date_gmt":"2014-07-03T00:20:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whalecottage.com\/blog\/?p=59071"},"modified":"2014-07-03T02:22:53","modified_gmt":"2014-07-03T00:22:53","slug":"whaletales-tourism-food-and-wine-news-headlines-2-july-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/whaletales-tourism-food-and-wine-news-headlines-2-july-2\/","title":{"rendered":"WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 2 July"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"WhaleTales\"<\/a>Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Former World’s 50 Best Restaurant number 1 chef in the world, Ferran \u00c0dria of elBulli, says that the\u00a0standard of cheffing is at its highest level ever<\/strong><\/a>, being\u00a0‘the best in history<\/em>‘, and that the gap between a 3 star Michelin restaurant and a casual dining restaurant is the smallest ever! \u00a0\u00c0dria advised top restaurants to differentiate themselves on aspects other than the food, to justify their higher prices, suggesting their wine list, service, and decor. \u00a0Cocktails also are a point of differentiation,with bartenders seeking inspiration for new recipes from chefs.<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Wine writer Joe Roberts says that a very small percentage of the 8000 wineries (with 16000 brands) in the USA is\u00a0embracing digital marketing<\/a>.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0While 44% of consumers are connecting with digital, only an estimated 1% of American wine marketing spend is on digital advertising. \u00a0No more than 80 of the wineries have dedicated digital practitioners. \u00a0In a week, winery brands receive 2 – 20 mentions on digital platforms, of which 80% go unanswered. \u00a0One wonders if the South African stats are any better for our local wine estates’ usage of digital marketing?<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 For the third year running\u00a0vineyards in Burgundy have been hit by a hail storm<\/strong><\/a>, causing damage to 40 – 90% of the\u00a0\"\"crops of the region.<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 A\u00a0proposed tourism tax hike of 500%<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0in France has been described as a ‘massacre’<\/em>! \u00a0Tourists in Paris will have to pay an additional\u00a0\u20ac2 per day, to fund transport infrastructure,<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Hidden Valley Wine Estate in Stellenbosch \u00a0is offering a number of tasting options: Chocolatier’s Platter with five chocolates R65; Olive tasting with 5 wines R45; Picnic for two R300; and a Winter Platter of soup, ciabatta, cheese, charcuterie, relishes and a bottle of Hidden Valley Pinotage for two for R280. (received via media release from Manley Communications)<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Delheim has introduced sweet and savoury Pancake and Wine Pairings. \u00a0A trio of pancakes (Salmon, Lamb Shank, and Pickled Pumpkin) is paired with Delheim’s Pinotage Ros\u00e9, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Edelspatz Noble Late Harvest, respectively, and \u00a0is offered daily at R75. (received via media release from Random Hat Communications)<\/p>\n

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio:\u00a0www.whalecottage.com<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0Twitter: WhaleCottage<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines * \u00a0 Former World’s 50 Best Restaurant number 1 chef in the world, Ferran \u00c0dria of elBulli, says that the\u00a0standard of cheffing is at its highest level ever, being\u00a0‘the best in history‘, and that the gap between a 3 star Michelin restaurant and a casual dining restaurant is the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[3,124,266,20,1590,22,21,19,293],"tags":[1285,26267,32378,2489,8281,976,30,26268,215,20109,8154,26269,2847,20346,32376,5,562,7311,32373,10,365,11136],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t