the month april 2012

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the monthAPRIL 2012

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April 2012 from the editorFROM THE EDITOR

2 / The Month April 2012

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Before I launch into a quick sum-mary of our offering this April, please allow me to draw your at-

tention to the article on page 26, en-titled “Flip Rasool, (nearly) the New Editor at Die Maand (The Month)” and point out the obvious: the Publisher and I don’t always see eye to eye.

His plan for this April edition was to have Flip Rasool pen the editorial and, perhaps more importantly, assume the role of Edi-tor. The fact that he toyed with the idea that a move to Afrikaans would also be in order for The Month says nothing about his patriotism, for he is not Afrikaans, but points to the fact that given the right set of circumstances he is easily swayed – al-though I always thought that pressure would most likely come from someone wearing a skirt.

Fortunately, as those who look forward to April and all that comes with it will see, this Month is very much in keeping with those that have preceded it. Please do read that article though, and let me know what you think!

In our attempt to get to, and enjoy, as many of the great things on offer in the Winelands at this time of year, we really clocked up the kilo’s this month - with respect to both the tar and our tum-mies. I headed towards Worcester, to the breath-taking Slanghoek Valley and its charming inhabitants and then put my Terios 4x4 through its paces on the Land Rover eXperience off-road track at Simonsig Estate, Stellenbosch; regular contributor Jill Peper learnt all about the Renosterveld at the Clara Anna Fontein reserve just outside Durbanville and the Publisher spent some time on the West

Coast in Parternoster, before heading up Skeleton Gorge on Table Mountain to work off some of the excess.

We made good use of the half-priced wine offer at the French Toast Wine and Tapas Bar on Cape Town’s Bree Street and followed this up with tastings at Vilafon-té in Stellenbosch and Taste SA in Fran-schhoek, and sought out more wine-relat-ed advice from the folks at the Vineyard Connection and our man at Waverley Hills, cellar manager Johan Delport.

In Franschhoek we bumped into Kate Middleton and Luisa Spagnoli (well, sort of) and donned leathers under the watch-ful gaze of our fashion guru Annamé, al-though Ashley-Marie our photographer was careful to focus her attention only on the model.

To keep things suitably balanced we’ve propped up the rest of the pages with a great Butternut and Pistachio ice cream recipe, some useful Golf Tips, news about the American housing market, the White Wine Ou’s honest response to the new MasterChef SA series, news about the Franschhoek Literary Festival and as al-ways, two fun-filled What’s On? pages that feature something for everyone and a fabulous ticket give-away to the Swart-land’s Riebeek Valley Olive Festival.

For those not into words, there are pic-tures of pretty and interesting people on our back page and for the rest, enjoy the read!

Our front page picture this month is courtesy of the Pub-lisher, who, on one of his many travels within the Western Cape in March, snapped this beau-tifully colourful scene on the beach at Paternoster.

Described as ‘one of the last traditional fishing villages on the West Coast’, the peace and ro-mance that permeate the vil-lage, and captured on our front page, serve as an important reminder that stepping back is often a precursor to making an effective move forward.

As you prepare for The Month ahead, we hope that you’ll en-joy all that the Winelands has to offer. Ap

ril ..

.Editor: Brett Garner

083 260 0453 [email protected]

Publisher: David Foster

the clear thinking Group


Graphic Design & layout: nicole Greaves


The Team

the White Wine [email protected]

WINE Johan Delport [email protected]

lorraine [email protected]

stefan [email protected]

Jo [email protected]

FASHIONannamé [email protected]

FINANCEDave [email protected]

OUR WESTERN CAPE DISTRIbUTION IN NUMbERS

Restaurant Review: French Toast

We Visit the Slanghoek Valley

Wine Review: Vineyard Connection

Wine Labels Explained

Wine Review: Vilafonté

Wine Review: Taste SA/Cybercellar

The Wine Ou on MasterChef SA

We Visit Clara Anna Fontein

We Hike Table Mountain

We Visit Paternoster

Property & Lifestyle Section

Recipe: Butternut & Pistachio Ice Cream

Fashion: Leather Pants

Investment News & Golf Tips

We Tackle the Land Rover eXperi-ence

What’s On?

Why Flip Rasool is Not Our Editor & FLF News

We Meet Luisa Spagnoli

Scene and Heard

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April 2012the monthTHE MONTH

The Month / 3April 2012

The Publisher and Editor enjoy a little French Toast in Cape Town

A toast To Tapas and Wine

fresh, latin-inspired cookingwith vineyard views

021.874.3844 www.cosecharestaurant.com

When the Publisher, who never seems to tire of the Cape Town vibe and its cosmopolitan make-

up, called to say he’d stick me to tapas and wine at the trendy French Toast Wine and Tapas Bar off equally trendy Bree Street re-cently, my first thought was: “Please, not on a Monday”.

You see, on Mondays French Toast has an unbelievable offer of a 50% discount on all their wines priced R400 or less, and there are many on that list that both he and I count as favourites. And when the Publisher offers to pay, I know I’m in for the long haul as it nearly always involves “the next big thing” for The Month.

Arriving early, on a Monday after all, I parked close by and headed through the downstairs bar area to sit upstairs at the long raised table that forms a focal point in the small, but airy, ex-warehouse. The exposed brick and steel and the many windows lose what could be a cold edge, thanks to some tasteful decorat-ing in muted colours and the clean and sim-ple settings of the dining tables that line the

walls. It’s clear that the relaxed and uncompli-cated approach that greets the eye is meant to be indicative of the general approach here, and as I notice another bar area at the far end of the upstairs space, a friendly waitress offers me a wine and tapas menu respectively and the kind of smile that says she’s doing what she loves.

As I’m early, I mention that I’m going to wait for a friend and pull out my 2012 Platter’s and a copy of the latest The Month. “Oh, that’s a brilliant read,” she says, still smiling. Chuffed I thank her and explain that it’s “my baby”. “Wow,” she says, a little taken aback, “you’re the first person I’ve met from Platter’s.”

With the arrival of the Publisher there’s a flur-ry of activity; we relocate to sit at a regular ta-ble, in comfy chairs and with space to spread ourselves out a bit. We quickly dispense with listening to an explanation of the tapas items, the wine specials and the inside info that things will get a bit hectic later as there is to be a function at the bar. Happy for the relative quiet we unwind our way through a bottle of Constantia Glen Three without an

agenda and a bit of small talk and for once the man sitting opposite me says some-thing that really sinks in. “I like this place,” he says looking about, “it’s got a good feel about it, but I think these guys work hard.”

As if on cue, Karin Visser, one of the own-ers of French Toast arrives at our table with her own broad smile and an offer to replace our empty bottle with another or some-thing different. Keen for a chat we quiz Karin about the business and discover that this serious golfer was once a biokineticist. Why on earth, I ask her, would she want to make the radical shift into the restaurant business? Her answer is as honest as it is simple: she loves wine and people and had no reason not to believe that the venture would be a success. In October this year the restaurant will be two years old and she’s still excited about things – and gets time to work on improving her handicap. No won-der she’s happy.

Feeling relaxed but picking up on the energy that now seems to be filling the place (the func-tion guests have arrived, some with gifts and others with volume) we order from the ta-pas menu and set-tle on another sub-four-hundred rand wine, a Tamboer-skloof 2007.

The food – all of it, from prawns to meatballs and auber-gine chips to patatas bravas - is tasty and adequately supple-ment the main stars of the French Toast show for me; the wine and the relaxed but smart space in which to chat and enjoy life.

Contact 021 422 3839 or visit www.f renchtoas twine .com for info.

FO

OD

April 2012 the monthTHE MONTH


clandestine, For All

A marketing brochure for the Slang-hoek Mountain Resort describes the Slanghoek Valley as “clandestine”

– a secret place; but kept so for all the right reasons: spectacular views, unspoilt tracts of fynbos and outdoor activities for the whole family.

As I read the words with the kind of hardened resolve that comes from having seen too many blurbs that call attention to a “picturesque val-ley nestled at the foot of majestic mountains”, I gloss over the peculiar choice of ‘clandestine’ and the pretty pictures and instead fall prey to the promise that the Slanghoek Valley is only “one hour’s drive from Cape Town”.

That a secret and unspoilt place, and a wine growing region of note to boot, is just an hour from the Mother City is all I need to convince the Publisher that parting with the business expense card is a small price to pay to get me out of his rapidly thinning hair. At some point, after another lecture about the escalation of the business drinks’ account and the fact that he is practically a teetotaller, I remind him that it was his idea to send me away (which it wasn’t). He checks himself mid-sentence and says, “Oh. Okay then. See you Monday!” and off I go.

On leaving the N1 just after the Huguenot Tun-nel, at the Rawsonville turnoff, I begin to doubt the accuracy of those introductory descriptors. “It’s no Franschhoek,” I say looking at The Wife as she pulls the ‘lellow blankie’ over our sleep-ing toddler. I get the kind of look that says she agrees, but it’s hardly supportive.

Minutes later, however, I find myself making a silent apology to the people of Slanghoek, as we round a gentle bend and descend into a broad, flat valley hemmed by towering, truly majestic, sun-drenched mountains. No bro-

chure could do this place justice and, its sinister connotations aside, “clandestine” is the right word after all. Had this been the first place I’d seen in the Winelands some six years ago, The Month may very well have been birthed in the Slanghoek Valley.

Our first stop is to Jason’s Hill Winery, where we’re met by sixth-generation winemaker Ivy du Toit. The Diner’s Club Young Winemaker of the Year 2003 and Landbou Weekblad Wom-an Winemaker of the Year 2004 is a descend-ant of the original family that once owned practically all of the Slanghoek Valley. As Ivy and I drink and chat our way through a Jason’s Hill Shiraz, a Merlot, a Chenin Blanc and then a Sauvignon Blanc, before turning our attention to the well-priced Jason’s Creek range and the over-delivering Classic Red in particular, The Toddler discovers a playroom adjoining the bistro upstairs and The Wife heads off in pur-suit. With my focus on the wine, all I catch of her muttering is the word “clandestine”.

After the tasting and more than one glance at the surprisingly affordable prices on the wine list, we settle back to enjoy a leisurely lunch of Waterblommetjie Bredie, Fish and Chips and a Kid’s Hotdog in the Bistro, while the kid keeps himself busy in the playroom.

From Jason’s Hill we head a couple of kilo-metres down the road to the Slanghoek Winery, and the company of cellarmaster, Pieter Carstens. With time spent at Bo-land Cellar, Koelenhof, Groot Eiland and McGregor Cellar before joining Slanghoek more than a decade ago, I suggest to Pieter that it’s probably time for him to be think-ing of some place new, surely? His disarm-ing and genuine smile precedes his frank re-sponse: “When you love what you’re doing, why would you be after a change?”

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And it’s no wonder he enjoys what he does. Along with a team that includes two senior wine makers, two assis-tant wine makers, a viticulturist and a community of lo-cals and wine farmers, Pieter calls the shots in a produc-tion process that consumes tens of thousands of tons of grapes and produces 20 different wines (in addition to the supply of bulk wine to a number of South Afri-ca’s top producers). Previously a co-op, the Slanghoek Company is now more a collaborative mega-enterprise that exerts a marked influence on the local wine scene, yet manages to produce award-winning wines known for their value for money.

Under Pieter’s expert guidance our visit concludes with us personally blending and bottling a ‘his’ and

a ‘hers’ Cape Blend and more than just a sip of the Slanghoek Cuvee Brut.

Having agreed not to continue to disagree about whose blend is superior we head off for our over-night accommodation at the Platbos Log Cabins, set against the same sun-drenched mountains that had us gasping earlier. The log cabins are hardly a year old and perch beside a large dam with a view back towards Rawsonville. In winter, when the dam is full, the cabins jut out over the water and as I make a note on my phone to get a July book-ing, The Wife and The Toddler carry our overnight things from the car.



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& egg eaters

Jop Kunneke

The Editor visits the Slanghoek Valley

The Right Reasons

Comfortable, but not necessarily luxurious, our cabin is stocked in advance with Slanghoek wines and supper courtesy of the Jason’s Hill Bistro (no doubt the Publisher will be chuffed that the card was spared a mini massacre, I think. Then decide not to let him down and resolve to splurge on the way out the next day).

As the setting sun invites me to reflect and Tweet, The Toddler demonstrates his prowess at chasing the odd cricket to a watery death and The Wife hers at pouring bubbly. What a life!

Morning dawns with a sad farewell to Platbos and a breakfast date with Stanley Louw at the

Opstal Estate and Restaurant, but not before we’re whisked away by farm manager Laing for a quick ‘tour’ of the valley. The tour turns out to be a bumpy drive in his 4x4 to a vantage point high above the Slanghoek Mountain Re-sort.

From here Laing points out farms, recounts some of the local history and speaks with pas-sion about wine, grapes and people. The epit-ome of the salt of the earth, Laing concludes the tour by thrusting two massive boxes of Hannepoot grapes (picked that morning from the vines in his back garden) my way, with a warning not to try to eat them in one go. The

Toddler misunderstands this as some sort of perverted challenge and sets about doing just that.

Stanley Louw is another sixth-generationer and shows me about the Opstal cellar and equipment with obvious reverence for the foresight of his forbears and excitement at his offspring’s decision to follow in his footsteps. An early tasting of the precursor to the prom-ising 2012 vintage precedes a formal tasting of Stanley’s Opstal and Sixpence ranges and a timely reminder that value-for-money does not necessarily mean low-on-quality. The Lou-ws know their way around a wine barrel!

A hearty breakfast with a view to die for (and a big contributor to the fact that Opstal is a top wedding venue), a clamber on, in and under a mechanical grape harvester and a promise of a return visit later, we began to make tracks back home.

As the sun reaches its zenith I glance back in the rear-view mirror to see the broad valley and sun-drenched mountains much as they were the previ-ous day. “Nothing seems to change here,” I suggest to The Wife. As she tilts the rear-view mirror to her own advantage she nods and says, “Except for those who visit here.”

See www.breedekloof.com



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WIN

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You know it’s harvest-time in the Wine-lands, when you’re stuck in traffic be-hind a tractor taking freshly picked

grapes to the cellar. When next you’re drawn to drum your fingers on the steering wheel, it may help to consider that wines have been made in South Africa since the days of Jan van Riebeeck in the 17th cen-tury, and although the technique of turn-ing fermenting grape juice into delicious wine is an ancient one, there are a number of winemakers who are doing things rather differently than Van Riebeeck’s men would have.

Here’s a small selection of wines that caught our attention thanks to their less than common production methods.

1. David Aristargos 2010, R162The Swartland Revolution drew the world’s attention to the Swartland region and the producers who believe in a natural approach to viticulture and winemaking. Some of the grapes for this wine are har-vested from organic vineyards and some from old bush vines. The wine was natural-ly fermented, using no commercial yeast, contains very little sulphur and was aged in older, bigger barrels for 12 months. This wine is a blend of 51% Chenin Blanc, 39% Viognier and 10% Verdelho. It’s drinking beautifully with peach and spice on the nose and a wonderful balance of acid and concentrated fruit on the palate.

2. Springfield Methode Anci-enne Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, R315Springfield planted these vines in 1979 on a rocky outcrop on the estate and pro-duce only a limited quantity of this con-centrated and luscious wine. The wine is naturally fermented, unfiltered and unfined and aged six years before being made available for sale. The result is a wine that exhibits a beautiful expression of cassis fruit and fine tannins.

3. Lammershoek’s Cellarfoot The Underwater Syrah 2011, R142Lammershoek is another Swartland produc-er known for thinking ‘outside the box’, or in this case thinking ‘under the water’.

The grapes are from a single block of Syrah which is dry-land farmed. The wines are aged in four barrels which are submerged underwater in a large open concrete tank. The water is changed every three weeks to maintain a fresh, clean environment. After a year underwater, the wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered. This wine is very fruity with silky soft tannins and is an absolute pleasure to drink and a wonderful dinner-time con-versation starter.

4. Quoin Rock Vine Dried Sauvi-gnon Blanc 2009, R160

This dessert wine is made according to the ancient method of twisting the bunches of ripe grapes, while still hanging on the vine, to prevent moisture from reaching the grapes. The grapes turn into raisins while still on the vine and only then are they har-vested. The bunches are slow pressed to yield small volumes of concentrated juice and the resultant wine is made with natural yeast and bottled without filtration. This de-licious wine is packed with notes of peaches, litchis and honey on the nose and marma-lade on the palate.

All the wines listed on this page, and many more, may be found at The Vineyard Connection’s wine shop on the Delvera Wine Estate, R44. The shop is open seven days a week, 021 884 4360

The Vineyard Connection team gets to grips with this year’s harvest

Now That’sinteresting

321 4



MONNEAUX RESTAURANT • FRANSCHHOEK COUNTRY HOUSE & VILLAS Tel: +27 (0)21 876 3386 • email: [email protected]

For more information visit our website at www.fch.co.za

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For some, a wine label makes about as much sense as the idea that it’s possible to solve an algebra equa-

tion by chewing gum. We asked Lor-raine Geldenhuys, one of our regular wine writers to give us some pointers:

CERTIFICATIoN SEAL: No label may mention cultivar, vintage or origin if it does not have this seal. On this particular bottle a ‘Wine of Origin’ seal is depicted. This particular wine is certified to be a Sauvignon Blanc (the cultivar), made from grapes harvested in 2011 (the vin-tage) and sourced within the Western Cape (the origin). It has been tasted by the Wine & Spirits Board and complies with the information stated on the label; furthermore, no fault was detected in the wine at the time of tasting by the Wine & Spirits Board panel. The unique number shown on the seal allows consumers to access information about the wine via www.sawis.co.za

In 2010 a new seal was issued to distin-guish wines made in a more environ-mentally friendly and economically sus-

tainable way, which is referred to as the ‘Integrated Production of Wine’ seal. The IPW seal is printed in green and bears a logo depicting a Protea.

oRIGIN: In this case 100% of the grapes must be from the Western Cape. Smaller demarcated areas (e.g. Wine of Origin El-gin) could also be used if all the grapes are from that area.

A-NuMBER: This number is used instead of the address of the producer to save space on the label.

CoNTAINS SuLPhITES: By law this must always appear on a label. ‘Sulphites’ re-fers to SO2 (Sulphur Dioxide) and is a pre-servative added to wine. Sulphur, alcohol and the amount you drink all contrib-ute to ‘The morning after’! Even organic wines contain sulphites, only much less.

ALCohoL By VoLuME: The alcohol printed on the label may not vary by more than 1% of the actual alcohol in the wine, if consumed locally. By law, the vol-ume must always be printed.

NAME oF BRAND: If the label includes the word ‘Estate’ it means that the grapes come from the farm itself and the wine is made and bottled on the estate.

CuLTIVAR: At least 85% of the wine must be produced us-ing the cultivar shown on the label, the other 15% could be any other variety, as long it is registered to be used in South Africa.

VINTAGE: 85% of the grapes must be from the vintage shown on the label, the other 15% could be a blend of vari-ous vintages.

WARNING: One of seven sug-gested warnings can be used as prescribed by the Gov-ernment. By law, it must be printed in black on a white background and be at least 1/8th of the total label size.

Lorraine Geldenhuys explains wine labels

Method To The Madness

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PIONEERS OF PuritYJohan Delport, Cellar Manager at Waverly Hills, chooses Thelema Sutherland

Cabernet Sauvignon Petit Verdot 2008 as our Wine of The Month

Thelema Mountain Vineyards has al-ways been a bench-mark cellar in South Africa and one of the pioneers in the Helshoogte region during the early 1990s. Their atten-

tion to detail, especially in the vine-yards, and also in the wine making and wine maturation processes, set many a standard for the wine indus-try as we know it today. The pure-ness of the fruit flavours of Thelema wines has impressed me since those early days, when this style of wine making was not yet the norm. Re-

cently they have also invested in an Elgin property, named Sutherland.

The Sutherland Cabernet Sauvi-gnon Petit Verdot blend shows the typical clean fruit and balanced oak flavours of all Thelema wines, with an extra cool-climate ele-gance. Beautiful spice and minty

flavours are complemented by red fruit and oak aromas. The palate is refreshing and structured with long lasting black berry and plum fla-vours.

This wine is worth cellaring. At only R100 per bottle, I fear, your cellar may not see much of it for long.



VilafontéWIN

E

The Editor compares a ‘series’ of wines

luxury Wines

It is the moment the chef places the exquisitely prepared food on the plate. An accumulation of culinary artistry making Pierneef à La Motte a world-class restaurant.

+27 (0)21 876 8000 www.la-motte.com

Moment of excellence.

“If you were a pumpkin farmer,” says Mi-chael Ratcliffe, pointing out a 750-thou-sand-year-old patch of earth outside

Paarl, “our Vilafonté vineyard soils would do nothing for you.” Fortunately, Michael and his American business partners, Zelma Long and Dr Phillip Freese, aren’t in to growing pumpkins; instead they produce two of South Africa’s finest red blends, the Cabernet Sauvignon driven ‘Series C’ and the Merlot and Malbec dominated, ‘Series M’.

Unlike many conventional wine producers, Vilafonté does not make a ‘premiere’ and a ‘second label’ wine. They simply make two wines, both of which have held their own at the highest level since 2003 and which Mi-chael is happy to suggest define Vilafonté’s passion to create the first Luxury Wine brand in the country. After having tasted the two wines they produced in 2005 alongside both of the 2009 vintages, released this month, at a comparative tasting in March, I’m certainly not going to argue that point.

Surrounded by a select group of extremely knowledgeable wine lovers at the tasting, my introduction to the 2005 Series wines is

easily summarised as “sublime”. Despite be-ing the least wine-savvy person at the table, it took only a sniff and a decent sip of each to appreciate the tremendous achievement that the ‘C’ and ‘M’ represent. As Michael and Zelma shared some insights about their business, the vineyards, the latest harvest and international wine trends I caught my-self comparing their efforts to those of a very careful artist whose achievement lies not in simply creating a masterpiece, but in creat-ing the very masterpiece he imagined he would create.

For those who’d like more than just my word for the mastery of their efforts, Vilafonté was one of only two South African wine produc-ers to feature in the Wine Enthusiast ‘Top 100 wines in the World’ in 2011 (alongside De Toren) and their lowest Platter score ever is 4 1/2 stars.

Vilafonté Series C 2005, R599(Cabernet Sauvignon 66% / Merlot 22% / Malbec 6% / Cabernet Franc 6%) The Cab-ernet Sauvignon is immediately apparent on the nose and the accompanying hints of pepper and French oak follow through on the palate before being joined by dark fruit

and soft tannins. The result is a wine that feels full and round while it’s in your mouth and lingers, with a dry, somewhat fruit-driv-en finish, long after swallowing.

The dominant Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot components of this wine are wonder-fully integrated but still distinguishable and what really surprised me was the rich plum colour to the wine that did little to give away its age. This is a wine well-worth buying to enjoy now but is said to have another few years in it. If the comparative price of R899 for the 2003 Series C is anything to go buy, it may just be a very smart investment.

Vilafonté Series C 2009, R450(Cabernet Sauvignon 54% / Merlot 27% / Cabernet Franc 11% / Malbec 8%) This wine was aged for 23 months in new French oak and it’s immediately clear that the Caber-net Sauvignon has revelled in being treated thus. There’s a rich mouth feel complement-ed by black and ripe red fruit flavours and a flinty sense to the nose. As I wrote “Elegant & Smart” in my notes, one of the tasters looked up and said “Sexy” and I thought, THAT’S what I meant!

Again, looking at where the price of this wine is likely to go in time, this has to be one of the most sensible wine investments about. How anyone who drinks a bottle is going to be able to resist the next, however, remains to be seen.

Vilafonté Series M 2005, R399(Merlot 52% / Malbec 17% / Cabernet Sau-vignon 31%) This is an extremely appealing wine with fruit and a youthful sense about the nose that may well see you check the la-bel to confirm the vintage. Again, the colour of this wine shows practically no tinge of age and is a telling endorsement of its crafting.

On the palate there’s a hint of strawber-ry in the mix, along with white pepper and a touch of earthiness thanks to the

healthy Cabernet component. The latter also makes for a wonderful structure and a lithe finish.

Vilafonté Series M 2009, R350(Malbec 46% / Merlot 32% / Cabernet Sauvignon 21% / Cabernet Franc 1%) This wine is easily my favourite, and before you ask, I’m sure I spotted the 1% Cab Franc even before I looked at the notes.

This wine is a fleshy, fruity invitation to put your feet up and enjoy life. I got vanilla on the nose, as well as choco-late and fruit mince fol-lowed by more fruit on the palate, a soft mouth feel and just a hint of pepper to finish. The Malbec variety isn’t something I’m used to - but it’s earned a convert and dedicated Vila-fonté drinker thanks to the Series M.

ContactSophiaon021886 4083



Vilafonté

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Aware that our regular wine con-t r i b u t o r s , Cybercellar.com have

had some success with introducing a broad range of palates to a massive array of wines and many of South Africa’s most loved pro-ducers, we popped over to their Taste SA facility in Franschhoek for a chat to team-member Stefan, to get an idea of what it is that set’s their offering apart from the rest.

The rather swish tasting room in The Yard takes an interesting approach to making its wines available by showcasing up to 14 dif-ferent wines from a selection of estates and producers, at any given time. What’s im-mediately clear is that Taste SA and Cyber-cellar work hand-in-hand giving support-ers of the online store the chance to enjoy more than a virtual drop and those visiting Taste, the chance to purchase any of the wines available through Cybercellar (and to say there are many is a euphemism!). Be warned though, the tasting room only has the 14-odd wines on show at any given time available for tasting, so don’t expect to walk out of the place with arms laden the way you would a liquor store; instead the Cybercellar team will have your wines, from all over the country, delivered to a door of your choice.

Tastings are R50 per person, with optional cheese platters also available, and you can expect to see the likes of Boschendal, Glen Carlou, Topaz, Oak Valley, Diemersdal, Die-mersfontein, Amares, Oldenburg, Boschk-loof, Marianne, Meerlust, Mont Rochelle, Sumaridge, Spier, Dieu Donné, De Grendel, Steenberg, Elgin Vintners and many, many more.

Noting my impressed gasp, Stefan wast-ed no time to add that he has a couple of wines available at the moment that come with free nationwide delivery. “I live just up the road,” I point out. Sharp as a tack Ste-fan points out that with the kind of savings I’m likely to enjoy, it’s time to move. For the record here are the two wines he recom-mended that come with that free delivery:

Bartinney Wines Noble Sav-age Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot Blend 2009, R65 per bottle for 6/R59 per bottle for 12The intense, powerful flavour of the Caber-net Sauvignon in this blend is classic dark fruit and black berries and integrates ab-solutely beautifully with the softer, sexier,

more sensuous cherry and raspberry nose of the Merlot. The palate is round and con-centrated, with spicy fruit and juicy tannins! This is an absolutely superb wine that will go well with a range of food and achieved a 4-star rating in Platter’s. FREE SHIPPING TO ANYWHERE IN SOUTH AFRICA!

Druk My Niet Wine Estate Mapoggo White 2009, R49 per bottle for 6/R47 per bottle for 12 At first, this wine impresses the nose with layers of fruit that include pineapple, man-go, peach and dried apricot. On the second whiff the unmistakable hints of Melon and Green Apple come to the fore and follow through on the palate, perfectly comple-mented by hazelnut and vanilla flavours courtesy of the wood. It’s a surprisingly big wine given it’s relatively low alcohol con-tent of 12.5%.FREE SHIPPING TO ANYWHERE IN SOUTH AFRICA!

Email Stefan [email protected] for orders or more info on Taste SA and Cybercellar.com

WIN

E



The White Wine Ou takes on the Master Chefs

Is MasterChef SAa MasterGroan?W

INE

I s it just me, or is the much anticipated MasterChef SA a load of tripe? Episode one of 18 aired Tuesday March the 20th, and we were treated to scenes of inept judges trying very hard to

appear intimidating, and contestants doing their very best to outdo their American counterparts, shed-ding enough tears to extinguish a Cape Wine-lands summer fynbos fire.

There is a fine line between drama and mel-odrama, and the show’s director ought to know that… unless the intention was for the show to be overly melodramat-ic to the point of being over-the-top.

If, as it is suggested, MasterChef SA is modelled on the excellent Mas-terChef Australia, then whoever did the observation of the latter, and subsequently modelled the former, clearly missed most every point.

MasterChef Australia ran for nine months, rather than 18 weeks, giving the contestants ample op-portunity to hone their skills, which made the competition that much more fierce, and the standard of cui-sine that much higher – the contest-ants who left the show along the way, had actually learned a great deal by the time they were axed, and the winner was equipped to run a multi-million dollar res-taurant. How much can you learn in 18 weeks?

The Australian judges were not only well qualified, they were polished presenters, skilled in maintaining the level of tension without tediously drawing out each mo-ment of decision. To their credit, none of them tried to emulate anybody else, preferring instead to formulate their own strong characters in relation to each other, and the intention of the programme. No grandstanding,no gratuitous comments, and meaningful feedback for contestants.

Unfortunately the same can’t be said for the local trio. Pete Goffe-Wood’s demeanour is an uncomfortable combination of Gordon Ramsey

and Idol’s Simon Cowell, with each persona attempting to assert its authority in a Jekyll and Hyde like contest.

Benny Masekwameng comes across as an indul-gent father who, when he must extend a rep-

rimand, does so with significant discomfort, tinged with embarrassment.

Andrew Atkinson is MasterChef SA’s very own Spud, with the same de-

gree of social ineptitude and bum-bling desire for acceptance at all costs as portrayed in the title role of the film so effortlessly by Troye Sivan, but without the same ef-fortless flair.

Okay, it is ‘Reality TV’, which is to say that is doesn’t in any way remotely reflect reality (why on earth would anybody watch it if it did?), but there is a vast difference between engagingly

staged and compellingly watch-able ‘reality’, and over the top mel-

odrama, that attempts to hide the inadequacies of a poorly conceived

and undoubtedly very expensive TV series, behind inept judges and overly

emotional displays by the contestants. MasterChef Australia was very much the

former, MasterChef SA is very much the lat-ter, thus far.

Hopefully I’ll be proven wrong in the coming weeks, in which case I’ll gladly withdraw my criticisms, but if the

other recent foreign clone to hit SA’s TV shores – Come Dine with Me South Africa – is anything to go by, I won’t be holding my breath.

(For the record the White Wine Ou is not Australian – Ed)



The BiG Thingabout being small T

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“What is Clara Anna Fontein all about?” I asked Justin Basson, the owner of the beautiful Clara Anna Fontein private game

reserve and country lodge, situated just out-side Durbanville, 20 minutes from Cape Town.

“Well, what do you think we are all about?” he countered.

I enthused about the scenic setting of the farm, the game drives, the largest free roaming herd of Wildebeest in Cape Town, the five function venues, the team-building events, the Tented Camp, the African Huts and popular film shoot location, the self-catering farm cottages and more.

As I spoke, I watched the light die in his eyes. Clearly that was not the right answer!

I then found out what the true passion of his heart is, and what the driving force is behind all that is done at Clara Anna Fontein. It’s all about saving the Renosterveld!

Justin spoke about the fact that here in the Western Cape we are home to the smallest Plant Kingdom in the world that rather surpris-ingly also contains the largest variety of plants. There are over 5 400 endemics (plants that are only found here), while the UK has only 51 - that really puts things in perspective.

Sadly, the Renosterveld has shrunk to small pockets of vegetation, found mainly on farms and in nature reserves. “This is the most en-dangered habitat in Africa and probably in the world, with only 4% still remaining,” Justin ex-plained.

Justin’s mission in life is to rehabilitate the Renosterveld on their land, allowing it to spread back into the areas previously farmed. The agents of change for this long, slow process are

the game on the farm, as well as birds and the wind, and as they carry the seeds from the en-dangered veld into the former farmlands, the Renosterveld is gradually starting to reappear and spread.

Along with the plants, come many creatures that only survive in this environment and that are now being given a new lease on life, and some, such as the Cape Dwarf Chameleon, the Geometric Tortoise and the Parrot Beak Tor-toise, have literally been brought back from the brink of extinction.

I wasn’t wrong about any of the delightful at-tractions of this interesting farm, but the heart of the matter is that Clara Anna Fontein is prac-tising land restitution of a different kind, and giving back to Nature!

For more information go to www.claraannafontein.com or visit www.capecountrycalls.co.za for other places of interest to call on in the area.

Jill Peper visits the Renosterveld of Clara Anna Fontein

Rudera is a boutique winery located on the slopes of Paarl Mountain.The name is a Latin derivative meaning broken fragments of stone.

This typifies all our vineyard soils and encapsulates our philosophy of producing terroir driven wines of premium quality.

distinctive wines of great complexity

www.rudera.co.za +27 21 852 1380

@RuderaWines Join us on Facebook



The Publisher tackles Table Mountain

smuts was no

Until I had followed a group of Amer-ican students up Skeleton Gorge I had no reason to doubt the old

adage that ‘there are more stars in the sky than there have been words spoken’. Now I’m less sure. Fortunately, being consider-ably older, my more frequent rests ensured a distance between us that eased both the relentless pounding at my ears and that on my knees.

Enjoying one such rest on my way up the wooded eastern side of Table Mountain, I find myself regretting the previous night’s excesses and my keenness to impress the Edi-tor, and wonder: Was it on John Maytham’s Rapid-Fire Quiz that I first heard of Bathmo-phobia - the fear of slopes or stairs?

Nursery Ravine and Skeleton Gorge are both stepped routes that run up Table Mountain either side of a large slab of rock near the top called Nursery Buttress, and are often de-scribed as providing ‘the easiest and quickest ways up the mountain’. If you were enjoying the cricket at Newlands and had extremely powerful binoculars, you’d see a tired, mid-dle-aged guy half way up disagreeing with

this. And before you ask – there’s technically no difference. Both ravines and gorges are ‘deep, narrow valleys with steep sides’.Indeed they are.

So, having paid your R40 entrance to Kirsten-bosch Gardens (or stolen in free from Con-stantia Nek), you’ll soon find yourself on the forested contour path faced with the deci-sion of Ravine or Gorge. From here, above the gardens, both start gently with plenty of shade on a hot summer’s day and the mot-tled sunlight illuminates the upward paths that snake through ferns and labelled trees. Now heading into autumn, the streams bare-ly drip.

Nursery Ravine, I think, is slightly tougher. The lie of the land dupes you initially and then becomes unrelentingly steep as the wooden and stone steps zigzag up the ra-vine to a wooden staircase that signals the top. From here a 500 metre walk through the peaceful, leafy wonderland of Nursery Valley brings you to the sandy edge of the Hely-Hutchinson Reservoir and an opportunity to cool off.

Skeleton Gorge, I gather, is the more popular route and Field Marshal Smuts’ preference. Because I envisage him as an old man, I’m impressed, but conclude it must have been his favoured walk when he was a young, fit officer. There’s a sign that warns of ‘steep and dangerous conditions ahead’ at the start and, although a more ‘even’ ascent, is not without its fair share of steep ladders and slippery rocks.

Either way you’re booking out a good two hours of ascent and will go from about 160 metres above sea level to 740 metres! The awe and size of Table Mountain only becomes ap-parent when you’re as close up as this and the views (and photo ops) are plentiful on both routes – especially over the Peninsula and to False Bay. To many, I’m sure, the reservoir will be a welcome surprise so my advice is not to rush the knee jarring decent and rather take some time exploring the top of the world.

HIK

ES

Bathmophobe...

Enjoy Responsibly. Not for Sale to Persons Under the Age of 18.

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For romance, Follow The Cows

Looking at a decent map of the Western Cape, you’re sure to notice that Paternoster lies at the top end

of the almost North-South-running R45, whose tail-end is the Theewaterskloof Dam, near Villiersdorp. It’s a somewhat arbitrary fact, perhaps, but reminded me of the story how, in the olden days, when winters were wetter than today, farmers from the region now known as the Wine-lands would ‘trek’ their cattle up to the West Coast where it was dryer. Maybe this was their route?

Today, driving is a tad quicker. Once through the ‘patchwork-quilt’ farmlands of Malmesbury, Hopefield and Vredendal, you spot it early on. With its wide expanse of beach and colourful fishing boats, and one of the last traditional fishing villages on the West Coast, Paternoster sets the life clock ticking a little more slowly.

Looking past all the soupy property mar-keting drivel, you can see why couples choose Paternoster to engage in ‘petting’ – whether proposing, marrying, honey-mooning or celebrating wedding anniver-saries. Quaint and unspoilt, it carries a cer-tain romance and is not (yet) big enough to be tacky.

The Catch of the Day can be enjoyed in a number of small restaurants which un-doubtedly suffer from the ‘curse of the holiday place’ – too full in season and too empty out of it. The Noisy Oyster serves excellent seafood (including oysters) and takes the prize for the most interesting bathrooms in Paternoster, while Gaaitjie is a ‘salt water restaurant’ where you can expect to find less well-known fish dish-es that may include harders, perdevoet, maasbankers, alikreukel, snoek or hotten-tot. With a few more tables, Voorstrand ticks the box for ‘family’ and rolls right onto the beach to allow one to walk off dinner and engage in that promised ‘pet-ting’ on the way home.

‘Home’ is likely to be one of the 60 ac-commodation establishments in the im-

mediate area that are generally billed as ‘self-catering’ but which also include a lodge and a hotel. Besides being notice-ably artistic and laid-back, the locals must be pretty tight with the building guide-lines, however, and the directions offered to me to the “white cottage, black roof” pretty much narrowed things down to about 95% of the buildings visible; but it adds to, rather than detracts from, Pater-noster’s appeal.

Save for the breaking waves, it’s wonder-fully peaceful here and the Paternoster dawn brings with it some rare pleasures. Where a hundred kilometres to the south, commuters tussle for advantage on the roads into Cape Town, here the fish-ing boats cheerfully go about their daily work. As the sun blesses the beach, the colour of the painted fishing boats bursts off a sea-worn, woody canvas and must qualify for many as one of the quintes-sential ‘hundred things to see before you die’.

Like most beach villages, Paternoster is not perfect, quite messy in parts and largely ‘For Sale’. But its incompleteness is akin to the slow pace of life here and whilst the ad-vertising will talk of kayaking, whale, dolphin, seal and penguin watching and active pastimes aimed at the ener-getic, for me that misses the point. Just as the Wine-lands cattle and their owners of yes-teryear would have realised, to chill, re-lax and recharge is the appeal of Pater-noster and that’s all a visit here requires.

See www.pater-noster.info

Not Too Far From Here: Paternoster

TR

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PROPERTY & LIFESTYLEApril 2012

L’Ermitage / FranschhoekChateau and Villas

An ExCLusiVE ViLLACOuLD BE YOuRssOOnER THAnYOu THinK

COnTACT THYs [email protected]

IT’S A BUYER’S MARKET!

FRANSCHHOEK R11.5mFRANSCHHOEK R4.4mFRANSCHHOEK R2.45m

Nestled against the slopes of the Klein Drakenstein mountains. This property comprises of a main house and two cottages. Wonderfully rich with Cape fynbos, wildlife and stunning views.

NATURE LOVERS’ DREAM Plot Size: ±47.8ha Web reference: 258 691

Dawie 082 491 0218

Ideal lock up and go. This delightfully renovated 1 bedroom en-suite barn consists of a high volume lounge and dining area. Plus a second 1 bedroom en-suite cottage with a spacious loft area.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED2 Beds 2 Baths Web reference: 228 573

Marianne 082 921 3248

Wonderful plot, rare find for Franschhoek village. Privately situated with wonderful views over south and western aspects of Franschhoek. Design and develop your own special property.

RARE FINDPlot Size: ±800m² Web reference: 242 129

Melina 082 419 9928

PEARL VALLEY R9.25mPEARL VALLEY R2.2mPAARL R16m

Luxurious modern home with the most incredible views of the lake, the Signature Hole and the Simonsberg mountains. Beautiful living spaces leading to a patio with a large pool.

STUNNING HOME ON SIGNATURE HOLE5 Beds 5 Baths 3 GaragesWeb reference: 250 572

Dot 083 261 0652

This immaculately maintained lodge, is situated on a lake facing the Simonsberg mountains. Access to pool, tennis courts, on-site gym, state of the art clubhouse plus world class golf course.

PEARL VALLEY LODGE 3 Beds 3 Baths Web reference: 261 434

Farm of ±679ha consisting of diverse landscapes including mountain and agricultural land, fenced-in game area plus horse paddocks and grazing camps. Ideal as a Stud farm or Eco-Tourism Estate.

HIDDEN JEWELPlot Size: ±679ha Web reference: 229 400

KRAAIFONTEIN R9.189m

Factory consisting of 2 workshops (±400m² each) and a large ±1000m² undercover shed area. 3 Phase power (440amp). Secured electric fence and gate entrance with guard house.

INDUSTRIAL FACTORY Plot Size: ±5500m²Web reference: 261 471

Piet 082 403 9319

FRANSCHHOEK R2.2m

This lovely cottage is set in a secure Wine Estate, a leisurely walk from the popular main road of Franschhoek. The neat enclosed garden has lovely areas ideal for al fresco dining.

STYLISH AND SECURE 3 Beds 2 Baths 1 GarageWeb reference: 252 447

Jeanine 082 410 6837

Etienne 082 465 7896 Dot 083 261 0652


PROPERTY & LIFESTYLE April 20127902 EIDC_TheMonth 2/22/12 11:27 AM Page 3

Composite

C M Y CM MY CY CMY K


PROPERTY & LIFESTYLE April 2012

...luxury living in progress

Homes | Plots | Rentals - We are “On Show” and Open seven days a week

021 863 6101 | 082 55 333 96 | email: [email protected]

www.valdevie.co.za

The Vines offers you a selection of 20 Provencal inspired homes incl single storey options priced from R1.695m incl vat

Selection of Val de Vie plots priced from R580 000

Brand new 365m² home to be built on a 1000m North facing plot @ R3.85m²

I have found my new “home”

now let me help you find yours



www.pamgolding.co.za/franschhoek

Franschhoek021 876 [email protected]

Shelly Schoeman 083 301 8833Dionne Gurr 072 460 2586

Doug Gurr 072 610 7208Viv Lamb (Rentals) 072 673 5617

BANTRY BAY R6.2 millionStunning family home in quiet cul-de-sac. Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500’s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it. Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry.

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BANTRY BAY R6.2 millionStunning family home in quiet cul-de-sac. Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500’s. Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry dummy text ever since the 1500’s. Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry dummy text ever since the 1500’s.Bedrooms: 5 Bathrooms: 4 Garages: 3 Web Access SW1042205





PROPERTY & LIFESTYLE April 2012

Green Focus: Bamboo

Bamboo is not a type of wood, it’s a grass • Bamboo is stronger than oak and has a tensile strength greater than steel • The sugars in bamboo give it its beautiful natural colour variations • Bamboo produces 30% more oxygen than other plants • Bamboo survived the Hiroshima atom-ic bomb and re-greened the same year • Pandas do not feed on the type of bamboo used in bamboo floor-ing (Mao/Moso bamboo), which means that the endan-gered Panda is unaffected by bamboo farming • Thomas Edison used bamboo filaments in his first light bulbs, and one of those bulbs is STILL burning today, at the Smithso-nian in Washington D.C.

Info courtesy The Bamboo Warehouse,www.bamboowarehouse.co.za

DID YOU KNOW?


20 / The Month April 2012Rec

ipe

110588/E

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Recipe of The Month

Ingredients:

Method:

butternut and pistachio ice cream

RECIPE: CHEF NADIA LOUW SMITH - THE RESTAURANT AT CLOS MALVERNE

Pour the milk and the cream in a pot and bring to boiling point.

Whisk the egg and castor sugar together.

Slowly pour the milk mixture into the egg mixture while whisking constantly.

Pour the mixture through a fine sieve.

Cook the custard mixture over a double boiler till it thickens. It should cover the back of a wooden spoon. Be careful for it not

to overcook, because it will curdle.

When the custard mixture is completely cool add the butternut mix and the chopped pistachio nuts.

Pour the mixture in the ice cream machine and turn till the ice cream is ready.

5 egg yolks • 100g castor sugar • 375ml full cream milk375ml double cream • 200g cooled, cooked mashed butternut½ teaspoon cinnamon • 100g chopped pistachio nuts


The Month / 21April 20124267 Franschoek ad Oct repro.indd 1 2011/10/18 9:40 AM

Annamé Lotz dons her ‘leathers’

Fashionably Yours

FA

SH

ION

Leather pants / GapStriped jersey r699.95 / GapPumps r1199.95 / Errol Arendz

White shirt r599.95 / Marion and Lindie Camel heels r339.95 / Gino Paoli

Sequined frock r1699.95 / French Con-nectionSequin detail heels r999.95 / Nine West

PHOTOGRAPHER: Ashley-Marie MilesMODEL: Nikki Leigh HorstenMAKE-UP, HAIR & STYLING: Annamé Lotz

nikki is WEarinG (FroM lEFt, clockWisE)

A sk trendsetters like Alexa Chung, Rihanna and Sharon Stone to point out the next big thing on

the fashion horizon and they’re likely to suggest that much-loved item, leath-er pants.

No longer reserved for aged rock stars and hairy bikers, leather pants are for everyone – but they do come with a bit of a warning: They are as difficult to wear right, as they are versatile.

To wear leathers as a normal pair of pants, you’ll need to be rather skinny and well-toned, as leather tends to cling to skin. A useful alternative is to wear

this ‘second skin’ as you would leg-gings; combined with a longer top to cover up.

If you’re in-clined to be a lit-tle more open-minded, leather pants can be extremely ver-satile and I’m willing to sug-gest that they might even be the new

denim of the season! Dress them down for a casual look by pair-ing them with quirky pumps and a soft-knit jersey or cardi-gan.

Make it office-appropriate by keeping things simple and pair your leather pants with clas-

sics such as a well-cut white collar shirt and nude heels. The result is sure to be ultra-sexy and make for a surprisingly sophisticated look.

Get ready for a great evening out and put on a sequined frock and a great pair of heels. If you dare, swop the frock for a funky top and a cropped jacket and prepare to get noticed for all the right reasons.

Take a walk on the wild side; experiment with this trend and I’m prepared to sug-gest that you’ll be more than pleasantly surprised!



Like many South Africans, we woke on the 19th of February to witness some amazing hitting by Richard Levi when he smashed the Black-caps to every corner of Hamilton’s Sneddon Park. In fact, the ground was not big enough for him and it was interesting to see the selectors send him back to SA to torment the local bowlers, rather than keep him

to destroy New Zealand in the ODIs. What is so good about his batting is that he stands so still when hitting - he is the David Warner of South Afri-can cricket.

While watching, I surfed the internet for interesting reading and came across an article by Tim Read enti-tled: ‘The US Foreclosures Crisis, Bev-erly Hills style’.

There are some 180 houses in Bev-erly Hills, the storied Los Angeles en-clave rich with Hollywood stars and music moguls, which have appar-ently been foreclosed on by lend-ers, scheduled for auction, or served with a default notice. Apparently, this is the highest level since the 2008 financial crash.

As in the default-ravaged suburban subdivisions of Phoenix, Arizona, and Tampa Florida, it is plunging real estate prices that is the root of

the problem in Beverly Hills. But the dynamics of residential real estate are very different in elite neighbour-hoods such as this. The majority of the delinquent homeowners, who owe more than a million dollars, are walking away - not because they can’t pay, but because they feel it would be foolish to keep paying when the asset is falling in price.

These are called ‘strategic defaults’ and they are an especially appeal-ing option in California, one of the primary states where mortgages made by banks are ‘non-recourse’ loans. This means the loan is secured solely by the property, and banks cannot go after a delinquent own-er’s income, or other assets, if they default.

In South Africa, things are very differ-ent. If you default, the bank will take everything you own until they have recovered their asset. Obviously, this

prevents the ‘Beverly Hills’ thing hap-pening here, but I am sure there are a few people who, having bought a ‘dog’ property, have thought it would be a good idea to chuck in the keys at the bank.

This has a big influence on the price of property in SA and means that most banks are very careful about the amount they are prepared to lend. Maybe our system is tougher to live with but, at the moment, it is saving us.

If you have a fInancIal questIon that you’d lIke dave to answer In hIs column, please submIt It to [email protected] and he’ll glad-ly oblIge

California Dreaming, Dave Rundle surfs the net

tossinG THE KEYS

FIN

AN

CE

This article is solely intended to provide you with objective information about financial products and services and is not intended to constitute a recommendation, guidance or proposal with regard to the suitability of any product in respect of any financial need you may have.

Dave Rundle 083 658 8055Rundle Management Services

Not quite, says SwingFit’s Pierre van Vuuren, but 45° is cool for consistency

hip To Be Square?

GO

LF

This month we’re back on the range with PGA Professional and Pearl Valley-based SwingFit coach, Pierre van Vuuren, dis-cussing hip turn and the role it plays in consistent shot making.

“Many high handicappers have a problem with rotation - either they turn too much or too little,” says Pierre. As coaches, our challenge is to get the lower body (hips) and upper body (shoulders) to turn to-gether as one.”

Swinging with just the shoulders leads to inconsistency and miss-hits under pres-sure and turning the hips too much (to 90°, as shown in the picture) is equally bad.

“The ideal 45° hip turn leads to good weight transfer onto the right side. If we keep our weight on the left side and

turn our hips we will have that reverse ‘C’ shape (see picture) and that's a ‘no-go’,” says Pierre.

If you over rotate, the weight shifts back to the left side and, at the top of the back swing, the club goes past parallel with the ground and is now aiming way off line. Where the club is pointing at the top of the backswing is where the ball will go so, for control it’s “hip turn, weight transfer, no over rotation, club parallel and hit straight – simple as that!” says Pierre. If only!



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What memories will you make today? VISIT THE FRANSCHHOEK MOTOR MUSEUM

Monday - Friday 10h00 to 17h00 (last admission 16h00)Saturday - Sunday 10h00 to 16h00 (last admission 15h00)

Open most public holidays - phone for confirmation.Entry fee: R60/adult; R50/pensioner; R30/child (3-12 yrs)

The Franschhoek Motor Museum is located on the R45, Groot Drakenstein, look for the L’Ormarins Estate.

No motorcycles or buses larger than 22-seaters allowed.Tel: 021 8749065 E-mail: [email protected] www.fmm.co.za

GPS: 33°52’18,79”S 18°59’54,64”E

The Editor comes to grips with his Terios, thanks to Land Rover

What an eXperience!

I demonstrate my ex-citement at having dealt with the first obstacle with such ease by em-ploying the kind of air-punch that windhoek lager drinkers are barred from entertaining.

t e r i o s

On a recent magazine delivery run to the home of Kaapse Vonkel bubbly, Simonsig Estate just out-

side Stellenbosch, I bumped into Wilma van Wyk of the Land Rover eXperience who wasted no time in making a beeline for my Daihatsu Terios 4x4, as she sang the praises of The Month.

A little taken aback, I just nodded and smiled. You see, I’m generally the one who has to listen to the Publisher complain about my need to apply myself “more read-ily to the task of an editor and less to that of wine reviewer” and I must admit that I al-ways explain that the Daihatsu is The Wife’s car - no real man would drive a dinky SUV like the Terios with any real off-road aspira-tions; and I am a real man.

“So it’s settled then,” she confirmed, prais-es still ringing in my ears, “Thursday 11am. And don’t forget that lunch at Cuvee is in-cluded.” As I made my way into the Simon-sig tasting area it began to dawn on me that I had possibly made a serious mistake: I had agreed to take my own car (or should that be The Wife’s?) on a 4x4 track that I had attempted previously in a Land Rover and chickened out of. Even if the kind offer of a little bubbly as I entered the tasting area hadn’t distracted me, I would have failed to

come up with a suitable exit from the invi-tation. So Thursday 11am was diarised and washed down with another sample.

The Land Rover eXperience is essentially a marketing programme run by Land Rover that offers 4x4 SUV owners an opportunity to receive specialist 4x4 training in either their own vehicles or those of Land Rover. What’s more impressive than the fact that there are eXperience centres all over the world, is that the introductory course is of-fered free to anyone with a 4x4 SUV bought after 2005. I’m not sure how it works at oth-er centres, but the one based at Simonsig concludes with lunch at Cuvee and a little bubbly to settle the nerves.

The track itself is not particularly difficult – it’s the culmination of an introductory course aimed at the first-time off-roader after all – but it is designed to give both car and driver an overall workout and to demonstrate the kinds of techniques that bundu-bashers need to have comfortably under the belt.

A short dusty drive through some of the Simonsig vineyards and over a train track brought me to the start of the course. Having crossed the train track successfully I demon-strate my excitement at having dealt with the first obstacle with such ease by employ-ing the kind of air-punch that Windhoek Lager drinkers are barred from entertaining. The course presenter for the day, and ace 4x4 guy, Wynand, uses his walkie-talkie to gen-tly (but publically) point out that the first

obstacle is in fact the “small incline ahead” of me. The incline turns out to be the near side of a dam wall that must be all of 3 me-tres high and appears practically vertical from a distance. The old school joke about the pirate’s brown pants comes to mind.

Wynand proceeds to use instructions like “maintain your momentum”, “keep your wheels straight” and “don’t panic” and by the time I open my eyes the obstacle is be-hind me. Had I been able to let go of the steering wheel, another air-punch would have followed.

From the dam wall the track snakes about a bit to give drivers exposure to some tight

corners, rutted and corrugated stretches, a rocky patch that makes those without low-range gearboxes work the clutch and brake like a man dancing in a Weber, and a side incline.

The latter is accompanied with the warning that while some 4x4s can climb 45 degrees, few can manage more than 30, side-on. I try to work out what the angle of the lit-tle stretch I am to cover is and give up just before closing my eyes for the second time. Easy as pie the obstacle is navigated and Wynand walks over smiling, he reminds me that if ever I find myself in a similar situation, and the car starts to slip down the slope, I must always remember to steer down; and to open my eyes.

Some way along the track I come upon two drivers, who, having done the theory earlier and taken a spin in one of the im-pressive Landies on offer, have decided to put an X-Trail through its paces. I jump out with a macho swagger and suggest that the course is a piece of cake. Mark Burrows, an active outdoorsman and the regional rep

for Mitsubishi Air Conditioners, smiles and points to something up ahead. “That’s the tough one,” he says solemnly. His brother, Roger, is behind the wheel of the X-Trail and I take his quiet and focussed demeanour as my cue and get back into the Terios.

The term “tough one” turns out to be a bit of a euphemism. In every sense a donga, that needs to be tackled with a touch more speed than will make most feel comfortable, the obstacle essentially gets first the back right and then the front right of the car pointing skyward thanks to a gaping hole that swal-lows the front left wheel at the point of entry and then literally spits out driver and vehicle in a cloud of dust and expletives.

Despite keeping my eyes open (for all five attempts at the damn thing) I can’t actu-ally recall getting through it – but I did. If I had a swagger before, it’s paled into insignificance now and if anyone asks, I drive the Terios, the envy of many a real man…

A short drive later, via another descent and a couple of three-point turns, we find ourselves back at the damn wall, this time to go straight down it and on to Cuvee for a wonderfully tender Chalmar beef lunch and a well-deserved glass of Kaapse Von-kel.

As Mark, Roger and I reflect on the day’s experience I can’t help but look over at my dust and mud-covered Terios and smile. “You’re hooked,” says Mark. And thanks to Wilma, Wynand and the Land Rover eXperience, he’s right!

Contact Wilma van Wyk of the Land Rover eXperience on 021 852 0728 if you have an SUV bought after 2005 and want to know more.



2012 byWHAT’S ONapril

www.021magazine.co.za

CROSSWORD PG 27

crosswordsolution

4 april / 7.30aM / BIRDING in the Langverwacht Estate, Kuilsriver, 021 976 4079, www.tygerbergbirdclub.org

6 april / 5.30pM / FULL MOON HIKE 10KM Dirtopia Trail Centre, Delvera Farm, R44, between Klapmuts & Stel-lenbosch, 021 884 4752

6 april / 6pM / FINaL MOONLIGHt MaRKEt tHIs sUMMER! The Aphrodis-iac Shack, Theewaterskloof Dam. Call 083 682 5030 for more info

7 april / 12pM / CaPE WINELaNDs COMEs aLIVE FEstIVaL Nekkies Holiday Resort, Worcester, www.computick-et.co.za

11 april / 8pM / KaRMa & HENRY atE Dorp-straat Theatre, Stellenbosch, 021 889 9158

15 april / 4.30pM / KLassIEKE COLLaGE Fundraising concert by staff of the Depart-ment of Music, Stellenbosch University, End-ler Concert Hall, 021 808 2345, academic.sun.ac.za/music

15 april / 5pM / BOULEVaRD BLUEs Berties Mooring, Gordon’s Bay, 021 856 3343

20 april / 8pM / UssBE BaND EXtRaVa-GaNZa University of Stellenbosch Symphonic Wind Ensemble perform their annual band extravaganza featuring local brass and wind bands, conducted by Pamela Kierman. End-ler Concert Hall, 021 808 2345, academic.sun.ac.za/music

21 april / 7pM / DUE CELLIstE – CELLO & PI-aNO with cellists Polina Burdukova and Carel Henn with Kerry Wisniewski at the piano. Concerto for Two Cellos in D minor by Bach and Suite for Two Cellos and Piano by Menot-

ti. La Motte Historic Cellar, La Motte Wine Es-tate, R45, Franschhoek Valley, 021 876 8000

27 april / 8pM / BOULEVaRD BLUEs Berties Mooring, Gordon’s Bay, 021 856 3343

27–29 april / DIRtOPIa MtB FEstIVaL Tarentaalkraal Campsite, Greyton, 021 884 4752

27–30 april / 10aM / sa CHEEsE FEstIVaL 2012 with dairy square, carnival park, meander and more. San-dringham Farm, Stellenbosch 0861 915 8000, www.cheesefestival.co.za

plus Exhibitions:

lUrÇaT TapESTriESApart from its recently acquired collection of Pierneef paintings, and contemporary art, La Motte exhibits tapestries and ce-ramics by French artist Jean Lurçat (1892–1966), who spearheaded the movement to reinstate tapestry as an art form in France ever since he visited The Apocalypse of St John, a tapestry held in the Castle of Angers in the Loire Valley. Subsequently Lurçat insisted on a new technique of strong weaving with big stitches that had a coarser texture so that tapestries could not be mistaken for paintings, and he re-duced the colour palette to around 45 tones. This style became popular when in the 1950s and 1960s modern architec-ture with its vast halls and spaces again favoured robust and mobile tapestries. La

Motte shows 13 examples of its collection of Lurçat tapestries. La Motte, R45, Franschhoek, 9am–5pm Tue–Sun, 021 876 3119, www.la-motte.com

paUl EMSlEY – Retrospective (March and April) Paul Emsley is this year’s special fea-tured artist at Woordfees. Opening on 2 March at 7.30pm, Frank Kilbourn, a trustee of the Bright Foundation, presents the opening address for this retrospective exhibition, which offers an overview of five distinct periods in Emsley’s development. Born in Glasgow in 1947, but having lived in South Africa for many years before relocating to the UK, Emsley is best known for large and scrupu-lously observed portraits, such as those of Nelson Mandela or V.S. Nai-paul. Emsley also draws portraits of animals (such as sharks, gorillas and rhino) and flowers (especially roses). The images offer a highly individual take on the appearance of the world, the fall of light and the passage of time. Walkabouts of the exhibition are offered by Emsley himself on 7 March at 5.30pm, and by the curator Amanda Botha on 10 March at 3pm.

SASOL Art Museum, Stellenbosch University, 52 Ryneveld Street, Stel-lenbosch, 9am–4.30pm Tue–Fri, 9am–4pm Sat, 021 808 3691

WillEM STrYDOM (Until 1 Septem-ber)Strydom, who lives in Nieu-woudtville, “has a deep empathy for the life forms that inhabit the arid landscapes of the South African hin-terland – that can survive in the des-iccating heat of the lean times and

yet flourish, in some cases quite spectacu-larly, when the seasons turn over and rains return to the thirstlands. This rich imagery includes not only the animals and plant forms but also the people of this austere environment.” (Tim Maggs) Sculptures and other artwork.

Rupert Museum, Stellentia Avenue, Stellen-bosch, 9.30am–1pm, 2pm–4pm Mon–Fri, 10am–1pm Sat, 021 888 3344, www.rupert-museum.org

ONGOING

5, 6 MaY / RIEBEEK VaLLEY OLIVE FEstIVaL / The quaint little Swartland towns towns of Rie-beek Kasteel and Riebeek West come alive as they showcase the best they have to offer in food, wine and olives in May. A past winner of the West Coast Tourism Awards in the ‘Tourism Event’ category, the Riebeek Valley Olive Festival will showcase the diversity of olives by offering a wide selection of olives to buy, delicious olive oils, preserves, tapenades and an assortment of olive-based beauty products. Amongst the many new activities at this year’s festival will be an Olive Emporium, a country fair, a fresh goods mar-ket and an Olive Martini bar.

Whilst in the area visitors are encouraged to visit the local wineries for tutored tastings or simply to sample the wines at their leisure. Live entertainment will also be on offer.

An R80 passport, valid for the entire festival weekend allows you entry to the various wine farms, the town based marquees, a compli-mentary tasting glass and a free tasting of ol-ives or wine.

For more information and a full list of partici-pants email [email protected] or phone 082 909 1116 / 084 207 3820 and tickets may be purchased at www.webtickets.co.za

WIN!THE MonTH HAS FIVE DOUBLE TICk-ETS TO GIVE AWAY COURTESY OF THE FESTIVAL.

Simply SMS the word MONTH and your name and contact details and the name of the sub-urb in which you live to 36968 or email the same details to [email protected]

ED’S CHOICE

27–30 april / 9.30aM – 4pM / RELOVE tHE PRELOVED at VINtaGE IDEAS / The second Vintage Ideas market in as-sociation with Incanda Furniture will entice enthusiasts of vintage and vin-tage-inspired items at Simondium’s Country Lodge.

The venue offers 1.5 hectares of cov-ered display space for vintage collect-ables such as décor items, jewellery, glass and silverware, vintage-inspired clothing, kitchenalia, garden acces-sories and irresistible bric ‘n brac and priceless antiques. Incanda experts will conduct daily presentations on furniture restorations with fascinating DIY tips and restoration workshops will be held in the newly refurbished Gordyntjies pub and restaurant.

Special entertainment for kids will be provided by Kidazzle to keep the little ones busy, while parents enjoy a lei-surely stroll around the market.

Tickets are R30 for adults, while chil-dren enter free. Ample parking and security are available on site. For more information, visit www.festiveideas.co.za or phone 021 874 1046.



2012 WHAT’S ONapril

ED’S CHOICE

EVErY FriDaY / 5.30pM – 10pM / tHE WOODMILL MaRKEt The Woodmill Market is a contemporary market offering niche eats, drinks and goods in an all-weather, indoor setting. With free entry, the offering of live music and the eclectic mix of prod-

ucts makes for an enjoyable, and unusual, outing with friends and family.

There’s also a designated kiddies area, big screen TV (for those im-portant games) and ample park-ing.

As they’re always adding to the mix, and host a dynamic array of new events and activities, it makes sense to visit www.thewoodmill.co.za, subscribe to their newsletter or follow them on Facebook (woodmillmarket) to stay up to date.

11 – 21 april FUNNY MONEY a FaRCE, What would you do if, by chance, you find yourself with a mil-lion pounds in cash, but the villains who lost will soon be after you? This brilliant farce by Britain’s premier comedy playwright gives one extremely far-fetched answer. "...inspired, demented bliss..." (London`s Sunday Times). 11,12,13,18,19,20 April at 8pm, 14 and 21 April at 6.30pm, The Playhouse Somerset West, www.computicket.co.za

6-9 APRIL / 10AM - 4PM / WARWICK IN WONDERLAND Join the Mad Hatter, the Chesh-ire Cat and Alice for a fun-filled day with your kids at Warwick Wine Estate when they host an Easter Wonderland party second to none.

In addition to face painting, jumping castles and live plays, the Easter Bunny will make his appearance to ensure that the Egg Hunts and other activities get the children hop-ping with delight.

Tickets are R150 and include a fruit juice and a boerewors roll. Call 021 884 4410 or visit www.warwickwine.com

6 april / 6pM / FINaL MOONLIGHt MaRKEt tHIs sUMMER! The Aphrodisiac Shack, Theewaterskloof Dam. Call 083 682 5030 for more info

PUb’S CHOICE



Flip Rasool (nearly) Thenew Editor At ‘Die Maand’

At a press conference held recently in Franschhoek, it was announced that, from April 1st, The Month would no

longer be in English but only in Afrikaans, and be known simply as Die Maand. Further that a new editor, Flip Rasool, would take over from the outgoing editor, Brett Garner, with imme-diate effect.

The publisher, David Foster, said that although the outgoing editor had done “a reasonably good job”, he had really only furthered a back-ward trend and added that “English is an anti-quated and outdated language – Afrikaans is modern, in-vogue and the language of choice among the upwardly mobile young profes-sional - the target market of Die Maand.” And, although clearly sad to see Mr Garner go, added “his jokes were wearing a bit thin and it will be a relief to finally get on top of The Month’s ac-count at the local liquor store. Our loss, I feel, will be Mr Delivery’s gain. April 1st will mark a new start for us at Die Maand and we’re very excited to have acquired Mr Rasool’s services for only three times the previous editor’s salary.”

It is known that prior to this appointment, Ra-sool worked abroad and was involved in a num-ber of social media resistance campaigns in Egypt, Libya and, surprisingly, at a Burger King in Abu Dhabi. He claims to have made his first million at the age of 26 - albeit from the $10 mil-lion his father left him – and has denied any links to the angry Algerian Mountain Goat that was responsible for his father’s demise. It is believed

that as a youngster he was nicknamed ‘Flippy’, not because of his irritating habit of flipping channels during family dinners but more likely because of his time ‘on the grill’ in the UAE.

The publisher took questions from the floor and deftly handled those concerning Rasool’s financial affairs. A question from a prominent Boland publication regarding rumours that the new editor flushes the toilet upon entry but does not like to waste water so does not flush thereafter, was met with an angry glare from Rasool and the throwing of a shoe.

When a female reporter introduced herself as being from “die Eikestadt” Rasool was unaware that she was in fact referring to her hometown of Stellenbosch. As she began to impress upon the assembled that Rasool’s Afrikaans was “n bitjie vrot” (not good) and as colourful as his past, and that his knowledge of the Winelands was bad, the Publisher stepped in to assure all that his new editor’s grasp of the language was faultless and that “there is more to the Wine-lands than what you’ll find in the Winelands”. Pointing out that Rasool had picked up quite a lot of Afrikaans during his two years undercover in the Cape Flats - supposedly writing a story about drug dealing that, oddly, never appeared in print – the publisher invited Rasool to bring the meeting to a close, in Afrikaans.

Having had the request repeated, this time in English, Rasool abliged the Publisher by saying: “Hou jul bekke my bras, of ek text my boois en

ons cancel julle!” (Be quiet or my guys will deal with you.) As he left the stage smiling, he stopped to address the editor of a stylish Franschhoek glossy and was heard to say “Maar jy’s a lekka bokkie. Hoe lyk ‘it, sien jy kaans?” (You’re attractive, shall we…?)

In a later communique, bearing the title “Embargoed: Due for Release on 1 April

only”, the Publisher simply stated that Rasool had made himself unavailable and that as a result “The Month will con-tinue to focus its attention, in a light-hearted and accessible manner, on posi-tive, general interest items within the greater Winelands region and that have a bearing on those who enjoy that sort of thing.”

NE

WS

The sixth Franschhoek Literary Festi-val kicks off at 10am on the 11th of May for the annual long weekend when 155 writers gather in Fran-schhoek to chat about the latest books, the complicated history and the volatile now of their beloved country.

This year the festival is preceded by the first FLF Book Week for Young Readers in which 46 children’s au-thors will visit every class in all seven Franschhoek schools to talk, read and tell stories to over 4 000 learners. Among the events on Friday of spe-cial interest for high school learners and students are: ‘Heroes & Zom-bies’, the ‘Technology Tsunami’, ‘MXit with M4Lit’ and ‘Growing Up’.

Festival-goers will also have the chance to listen to some of South

Africa’s top writers, bestsellers, crime novelists, talk radio person-alities, journalists, playwrights, pub-lishers, poets, satirists and classical musicians as well as other leading thinkers and strategists, including Moeletsi Mbeki, Jonathan Jansen and Sport Scientist, Tim Noakes.

At 7pm on Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th Pieter-Dirk Uys will present his must-see cabaret ‘Bambi Kellermann’, with pianist Godfrey Johnson in the NG Church Hall. See the very full FLF programme online at www.flf.co.za, with de-tails for bookings on www.webtick-ets.co.za Events are R60 per seat, with a portion of the proceeds go-ing to the FLF Library Fund. Book early to avoid disappointment.

THE FRANSCHHOEK litErarY FESTIVALA feast for book lovers from the 11th - 13th of May

FE

ST

IVA

L

don’t miss!



thE Month - QuICk CROSSWORD #15

DoWn

across

DON’T CHEAT!solution pG 24

COMPETITION: all competitions close on the 24th of the current month (unless otherwise stated); winners will be contacted by phone or email, must be over 18 (unless otherwise stated), must be prepared to allow their names to appear in print in the Month, and may be required to pay delivery costs; the Ed’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into - unless the Ed is having a really great day.

SMS: sMss charged at R1.50/sMs. Free sMss do not apply. Errors billed. sender must have the bill payer’s permission. You may be contacted in the future by sMs unless you opt-out.

The views expressed in this mag-azine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Month or its affiliates. Having said that, we generate practically all of the material printed in each edition ourselves; please don’t repro-duce any part of it without the

Editor or Publisher’s permission (we’re generally quite generous – so just ask).

The Month subscribes to the South African Press Code and if you feel we’re not living up to that, please call the Press Om-

budsman on 011 484 3612. We regard our sources as reliable and verify as much of what we print as we can, but inaccura-cies can occur and readers us-ing information in The Month do so at their own risk.

THE FINE PRINT

The Editor discovers the secretof Luisa Spagnoli

Dress Toimpress

29 Not airtight (6)

30 Aubergine (8)

1 A metamorphic rock (6)

2 Selfish (6)

3 Insect stage (5)

4 8th planet of the solar system (7)

6 Xmas (9)

7 Rebel (8)

8 Receptacles for cigarette ash (8)

11 Animal companions (4)

15 SW (9)

17 Specified individually (8)

18 Standards (8)

20 Inheritor (4)

21 Apprehending (7)

22 City in Turkey (6)

23 A group of six (6)

26 Ease (5)

1 Petrol (8)

5 Dross (6)

9 An engraved inscription (8)

10 In England, it's a spanner (6)

12 Autograph (9)

13 A sweetener (5)

14 Small island (4)

16 An unspecified future time (7)

19 From end to end (7)

21 Where birds live (4)

24 An exact duplicate (5)

25 Disequilibrium (9)

27 Naughts (6)

28 Confuse (8)

Chatting to Ilsje Crots de Beer at her brand new Franschhoek fashion bou-tique, Isabella Charlotte, recently, my

eye was caught by a fabulous red winter Mei-na jacket that I suggested to her would cause a sizeable dent in my credit card, once my wife got to seeing it.

“Yes, but it IS a Luisa Spagnoli,” she laughed before popping to the back of the small shop and returning with a similar red coat. “This is my Spagnoli,” she said simply, “it’s eight years old.” Given that the coat could easily hang next to the 2011/12 iteration, she didn’t need to say much more. Pretending to know all about Luisa, fash-ion and good taste, I thanked Ilsje for her time, promised to get a coffee at her other business interest, Traumerei Café, also in Franschhoek, and headed home to Google ‘Spagnoli’…

The Spagnoli brand was established just after WWI, when Luisa added the breeding of poultry and Angora rabbits to her repertoire, which at that stage already featured a successful choco-late business called Perugina. It seems that the introduction of the Angora yarn for knitwear was a master stroke and despite not seeing the business hit the heights it has today, in her life-time, it must have been clear to her that she had set the scene for something great. Her vision is

probably best honoured by noting that despite the male-dominated age in which she found herself, she believed in the value of women and their ability to contribute to the economy.

Under the care of her son Mario, the company went from strength-to-strength and today Luisa’s great-grandchildren are at the helm of a company that had an estimated value in excess of 134-million Euro in 2010.

The company’s unrelenting quest to innovate new yarns and fabrics, to make use of both clas-sic and fresh clothing designs and to create a strong and immediately recognisable brand im-age have seen Luisa Spagnoli creations adorn many of the most desirable women to have taken to the world stage. Not least of these was Kate Middleton who wore a stunning Luisa Spagnoli skirt and ‘sushi’ jacket as she set about on her first Royal outing to St Andrews with Prince William.

Given that Kate looks drop-dead gorgeous in the outfit, I’m looking forward to trading a dented card for a wife dressed in her own Luisa Spagnoli Meina jacket and matching Molly skirt thanks to Isabella Charlotte.

See their advert, top right

The winner of a nIgHT aT asara is Lucy shil-lington from Newlands. We can’t wait for the pics Anthea! Well Done Lucy!

and

The winner of a sTay aT LaBorIE & a TWo-coursE dInnEr aT HarvEsT is Fritzi Ergen-zinger of Constantia. Enjoy Laborie Fritzi!



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THE BOUCHARD FINLAYSON TRADE SHOW WAS HELD ON THE 12TH OF MARCH, OUTSIDE CAMPS BAY, IN THE ATLANTIC TERRACE MARqUEE AT THE TWELVE APOSTLES HOTEL AND SPA. SEEN BELOW ARE PETER FINLAYSON (MIDDLE) AND GUESTS

andsceneheard

SOME 700 CELEBRITIES, SOCIALITES AND POLO LOVERS ATTENDED THE VEUVE CLICqUOT MAS-TERS POLO EVENT AT VAL DE VIE ESTATE; SEEN HERE ARE THE JENNI BUTTON MODELS (LARGE PIC-TURE); ELANA AFRICA AND HAKEEM KAE-KAZIM (TOP) AND ROXY AND SHAHNEE LOUW (ABOVE).

the month april 2012

Documents

wine isapril

french toast wine

halfpriced wine offer

entitled flip rasool

time of year

cape towns bree street

simonsig estate

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