It's Time for a Friday Mix

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What's That? Oh, it's That Storage Place

		Located next to the Paarl Mall this state of the art facility is ideally situated for ease of storage just off the N1.
	Don't forget to talk to us about our unique investment opportunity! Date: Friday 19th November 2010 Time: 14:00 Venue: New Eskdale Street, Paarl GPS Coord: S 33° 46.15', E 18° 58.03' RSVP: Dave Child at davec@prescient.co.za by Monday 15th November 2010 Drinks and Snacks will be served.
087 150 2900  OR  info@thatstorageplace.co.za www.thatstorageplace.co.za

Nederburg Concert Series Ends on a Grande Note

The glamorous Grand Finale Concert celebrated the talent of some of the country’s top classical musicians when Soprano Zanne Stapelberg, accompanied by Minette du Toit-Pearce, Peter and Suzanne Martens and Philippus Hugo set the tone for a most enjoyable evening.

The romantic works of French and Spanish composers and Martens’ arrangements of the "Seguidille" (Carmen) and the "Flower duet" (Delibe's Lakmé) were fantastic.

The evening ended with a three course formal dinner in the wine cellar, hosted by cellar master Razvan Macici, paired with wine from the Nederburg Manor Range.

We asked: Where's the Best Place to Picnic?

We asked: Where's the Best Place to Picnic?

You said:

• Franschhoek - 57%
• Paarl - 42%
• Stellenbosch - 28%
• Other - 7%

Read The Month's Picnic Review in the new look November edition - out next week.

            

Cotage Fromage Christmas Hampers go on Sale

Buy a variety of goodies including Kloovenburg olive oil, balsamic vinegar and olives;  Tierhoek organic jam;  Karoo Gold honey; Onion marmalade; Tillys beetroot chutney and sweet and sour peppers; Spiced preserved oranges; Willow Creek tapenade; 375ml bottle of Vrede en Lust wine as well as homemade marshmallows and  a Christmas cake for two in the form of Cotage Fromage's Christmas Hamper.

R395 and stand a chance to win the a lucky draw to be done on 10 January 2011. The prize is one night's stay for two at Vrede en Lust, two bottles of Vrede and Lust wine and a complimentary breakfast for two at Cotage Fromage. (Terms and Conditions Apply).

America Wins WOSA Sommelier World Cup

The inaugural winner of the Wines Of South Africa Sommelier World Cup is Christopher Bates from the US, who came away with the top overall score after a rigorous series of theoretical and practical examinations in the knowledge of South African wine.  He was up against 11 other professional specialists in wine service, all chosen as their national representatives in the challenge conceived and arranged by the industry organisation, Wines of South Africa.

The 12 finalists were examined by a seven-member panel of internationally trained and certified sommeliers and wine educators.  Competitors came from the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Russia, the US, Canada and South Korea, all countries which import South African wines and that enjoy an established culture of professional wine service.

The competition culminated in a multi-part examination held at the Grande Roche in Paarl.  The first part involved a written test and was followed by a blind tasting in which participants had to accurately identify a selection of wines made locally. The top four scorers also took part in a live “restaurant” contest on stage with the judges acting as restaurant patrons. There was a large audience present of wine producers and members of the local hospitality industry.

Said Birch: “The week-long visit, culminating in Saturday’s contest, created a great opportunity to expose an important group of opinion leaders to the diversity and excellence of South African wines. Many sommeliers play a key role in compiling wine lists for restaurants and hotels, and are in this respect, ideal ambassadors for us.

“There has been huge interest from the international wine fraternity and judging by the level and extent of support, there is definitely the appetite to continue the competition. We hope to involve a broader spectrum of countries in future, particularly from Africa, where the profession is still in its infancy.”

Family Picnic and Live Entertainment at Nederburg

Nederburg is celebrating summer with a delicious picnic and live music event on Saturday, October 16 from 11:00 until 15:00.

Bring along the family and friends and as you sip on refreshing Nederburg wines and nibble tasty gourmet goodies from Nederburg’s kitchen, listen to Sound Image, Gary Deacon’s five-piece band. Guitarist Gary will be joined by Andrew Ford on keyboard, Ivan Bell on drums, Willie van Zyl on saxophone, clarinet and penny whistle and vocalist Haydn Gardner. From swing to Latino, from traditional to rock & roll and contemporary popular songs from the 1960s to now, their repertoire caters to everyone. Entertainment for the children will also be on offer.

Pack picnic blankets and chairs and when you arrive, let the surrounding mountains, verdant vineyards and magnificent gardens relax and revive you, while you enjoy Nederburg’s award-winning wines and feast on the splendid Flavours of the Cape picnic selection brimming with freshly-baked bread, locally-produced cheeses, an assortment of crackers, preserves, cold meats, kebabs, smoked Franchhoek salmon trout, homemade salmon pâté, dips, salad, an olive and spinach tartlet, a sweet treat and mineral water. Vegetarian and kiddies’ picnic baskets are also available.

The Flavours of the Cape and vegetarian picnic baskets are offered at a cost of R145 a head and those for children under 12, at R60 a head. The cost in both instances includes the live and children’s entertainment. You may bring along your own picnic basket, in which case the cost of the live entertainment will be R80 per person, while children under 12 will be admitted free of charge. Guests are however requested not to bring their own wine as Nederburg wines will be for sale along with mineral water, juice, coffee, tea and ice cream.

Complementary cellar tours will be offered to the first 30 guests attending the family day who arrive at the Visitors’ Centre (from where the tour starts) at 10:30 and 12:00 respectively.

Please book your picnic basket and/or live entertainment by contacting Sunette Rust on 021 862 3104 or on nedwines@distell.co.za.

The actual picnic season at Nederburg runs seven days a week from the beginning of November until the end of March. Picnic baskets are to be booked two days in advance by contacting Nederburg and can be collected between 12:00 and 15:00.

Nederburg offers visitors a range of experiences all year round, from cellar tours, wine tastings and food- and-wine pairings to seasonal events including the picnics and harvesting breakfasts. Go to www.nederburg.co.za or the winery’s Facebook page or call 021 862 3104 for details of concerts, celebrations and other special events.

Franschhoek Advertise This

(Click to see the full-size image)

From October The Franschhoek Valley Month will include regular editorial about events, people and places in Paarl and Stellenbosch and increase its distribution to 20000 to include these two areas, Franschhoek, Cape Town and Durbanville. We revert to our original title of The Month and have a sneak peak of our intention in the September edition.

Our advertisers stand to benefit from the increased exposure and we have catered for those who'd like to benefit from an association with The Month and the aspirational brand(s) it caters for but who can't afford to be in the main body of the paper by including a 6000 copy local advertiser, with substantially reduced rates when compared to The Month, that will be distributed to the Paarl-Franschhoek and Stellenbosch regions respectively.

You can't afford not to advertise in The Month.