The organisers say that this, the 10^th Wacky Wine Weekend, is going to be more festive than ever, so be sure to head to join Robertson Wine Valley on June 9.
As well as the wares of 48 wineries and many other attractions, festival–goers will be pleasantly surprised to find a variety of vouchers and special offers, from various wine farms, inside the Wacky programme in their ‘goodie bags’. Some of these vouchers and special offers will be valid during the Wacky weekend, and others only after the weekend.
The Wacky Wine Weekend will include four festive days, with each day boasting its unique signature wine theme, to cater for all palates…. Whether you are a fun-seeker, novice or a wine connoisseur, there is something for everyone with: ‘Seriously Wine Thursday’, ‘Wine Up Friday’, ‘Full On Wacky Saturday’ or ‘Wine Down Sunday’.

Wacky 2013 charity drive for winter
Festival-goers are invited to join the Robertson Wine Valley in supporting their local charities. Help take the chill out of winter by donating blankets and winter clothing, for all ages, for those less fortunate. In return the Valley will reward you with wine, according to the weight of your donation, with a maximum of a 6-bottle case of wine that weighs about 9kg. Donations that weigh less than a bottle of wine will be rewarded with vouchers for wine purchases at La Verne online wine shop (www.lavernewines.co.za). All donations are please to be handed in at the Robertson Wine Valley office, corner of Voortrekker and Reitz Streets, Robertson.

 The Wacky Bag Project
As part of the 10 years celebration, members of the local community have been commissioned by the Robertson Wine Valley to produce the ±18 000 Wacky ‘goodie bags’, thus providing much-needed employment and the opportunity to learn new skills for the future. The inspiration came from Khaya Power (www.khayapower.co.za) who are empowering communities all over the Western Cape by offering them an energy source powered by solar energy: 5 litre containers that are safe, portable and rechargeable. No more paraffin and candles! These power units are beautifully packaged in colourful, varnished, recycled cement bags with rope handles. The Robertson Wine Valley has teamed up with Langeberg Doulos Trust who provide the homeless with physical, mental and spiritual care, employing them to produce the 2013 Wacky ‘goodie bags’ from recycled cement bags. These eye-catching bags, ideal for gifts and function, will be available for order via the Robertson Wine Valley office: email manager@robertsonwinevalley.co.za

The Wacky Wine Weekend will embrace the usual line-up of As part of the Robertson Wine Valley’s commitment to ensure a safe festival, a Zero Tolerance Policy is implemented towards ‘drinking and driving’. Visitors are requested to make use of the Buddy Bus or appoint their own designated driver.  The Buddy Bus facility enables groups of seven or more visitors to hire a chauffeur-driven mini-bus.
Wacky Wine Weekend Bus-In Packages and Fly-In Packages for those who live further afield are also available.

Home

David Biggs

Let me introduce myself…

I stumbled into wine writing, more or less by accident, back in the 1970s and produced a weekly wine column for the Cape Argus newspaper for about 30 years.

It’s a funny thing, wine. I hadn’t really considered it much until I was given an assignment for the newspaper and decided to do some background research in wine.

After a one-week wine course, offered by the Gilbeys Company, I was hooked.

I attended more courses with Gilbeys (this was before the Cape Wine Academy had been formed) and read up everything I could find.

In 1998 I wrote my wine judging examination and was frankly surprised to pass, but I did. It was by far the most terrifying examination I had ever entered — two days of intensive tasting and analysis under the watchful eye of Professor Joel van Wyk.

I was invited to be on the judging panel of the first Stellenbosch Bottled Wine Show, and later the Robertson Bottled Wine Show. Before that there were only regional young wine shows, of interest mainly to wine producers. The bottled wine shows were the beginnings of what developed into the annual Veritas Wine Competition, which is the biggest wine contest in South Africa. I’ve served on judging panels in every Veritas competition since its inception, usually judging the sweeter wines and fortified wines in particular.

I’m also a founder member of the very successful Wine-of-the-Month Club tasting panel, and have helped with the judging of the annual Muscadel Competition.

All this involvement in wine is rather odd, really, because I came from a family that didn’t regard wine with much respect. We were Karoo sheep farmers and mostly beer drinkers. My mother enjoyed a glass of gin and tonic every evening, but wine was for special occasions and usually very ordinary plonk, which was all that was available in our local Karoo villages.

Wine prompted me to write books, too. I felt there was a need for a really basic book on wine, so I approached wine guru Dave Hughes and we co-operated on a little book called Enjoy Wine, now long out of print, but I believe still a very practical guide.

I followed this with a series of annual pocket books called the Plonk Buyers’ Guide, which was produced for about 10 years until the wine industry became too big to handle.

In 1998 I produced a little book on port, brandy and fortified wines, called Any Port in a Storm, published by Ampersand Press.

It the intervening years I’ve produced several books of cocktails of all kinds …all readily available from Amazon. Feel free to click and order.

Apart from the wine and booze books, my collection of Karoo stories titled Karoo Ramblings, is once again available, after being out of print for two years.

But there’s more to life than wine, of course, and I find great joy in producing a daily column for the Cape Argus newspaper, under the heading of Tavern of the Seas. The column has been part of the Argus for many years and was started by the great South African author, Lawrence G Green.

(His books are out of print now, but if you should find one in a second-hand book shop, buy it. He wrote in a delightfully gentle style that has lost none of its charm over the years.)

The Tavern column gives me freedom to write about any subject that crosses my mind.

I like to think it’s an on-going public debate and it’s pleasing to see how many readers send me suggestions and comments on the stuff I write.

I hope readers will use this website as a public debating forum too.

Home

Robertson Reaches the Heights

Never judge a wine by its label. It’s not always the great names or very expensive wines that win International wards.

Robertson Winery is best known for mass-producing reliable, everyday wines at reasonable prices. Hardly the kind of wines to win awards. Robertson Winery is the country’s third largest wine producer, vinifying 2 million cases of wine a year, about half of which  is for export.

The Robertson flagship wine, labeled No 1 Constitution Road, was recently awarded the Regional Trophy at the 2010 Decanter World Wine Awards in Britain.

The competition is run by the UK’s top wine magazine, Decanter, which is sold in 92 countries.

Robertson’s entry was judged the best in the category for Red Rhone varieties costing more than £10 a bottle.

This year’s competition attracted a record number of 11000 entries and less than 3% of these achieved gold medals or trophies.

The winning wine was made from selected barrels of Shiraz grown in the Robertson valley and matured in oak for more than two years.

Winemaker Jacques Roux says the award proves that Robertson is capable of producing world-class reds.

The winery’s marketing director Barry Kok, says the timing of the award could not have been better, following on the success of the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament which focused the eyes of the world on South Africa.

The wine takes its name from the address of the winery and was produced to celebrate South Africa’s young democratic constitution.

It is available in wine shops throughout the country at around R150 a bottle.

****

When you’re tired of freezing your buns off at home, consider heading out to he Breedekloof region near Rawsonville this weekend for their “Soetes and Soup” festival.

Participating wineries will provide roaring fires and offer fine fortified wines and home-made soups to warm the blood.

Local musicians like Chris Chameleon, Ivan Zimerman and Klopjag will provide live music at the venues, and there wil be soup-and-wine pairings, chocolate tastings and entertainment for children.

For those more energetic souls there’s a mountain trail to work up a good thirst.

There’s also a special deal whereby, if you book for two nights,  you get a third night’s accommodation free.

For more information visit www.breedekloof.com or call 023 349 1791.

****

One of the Cape’s wine legends, Michael “Spatz” Sperling of Delheim, celebrated his 80th birthday this week.

Spatz came to South Africa as a 20-year-old war refugee from Germany in 1951 and proceeded to turn the farm Driesprong into one of South Africa’s best known wineries and tourist attractions. Together with Frans Malan of Simonsig and Sydney Back of Backsberg, Spatz worked to form the Cape Estate Wine Producers’ Association in the 1970s and was one of the founders and driving forces behind the establishment of the Stellenbosch Wine Route.

Under his guidance Delheim produced one of the Cape’s first serious Bordeaux style red blended wines, Delheim Grand reserve, still regarded as a benchmark of excellence.

Spatz, together with his then-winemaker Kevin Arnold (now co-owner and winemaker of Waterford Estate), initiated the formation in 1982 of the Cape Independent Winemakers’ Guild that markets its wines solely through an annual auction. This body of leading Cape winemakers, with membership by  invitation only, is committed to pushing the boundaries of wine style and quality and serves as a platform for its members to share ideas and methods.

Congratulations, Spatz.

Photo: Courtesy of Breedekloof

Home

South Africa’s biggest wine competition, the Veritas Wine Awards, will be even bigger this year with brandy being included in the judging for the first time.

Brandy producers have until August 17 to submit entries for the competition. Entries can be submitted in various classes, such as standard, vintage and pot-still brandies and the judging panel will be convened by international wine and spirit authority Dave Hughes.

According to Duimpie Bayly, chairman of the SA National Wine Show Association, which runs Veritas, the board’s decision to include a brandy section was unanimous. “The South African wine and brandy industries share a proud history built up over more than 350 years. That brandy, a noble product of the grape, now forms part of Veritas is a natural extension of this link.”

South African brandy is highly regarded internationally for its high quality and it is produced under the most stringent regulations in the world.

Judging will take place at the Nederburg auction complex in Paarl from September 13 to 20 and the results will be announced at a banquet in the Cape Town International Convention Centre on October 8.

For details and entry forms contact Veritas manager Elsabe Ferreira  on tel (021) 807 3104, or by fax on (021) 863 2079 or e-mail elsabe@veritas.co.za.

****

The annual Hermanus Wine and Food Festival is regarded by many as one of the highlights of the South African wine year.

This year’s event takes place from August 6 to 8 and promises to be bigger than ever, with more than 50 wine cellars from Elgin to Elim taking part.

The programme features a special children’s area, food stalls offering everything from sushi to local cheeses and olive products, live music and live radio broadcasts from the festival marquee.

The Hermanus Festival is the only Wine and Food Fair in South Africa where you can purchase the wines you’ve tasted and either take them home immediately or have them shipped home anywhere in the world.

The price of tickets remains the same as last year, R95 a day and R150 for a weekend pass.

Opening hours are: Friday 17:00 - 21:00; Saturday 11:00 - 19:00 and Sunday 11:00 - 17:00

For more details visit the website www.hermanuswineandfood.co.za or contact them on 028 316 3988.

*****

Serious foodies might like to consider a four-day cooking experience at the luxurious Robertson Small Hotel, under the guidance of celebrity chef Reuben Riffel.

The hotel, with its Reuben’s restaurant has become known as one of the top gourmet venues in the country.

The four-day Reuben’s Gourmet Experience will take place from August 23 to 27, with breakfast, lunch and dinner provided each day, and a programme of food pairings, cookery demonstrations, pastry-making hints, exciting recipes and some of Reuben’s culinary secrets.

Guests will stay at the elegant hotel and each participant will be given a signed copy of Reuben’s book, an embroidered chef’s jacket and apron to take home.

The all-in price for the course, including accommodation, is R8500 and bookings can be made by contacting Maryke at  reservations@reubens.co.za or by phoning 021 876 3772 .

Photograph courtesy of Veritas

Home