The 2008 Best Value Wine Show which is hosted by Grand West Casino this year, takes place in the Market Hall, Entertainment Centre on Tuesday 2 December form 17h00 -21h00
The show once again offers Capetonians the opportunity to taste and purchase around seventy value-for-money wines from twenty South African wineries under one roof. All wines [...]

The eternal question looms: What is the ideal, universal gift for hosts, friends, business associates, service workers and, not least, the family physician?
I’d submit that – barring such obvious exceptions as Alcoholics Anonymous members or hardshell teetotalers – it’s hard to top a gift of wine. Wine is broadly available and widely enjoyed. It comes [...]

Â
Wine enhances the flavour of the food, makes the table look nice and can liven up a meal. But many people find it confusing. There are too many choices, it requires a special tool to open, and there’s the whole culture around wine supposedly dictating what goes with which food and what’s cool to drink.
Here’s [...]

Â
Balmy weather calls for alfresco entertaining. Real Simple magazine has offers some useful tips for a flawless outdoor party.
Make a table runner. Leftover wallpaper or wrapping paper works great and costs nothing.
Dress up outdoor chairs. Tie a colorful sash around the back and tuck a sprig of rosemary into the bow.
Do some windproofing. To avoid [...]

Wines from Old World countries like France, Italy and Spain and New World wines from California seem to always garner most of the experts’ accolades. The majority absolutely deserve these high ratings, but there are many outstanding wines from other parts of the New World.
South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and Chile are producing fabulous [...]

 

The company of wine peopleTM delivered sterling results at the India Wine Challenge: its newly launched Arniston Bay Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2008 and Kumkani Sauvignon Blanc 2007 were both awarded silver medals.
The Kumkani Chardonnay Viognier 2007 received a bronze medal while the Arniston Bay Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2008, Arniston Bay Reserve Shiraz 2007 and [...]

Â
The month before the festive season tends to be the busiest period on the social calendar thanks to numerous year-end functions, and visits from friends and family. We’ll leave you to decide on the eat-some-morish menus and music, but here’s a few tips when choosing wine for the silly season.
In order to make a good [...]

Â
Never mind the oligarchs. Russia is probably the most exciting new wine market to emerge in the past five years. Why? Because a growing slice of ordinary middle class Russian society has developed a taste for quality wine, according to Wine Intelligence’s Russian Wine Market Landscape report, published on 14 November 2008.
 Based on a groundbreaking [...]

It’s easy for diners to be confident when ordering their favourite domestic beer, or a common cocktail that every bartender knows how to prepare.
Hand them a wine list, though, and all confidence goes out the window. The average diner tends to be less than well-educated when it comes to pairing wine with their meals, or [...]

The newly launched Arniston Bay Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2008 has been chosen for the 2009 South African Airways On Board Wine List, and the 750ml bottle will now be served on all their African and international flights, including their airport lounges, during 2009
 The wine – which won a gold medal at the esteemed Veritas Awards [...]

Arniston Bay is to relaunch its best-selling Original range into the UK market. The relaunch is set to upgrade the range, and will see screwcap closures and fresh, updated packaging on all varietals.
The first varietals to receive the refresh will be the best-selling Chenin Chardonnay 2008, Pinotage Rose 2008 and Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2008. [...]

Â
My dietician (and banker) regrettably advised me to reduce my red meat consumption. Thank goodness red wine still gets a thumbs up! Luckily, I stumbled across this mouthwatering chicken recipe (which pairs well with a bottle of red wine) so it wasn’t too much of a sacrifice.
Serve this easy-to-make meal with a bottle of easy-drinking [...]

South African wine exports are up 36% over 2007 export figures as of September this year, reports wine export facilitator Wines of South Africa (Wosa).
Wosa CEO Su Birch reports that the growth is being driven by the weakening rand and the commendable performance of South African wines in key export markets.
She adds that, although the [...]

The recent Platter tasting method debate has resulted in the Platter guide to set up an open discussion forum about their tasting method .
Wine.co.za reports that against a backdrop of increased interest in its method of sighted wine assessments (ie with the label exposed and the name of the producer known), Platter’s Wine Guide invites [...]

Wine Spectator magazine reports that for the third straight year, Americans are expected to drink more red wine than white, thanks to a projected 3 percent increase in red wine consumption in 2008, to 121 million cases, an all-time high according to the recently-released The US Wine Market : Impact Databank Review and Forcast, 2008 [...]

Sight, swirl, smell and sip. These are the four basic steps to wine tasting, but what are you actually looking for when you do these steps? Here is a basic guide to wine drinking and tasting.
When you are first trying a new wine, pour a small amount into a glass and tilt it at an [...]

The wine buyer for the Shoprite Checkers group, Stephanus Eksteen, is probably one of the most respected and influential individuals in the South African wine market. In a recent interview published in The Times, Eksteen gave a few valuable suggestions for buying and enjoying wine.
Â
Here are some tips:
Â
-         Drink the wine you like and know, [...]

Arniston Bay, in association with Good Housekeeping, are offering one lucky winner a year’s supply of Arniston Bay wine.
This competition is exclusive the UK and entrants can visit Arniston Bay’s website to enter.Â
Arniston Bay is also running another competition which is open to all countries. In the Escape to Arniston Bay competition consumers are invited [...]

Wine tasting notes can be misleading and misunderstood. Sometimes consumers expect the wine to taste exactly like the tasting notes suggests. Wine that have a hind of chocolate and caramel do not taste like a Cadbury’s Caramello Bear (South African chocolate bar).
In an article, published on C-Ville.com, J. Tobias Beard said: “Many of us misunderstand [...]

In a recent article on homemakers.com, Lynn Hoffman talks about the basics of swirling, sniffing, sipping and serving wine.
Do you feel a little nervous about serving wine to guests? Are you worried about seeming pretentious or are you just intimidated by the whole thing? Well, it’s time to pop a cork and relax; wine is [...]