Franschhoek Uncorked

The 2671 official attendees at this year’s Franschhoek Uncorked Festival can regard themselves some of the luckiest people in the world. Not only did they get a chance to drink many of Franschhoek’s finest wines for just R60, but they were blessed with the most glorious weather for the day on Saturday and much of Sunday afternoon. Add to that the free shuttle service, food and entertainment, activities for the kids and an opportunity to benefit from some special festival discounts and the experience will go down as one of Franschhoek’s best ever. The world won’t end if you don’t get a World Cup ticket but it may as well if you don’t get a 2010 Uncorked Glass!

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5 Minutes with Derk Blaisse

We catch up with Derk Blaisse from the traditional local jazz band, the Cape Dutch Connection, as he prepares for another season of Friday night jazz at La Brasserie. We ask him about the band, how it all began and, for those that haven’t yet had the pleasure of listening, what style of music he plays..

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Not Too Far from Franschhoek: Napier

From the November edition:

... Along the main road, the charming facades of faithfully restored buildings sit side-by-side newer and less-authentic buildings. There is an aesthetics committee of sorts and it must have its work cut out! Stop at Pascal’s if you’re not in the mood for pub-fare, but again, be prepared for a chat. Local proprietors all understand the value of the personal touch and there is no shortage of time here. While there, you may even meet Daniel Pascal herself or Cape Town’s Max du Preez, who is one of the many famous South Africans who own property in the town. Pay a visit to military buff, Leon Visser, who makes very well-priced pewter chess sets and can literally chat the hind-leg off a donkey.

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Winelands Experience on the Move

The Month (TM) recently spoke to Richard Dellar (RD) from Franschhoek-based tourism company, Winelands Experience. We noted that he has become a familiar face around the Franschhoek Valley and asked him to tell us how long he’s been living and working in Franschhoek and how he’s spent his time here.
RD: Like most people, I fell in love with the valley on my first visit in the 70’s when I attended a conference at the old Swiss Farm Excelsior (now Le Franschhoek). At the time I was working for Stellenbosch Farmers Winery in marketing. My wife and I bought an apartment at La Petite Provence in 2001 but moved here permanently in 2003. I bought a share of Winelands Experience in 2006 and have spent the last three years building our presence in the Franschhoek tourism industry.
TM: But rumour has it that you’re retiring and moving on.

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Best Uncorked Festival Ever

This year’s Franschhoek Uncorked Festival in October will go down as one of Franschhoek’s most successful and well-supported festivals ever. A glorious sunny Saturday morning greeted the first of the more than two and a half thousand visitors to the 24 wineries and set the scene for much of what was to follow over the weekend. Not even the wet and chilly Cape weather on Sunday, which threatened to put a damper on things, could detract from the sense of warmth and camaraderie that seemed to flood the valley. The balmy weather, which enveloped Franschhoek and the surrounds on Sunday afternoon, made for the ideal end to a fabulous festival. It couldn’t have been scripted more perfectly.

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Unbelievable ADSL offer

The Month's technology partner, Winelands IT, is offering Internet users in the Franschhoek Valley an opportunity to purchase bandwidth at an unbelievable flat-rate of R75 per GB and is applicable to top-ups as well, for a limited time only.

STOP PRESS
Swallows: Get ADSL for R50 per GB per month - no need to pay Telkom or MWeb-rates when you're only in town for a few months a year.

Contact support@winelandsit.co.za for more information.

Franschhoek Uncorked Festival Programme

The official Franschhoek Uncorked Festival Programme is here: http://www.generator.co.za/FHoek_Uncorked_programme_2009.pdf