A JOURNEY of discovery! That’s what they promise to put on your plates and the same can be said about what they pour into your glass. The FYN dining experience was recently ranked among the World’s Top 50, following its inclusion among the Top 20 according to Cape Town’s Inside Guide, and one wonder’s how it will rate in terms
Read moreTHE STAND OUT WINES in South Africa’s 2019 Sommeliers Selection feature a Glen Carlou Chardonnay and the Grand Plaisir red blend from the slopes of the Simonsberg in Paarl. Both are described as Elegant & Classy among the Listed Wines hailed in various categories that include Economically Savvy, Fresh & Crunchy, Voluptuous & Rich, Luscious & Aromatic. The competition is
Read moreCONSUMERS are paying roughly four times the value of a bottle of wine when they order in a South African restaurant. So comments wine e-tailer Ryan Sowray of SaleWine, who has noticed a remarkable growth in people ordering wines to take to restaurants and says this is happening not only in South Africa, but globally. “Instead of going to a
Read moreA GREAT restaurant by all accounts: awards aplenty, word of mouth and Cape chefs’ favourite – see here. Special food and amazing view from up on high. Although there aren’t many of South Africa’s top restaurants that require a deposit of R250 per person when making a reservation… So, the meal at Chefs Warehouse Beau Constantia will set you back
Read moreTeubes : Vredendal Cape Rock : Vredendal Mother Rock : Riebeek Kasteel Huis van Chevallerie : Malmesbury Intellego : Malmesbury Testalonga : Eendekuil AA Badenhorst : Malmesbury Fram : Riebeek West Wildehurst : Koringberg Alheit : Hemel-en-Aarde These are the producers whose wines are stocked on a regular basis at Wolfgat in the fishing village of Paternoster on the Strandveld of South
Read moreWE SEE where they’re going with their Winelist, but The Sommeliers Selection takes a bit of getting used to – adjusting to the calibration, you could say. Of over 300 entries, 72 made the cut, all accorded the same recognition, but with no scores given, no stars or medals. Although, among the Listed competition winners there is reference to four
Read moreTHE PRIDE OF AFRICA. The Most Luxurious Train in the World, they say. Indeed, many would consider Rovos Rail to be one of the jewels in the crown as regards South African tourism. It’s a wonderful way to take in the beauty of the countryside; a rather special kind of safari. But come on now, the winelist needs a shake-up!
Read moreIT’S A UNIQUE COMPETITION insofar as all of the judges are members of the South African Sommelier Association – although it’s owned and run by Darielle Robertson of DnA Events Management in Cape Town. It’s also unusual, insofar as the judging culminates in drawing up a Cape Winelist, with listings presented according to Wine by the Glass, Fresh & Crunchy, Elegant
Read moreFOR MANY who are fond of good wining and dining in Cape Town, when dreaming about seafood and a room with a view, your thoughts might well turn to Harbour House in the V&A Waterfront or Kalk Bay. Very appealing, but lunching there is not an automatic choice: a great plate of prawns and chips isn’t guaranteed at these bayside destinations and then there’s
Read moreTHE SECOND annual Sommeliers Selection was announced with little fanfare – the names of the ‘listed wines’ only posted some days after the private awards function and various questions remaining unanswered at the time of writing. Nevertheless, the competition is interesting as regards the unique nature of the event and the calibre of entries. The judges are all members of the South
Read moreTHERE WAS much twittering in SA food and wine circles at the news that a South African restaurant called Jan in the city of Nice on the French Riviera had earned a star in the highly respected Michelin guide – one star indicative of ‘very good’ cuisine, two stars pronouncing ‘excellent’ and three stars denoting ‘exquisite’, a dining establishment considered to be among the
Read moreACCORDING to the restaurant critics commissioned by Italy’s ‘Fine Dining Waters’ S Pellegrino and Acqua Panna, the best in the world in 2015 is Spanish, there aren’t any French restaurants currently quite good enough to warrant inclusion among the planet’s Top 10, and of South Africa’s finest only two are rated exceptional enough to make the cut when it comes down to
Read moreWould I recommend La Belle Cafe at the Alphen Hotel in Constantia, Cape Town? Pretty much! The setting outside the bakery-cum-deli is good – we were sitting in front of old Cape Dutch buildings, under the oaks. The waiters were friendly, the wine was the right temperature and the glasses decent. But the winelist was questionable.We weren’t staying long enough
Read more
