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From thinking big to what the drought means for our wine budget. 

Jean Engelbrecht is a leader in the world of premium South African wine. He grew up on the Stellenbosch property that houses the Rust en Vrede winery, which his father, Jannie, bought in the 1970s. At the time, the wine industry in South Africa was undeveloped, with most wineries churning out mass-produced plonk. But Jannie had a vision to make high-quality wines at his estate, and Jean extended it as one of the young pioneers attempting to put Cape wine on the world stage after Apartheid ended.

Of all the stories of a faithful hound, perhaps the one best known is that of Hatchiko, the Akita dog from Akita in Japan who waited 9 years for his master to return. The story pulls at the heartstrings. In earlier vintages, The Mulderbosch Faithful Hound had a charming Stubbs-like painting on the label of an English hunting hound. The Mulderbosch Faithful Hound 2015, now has a new label and appearance. A white label with large lettering, elegant.

Celebrate the blessings of 2017 and the opportunities of 2018 with a few wine cocktails! The Pink Panther is pink and pretty, but it has a lovely tang, is very smooth and much more sophisticated than the average pink drink!

La Motte's premium Pierneef Collection of wines are often praised for their quality, versatility and consistency, but the estate using Pierneef artworks as labels for these wines, makes for another interesting talking point.

Each vintage of the Pierneef Syrah Viognier and Pierneef Sauvignon Blanc, respectively, have six different linocut artworks – essentially six different labels. This means that each six-bottle presentation of the Pierneef Collection offers a collection of different artworks selected for that specific vintage.  

If you enjoy wine as much as I do then you will have even more reasons to be impressed by Cape Town. The ‘Mother City” and winner of the Telegraph ‘Best City in the World’ award 2017 is not only a wonder in terms of outstanding natural beauty and a land of unlimited adventure as illustrated in my last blog; it is also nothing short of heaven on earth for wine lovers. Just half an hour outside of Cape Town and you are in the Cape Winelands. Here you can experience some the best wines in the world against a backdrop of majestic mountain ranges. 

Legendary chefs Craig Cormach and Beau du Toit are cooking up something special for the Western Cape. The two are set to open a new restaurant on 13 December in scenic Elgin Valley, spearheaded by expert wine farm chef, Mechell Spann.

The festive season is all about spending quality time with family and often enjoying a generous meal is at the centre of our celebrations. We come together around a shared love of food and preparing it together is part of the joy. Festive season cooking should be all about bold flavours, beautiful colours and having fun.

Whether it is the rich heritage, the special secondary fermentation in the bottle, the controversy around its name or just the fact that it is used to celebrate life’s big moments, most agree that there is something unique and extraordinary about Champagne. And even when it is called Méthode Cap Classique, there is no denying the fascination with this drink!