December is commonly associated with summer, holidays and an abundance of festivities all leading to an increase in opportunities to socialise. It’s also often the time that people tend to throw caution to the wind and indulge themselves.

From cocktails overlooking the beach to a couple of beers at the braai, alcohol consumption during the December season generally increases. While everyone deserves the opportunity to occasionally let their hair down, that doesn’t mean having to endure the often negative consequences.of overindulging.

So when partaking in the celebrations take note of the following useful tips from the Industry Association for Responsible Alcohol Use (ARA).

Tips when drinking with friends and family:

• Pace your drinking consumption, it’s not a competition
• Avoid drinking with partners who are prone to aggressive behavior
• Always eat before drinking alcohol and try to eat while drinking – choose foods that are high in fat and carbohydrates, i.e. burger and chips
• Don’t swim when you’ve had alcohol
• Drinking on the beach is against the law and can be very dangerous, as can drinking
at the river or the dam for those who live inland

Take note of the following tips when drinking in a bar or restaurant:

• Avoid lifts from strangers, especially when intoxicated
• Make sure you know who pours your drink
• Don’t accept drinks from strangers
• Club together with your friends to hire a car or mini-bus with a driver – rather than pay
bail money for a night of fun
• Always keep the number of a taxi company on your cellphone and ensure that you
have enough money set aside in your wallet for this, should you know you are not in
a position to drive home.
• Make sure that someone always knows where you are

Arnsiton Bay Wines support all the efforts and campaigns from ARA (Association for Responsible Alcohol Use). Ensure this December is filled with only wonderful memories and no regrets.

Source: wine.co.za

South African wine website, wine.co.za has launched a great initiative. The campaign is calling on every South African living abroad to share a drop of sunshine with a local on 16 December.

We would love every South African out there to open up a bottle of South African wine,
and show your mates just how good our wine is – taste some sunshine, sunshine!

We have chosen the 16th December as it is a very special day for us South Africans, and it is right in the middle of the northern hemispheres winter…
just when they need a little bit of sunshine in their lives – so spread a little bit of our sunshine, sunshine!

Get a great bottle of South African wine and sit down quietly and taste it with your mates.
Let them taste some of our sunshine. And of course, you don’t have to stop there…you could even open up a second bottle and then not so quietly share some of our sunshine.

And for those ex-pats out there in the land of OZ, or down the south of America, they might not need the sunshine, but you have to agree…
they do need to taste some good wine for a change, so get them to taste what makes us shine.

Then, please take some pictures and videos, and show us all what you did by posting them on the social networks (#tastewinesunshine) and at wine.co.za

And please tell us at wine.co.za so that we can organise this again next year.

So sunshine, what great South African wine are you going to taste this year !

South Africans in the UK can share some of the amazing and extremely popular Arniston Bay Wines which has become a dominate wine brand in the UK market.

American singer Tori Amos is a fervent women’s rights activist known for ruffling feathers with her candid lyrics and views.

South African concert organisers have described her as “unpretentious” and having almost no backstage requirements – apart from wanting to sample local red wine.

The 48-year-old red-haired diva – who in 1996 sparked a media storm with an album cover featuring her breast-feeding a piglet – has requested water and “good red wine” during her time in Johannesburg and Cape Town this week.

Amos, whose hit singles include Cornflake Girl and Crucify, said before she arrived in the country that she was eager to stock up on South African wine for her cellar at home in Cornwall, England.

Read more…

Just in time for summer, Arniston Bay has launched ‘The Coast’ range of wines for the first time in South Africa. Already popular in the UK market for their exceptional value, the range is available in White, Red and Rosé, at the amazing price of just R19,99 a bottle.

From every day occasions to picnics or poolside celebrations, it’s the perfect time to go out and get yourself a bottle of Arniston Bay’s The Coast wines. If you’re a white wine fan you can look forward to a crisp, uncomplicated blend filled with tropical fruit flavours, while lovers of rosé will enjoy easy-drinking strawberry flavours, and last but not least, red wine devotees will savour this mellow red that’s simply bursting with ripe berry fruit.

Winemaker Abraham de Villiers explains, “Arniston Bay wines are enormously popular around the globe and deliver exceptional value. But you don’t have to take my word for it – three of our wines will also feature in the 2012 Best Value Guide.”

He continues, “I believe that wine doesn’t have to be expensive to be enjoyable, but you shouldn’t have to sacrifice quality for price either. That’s why quality is so important to my entire winemaking team, and this year alone Arniston Bay wines were recognised with a dozen medals from the likes of the Decanter World Wine Awards, the International Wine & Spirit Competition and the Veritas Awards.”

Available exclusively at Pick-n-Pay shops throughout the Western Cape for just R19,99 a bottle, Arniston Bay ‘The Coast’ wines offer refreshing Summer Fun in a glass at a sizzling price that just can’t be beat. Look out for our Arniston Bay Facebook promotion where you could win fun summertime prizes or even the Grand Prize – a relaxing boat cruise! Plus, if you like Arniston Bay The Shore wines, look out for our other popular wines – like the Arniston Bay Chenin Chardonnay, or the Arniston Bay Sauvignon Blanc – also available at Pick-n-Pay.

Accessible and easy drinking , Arniston Bay wines have become the favourite among contemporary wine lovers. Arniston Bay provides a range of lifestyle wines for every occasion, whether socializing with friends or just enjoying a laid-back afternoon on your own.

These wines confirmed this status of ‘accessible and easy drinking’  by having three wines in the South African Best Value Wine Guide 2012.

These three wines will feature in this guide:

Arniston Bay Chenin Blanc Chardonnay 2011

Arniston Bay The Shore  Non-Vintage

Arniston Bay Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2010

For more info on this guide visit winemag.co.za

Arniston Bay, the easy-drinking lifestyle wine inspired by the relaxed spirit synonymous with the fishing village of Arniston, showed its serious side this weekend after being awarded a bronze medal at the 21^st annual Veritas Awards ceremony.

The Veritas Awards is South Africa’s biggest wine competition, and is widely regarded as its most highly esteemed indicator of quality, market-ready wines.

The Veritas Bronze medal was awarded to the Arniston Bay Bushvine Selection Pinotage 2009. Sourced from a Western Cape vineyard block of 20-year old bush vines, the grapes were selected for optimal quality to produce this full-bodied wine.

“Just like Arniston Bay wine, my winemaking style is relaxed – but I always try to over deliver on quality. My goal is to create as many award-winning wines as I can at reasonable prices and for me, the Bushvine Selection Pinotage does just that so it’s fantastic to see it being recognised.” says the beaming winemaker, Abraham de Villiers.

With its deep purple colour and sensual flavours – from smoky layers of ripe black fruit and hint of truffle – the wine was matured for 18-months in French oak barrels and makes an ideal partner for rich, red meat dishes or spicy curries.

The Arniston Bay Bushvine Selection Pinotage 2009 is priced from just R39 per bottle when purchased directly at cellar door, and is also available online at www.wine.co.za, or at selected wine outlets nationwide.

The Veritas Awards are deemed to be the Oscars of South African Wine competitions and Arniston Bay was in the medals this year.

One of our best wines,  the Arniston Bay Bushvine Selection Pinotage 2009 was awarded a bronze medal at the this year’s Veritas awards

For more information you can visit www.veritas.co.za

It’s official – it’s time to Spring Clean those cupboards and stock them with sunshine. Spring Day is just around the corner! To celebrate, we’re throwing caution to the wind with our annual wine sale, offering unbelievable value to locals on Arniston Bay wines, which enjoy a near-cult following in the UK.

Dates: Thursday 1-4 September 2011

Venue: Welmoed Cellar door.

Directions to Welmoed

The following wines will be on sale:

Click here for more info about the wines and the sale

We’re having another Market Day wine sale at our Welmoed cellar door in Stellenbosch.

Dates: 2 June -5 June 2011

Venue: Welmoed Cellar door. Directions to Welmoed

The following wines will be on sale:

If you’d like more details regarding the sale, please contact the Zoliswa at our cellar door on 021 881 8062

At Arniston mother nature has ensured that you can ‘get away from it all’. Whether you enjoy sun tanning on unspoilt white beaches, watching whales breaching in the bay or more active pursuits such as hiking or exploring the countryside, Arniston has something to offer everyone.

Arniston Bay Wines are inspired by the sunny skies and pristine beaches of this quaint fishing village. This unpretentious wine is ideal for those carefree, alfresco dining or easy drinking wine occasions – anywhere, anytime.

The range has a multitude of offerings ranging from easy-drinking entry level wines to more sophisticated wines for discerning palates.

Accessible and unconventional, Arniston Bay wines have become the favourite among contemporary wine lovers. Arniston Bay provides a range of lifestyle wines for every occasion, whether socializing with friends or just enjoying a laid-back afternoon on your own.