SPI is one of the fastest growing private client businesses in South Africa, and together we are taking Stellenbosch to Gauteng, in an unrivalled celebration of the finer things in life at Summer Place in Hyde Park. The aim is to introduce cultural enthusiasts from up North to one of the Cape Wineland’s finest cultural melting-pots.

 
Daniël Kriel, SPI CEO, says the aim of the collaboration is to showcase one of South Africa’s most charming and popular regions. “SPI recently opened an office in Stellenbosch so the collaboration with SWR was a natural fit. Our intention is to use the event as a vehicle to increase our brand presence in Gauteng and our plan is to make this an annual event.”

 
He said that SPI’s client base of high net worth individuals are known to delight in the finer things in life and to consider wine and art, among other rare treasures, as investment vehicles. “We are excited to allow our clients and potential clients - as well as wine, food, art and music lovers – the chance to sample the best of an area which is well known for its culture, hospitality and spectacular natural beauty.”
 

Only the very finest of Stellenbosch’s culinary talent and varietals will be on offer. Gautengers will taste 200 of the finest wines, rub shoulders with 50 top Stellenbosch winemakers and sample fare from award-winning Stellenbosch chefs. The elegant rooms and spaces will be transformed into a unique wine and gourmet rendezvous, for guests to linger and indulge all their senses. To top it all off, talented Stellenbosch musicians Zamar, will add rhythm to this glamorous event.
 
Kriel says that art is an equally important feature of the programme. “Sanlam has one of South Africa’s oldest and most extensive corporate art collections and curator, Stefan Hundt, will exhibit select pieces at the event.”
 
Tickets for Stellenbosch at Summer Place cost R395 per head and include wine tasting and gourmet delight throughout the evening. For more information and ticket sales contact Christa at Tel: (021) 886 8275, or visit www.wineroute.co.za/summerplace.asp
 
To contact Sanlam Private Investments, visit their office at 98 Dorp Street, or phone (021) 861 3700.

The annual Helderberg Wine Festival always offers visitors a wide range of events over and above the usual wine tastings and this year’s festival, from Thursday, 21 October to Sunday, 24 October, is no exception.

With 30 cellars participating, each offering a special programme of events to suit its facilities, festival goers can expect spectacular scenery and stunning architecture as a backdrop to enjoying some of the best wines in South Africa.

A new event on the programme is the quaintly named “Vergenoegd Volkies & Vere Expo” where this historical winery just off the N2 are inviting all owners of a Volkswagen Beetle to the farm on Saturday, 23 October to participate in a mass Volksie exhibition! With the farm’s award-winning restaurant, the hundreds of runner ducks adding to the attraction, and the winery’s recent release of the full range of three wines in the Runner Duck range, what better way to spend a Saturday!

This month I would like to welcome two new members to Stellenbosch Wine Routes.

  
Set like a jewel in the golden triangle of South Africa's winelands, the 80ha vineyards of Lyngrove Wine Estate are the highly-prized source of the grapes that produce export-quality wines enjoyed by connoisseurs around the world.