Wine Diva

With Red Wine and Lindt Chocolate Pairing

You are invited to join Ntsiki Biyela, inspirational woman winemaker at Stellekaya and Caroline Lowings, the Wine Diva for a ladies luncheon, wine and chocolate pairing and cellar tour at the Stellekaya Winery in Stellenbosch on 21 February 2009.

Indulge in a yummy 3 course meal of quiches, salads and desserts as well as the mouth-watering coupling of 3 Stellekaya wines with 3 sorts of Lindt chocolate:
Stellekaya Hercules – Lindt Extra Creamy Milk
Stellekaya Shiraz – Lindt Extra Fine Dark
Stellekaya Merlot – Lindt Pear

Event Details
Date: Saturday 21 February 2009
Time: 11.30am – 3.30pm
Place: Stellekaya Winery, Bosmans Crossing, Stellenbosch
Cost: R210 per person
RSVP: By 12 Feb 2009 to wineclub@winediva.co.za or phone Caroline on 0834180815
Payment secures your place, limited space available so book today.

Lucky Draw for early birds
Sign up and pay by 5 Feb 2009 and you’ll stand in line to win one of two gift packs of Stellekaya wine and Lindt chocolate.

E-Booklet
After you have booked and paid, you will receive an edutaining e-booklet before the event, which will tell you all about Stellekaya, their woman winemaker, their wines, and wine and chocolate pairing. This will ensure that you get the most learning and fun out of the event.

Explore Stellenbosch
Our festivities start at 11.30am, but come early, bring your girlfriends and make a day of it – because Stellekaya is conveniently situated in town, so you can experience all the shopping and heritage that Stellenbosch has to offer. There is an organic market every Saturday across the road from the cellar, so you may want to explore that option before joining us.

Word of the week is “glamping“, because I find it so laughable and ironical. What is “glamping“? Apparently it stands for glamour camping, isn’t that an oxymoron? My mom does not go camping, she’ll happily without hesitation tell you, if the subject of camping ever comes up, “If it’s not more comfortable than my own bed, why should I leave home?”

On the other hand, my friend, a self-appointed “Camel Man” who chugs around in an old Landy and loves camping, caravaning and other outward bound exploits, would surely scoff at any glamour associations as a extreme mockery of the very instituion of roughing it. And let’s be honest here, camping has its place under the stars but I would never call it glamorous by any stretch of the imagination.

But it seems that some clever marketers or celebrity rich kids have dreamed up the “glamping” concept to romanticise the great outdoors into something that could quite literally translate into my mom “camping in style” if she dragged her own comfy bed, her scatter cushions and a persian carpet into the garden, strung up a few fairy lights, popped open a bottle of Moet and a cordon bleu ready meal, and called it unleashing her inner glamping diva.

When pitching your wigwam and getting out-of-doors, surely the thrill and dare I say fun of the tented adventure begins with the very fact that you are leaving life’s little luxuries behind and embracing the untamed landscape and the trek across the camp site to the less than favourable ablusions, toilet paper in hand, in the middle of the night. There is really no need to fashion it up.

Camping should remain somewhat arduous around the edges and glamour should remain glossed and in heels, and never should the two be co-ordinated, or is there a well-appointed brightly coloured middle camping ground?

So all this talk of glamping and camping with the blustering wet and cold weather outside has got me thinking about gluvine. And what exactly gluvine is… (such an enlightening blog today)
Gluvine is also known as mulled wine, gluhwein or glog depending where you are from. It is usually prepared by heating or boiling cheap and cheerful red or white wine while adding a combination of some of the following: honey, spices, cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg, cloves, orange juice, other citrus fruits. The gluvine can also be spiked at the end with a little brandy. I shall try make some and report back…