One of Ken’s first projects will be overseeing the exciting new format of this year’s Stellenbosch Wine Festival, taking place from 1 to 5 July 2010. Welcoming all football fans descending on the Mother City, the Stellenbosch Wine Festival happens a month earlier this year to give them a chance to visit and experience South Africa’s first and foremost wine route – rich in diverse wine estates and cellars.

Stretching way beyond 90 minutes of action on the field, this year’s decentralised Stellenbosch Wine Festival will showcase its divine gems through an extensive network of shuttles between the participating farms. It is as simple as blowing a whistle... Just park your car at any of the allocated Park-and-Ride areas, or visit the Info Centre at Doornbosch in Stellenbosch, to purchase your festival pass and catch a shuttle to the wine farms of your choice. Participating farms are offering visitors wine tastings and untold activities including the opportunity to rub shoulders with your favourite winemakers.

Soccer enthusiasts will certainly not be left out in the cold as transport to and from this meandering wine extravaganza has been arrange from Cape Town. Visitors will also be able to experience the true history, culture and genuine hospitably of Stellenbosch and its wine routes in the comfort of their own vehicle and transport.

During the Festival’s five-day celebration, participating wine farms situated along the popular Stellenbosch American Express® Wine Routes will open their cellar doors for a wide-ranging kaleidoscope of family-friendly activities and attractions to entertain the merry crowds en route. This year’s programme ranges from adventurous day trips to interactive winemaking experiences, unbelievable restaurant and accommodation offerings to rare vertical and varietal wine tastings and exclusive winemaker dinners, each offering a different yet unique experience.

 

With more than 140 wine farms in and around the quaint town of Stellenbosch and various Park-and-Ride areas, it is your ticket to enjoy the true spirit of the Stellenbosch Winelands up, close and personal, without any hassle.

The Festival will also support the biggest sporting extravaganza to hit South African shores in true ‘Winelands style’. Idiom Wines are inviting visitors to participate in a fun Supporters’ Football Competition on their newly prepared mini-pitch in the middle of their vineyards in the Helderberg. This 5-a-side competition offers enthusiasts the chance to loosen up and emulate their heroes in a relaxed Cape Winelands setting, complete with friends and families cheering at the sidelines with their Vuvuzelas. For the less energetic, Idiom will host a Supporters’ Boules Competition on their brand new courts adjoining the soccer field, as well as wine tastings in their hillside bomas, overlooking the vineyards and False Bay in the distance.

Delheim, Jordan Wine Estate and Webersburg are some of the estates who will be carrying the fans’ interests at heart by having big screens showing the soccer.

Outdoor lovers can soak up the beauty of the Boland by signing up for game drives at Villiera, with plentiful birdlife and antelope to see whilst ending their scenic expedition with a Méthode Cap Classique tasting. Or why not saddle up at the new spectacular ‘cellar in the sky’ Waterkloof, with its arresting architecture and its panoramic views, for a picturesque wine tasting on horseback.

L’Avenir Estate goes all out French during the festival with a host of activities celebrating the culture, culminating with an awe-inspiring performance by The Matthew Kruger Band, South Africa’s very first composers and performers of original rock music in French, at the farm. Simonsig will also get their grapes and gourmet vibe going with live music offered at their estate throughout the duration of the festival.

 
The Stellenbosch Wine Festival has become a tradition during the winter months in Stellenbosch and is a popular destination for both local and international visitors. The 2009 extravaganza attracted more than 13 500 visitors with another record attendance anticipated this year.
 
Tickets for the Stellenbosch Wine Festival will be available on-line at R150 per person per day, and R500 for the Golden Pass for the entire duration of the festival. Under 18’s are free!
 
For more information on the Stellenbosch Wine Festival and its 2010 programme, contact 021 886 4310 or visit www.wineroute.co.za/festival.asp.

The Financial Mail Wine Business Awards, now in their second year, were conceived to provide focus and recognition to those within the industry going the extra mile to deliver business results. There are no fewer than 15 wine awards in South Africa, and until the FM Wine Business Awards, all were focused squarely on the product in the bottle.   The constant quest for quality and product excellence is no bad thing. But as any savvy producer will tell you, a wine decorated with a plethora of awards that remains unsold in the cellar doesn’t pay the rent. So who has been excelling in marketing, branding, packaging, supply-chain management and all the other crucial facets in a successful wine business?   Competition in each category was fierce this year. “Entries were nearly double that of the inaugural competition (2008) and the standard of work submitted superb. It’s interesting to see, that once these Awards were launched and under way, how the old saying “competition is good for business” has so clearly played out in the industry,” remarked John Woodward, a partner in the Awards. I would like to congratulate our Stellenbosch members, who were amongst the winners : Madame May Elaine de Lencquisaing (Glenelly) for Wine Personality of the Year, Graceland Vineyards for Best Design and Packaging, The Vineyard Connection for Independent Retailer of the Year (second year), and Kleine Zalze for Export Star (also second year). Well done to each and every one of you! For the full report, visit http://wine-extra.co.za/htm/special_report_march_2010.html.