Wine Diva

RMB WineX Gauteng – The Cape Winelands comes to the City of Gold
~ 1500 wines from 250 producers on show
~ Tuesday, 24th to Friday 27th October: 5pm to 9pm
~ Sandton Convention Centre

For the seventh successive year, South Africa’s biggest and best-known consumer wine event, RMB WineX, comes to Gauteng at the end of October. 1500 wines – artefacts of the craft of nearly 250 producers – will be available for tasting during the four days of the show. RMB WineX runs from 24th to 27th October 2006 at the Pavilion Level of the Sandton Convention Centre.

In a major innovation, the event now offers visitors a SHOP@SHOW facility – with home delivery for a nominal one-off charge. Most of the wines at the tasting will therefore be available for sale at 10% above trade price. Transactions will be invoiced through Norman Goodfellows, the country’s largest independent premium wine retailer. More than ever, a visit to RMB WineX in Sandton becomes a virtual trip around the Cape Winelands.

WineX has been sponsored by Rand Merchant Bank since 2000. Partnered now by British Airways Comair and Talk Radio 702, it is the ultimate encounter between South Africa’s finest producers and the country’s biggest quality wine market. From Akkerdal to Zorgvliet, it represents a complete spectrum of Cape Wine and showcases every wine route in the country.

Last year’s Talk Radio 702 Best-Red-Wine-on-Show winner De Toren, Trophy Wine Show Laureates Cape Point Vineyards, Engelbrecht Els (Ernie Els Wines) Jordan, Raka, Rustenberg and Vergelegen and show newcomers such as Solms-Delta and Vilafonté bring the best of their cellars to the show. A majority of the cellars are represented by their owners or cellarmasters – there to meet WineX-goers in person and to listen to what they have to say about current releases.

Hand-crafted cheeses from the international award-winning Fairview estate, olive oils from Tokara’s Olive Shed, Hildenbrand and Morgenster – all are there to be sampled and purchased. Wine accessories, Riedel glassware – even Holtzhausen’s hand-crafted furniture for wine and spirits – will be on show.

As in the past, Talk Radio 702 will conduct what has become the largest consumer-driven quality wine ballot when visitors to the event cast their votes for the Best-Wine-on-Show awards. For those who participate, there are daily draws with great prizes sponsored by BA Comair, Riedel, Backsberg and Springfield.

For consumers prescient and prudent enough to sign up before the event (at www.gfellas.co.za), Good Fellas – the subscriber-based affordable chaffeur-drive – will be on hand to take home visitors who have been less-than-rigorous in following the injunction to “spit, don’t swallow.”

DATES: Tuesday to Friday, 24 – 27 October 2006
TIMES: 5pm to 9pm
VENUE: Sandton Convention Centre, Maude Street, Sandton
PRICE: Early Bird R65 by 22 October, Tue to Thurs R90 and Fri R100; Special discount for block bookings and wine clubs via the organisers’ office (011) 482 5936 for the Tuesday night only.
BOOKINGS: Computicket – from 1 Oct. Telephone 083 915 8000 or online at www.computicket.com
PARKING: Parking is available at the Sandton Convention Centre, Nelson Mandela Square and Sandton City parkades
EXHIBITORS: For the complete list of exhibitors please visit www.winex.co.za.
ENQUIRIES: Janice Fridjhon or Alex Mason-Gordon; Tel 011 482 5936; E-mail winex@outsorceress.co.za
WEBSITE: www.winex.co.za for Shop@Show pre-registration, bookings and list of exhibitors

After collecting my car at Avis, with a huge sigh of relief, I set off on my adventure to find Melgab International, a father and son team of Italian Wine Importers. After a few detours and diversions, I arrived at my destination. I spent an interesting day finding out more about the wine importing process, what an enormous variety of cultivars Italy produces and which wines come from which regions in Italy.

MELGAB INTERNATIONAL CC has been in operation since 1993. They are arguably the largest importers of Italian wines to South Africa with a strong cultural connection that keeps them in continuous contact with the Italian, European and International food and wine sectors. They make Italian wine selections readily and easily available to their South African clients at affordable prices – with an impressive list of major customers in SA, such as the Woolworths Group, Spar, Makro and Shoprite-Checkers. They also supply wine shops and Italian restaurants, as well as direct sales to private individuals.

I have agreed to assist Melgab International with their marketing efforts in Gauteng, so watch this space for more info about Wine Diva Italian Tastings

Look out for Cape Winelands Trip Part 3…

My trip to the Cape Winelands last weekend was fabulous. It started off with a 5am drop off at JHB Intl (or whatever it’s called) for my 7.30am flight to Cape Town on Friday morning. As I sat in the departure lounge sipping on my cappuccino and munching my toasted sarmie, I thought to myself, “I am never packed, ready and at the airport in time for coffee and snacks… something must have slipped my mind”… And sure enough, when I landed on the other side I discovered that I had left my drivers’ license in the cubby of my own car. What good is a Wine Diva in the Cape Winelands without a car? Avis came to my rescue and did everything they could to help… in the end letting me take the car when my mom faxed them a copy of my drivers’ license. Go Avis go! You have a new fan!

To be continued … watch this space for Cape Winelands Tour Part 2!