Wine Diva

Here are the photos from the delightful Wine Diva Stellekaya ladies lunch held at Ritrovo Restaurant in Waterkloof, Pretoria, on Saturday 25 July 2009. We had such a good time, 40 ladies and Forti, the co-owner-chef, he was so happy to have all the ladies to himself and really made us feel welcome at his place of beautiful Italian food. All the ladies were inspired by Stellekaya winemaker, Ntsiki Biyela – who is the winner of the 2009 Woman Winemaker Landbouweekblad competition. Well done Ntsiki. Special thanks to all the ladies who attended and thanks to Wine Diva family and friends for their support! Take a look and email wineclub@winediva.co.za if you want to be notified of future events:

Wine Diva, winemaker and chef:

Celebrating being women:

Getting to know Ntsiki:

 All the beauties enjoying beautiful food and wine:

Wine Diva, family and friends:

And then Forti serenaded a birthday girl:

Here are the photos taken at the JHB Wine Diva Stellekaya Evening on Friday 24 July 2009 at Kutya Restaurant in Fourways. It was loads of fun. 54 people attended, it was open to wineloving women and men (the arm candy) in Gauteng. All the attendees were inspired by Stellekaya winemaker, Ntsiki Biyela -
who is the winner of the 2009 Woman Winemaker Landbouweekblad
competition. Well done Ntsiki. To find out more about joining events like these in the future, email wineclub@winediva.co.za

Wine Divas all in a row:

Some Stellekaya and Kutya Fans:

A really stunning venue – Kutya Restaurant:

Ntsiki Biyela – event co-host servingher delicious Stellekaya wines. Ntsiki is the winner of the 2009 Landbouweekblad Woman Winemaker competition.

 A fun group of four friends enjoying the good wine, food and company:

Colourful red wine loving crowd:

Stellekaya owner, Dave Lello and his friends:

Cheers to a lovely couple:

 Friends chasing away the winter blues with Stellekaya and Wine Diva

Caroline Lowings, Ntsiki Biyela and friends:

Celebrate Women’s Day early – Ntsiki Biyela, Stellekaya’s dynamic and inspirational woman winemaker and Wine Diva, Caroline Lowings, will be hosting a ladies luncheon event on Saturday 25 July 2009, at the award-winning five star graded Italian Ristorante Ritrovo, in Pretoria.

Women who want to get out, be inspired, shake off the winter blues and learn a little something about the art of fine indulgence in red wine, good food and Lindt chocolate should bring your sisters, friends, and Mom and join the fun.

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Details of the event:
Diarise and book today!

Date: Saturday 25 July 2009
Venue: Ritrovo, Shop No 2, Waterkloof Heights Shopping Centre, 103 Club Avenue, Waterkloof Ridge, click here for map
Time: 11:30am to 3:30pm
Cost per person: R250

Early Birds: Book and pay by 19 June 2009 and you’ll stand in line to win one of two gift packs of Stellekaya wine and Lindt chocolate.

Reservations required, limited seating!

Booking can be done by emailing wineclub@winediva.co.za or,
Phone Caroline on 083 263 2660

Wines can be ordered on the day.
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Stellekaya Winery
Stellekaya is a specialist producer of hand-crafted fine red wine from the Stellenbosch area. Stellekaya means home of the stars – Stelle is Latin for star and Kaya is iZulu or iXhosa for home. The wines chosen for the luncheon are easy-drinking and perfectly paired with the food options and Lindt chocolate. Ntsiki says, “All red wines are different and I enjoy seeing people’s reactions to them. I encourage people who are new to drinking red wine to start off with something lighter and fruiter such as our Hercules and then take it from there. A person must learn to walk before they can run and the same applies to wine tasting and drinking, don’t start with the blockbusters if you are not used to red wine”. Read more about Stellekaya and Ntsiki.

Wine and chocolate pairing
Ntsiki Biyela will share with you her inspirational winemaking stories, and also lead you through the nuances of pairing good red wine with every woman’s best friend, Lindt chocolate:
Stellekaya Hercules with Lindt Extra Creamy Milk
Stellekaya Shiraz with Lindt Extra Fine Dark
Stellekaya Merlot with Lindt Pear.

Italian fine dining
Then you’ll discover the beauty of Italian food with Ritrovo’s fresh contemporary cuisine. Fortunato Mazzone, co-owner and well-known chef, is extremely passionate about food and wine and promises that “you can taste the passion and happiness in [his] food”. Fortunato has an impressive culinary resume and has created the most scrumptious menu to show off the easy-drinking Stellekaya Hercules, Merlot and Shiraz red wines.

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Here’s what to expect on the authentic Italian menu:

Starter paired with Stellekaya Merlot
Option 1: Tagliatelle with 4 meat Ragu, or
Option 2: Organic Rocket salad with Parmesan shavings, Avocado
and grilled marinated Zucchini with mint in special golden balsamic vinaigrette

 Main course served with Stellekaya Shiraz
Option 1: Chargrilled Tuna served rare
with tomato, garlic and coriander salsa with crunchy vegetables, or
Option 2: Fillet with porcini mushroom
with garlicky fried peppers and truffled mashed potato, or
Option 3: Melanzane alla Parmigiana – layers of Baked Aubergine
with parmesan, mozzarella and Neapolitan sauce.

 Dessert paired with Stellekaya Hercules
Option 1: Torta al Cioccolato with reduced berry and Strega coulis and Lindt sorbet, or
Option 2: Flourless Pistachio Cake with Chocolate Ganache and peppered berry sorbet.
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Please note that you will receive a welcome drink and a glass of Stellekaya wine per meal course, as well as tasting quantity of wine for pairing with the Lindt chololates, all inclusive. Any beverages and coffees over and above will be for your own account.

More about Ritrovo
Ritrovo Ristorante is one of SA’s Top 10 Restaurants, has been recently been awarded Rossouws Restaurant Guide Highest 3 Star Rating, and is the first recipient of the South African Tourism Grading Boards Platinum Star Award.

So invite the women in your life and come along and celebrate. Diarise and book today, it’s not to be missed. Take a look at the fun we had at the ladies luncheon in Feb 2009 in Stellenbosch.