MONTHLY WINE CLUB LADIES TASTING & NETWORKING EVENT – Thursday, March 7th @ 5:30pm – 8:00pm
@ Shelanti Restaurant, Jean Ave, Centurion – close to Centurion Gautrain station (for JHB gals) – see bus route C4 stop 2 and stop 14.
Includes wine tasting, finger-dinner/ snacks sampling, and a fun evening with a facilitated networking activity.
To book email: editor@winediva.co.za
Cost: R150 per person
Following close on the heels of the birth of his daughter, Louis Nel has at last released the maiden vintage of his own wines, simply called “Louis”.
“After three years of buying grapes, late nights and hard work in the cellar, spending ridiculous amounts of money on the best possible barrels and packaging, and then having to wait impatiently for the wine to come around, I am very happy with what we are able to offer the world today” says a suitably chuffed Louis as his wines have already garnered critical acclaim both locally and abroad.
The origin of this project seems to have been written in the stars when Louis’ mother, for his very first birthday, baked him a cake but then realized she did not have any colouring for icing. Being a resourceful woman, however, she used red wine as a colouring agent, thereby seemingly giving direction to Louis’ ultimate destiny of becoming a winemaker. This event is depicted on both labels.
Louis is a member of the Cape Winemakers Guild and has made wine at Neil Ellis and Warwick amongst others. His numerous winemaking stints overseas laid a solid foundation for his career to date and fanned his dream of releasing his own wine.
The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is the flagship wine from a vineyard that has gained notoriety for causing conflict between the owners of two adjoining farms. The grapes coming from the disputed land were vinified separately and bottled as the “Neighbour’s Wrath” Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 and sold earlier this year on the Cape Winemakers Guild Auction, gaining an impressive score of 93 points from the highly-regarded wine-critic, Stephen Tanzer. The intensity of fruit, soft mouth-hugging tannins, and length on the palate make this wine of international standard. “Wine has a soul, and this wine’s soul is that of a civilized Viking warrior, that was good at maths and liked jazz. The soft luscious tannins and concentrated fruit are a culmination of the alchemy of the vineyard site, which is far removed from the realm of comprehension of a mere winemaker.” Louis believes that this wine, like his newborn daughter, is already quite beautiful, but will reward patience and be much more accessible in three years’ time.
Although the project is small, no expense was spared as far as barrels, grapes and packaging design are concerned. The labels, logos and cartons were all designed by Hero design in Cape Town, and they also helped to turn Louis’ vision into reality. “After one has put in so much effort in making the wine, why stop there? The last mile is just as important as the first. Boring labels have been done so many times, it was time for something different which also conveyed the ‘out-of-the-box’ attitude that is a hallmark of this project”.
The Cabernet Sauvignon will retail for around R245, while the Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot retails for approximately R100.
Louis Nel can be contacted on louis@louiswines.com or 082 775 8726.
On Saturday September 19, Melville’s landmark designer lifestyle centre Bamboo will celebrate its 10th birthday. Jo’burg lifestyle-revellers are invited to help blow out the candles and join in the festivities suited to both adults and children.
The first of its kind in Johannesburg, Bamboo was launched in 1999 to the day by former Melville couple, Alison Green and Barry Gould. Today, Bamboo has moved into the millennium with poise and permanence still offering Jo’burg shoppers a tedium-free retail alternative that is thoughtful, wholesome, design-focussed and contemporary. Each of the eight interlinked shops uphold the lifestyle centre’s ethos of supplying South African products and services that are life-enhancing and indulgent to the senses.
The birthday festivities – which include a spectacular surprise cake – on Saturday 19 September at Bamboo, 53 Rustenburg Road, Melville, from 11h00 to 16h00 are as follows:
• Start the day at Service Station with a birthday special breakfast or pop in later for lunch. Quiche slices and other confectionery will on sale at the upstairs market.
• Peruse a while at Love Books. At 11h00 join Chris van Wyk, author of the children’s version of Nelson Mandela’s biography, The Long Walk to Freedom.
• Stock up at the Deli and Wine Market with the freshest homemade spring fare – olives, breads and Spanish salamis. Add a couple of King Proteas to your basket. For R30 taste wines from SA family-run cellars, Beaumont, Oak Valley, Paul Cluver, Ross Gower, Barry Gould Family Wines, Joostenberg, Stark-Condé and Joubert-Tradauw.
• Get creative and have fun at jewellery-making workshops at Tinsel.
• Be inspired to dine each day with the style of celebration – party-themed tables on view at The Blooming Plate.
• Learn the art of glassblowing at Smelt – mini workshops for the whole family on the hour. Make your own sand-mould cast paperweight for R95.
• Be intrigued by the Black Coffee 2010 Spring and Summer Collection, which recently took the stage at the Berlin Fashion Week, on “fashion walk-about” through Bamboo.
• View the Carol Lee art exhibition at Upstairs@Bamboo.
• Revive as Renue launches range of body oils for bath and massage relaxation.
For more information: www.bamboo-online.co.za