Cheers Vol. 45 Nov / Dec 2019

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C O M P L I M E N TA R Y M A G A Z I N E NOV / DEC 2019 VOL45

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F RO M T H E E D I TO R

cheers TEAM TOPS at SPAR Group Promotions & Advertising Manager – Liquor Jess Nicholson Group Advertising Controller – Liquor Nicole Hesom

HOPE SPRINGS...

F

unny how the second half of the year seems to pick up pace; before you know it the summer holidays and Christmas are just weeks away! (And both of those whizz by far too quickly. Just when you’re getting used to wiggling your toes into the beach sand or enjoying the remains of the Christmas ham or turkey on a sandwich it’s time to set an alarm clock to get up for the morning commute again.) Despite the negativity which abounds in the media with ample reportage about how things are going wrong, there’s always ample good news if you choose to see it. And that’s especially true for the liquor side of things.

Very often, when you’re in the middle of something, your perspective is influenced by your current experience. It takes a fresh set of eyes or someone seeing it from a different angle to make you appreciate and realise that there is an alternate or different reality.

Recently a group of young sommeliers visited to compete in the Wines of South Africa Sommelier Cup, held every three years. They hailed from Sweden, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Canada, Germany, Kenya, Singapore, the United States and England. They’d never set foot on South African soil before and even though they’re wine professionals, their knowledge of SA’s wines was a little sketchy. After a week being driven around the various wine regions, tasting extensively, having braais and enjoying local hospitality morning, noon and night, they were blown away.

Yes, they’d read the negative stuff about the corruption, crime, violence and political wrangling but their experience on the ground was totally different. They appreciated the wines and many said the quality was far better than they’d expected. World class, in fact. The most lasting impression they spoke about was the warmth of the people, the local wine makers and sommeliers they’d interacted with who made them feel not just welcome, but like part of the family. It was genuine and heartfelt.

It’s been a really upbeat few months with wine producers performing very well in international competitions while tastings of South African wines held in the United Kingdom and in Japan ahead of the Rugby World Cup attracted very favourable reviews and comments from a host of critics.

International wine and spirit judges and sommeliers who visited our shores in August and September returned home raving about the quality of wine, brandy, gin, whisky, food, hospitality, scenery, weather and pretty much any and everything South African...

So as 2019 rapidly gains momentum to December 31, acknowledge that it’s been a tough year in many respects but raise a glass to the fact that we’re still standing, heads held high, in a beautiful part of the world. Yes, we have problems – what country doesn’t? Just as those sommeliers and critics found, there’s lots to celebrate and enjoy here. They’re envious of us: with our wine, brandy, whisky and especially fynbos-infused gin being just a few of the positives they appreciated. The warmth, caring and authenticity of the people is another.

Let’s look forward to a new year with optimism. Hope springs eternal. So I’m feeling buoyant and cheerful about the future.

Cheers to 2020!

FIONA MCDONALD CHEERS EDITOR

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INTEGRATED MEDIA Publisher Shayne Dowling shayne@integratedmedia.co.za Editor Fiona McDonald fiona@integratedmedia.co.za Art Director Claire Horner studio@integratedmedia.co.za Advertising Shayne Dowling shayne@integratedmedia.co.za PR & Promotions Dee Griffin dee@integratedmedia.co.za Photography iStockphoto.com Contributors Teresa Ulyate, Gerrit Rautenbach, Emile Joubert, Clifford Roberts, Winnie Bowman, Maryke Visagie, David Bristow, Brad Cartwright Head Office Cape Town Tel: 021 685 0285 Address Suite WB03 Tannery Park 23 Belmont Road, Rondebosch, 7700 Postal Address PO Box 259, Rondebosch, 7701 Printing Novus Print Published by Integrated Media for TOPS at SPAR

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COMPETITION TERMS AND CONDITIONS Competition submissions should reach us no later than 15th December 2019. The Prize/s is as indicated, no alternatives or cash will be provided. The decision of Integrated Media will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. Under no circumstances shall Integrated Media, TOPS at SPAR, SPAR or its appointed representatives and the prize donors be liable to anyone who enters these Prize Draws for an indirect or consequential loss howsoever arising which may be suffered in relation to the Prize Draws.

By entering these competitions you make yourself subject to receiving promotional information. Entrants are deemed to have accepted these terms and conditions. Prize Draw Rules: The prize draw is only open to consumers who must be over 18 years of age and resident in South Africa. Employees of Integrated Media and TOPS at SPAR, SPAR and their respective advertising, media and PR agencies, as well as the family members, consultants, directors, associates and trading partners of such organisations and persons are ineligible for the draw. Participants can only win one competition every 3 issues.

@CheersMag NOV/DEC 2019

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20 Whisky enjoyment in warmer weather features 16 NIKS, NADA & NOTHING The growing no alcohol trend in beer

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26 TASTING: SPEYSIDE SINGLE MALTS

4 NEWS SCOOP Medals galore in wine awards wrap, new Cognac unveiled in Paris, blushing bubbly from Durbanville Hills and more.

30 VIRTUALLY VINOUS Artificial intelligence & virtual reality on tech-savvy liquor labels

contents

regulars

42 FLAVOUR OF SUMMER Celebrity chef Tjaart Walraven’s new book, Summer Food 60 CASTING IN THE KALAHARI When an expedition goes right

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FROM THE EDITOR Little shoots of hope

24 PERFECT SERVE The Manhattan – with a few twists 34 ALL PRESENT & ACCOUNTED FOR Festive season gift suggestions 37 HOT BITES Coral tonic, HOPE's new spirit and a top cocktail champ crowned 40 OOR DIE KOLE Emile Joubert se braai wenke 48 SHARING IS CARING Gingerbread waffles & baked buns 52 GOOD LIVING Party essentials 53 THINGAMAJIGS Cool kit for hot days

54 HOT NEWS TOPS at SPAR wine show hits East London & Nelspruit and other fun activities 58 SIZZLE & SMOKE Brilliant wild braaiing spots 64 MOVIES, MUSIC & BOOKS Laughs, love, suspense and thrills

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66 NOT SMOKING Vaping claims lives 69 APPS Make a note 70 NEXT ISSUE What to expect in 2020 72 LOOPDOP Falling from the sky in Bronkhorstbaai

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www.cheersmag.co.za M NO AY V/J DU EN C 2019

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THE SCOOP

PINK FROM PINOT Franschhoek’s Haute Cabrière Chardonnay Pinot Noir is one of the ultimate food wines. Lightly fruity with a slight tinge of pink, it’s ridiculously easy to enjoy when the weather is warm.

But a maiden Pinot Noir Rosé has just been launched in time for summer.

“We are passionate about Pinot Noir and this year’s harvest has resulted in the creation of this fabulous addition to the Haute Cabrière portfolio” said second-generation cellarmaster Takuan von Arnim about the natural progression in his decision to create a Pinot Noir Rosé.

Only the best Pinot Noir grapes were selected to produce the Haute Cabrière Pinot Noir Rosé 2019. Grapes

were harvested with full-fruit in mind, so one can expect an elegant, dry rosé on the palate with strawberries and rose petals on the nose.

“The elegance and structure of this wine is evident in each sip,” von Arnim said.

The Haute Cabrière Tasting Room is situated on the Franschhoek Pass (Lambrecht’s Road), Franschhoek.

The Tasting Room as well as the Haute Cabrière Restaurant have undergone a revamp and both reopened in October.

THE PERFECT POUR There is a certain amount of magic and mystery – as well as science and art in pouring the perfect pint. The type of glass and its cleanliness affect the final taste of the beer in the glass.

Each component plays a role in the appreciation of a good beer.

The first is foam. Beer is naturally carbonated which means that there are minuscule bubbles of carbon dioxide formed during fermentation. Once the beer is opened, this gas is released and forms bubbles, which in turn help form the foam, or the head of your beer.

If poured correctly, this foam plays a vital role in the taste of the beer. It’s made up of millions of tiny bubbles filled with the scent of the beer which are delivered straight to the nose the second the lips touch the glass.

SAB Trade Brewer Anton Erasmus said there is such a thing as the perfect beer glass. “A slightly roughened surface at the base of a glass allows for the carbon dioxide-filled bubbles to form at a faster rate, which makes more foam and helps the head last longer.”

Here’s how to do it: Hold the glass at a 45-degree angle, about 2.5cm below the bottle or can.

Let the beer flow down the side of the glass until it is half full.

Gently tilt the glass upright and pour down the centre to create about a 2.5cm head of foam on the top. If there is more foam than expected, let the beer rest until the head calms down and then resume pouring.

Once the foam is in place, stop pouring, sit back and enjoy.

Pouring the perfect beer takes practice and it’s a true art – but one which can be mastered.

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REFRESHING NEW SILHOUETTE Tastes differ. In fashion, music, food – and wine. Not every wine lover is going to enjoy dry wine so there is a ready market for a new product.

Skyline Late Harvest is the new kid on the block with its funky packaging – described as “dusk” coloured – and its flavour of rich honey and fruit.

Skyline has been inspired “by a vibrant new generation with an uncompromising taste for the good things in life”. Hence taking its brand identity from South Africa’s great cityscapes.

This is a single cultivar wine, made from only top-notch Chenin Blanc grapes. The fruit was harvested later in season, when the grape’s natural sugars are concentrated and the berries are thus lusciously sweet. So, no sugar is added. All natural. But the good news is that it’s bottled at 11,2% alcohol.

And its makers are not being precious about how consumers prefer to enjoy it: whether with soda water or a few ice cubes in the glass, the message is to simply enjoy it – whatever and whenever the occasion.

RECIPE Fill a large wine glass with ice.

Combine well-chilled Cinzano Pro-Spritz followed by Aperol in equal parts.

Add a splash of soda and garnish with an orange slice.

Follow us @AperolSpritzSA #AperolSpritz #TogetherWeJoy

BLUSHING BUBBLY You asked for it, so they made it – was essentially the message from Durbanville Hills at the launch of their new blush-coloured rosé sparkling wine recently.

Winemaker Ricardo Cloete said they had been inundated with requests for a sparkling rosé since the launch of the sparkling Sauvignon Blanc three years ago.

“Globally the trend has been spiking in recent years and we are answering to South African consumers’ interest with our latest release which is also a first for the sparkling wine category at its price point.”

Cloete said the days when the automatic assumption of rosé would be that it was sweet are gone. “The drier, fruitier versions are driving the demand. In addition, consumers are moving towards enjoying sparkling wines all year round, not just in summer or for special occasions, and especially rosé expressions, which are incredibly versatile and food-friendly.”

Cloete said the Durbanville Hills area was ideal for the making of this 50/50 blend of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon with its proximity to Table Bay’s cool waters, swirling morning mists and variety of hills with slopes, aspects and heights which allowed the grapes to ripen perfectly.

The elegant flower-adorned bottle is a prelude to the fresh ripe fruit aromas of strawberries and citrus, as well as Turkish delight, rose petals and candy floss on the nose. The mouthfeel is refreshing with ripe berry flavours and invigorating grapefruit and candy floss.

Perfect for summer!

THE KING’S BRANDY For centuries, suppliers of goods or services to the royal courts of the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Monaco, Denmark, Sweden and Japan have been issued with royal warrants of appointments.

It’s acknowledged as quite a coup to be chosen to supply biscuits, clothing, fishing rods or whatever to royalty.

So Elgin’s Oude Molen distillery is justifiably proud that it was selected to produce the spirit for King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu, the king of the Zulus.

Bayede! XO Royal Cape brandy is the result of a rigorous selection and 6 w w w .t o p s a t s p a r. c o . z a

is a justifiably superior and upmarket product.

“His Majesty selected Oude Molen to distil the first Royal Cape brandy based on their reputation for outstanding quality and integrity,” said Bayede! CEO Antoinette Vermooten. “The Bayede! XO Royal Cape brandy is worthy of the royal warrant and an outstanding showpiece for the brand.”

Every bottle of Bayede! XO Royal Cape Brandy is decorated with 10 strings of hand crafted traditional Zulu beads.

“This forms part of the Bayede! brand’s commitment to bring hope and dignity to women in impoverished areas by means of job creation,” Vermooten said.

Distilled using grapes from the Cape Winelands, Bayede! XO Royal Cape brandy is formulated by brandy master Kobus Gelderblom. The blend consists of selected lots of French and American oak barrels, with a minimum age of 10 years and features a remarkable interplay between dried fruit, cloves and curry leaf aromas – a rare and surprising combination. The gold medal awarded to the Cape Brandy at the recent Old Mutual Spirits Trophy competition underscores the product’s quality credentials.

The name is derived from the traditional greeting reserved for the Zulu king and means “Hail the King!”

DREAMING OF PARIS Paris’s Petit Palais was the venue for the launch of a new Cognac from Maison Martell, the Chanteloup XXO. In keeping with its reputation as the oldest of the French Cognac houses, Maison Martell reinforced its status as the leader of the pack by introducing an entirely new category of this distilled spirit!

The Chanteloup XXO is an exceptional blend of 450 very old eaux-de-vie drawn from the four finest terroirs in the Cognac region.

A hundred guests from 10 different countries were treated to an exceptional reveal involving a unique performance by acrobat and choreographer Yoann Bourgeois who ultimately lifted off a series of veils to reveal a bespoke trunk containing the Chanteloup XXO. Three star Michelin chef Guy Savoy co-ordinated the gala dinner which was immaculately paired with some spectacular spirits.

Everything about the event was designed to tie in with the three pillars of Maison Martell: elegance, complexity and harmony.

Stories inspire. Stories challenge. But more than anything, stories connect. Four stories rooted in the heart of Woodstock inspired our four variants - 399 on Albert, 021 on Victoria, 142 on Gympie and 001 on Searle.

At Woodstock Gin Company we recognise the importance of individual stories to celebrate a diversity that unites,

because we know that the spirit of a story, distilled with the desire to connect our human experience can change our conversations, our perspectives, our world. #SpiritOfTheStreets #StoriesUnite

AllStoriesMatter GinCo tock s d o o W @

ORIGINAL

ROOIBOS INFUSED

HEMP INFUSED

GINGER INFUSED

Legendary for the stolen gems that could be unearthed, if you have the right eyes to see them.

Where the stoic Nuns who lived here sought out the best in the streets around them and wove it into so much more.

A notorious place of rebellion and reward where the risk takers and rule breakers write their own stories.

Where an old kiln still sits, reminding us of the fire and passion that burn fiercely inside the people that forged these streets.

www.woodstockginco.co.za

BUBBLY ENTHUSIASM “Blanc de Blancs is without a doubt the most exciting Cap Classique category right now,” said Steenberg’s new cellarmaster Elunda Basson.

Speaking about the release of the latest Steenberg 1682 Brut Chardonnay Méthode Cap Classique bubbly made in the traditional French method of bottle fermented sparkling wine, she said it had been a pleasure “to have had a small hand in the finishing touches” of the bubbly.

Blanc de Blancs – or all Chardonnay – bubblies is her passion and she’s a dab hand at making it: one of her bubblies was crowned overall champion wine at the Veritas awards last year.

“It has been very exciting to have been able to blend the different components from the 2019 vintage but we will need to wait patiently for up to 18 months to allow the new bubbly to develop its full potential on the yeast lees,” Basson said.

Steenberg’s current Brut Chardonnay MCC appeals with Granny Smith apple, candied lemon rind and white peach wafting from your flute. The palate is lively with zesty acidity layered with lemon cordial, honeyed nectarines, toasted croissant and pistachio. With the mark of quality of the iconic Steenberg swan embossed on the bottle, it’s a full-flavoured Cap Classique of considerable stature.

“Our Brut Chardonnay MCC exudes freshness and fruit purity with great finesse and complexity. It’s the perfect way to celebrate summer,” Basson said.

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INNOVATIVE SEPTUAGENARIAN It’s not often a 70-year-old can still be setting the pace – but that’s true of Roodeberg 1949, a wine that retains its historic roots yet is simultaneously innovative and fresh.

The KWV’s Roodeberg red blend is one of the most historic in South Africa’s wine history – and the 1949 is a limited edition, commemorative blend.

Winemaker Louwritz Louw revealed that the wine shows excellent structure, supple tannins and fleshy fruit but that it maintains its purity and balance.

“Roodeberg 1949 embraces the revival of exciting French and Spanish varieties,” he said, revealing that Cabernet Sauvignon (38%) forms the foundation of the blend, complemented by Tempranillo (29%), Carignan (20%) and Carménère (13%).

“Each variety brings something unique to the blend resulting in a wine of exceptional concentration and finesse. Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo lend structure and intensity, while the Carignan and Carménère contribute spicy intrigue and depth of flavour,” he said.

Continuing the Roodeberg tradition as a blend with universal appeal, 1949 lends new vitality to the brand’s heritage, starting a new chapter in the illustrious Roodeberg story.

HAMMERTIME! South Africa’s premier wine event – the Nederburg Auction – has rebranded itself and undergone something of a metamorphosis after 40 years. It’s now known as the Cape Fine & Rare Wine Auction and was held in Stellenbosch in October.

“Today was a piece of theatre,” said auctioneer Charlie Foley, “the wines were the actors – and the buyers got them!”

Attired in a funky zebra print jacket and with his energetic style, Foley himself played a major part in the theatricality of the event which was held at the Rupert art museum.

A total of R2.6 million was raised within the space of four hours on October 19.

Managing Director of Distell Richard

Rushton said in his opinion the change was a good one and being more inclusive of other South African producers and opening the event up to private buyers would increase the availability and awareness of some of the country’s best wines.

The intention of the new-format auction is to create an industry-led platform showcasing the best and most sought after South African wines to enthusiasts, investors and collectors worldwide, at a time when the country’s wine shares are on the rise.

South Africa is no longer seen purely as a “value” proposition. There is real and genuine respect for the excellent wine quality being produced. Evidence of this is that the average price per 750ml bottle of wine increased by 12% over the last year of the Nederburg auction:

R660 per bottle compared to R590.

Somewhat predictably for wine enthusiasts, the top white performers were Chenin Blanc wines with David & Nadia Hoë-Steen Chenin Blanc 2015, De Morgenzon The Divas Chenin Blanc 2013 and Alheit Vineyards Magnetic North Mountain Makstok 2015 which all received bids of R1 000 per bottle.

A single jeroboam (5 litres) of Vilafonté Series C 2005 was knocked down for R22 000 ... or the equivalent of R3 303 per 750ml! Bubbly fans were not disappointed with Le Lude Agrafe 2012 selling for R1 034 per bottle.

Satisfying the criteria for “fine and rare” was a wine that actually kick started the original Nederburg Auction decades ago: Nederburg’s super sweet and critically acclaimed noble late harvest wine, the Edelkeur. In its petite 375ml bottles, the 1979 vintage sold for R1 044.50 – or the equivalent of R2 089 for a standard 750ml bottle.

Perhaps the most action seen on the day was a rare double vertical collection of Sadie Family Wines Collumella from 2001 to 2012 and magnums (1.5 litres) of 2005 to 2016. The auctioneer’s gavel fell on R75 000 after some brisk bidding and it was knocked down to Conservation Company, Singita, one of the auction’s biggest buyers.

The SPAR group accounted for 2.8% of all sales.

TIP OF THE CONTINENT Although there’s a romantic notion – which tourists love! – that Cape Point is the southernmost point of the African continent, that honour belongs to Cape Agulhas.

Once a year – for one day only – the wineries from this southernmost corner band together to present a taste of the flavours so special to the unique winegrowing area.

This year the festival takes place on Saturday 9 November at the Black Oystercatcher wine farm.

The wineries of the Agulhas Wine Triangle share a spirit for exploration and adventure as the pioneers of a group of exciting, new wine growing regions in South Africa which are characterised by their proximity to the coast, extreme, cooling winds and ancient soils. They are known for producing elegant terroir driven wines, with concentrated fruit flavours, distinctive minerality and a long finish.

Formerly known as The Elim Wine Festival, this year the Agulhas Triangle Wine Festival showcases 10 of the region’s favourite wineries: The Black Oystercatcher Wines, The Giant Periwinkle, Ghost Corner, Land’s End and Strandveld Vineyards from the Elim wine ward, Sijnn Wines from Malgas, Olivedale Wines from Swellendam, Lomond from Cape Agulhas and Bruce Jack Wines and Skipskop Wines from Napier.

Strandveld Vineyards’ winemaker Conrad Vlok said the festival grows every year. “It’s now become a big player on the annual wine calendar that speaks to the unique wines, and the fun vibe during the day.

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“Here on the Agulhas Plain, we believe in connecting with people and getting to know each other. The festival captures that openness and availability – where visitors and winemakers come together to talk about the wines we love drinking.”

Tickets are R160 for adults– which include a crystal wine glass and free wine tastings (entry is free for children under 18). Tickets can be purchased via Webtickets and at the gate on the day.

For more info, visit www.agulhaswinetriangle.co.za.

ABOVE: The Standard Bank Chenin Blanc top 10 for 2019, from left: Cederberg Cellars Five Generations 2017, DeMorgenzon Reserve 2018, Durbanville Hills Collector’s Reserve The Cape Garden 2018 , Flagstone Winery Tributary Bush Vine 2018, Ken Forrester Wines The FMC 2018, Kleine Zalze Family Reserve 2018, Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection 2018, Rijk’s Cellar Touch of Oak 2017, Slanghoek Wynkelder Legends Barrel Fermented 2017 and Stellenrust The Mothership 2018.

’TIS THE SEASON ...

Traditionally, the last quarter of the year is packed with a host of competitions and awards for the South African wine fraternity.

With the action heating up because of spring and summer, wine drinking trends turn towards whites – and a great time to announce the winners of the FNB Sauvignon Blanc Top 10, Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 and Amorim Méthode Cap Classique awards.

With the Sauvignon Blanc judges pronouncing themselves impressed at the overall quality of the 183 entries. “2019 will be remembered as a very successful year for Sauvignon Blanc and the Top 10 can rightly be proud of their achievement,” said RJ Botha,

chairperson of Sauvignon Blanc SA. “The fact that more wines were entered this year, despite the drought that handicapped most wine producers, re-affirms the confidence producers have both in the competition and the excellence that South African Sauvignon Blanc is capable of and forecasts a very positive future.”

Botha also commented on the broad geographic spread of producers – with wines coming from Elgin, Swartland, Stellenbosch, Breedekloof and Elim. “Once again, we see that good Sauvignon Blanc is impervious to geographical boundaries, revealing the broad style and flavour profiles the variety can deliver.”

ABOVE: The FNB Sauvignon Blanc top 10 for 2019, from left: Tokara Reserve Collection Elgin 2019, Diemersdal Winter Ferment 2019, Du Toitskloof Land’s End 2018, De Grendel Koetshuis 2019, Merwida 2019, Cederberg Ghost Corner 2019, Spier Ideology 2019, Lomond 2019, Stark-Condé Round Mountain 2018 and Groote Post Seasalter 2019.

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The Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 reflected South Africa’s strength in this category with the country now acknowledged as among the world leaders for this wine style.

“The growing focus on Chenin by international tastemakers has undoubtedly raised the quality benchmark,” said the Chenin Blanc Association’s chairman, Ken Forrester.

“It’s fair to say that the recent international Chenin Blanc congress, held in Angers, France, demonstrated to delegates just how far South African producers have succeeded with the variety, in terms of both quality and stylistic range. We think you will find convincing expression of this in the 2019 Challenge line-up, chosen from 150 entries submitted by 87 producers.”

Five of the Top 10 had been produced from Stellenbosch vines, with the others using fruit from the Cederberg, Durbanville, Paarl, Slanghoek and Wellington.

Speaking for the sponsors, Standard Bank, Stephan van der Merwe said he was encouraged to see the average price per bottle for the winning wines had risen to R255,80 this year, compared with the average in 2018 of R200. “South African winemakers producing to world-class standards certainly deserve fair compensation and with prices starting at R108, there is still very good value to be found on the list of winners.”

Standard Bank has awarded a cash prize of R25 000 for each of the winning wines to be spent by producers in a way that “reinforces economic and social benefits in the workplace”.

Stellenrust is the only producer to have featured in every one of the Top Ten lists since the competition’s inception in 2014. First time winners were Durbanville Hills, Flagstone and Ken Forrester.

NOV/DEC 2019

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The Amorim Méthode Cap Classique (MCC) awards is one of the longest running of the country’s category competitions, having been inaugurated in 2002 and sponsored by the cork company since inception.

The overall winner was Boschendal’s Jean le Long Prestige Cuvée 2008, a 100% Chardonnay bubbly – and also the first ever museum class entry to take top honours. To enter the museum class, the wine must be eight years or older – and this particular wine spent a whole five years on the lees in bottle and a further six under cork.

IN VINO VERITAS Veritas is the South Africa’s premier home grown wine competition and attracted 1 491 entries in 2019 with the red blend category boasting the highest tally with 217 entries.

Sauvignon Blanc attracted 159 entries with Shiraz 10 wines adrift on 149, Cabernet Sauvignon on 129, Chenin Blanc drawing 126 wines, Chardonnay a round 100 and Pinotage 98.

Overall bragging rights justifiably went to Spier Wines of Stellenbosch which won an unprecedented nine double gold awards and seven gold medals, followed by Simonsig Estate with four double gold and three gold and Nederburg with three double gold and six gold while Perdeberg Cellar won two double gold medals.

A further 29 wine producers

achieved one double gold medal.

On the brandy front six double gold medals were awarded, four to Distell for its Viceroy 5 Years Potstill, Richelieu 10 Years, Van Ryn’s 10 Years Single Potstill and Van Ryn’s 20 Years Single Potstill Brandy and a further two for the KWV 12 Year Small Barrel Select Potstill and 20 Year Potstill.

In total, 1 411 medals were awarded – 76 Double Gold, 198 Gold, 219 Silver Outstanding, 596 Silver and 322 Bronze.

Veritas will showcase the best of the best at tastings countrywide.

Cape Town and Johannesburg experienced the tastings in October while Durban gets its chance on 6 November and Port Elizabeth is a week later on the 13th. Tickets are available from Computicket.

ABOVE: Amorim South Africa’s Joaquim Sa hands the winner’s prize to Boschendal’s Danielle Jacobs.

Heidi Duminy, Cape Wine Master and chair of the panel of judges said: “We’re delighted that the top wines in this class now qualify for the overall trophy. During this year’s judging the class really showed exceptionally well, proving that time on the lees does play a very significant role in search of the ultimate expression of quality and character.”

Overall 134 entries were received for this year’s Amorim Cap Classique Challenge, the most in its 18 year history.

The Brut or dry category was won by Pongrácz Desiderius 2011 while Colmant Blanc de Blancs, a non-vintage wine took the Blanc de Blancs trophy, with the Steenberg Pinot Noir Rosé MCC winning the Rosé category.

Since last year the competition has included the growing category of DemiSec Cap Classiques, and this year saw Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Satin Nectar Rosé 2017 as the inaugural trophy winner.

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PINOTAGE BLEND HONOUR ROLL Nine years on from the first ever competition to recognise makers of the Cape Blend for wines which contain Pinotage in the mix, the top five wines which emerged were Asara Cape Fusion 2016, Clos Malverne Spirit of Malverne Limited release 2015, Kaapzicht Steytler Vision 2017, KWV Abraham Perold Tributum 2012 and Wildekrans barrel select reserve 2016.

Asara is a Shiraz, Pinotage and Malbec blend, while Clos Malverne combined Shiraz, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon with Pinotage.

The Steytler Vision was Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage and Merlot while the Wildekrans is Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Shiraz.

The KWV Abraham Perold Tributum

is unique in that it has featured in the top echelon six times in the Absa sponsored competition over the past nine years!

Judging panel convener Wilhelm Pienaar said winemakers were using their higher quality Pinotage and other varieties for Cape Blends, which is not only encouraging, but also proof of how important this wine style had become.

For Tina Playne, Absa’s managing executive of sectors and segments relationship banking, an important aspect of this competition is how Absa supports the whole South African wine industry and that the support given to Pinotage thus benefits all involved. “The synergy possible with Cape Blends is not unlike the relationship between Absa and the Pinotage Association,” Playne stated.

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GUILT FREE

BEER, ZERO THE

NEW HERO LOWER ALCOHOL DRINKS ARE THE NEW WAVE, A TREND THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN LONG SERVED BY BREWERS, WRITES CLIFFORD ROBERTS.

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BEER |

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he low-booze wave has hit, good and proper. Not too long ago, the no/low alcohol beverages were confined among the miscellaneous unrefrigerated that sat on liquor stores’ dusty shelf of death begging for attention. Now they’ve muscled up to the point where – in many cases – they’ve won over entire aisles.

But, not needing that pesky liquor licence, more grocery stores have embraced them too and that’s likely to fuel the thirst even more. It’s a brave new world for everyone.

These drinks may not have hit cool-grade on the social barometer just quite yet, but they’re certainly on the way to a braai, book club and bash near you. Wine, spirits, ciders – every category is popping out something and they’re all riding on the health-and-safety ticket.

Beer, of course, is the granddaddy of this fairly amorphous category – brave souls have been importing buzz-beer alternatives since who knows how long. For a short while, when the trend really got going over the past year or so and more than designated drivers suddenly started buying, they cashed-in no doubt, but that’s over. Everyone’s piling in now.

Remember the television ad featuring rugby player Bob Skinstad when Castle launched its Nablab? An entire stadium full of fans falling silent in shock as he ordered a Castle Free ...

While some brewers may still observe this scene with the scepticism they reserve for fads, there’s an actual possibility it will drive fresh interest in beer as a whole. And no-one in the struggling craft-side of the industry will want to ignore that.

Take note of some things the big guns are doing. In the UK, a gargantuan market itself, world number one ABInBev has apparently set its sights to grow low and non-alcoholic beer from 8% of total sales in 2017 to 20% by 2025. That’s right: 20%.

Here in the land of sunny skies and Chevrolet, the company’s “Nablab” (No alcohol/low alcohol)

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beers in the SAB stable include Castle Free and Becks’ Blue and lower alcohol versions Hansa Golden Crisp (3.5% ABV (alcohol by volume)), Flying Fish CHILL LITE (3.5%), Castle Lite (4%) and Lion Lager (4%).

Alongside them in liquor stores, you’ll have also come across Bavaria 0.0%, Erdinger Weiss Alcohol Free, Heineken 0.0 and Bitburger Pils 0.0%.

Smaller brewers have gotten in on the act too. Darling Brew has a couple of alternatives, one of them being 2.6% in ABV. “Low in alcohol, but not low in flavour” is one of the selling points, which targets one major criticism of the category traditional drinkers have had.

The thing about flavour and the rest is that alcohol contributes more than just buzz to a beverage.

Like salt in many processed foods, it has a structural purpose. You can’t remove it without changing the organoleptic experience – the flavour, taste and texture – of the drink. You certainly can’t remove it completely without being left with something nobody will put their lips to.

The challenge everyone from food technologists to brewers faces has been to narrow the gap between acceptable beer and lower alcohol.

World number one ABInBev has apparently set its sights to grow low and non-alcoholic beer from 8% of total sales in 2017 to 20% by 2025.

Methods for removing the booze vary. One technique is reverse osmosis, which essentially means squeezing the liquid through pores tiny enough to separate out undesirable molecules – in this case, the alcohol. Another more common one makes use of heat to evaporate it. New “de-alcoholised wines” have popularised the method, which involves running

Brewers are adamant that flavour remains paramount when it comes to the amber elixir.

Be crafty as well as a hero...

Guilt free enjoyment guaranteed

Hundreds of green bottles aren’t hanging about on shelves or walls anymore; they’re being snapped up by health conscious beer lovers.

“We are very excited about the possibilities and don’t foresee any slow down soon.” the beverage over steel cones that are spun and heated. The action causes the elements to separate; doing it in a vacuum allows a smaller loss of flavour.

In beer, these methods cause beer to lose its natural fizz so it has to be reinserted like you’d make any carbonated drink. The bottom-line, however, is that no matter the process, technology is yet to progress to the extent where the original beverage is left untouched.

It was with this challenge in mind that Devil’s Peak introduced its non-alcoholic beer – Zero to Hero – last year. Motivating the move, the Cape-based brewer pointed out that global alcohol consumption declined 1,8% last year and the muchvaunted reason: increasing focus on health awareness. Instead of making beer to remove alcohol, the brew was fermented to less than 0,5% – the legislated line-inthe-sand to qualify as non-alcoholic. The beer is then dry-hopped post fermentation “to add juicy hop aromas”.

The result so far, according to Elizanne Rauch who represents the company at Signal Hill Products, is “fantastic growth”.

In terms of the person who’s drinking it, she adds: “We find that in a lot of instances our regular Devil’s Peak drinker is opting for Zero to Hero as well.

Hansa Golden Crisp, Erdinger Weissbier and Bitburger are just a few of the many examples of nablabs available on the local market.

Asked where they see the trend heading, she says: “We are very excited about the possibilities and don’t foresee any slow down soon.”

In fact, Zero to Hero added to a limitededition variation with a twist of citrus and in recent weeks Devil’s Peak launched a “LITE” extension. The latter is marketed as a “Premium Lite Beer” with 4% alcohol and less than 90 calories.

They certainly won’t be the last. And no-one can complain that it’s a bad thing.

The one aspect purists are likely to keep their eye on is how transparent producers will be about what processes and ingredients go into making these products, in their pursuit of flavour and aesthetic acceptance.

Lawmakers will be testing new ground too as well-known beer brands

take a greater share of space in territory frequented by youngsters. The reigning legislation on these matters can be extremely broad in some places and narrow in others, and a lot is likely to change in months to come.

Nonetheless, no brewer is about to kill off mainstay brands as the trend swells.

No/low alcohol beer is likely to remain a small part of the beer category for the time being but will certainly bring some interesting development to the premium segment.

Your beloved Castle Lager won’t disappear, and “regular” beer isn’t going anywhere soon, but if you’re discovered with a Nablab in your hand, you might find the reaction from your besties to be a lot less grating that it may have been in the past.

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SPIRITS |

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SUMMER DRAMS WHEN IT COMES TO SPIRITS, WHISKY AND SUMMER ARE SELDOM USED IN THE SAME SENTENCE. THE GENERAL PERCEPTION IS THAT WHISKY IS TO BE ENJOYED WHEN ITS COOLER, WHEN THE INNER MAN OR WOMAN NEEDS A BIT OF HEAT AND A WARM GLOW IN THE BELLY. FIONA MCDONALD REPORTS.

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hether it is after walking the dog on a cold winter’s afternoon, or simply covering the distance between the car and home after the long, post work daily commute, there is nothing more restorative to one’s spirits and good cheer than a whisky.

It’s hard to put a finger on precisely why it seems to soothe away the cares of the world, making you forget the stresses and traumas of the working day, but it does. Perhaps it’s that glow that settles in your core, warming you from the inside.

That’s all well and good for winter, when it’s cold outside and everyone could do with a little bit of good cheer and slight internal combustion.

But heat is the last thing anyone wants during summertime! (And that’s particularly true if you call KwaZulu-Natal home and have to live through brutal, humid summers which call for showers or pool dips at least twice a day ...)

However, there is no reason not to enjoy whisky in summer.

As Glenfiddich Prestige Whisky Specialist Ian Millar, wrote in a blog in 2014 when he

travelled the world as the single malt’s brand ambassador: “I often travel to extremely hot countries and I’ve discovered there are many other ways to enjoy your whisky on a hot day, ways that complement your single malt’s delicate flavours and excite the palate.”

His advice was – as expected – to add a block or two of ice. Yes it can cause some of the flavour to “contract”, as he put it, but he said it also served the purpose of opening up other elements. “In Japan, to prevent melting ice from diluting a slow drink, they use a large, single ‘ice ball’ that cools your dram but takes a long time to melt. Definitely worth a try if you like to take your time over a drink.”

There is absolutely nothing wrong with diluting your drink, Millar said. “In fact our Malt Master, Brian Kinsman, often adds as much as 50% water to his dram when tasting to really bring out the subtlest of flavours.”

Millar also said that when the mercury peaked, nothing could beat a good, old Highball: “It’s the original ‘summer serve’ of Scotch topped up with soda water and ice.” But Glenfiddich went a step further and got a renowned London mixologist Roman Foltan of The Langham to create the Super-Sonic – a variation on the Highball. “My personal favourite on a sunny day is the ‘Super Sonic’ – 50mls of Glenfiddich 12 mixed with ‘sonic’, a 50/50 mix of soda and tonic, served over crushed ice with a slice of lemon.”

Sounds not just delicious but thirst quenching too – something another whisky man found while in humid, monsoon plagued climes for work.

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SPIRITS |

The beating heart of the Speyside is Dufftown, home to six working distilleries which, together, produce more than 40 million litres of whisky annually!

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Diageo’s global Scotch Whisky Master Ewan Gunn remembers being taken aback in his globetrotting days as brand ambassador for Johnnie Walker. “I was quite amazed to find Scotch whisky being drunk with coconut water in the East – but it was surprisingly delicious,” he said.

And well suited to the humid climate of Singapore and Thailand.

That’s a little bit of advice of the ways to enjoy whisky but what about the whiskies themselves? It stands to reason that the notably peat heavy offerings so typical of Islay, the windswept Hebridean island off Scotland’s west coast would probably be fairly low on the list.

Which leaves the Lowlands and Highlands whiskies – and narrowing down the latter even more regionally, it’s where the Speyside whiskies come into their own, being lighter and somewhat sweeter than others. But it stands to reason wouldn’t it, because this is where whisky began its popularity – specifically with the distillates coming from The Glenlivet.

It was one of the first unlawful distilleries to embrace legitimacy after the Excise Act was enacted in the early 1820s.

At that time, many whiskies from the southern Speyside were simply known as being from the glenlivet – it was a fairly generic regional appellation and with whisky essentially being an illicit, smuggled product with no way to trace its origins, alleging that you were the “real deal” was a strong selling point!

The beating heart of the Speyside is Dufftown, home to six working distilleries which, together, produce more than 40 million litres of whisky annually! In fact, when it comes to single malt, the Speyside has no equals since its distilleries account for more than 60% of Scotland’s entire single malt production annually.

The names are ones which are instantly recognisable: Aberlour, Balvenie, BenRiach, BenRomach, Cardhu (where the Johnnie Walker brand home is located), Cragganmore, Craigellachie, Dalwhinnie, Dufftown, Glenfarclas, Glenfiddich, Glenrothes, Glenlivet, the Macallan, Mortlach, Speyburn, Tomintoul, Tamdhu and more.

Whisky experts the world over agree that the gentle grassy, pear and apple or orchard fruit notes have broad appeal.

So what sets Speyside whiskies apart?

Their lightness and fruit character, for one. Whisky experts the world over agree that the gentle grassy, pear and apple or orchard fruit notes have broad appeal.

Then there’s the spice element – vanilla, nutmeg and even a touch of cinnamon.

Dried fruits also get a look in – apricots and sultanas or raisins. South Africans would probably be tempted to tag them with labels understood locally, like mebos or tameletjie or fruit leather.

The sweetness makes itself obvious in caramel, muscovado sugar, treacle or molasses. Usually there’s a cereal element in the flavour profile too – a wheat or barley or even bran nuance.

Another common descriptor of Speyside whiskies is fudge and even shortbread biscuit. Any Highland tourist should aim to visit the town of Aberlour for the aroma which hangs heavy in the air ... It’s home to the Walker’s shortbread biscuit factory and so the smell of this quintessentially Scottish baked treat is all around!

And then there’s the oak ...

Oak plays a significant role in the softness and approachability of Speyside

TIPS

whiskies. Much of the newly distilled spirit will rest quietly in American white oak barrels which have already been used for the maturation of Bourbon. American oak naturally imparts a sweet vanilla and caramel note.

But that’s not the only oak which these whiskies are exposed to: many also spend some time in Spanish sherry casks. These barrels are made of European oak which is a tighter grained wood, not as sweet as the American oak, but having been used in the making of sherry wine there is some flavour interchange. The Macallan, for one, is renowned for its use of sherry casks which add a rich, almost nutty, almond and cream note to their whiskies.

The bottom line is that people are going to enjoy drinking whisky their own way – neat, with a block or two of ice or diluted with water or soda. But don’t let the rising thermometer keep you from enjoying a dram. As Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald memorably crooned in the signature tune from the musical Porgy and Bess: “Summertime ... and the living is easy ...”

If you’d like your whisky chilled – but not diluted, rather use a set of whisky stones.

Keep them in the freezer and when ready for a dram, pop them in your favourite Scotch.

Here’s another – left field – suggestion.

Freeze a slice of pear and pop that in your glass. It’ll chill the whisky but not dilute it.

Going the ice route? The quality of the water used is important: try and use spring water and a large silicone mould. The larger the block, the longer it’ll stay frozen.

Choose younger whiskies.

Add a slice or twist of lime or orange zest – run it around the rim of the glass before popping it in.

Have fun making a whisky cocktail – Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Boulevardier, Whisky Mac, Rusty Nail or a Rob Roy are just a few.

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PERFECT SERVE

STYLISH CLASSIC NEW YORK IS THE ORIGINAL CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS – AND THE WORLD OF COCKTAILS OWES IT A GREAT DEBT SINCE SO MANY ICONIC MIXED DRINKS WERE DEVELOPED AT THE CITY’S FAMOUS BARS OVER THE YEARS.

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t’s the Big Apple, the city that runs 24/7, the home of shock and horror that was 9/11 and as Frank Sinatra crooned, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere. It’s a financial capital, a cultural icon and the city you automatically associate with the United States of America.

According to certain sources, there are between 1 500 and 1 800 bars in New York City at any given time. It’s home to some of the swankiest cocktail bars in the world – like the NoMad, Dead Rabbit, King Cole Bar or Campbell’s in Grand Central station.

And there’s one place central to everything: Manhattan. The island is the heart of the city with Brooklyn, Queens and the other boroughs playing a distinct second fiddle to it. So it’s only natural that there is a cocktail named after it – a stylish, elegant but ultimately simple cocktail.

The Manhattan is easy to whip up at home: whisky, sweet vermouth and a dash of bitters with the obligatory sweet maraschino cherry for garnish. But it’s also so much more: it’s a classic to have in any cocktail repertoire. That’s why the cocktail guru David Embury included it in his book: The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks.

Apparently the word “manhattan” is from the indigenous Lenape language and meant “island of many hills”, which at the time of the European or Dutch settlement of this area, it was.

Its origins? That very useful resource, Wikipedia, states the following: “Popular history suggests that the drink originated at the Manhattan Club in New York City in the early 1870s, where it was invented by Dr Iain Marshall for a banquet hosted by Jennie Jerome (Lady Randolph Churchill,

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mother of the famous Winston) in honour of presidential candidate Samuel J. Tilden.

The success of the banquet made the drink fashionable, later prompting several people to request the drink by referring to the name of the club where it originated— ”the Manhattan cocktail”. However, Lady Randolph was in France at the time and pregnant, so the story is likely a fiction.”

So that myth has been effectively busted ... but Wikipedia continues the tale of the iconic drink by stating that there are earlier mentions or references to a similar cocktail served in the Manhattan area, apparently invented in the 1860s at a bar in the famous theatre district of Broadway, near Houston Street.

One of the earliest references is found in a book published in 1891, The Flowing Bowl by William Schmidt. The recipe provided by the author is a bit more complex, with 2/3 whiskey to 1/3 vermouth mixed with two dashes of bitters, one dash of gomme syrup and a dash of absinthe.

Manhattan, one of the most moneyed spots on the planet, also has one of the greatest concentrations of people in its skyscrapers. It’s also, of course, the place where every architect wants to build his tower. - Norman Foster, architect

In the modern iteration of the Manhattan, the absinthe and gomme syrup have been discarded. It remains a versatile base with a host of variations or twists on a classic available. For example: A Blonde Manhattan is made with 60 ml moonshine, 30 ml sweet vermouth, 15 ml orange liqueur and 3 dashes of orange bitters while a Brandy Manhattan obviously swops out the whisky for brandy. It’s a pretty obvious guess which spirit is substituted in a Cuban Manhattan ... yup, rum.

A Dry Manhattan sees the replacement of the sweet vermouth with dry vermouth – and the garnish switches from a maraschino cherry to a twist, in keeping with the desire for a drier rather than sweeter cocktail.

(Keeping the cherry garnish makes it a half-dry Manhattan.)

A Perfect Manhattan on the other hand, adroitly blends both dry and sweet vermouth in equal parts.

Then there’s the Fourth Regiment, which apparently dates back to 1889 that sees the whisky and vermouth match each other one-to-one – but three different bitters used: orange, celery and Peychaud’s bitters.

And finally, there is the Rob Roy – a Manhattan made with Scotch whisky, apparently invented at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in the 1890s.

MANHATTAN:

50ml rye whiskey 20ml sweet red vermouth Dash of Angostura bitters

Stirred over ice, the drink is then strained into a chilled cocktail glass, garnished with a maraschino cherry and served.

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TA S T I N G |

WHISKY

SINGULARLY UNITED WE STAND AND DIVIDED WE FALL, IS THE SAYING. BUT IT’S NOT OFTEN YOU GET TOTAL CONSENSUS ON A TASTING PANEL – ESPECIALLY WHERE THE PANEL IS SET THE TASK OF TASTING WHISKY FOR SUMMERTIME DRINKING. TASTING PANEL: HEC TOR MCBE TH, C LIFF ORD ROBER TS, DR WINNIE BOWMAN, GUY MC DONA LD, SHAYNE DOWLING, DEE GRIFFIN AND FI ONA MC DONA LD

S

SOFT

outh Africans are wonderful people – warm hearted, gregarious, hospitable ... but also very generous and firm in expressing their opinions. It doesn’t matter what the topic – rugby, football, cars, technology, the state of the economy, everyone has their own, usually contrarian view.

So it is a rare thing to have seven individuals unanimously agree!

But when it came to the popular vote of favourite whisky amongst the eight lined up and tasted there was zero doubt. There was a LOT of discussion about the merits of all the others, and a host of very positive and favourable comments made about them, but one particular dram ticked all the boxes.

A cursory glance at the bottles on these pages will soon make it obvious which one it was, but it’s necessary to set the scene for this exercise.

CHEERS decided to take a look at Speyside Single Malts because there is a perception that drinking whisky is a wintertime pursuit. Which led to some discussion about drinking habits in general. Ultimately, people drink whatever they prefer at any time of the year – be it a gin and tonic, beer, cocktail or spirit.

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Warmer weather might require a cooling effect which could explain the spike in Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc wine consumption during the summer months and a consequent swing to red wines during chillier times.

And yet there is no reason why whisky can’t be enjoyed all year round – although lighter, gentler and less forceful whiskies are probably more suited to sunny days with an ice cube or two tinkling in the glass. Hence CHEERS mag’s decision to try a range of Speyside malts. As ever, whisky aficionado Hector McBeth added a ringer to the mix in the shape of Scallywag, a blend of Speyside malts!

Regular CHEERS magazine contributor Clifford Roberts is better known for his words on beer in these pages but he loves his spirits too. Roberts very astutely observed at the end of the tasting, once the results were locked in, that it had been “a wonderful exercise”.

“If anyone is looking to expand their horizons and the thought of whisky is somewhat daunting to them, they can’t go wrong by starting off in the Speyside malts.

They are just so approachable and flavourful that it’s hard not to love them!”

GLENDRONACH 12 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT

McBeth concurred, and also made the point that the blended whiskies which are so popular – the Bell’s, Chivas Regal’s, Teacher’s and others – are popular for a reason; because they have broad appeal. “And it’s not a big leap to enjoying Single Malts – because Singleton’s whisky is one of the components (along with Blair Atholl) which make up Bell’s, for example. So a blended whisky drinker will be able to recognise the flavour profile – without necessarily being aware of why it’s familiar.”

What can newcomers expect from Speyside malts? Sweet smoothness.

Soft textured approachability with tasty caramel, vanilla, fudge, fruity pear notes along with spice highlights – much of which comes from the high proportion of American oak/bourbon casks and sherry casks used in the maturation of the spirit.

“This is like a ballerina on your tongue!” said Winnie while Guy found it to be “like coming home ... to a warm welcome and a hug!” Rich sherry, cherry, Christmas cake with caramel, biscuit and fudge notes. It was the hands down favourite.

Silky smooth in texture, rewarding, spicy and nutty with beautiful vanilla flavour.

THE MACALLAN 12 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT

Gentle floral essence rather than flowers, exotic spices such as cardamom and then morphs into sweet vanilla with the rich sherried notes apparent.

Fiona noted the barley/ Weet-Bix or cereal flavour while Guy appreciated the overall balance and poise.

BENRIACH 10 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT GLEN GRANT MAJORS RESERVE SINGLE MALT Light fruit notes with gentle nuttiness and spice. Shayne found it quite peppery with a spirity bite to it. Hector replied that this is the favourite Single Malt in Italy. “And Italians like their grappa – which is spirity and explains why this whisky is so popular there.”

Sweet oaky notes with a touch of citrus and is quite textural on the palate, said Winnie.

Boiled sweets and spicy cinnamon said Clifford.

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TA S T I N G |

WHISKY

GLENLIVET 12 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT

Creamy butterscotch with a good core of orchard fruits and pears. Guy noted a spicy woodsmoke nuance and sultana too. (This was apparently a favourite of Queen Victoria and her Letters from the Highlands, later published as a book, created a big following for this whisky – and also led to a number of copycat whiskies leveraging its name recognition.)

SINGLETON DUFFTOWN 12 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT Cigarbox and cedar notes initially with dried fruit and spice, Fiona found. Shayne commented on the leathery, dubbin character as well as its gentle softness in the mouth. “I expected it to be rich and full but it was so silky!”

SCALLYWAG SPEYSIDE BLENDED MALT

ABERLOUR 12 YEAR OLD SINGLE MALT

A whisky with presence, said Clifford.

Vanilla fudge and shortbread biscuit was Fiona’s take. Definite notes of marmalade and caramel that’s been pushed too far, beyond brûlée but not quite burned ... Lovely dried fruit and overall richness with a definite depth of flavour.

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Comments ranged from fynbos (Winnie and Clifford) to dark chocolate or cocoa (Dee, Fiona and Guy) to brine and kelp (Shayne).

Hector summed it up by saying that it was velvety upfront, becoming spicy and then delivering more and more as it opened on the palate. “There’s woodsmoke and a rich, mocha note.”

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Not For Persons Under The Age Of 18. Drink Responsibly.

W I N E I N N O VAT I O N |

“AR YOU SERIOUS?” WINE IS ONE OF THOSE ITEMS ROOTED IN HISTORY, ITS ORIGINS MIRED IN THE MISTS OF TIME. YET AS TECHNOLOGY CHANGES – AND THE WINE CONSUMER MARKET CHANGES TOO – IT IS CATCHING UP, AS MARYKE VISAGIE REPORTS.

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t’s a nightmare for both consumers and wine brands. Rows upon rows of wine bottles beckon on the shelf in a wine shop or your favourite retailer, but how does one choose what to buy? And as a marketer, how do you make your product distinctive enough to stand out on a shelf, so that the consumer buys your brand instead of one of the other more than 31 billion bottles of wine sold every year?

Enter the latest technology in wine labels – augmented reality, known in geek circles as “AR”. It involves overlaying digital data, usually with the aid of a smartphone, over a real-world object. In this case it’s a

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wine label – to enhance the experience, educate and entertain. In an overcrowded market, marketing gurus tell us that you mustn’t sell a wine, you must sell a story.

Up to now, the size of a wine label limited the information you could share, plus you had to rely on the consumer to actually read the label or visit the website to learn more about your brand. But now, AR turns one-way conversation into an interactive experience fit for the Digital Age. Pokémon was a big hit a few years ago with their Pokémon Go treasure hunting experience, where players had to find imaginary characters all over the world using a smartphone’s GPS. This campaign

breathed fresh life into an otherwise dwindling brand and it was only a matter of time before wine marketers realised the value this technology could add to their brand story.

The trick is to entertain as well as inform, an essential principle when marketing to millennials. One of the big successes out of Australia is Treasury Wine Estate’s 19 Crimes series of wine, named for 19 of the convicts turned colonialists that the country was built on. Each bottle in the series features the image of a convict and hovering the app over the label brings the characters to life to tell their life story.

Like that of John Boyle O’Reilly, who was

transported to the colony, published poetry and outwitted prison guards to escape to the Americas. This you learn from his own moving lips, as you hover over his bottle of Red Blend with your phone (19crimes.com).

The app that makes this possible is Living Wine Labels, that also brings Treasury’s other brands to life.

Consumers can colour in their own artwork with Lindeman’s Bin, immerse themselves in the Barossa Valley’s vineyard landscapes with Wolf Blass, or do some whale watching with Matua.

The latter also has a cool feature – it uses built-in thermochromatic technology to show if the bottle is chilled to the optimal temperature for drinking.

And the numbers show this gimmick is making waves. At the time of going to print the app registered over 500 000 installs on Google Play and ranked 108th in Apple’s App Store category, Food and Drink.

Users interacting with this producer’s wines can look forward to a music selection appropriate for each wine, a video of the winery, links to their website and social media.

In the United States, one company that uses AR extensively is Notaviva Vineyards in Virginia (notavivavineyards. com). Users interacting with this producer’s wines, including the “Y’All Made Me Blush 2013” or the “Excelsis Petit Verdot 2012” can look forward to a music selection appropriate for each wine, a video of the winery, links to their website and social media and a memoir called “Dream Build Believe”.

Instead of a custom-built app, they used technology provided by the free LayAR app, available online.

Another fun AR wine application is offered by the visual showcase Freakshow Wine (freakshowwine.com), where users are invited to “join the freakshow”. They can, via the app, be transformed into Freakshow characters like the Bearded Lady, Fire Breather or Mermaid by overlaying a filter on a selfie. Scanning more bottles in store allows them to “unleash more freaks”.

They connect this in-store experience

to social media with the hashtag #freakshowwine and a competition where the winning poster may find their face on the next range of wine labels!

On local shelves, two brands have launched AR campaigns. KWV’s Cathedral Cellar (kwvcathedralcellar. co.za) with its history dating back to the 1930s shows that it is keeping up with the times with its AR label that offers tasting notes from winemaker Wim Truter, as well as recipes and 3D animations. To use this, you have to use the LABELinmotion app, available on both Android and Apple.

Overhex wines is the maker of Mensa wines (mensawines.com) with its tagline “live a great story”. To bring this to life, they have launched an AR app to facilitate consumers’ engagement with their brand – the first South African wine producer to do so. Fans of this wine, its imagery based on wine, a fire and a good book, are invited to “live a great story” by scanning the label with their app. A hidden story is then revealed for each of the wines in the range – a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon.

But when it comes to using technology in wine packaging, AR isn’t the only innovation developed lately. Guala closures in North America, together with tech company SharEnd has developed what they call “connected closures”. The first wine to feature this new technology is the Californian wine brand Böen (boenwines.com) in their “Tap our Cap” range of wines. At the core of this is the application of near-field communication technology (NFC), a technology that is also used in online mobile payment systems and is enabled by newer smartphone models like the iPhone XS and most android devices.

You don’t need an app to access the information, you just need to be within a few centimetres from the technologyrich aluminium bottle cap, hence the “tap the cap”. Users with older models can just download an NFC reader (visit tap. io.tt from your phone browser) to enjoy the same experience. By tapping the cap, you can view imagery of the wine estate and get more information about the wine. It has the added advantage that, as a blockchain application, the buyer can determine the wine’s authenticity, according to a report by The Drinks Business, which could go a long way to restore the trust in the wine industry in combatting counterfeiting of expensive wines.

MAIN: Labels can become content rich marketing tools for wine producers.

TOP: KWVs Cathedral Cellar range utilises augmented reality to offer tasting notes.

BOTTOM: Mensa wines was the first in South Africa to entice consumers to delve deeper, to read more of the story behind the wine.

NOV/DEC 2019

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GIFTING |

PRESENTS

OF MIND T

here’s one of those “business bingo” buzzwords or expressions that is trotted out every so often: “Fail to plan – and plan to fail”. And as tired and clichéd as it is, there’s an element of truth to it.

Shopping in the run up to the festive season can be a bit of a nightmare – but only if the gift giver leaves it too late and tackles the task without a plan of action. Leave it too late and you’re sunk! It’ll mean having to push a shopping trolley around a crowded mall full of other equally panicked folks, trying their hardest to get the perfect present for dear Grandad or Aunty Mary.

Don’t forget you can do it online: technology is indeed a marvellous thing and the internet of all things can be fantastic for locating hard to find items. But you need to factor in delivery of the specified item at a time of year when online retailers are utterly swamped with a few thousand people going the same route.

Step number one is to stock up on wrapping paper, gift tags and cards and ample sticky tape!

Many is the person who has been caught short while parcelling up the presents on December 24th.

Make a list and have a budget.

It is all too easy to get carried away if you haven’t considered a range of possible gifting options for the

ANTICIPATION IS A WONDERFUL THING! REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU’RE SIX OR 60 A GAILY WRAPPED PRESENT IS STILL FULL OF MYSTERY. AND IF IT TRULY IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE, THEN IT’S IMPORTANT TO PUT SOME THOUGHT INTO THE DEED.

individuals on your list. It needn’t be expensive to be appreciated.

Someone taking the time and trouble to spend a few minutes thinking about another’s interests, hobbies and then tapping into that is a wonderful gift in itself.

And it beats soap on a rope, a pair or socks or a box of chocolates, hands down.

TOPS at SPAR’s outlets countrywide have a broad range of items which fit the bill. There’s all the normal items which one can purchase any time of year, but if you have a friend or client who is keen to explore the craft gin craze, or craft beer for that matter – get a bottle or either of those things.

And if gin is the thing, accessorize it with a few different flavoured tonics, for example.

The festive season is a great excuse to add to someone’s liquor collection, to buy them a single malt whisky – or an Irish whiskey or American bourbon to try. The bonus is that many of them will be available in special packs, complete with branded glasses.

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FIRSTWATCH is blend of rye and grain whisky imported from Canada. The festive pack includes two branded glasses.

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GLENMORANGIE 10 YEAR OLD is a lovely soft, approachable whisky. It’s a great dram to introduce people to malt whisky – and it’s possible to go on and explore the other taste expressions in the range.

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CHIVAS REGAL 12 YEAR OLD Regal by name and regal by nature. An extremely popular blended malt whisky which traces its roots way back to 1801.

It has broad appeal and anyone being gifted a bottle of this – with branded glasses – will certainly share the festive cheer!

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JOHNNIE WALKER BLACK & JOHNNIE WALKER GOLD are very different in flavour. Fans of smoky, peaty whiskies will appreciate the former while the Gold says it all in its branding... golden and rich!

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GENTLEMAN JACK is a special bourbon from the JACK DANIEL’S stable. It’s a premium expression which still delights with its spicy vanilla flavour and complexity – but it’s as smooth as the proverbial skein of silk because it’s double mellowed through the Tennessee whiskey maker’s unique process.

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JAMESON SELECT RESERVE is an especially smooth, velvety Irish whiskey courtesy of not just its triple distillation but also because of the double charring on the barrels it is aged in.

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GRANT’S TRIPLE WOOD was only released to the market last year – and has been well received. Virgin oak casks add a spicy robustness, which mingles with vanilla sweetness of American oak and the third type – refilled bourbon cask – contributes a brown sugar sweetness. Rich and mellow.

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GIFTING |

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Regular fans of BALLANTINE’S might not even be aware of it – but there are two central malts which provides the main flavour for this blend, but a further 50 single malts and four grain whiskies are in the mix!

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GLENLIVET 12 YEAR OLD is one of the first malt whiskies to establish a singular, branded reputation.

The fact that it’s the top selling single malt in the United States market has something to do with Prohibition and its roots going back hundreds of years.

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TULLAMORE DEW is Ireland’s second largest selling whiskey – and did you know that part of its name comes not from glistening drops of dew but from the initials of former owner, Daniel E Williams? And there are three different kinds of whiskies in it: potstill, malt and grain whiskey.

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Jordan Bushell, Hennessy Global Ambassador of Mixology visited South Africa this year and shared his tips on making great Cognac cocktails – and included a recipe to try at home.

HENNESSY VS (Very Special) is a great ingredient for cocktails because of its fruit intensity and flavour and its ageing in French Oak. Cognacs are fuller and more complex than those from other liquors, the mixologist said.

HENNESSY ORANGE SOUR 45 ml Hennessy VS Cognac 15 ml squeezed orange juice 20 ml fresh lemon juice 20 ml simple syrup Egg white (optional) Orange twist, for garnish Add all liquid to a shaker tin with ice and shake until chilled.

Strain into a rocks glass with ice.

Garnish with an orange twist.

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HOT BITES

HOPE PERFECT SERVE 1 part HOPE African Botanicals Gin 4 parts Fitch & Leedes grapefruit tonic Garnish with a slice of grapefruit, a sprig of thyme or a few summer berries and mint All Fitch & Leedes tonics can be found nationwide in either four packs of glass bottles or six packs of 200ml cans.

COLOUR ME CORAL

Can something be brand new but simultaneously retro?

Beverage brand Fitch & Leedes believe so. It has just introduced the newest addition to its range of tonic flavours – grapefruit – and it comes in a funky, avant-garde coral colour.

(Apparently it’s the 2019 Pantone colour of the year, too.)

Gin needs a little edge of bitterness to show off to best effect and that’s where the new grapefruit tonic really hits the spot. It’ll work with drinks at the hottest cocktail bar in town as well as at a casual gathering with mates around the braai. And it needn’t be limited to partnering gin either: try it with vodka, tequila and even rum.

Any or all of these distilled spirits benefit from the trademark balance and subtle carbonated fizz of Fitch & Leedes grapefruit tonic – which is why it’s frequently the preferred mixer of distillers.

Like Lucy Beard of HOPE distillery in Cape Town says: “A great addition to the Fitch & Leedes line-up, the new grapefruit tonic is the perfect balance of bitter and sweet and makes for a crisp, refreshing G&T. We love it with our African Botanical Gin, previously known as our Salt River Gin, where it adds a fresh citrus tanginess to balance the fynbos botanicals.”

CLASSICALLY LA MOTTE

La Motte wine estate owner Hanneli RupertKoegelenberg enjoyed great acclaim as a mezzosoprano. Her love of music is one she wishes to share – and does so by hosting classical music concerts at the historic Franschhoek wine estate.

International and local artists perform in the historic old wine cellar on the beautifully maintained estate.

January 25 2020 sees Austrian pianist Cornelia Herrmann present a programme of Viennese works by Mozart, Schubert, Haydn, Beethoven and Schoenberg.

A quintet of piano, horn, clarinet, oboe and bassoon (pictured left) will perform on 15 February in a presentation of Mozart’s Quintet in E-flat major. It’s entitled On Wings of Song.

For further details or to book for the evening at R230 a head, call Angela at 021 876 8000 or email concerts@la-motte.co.za. The gates at La Motte open at 18h00 and the performances start promptly at 19h00.

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NEXT MONTH |

WE HAVE A WINNER!

Orphanage Cocktail Emporium’s ace bartender Leighton Rathbone was crowned the national winner of the Angostura® Global Cocktail Challenge 2020.

It took Rathbone a scant seven minutes to prepare two killer cocktails that blew the judges – and competition – away.

Head judge (and former multiple national champion) Travis Kuhn praised the standard of the competition. “The calibre of contestants this year was amazing. Presentation was great, the guys looked smart and there were some very tasty cocktails doing the rounds, which is what the competition is all about. Well done to all the finalists, and our top three winners!”

Rathbone initially started bartending to pay for his graphic design studies and by the

SALT RIVER SPIRIT

Lucy Beard and Leigh Lisk do not regret giving up law for one minute to establish an urban distillery in Salt River, Cape Town..

Initially begun as a small operation under the Hope on Hopkins banner, producing gin only, the business has expanded into contact distilling vodka and now even an agave spirit called Esperanza – the Spanish word for hope.

Hope is one of the most dynamic and innovative local distilleries and the number of staffers – and stills – has grown accordingly.

(Although the original copper pot still – lovingly dubbed Mad Mary – remains the core of production.)

“Every day, we set out to make the absolute best spirits that we can. We’re constantly experimenting and striving for excellence, mixing up new ideas and honing our recipes in our custom-built distillery. For us, it’s about creating something exceptional; something instilled with integrity and passion; something that will become the perfect accompaniment to people’s special moments,” Lucy Beard said.

Her partner Lisk is a fan of the spirit of Mexico, tequila, and tackled that as a project after discovering that agave grew locally.

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time he graduated, he realised he was more passionate about mixing than he was about design. He moved to Cape Town in December 2017 where he started working at Orphanage.

A fan of Angostura®’s products, he says: “That little bottle of bitters with the yellow cap has been with me from day one of bartending. In fact, I initially thought that every other bitters was a knock-off of Angostura®. It is by far the best.”

Rathbone competes in the Africa and Middle East regional competition to be held in Cyprus from the 12th to the 14th of November.

Regional finalists from around the world then progress to the Grand Final, set for February 23, 2020 in Trinidad and Tobago during Carnival Tuesday.

Rathbone’s winning recipe was:

“Initially, we were able to source processed agave locally and we started experimenting. It took us a long time to get it right – about nine months,” he said.

The process is challenging – a long fermentation is followed by careful distillation and then the distillate is rested in stainless steel tanks for 30 days prior to bottling, making it a very small batch product. The challenges continued. “Unfortunately, our source of local agave is no longer available (although there is a lot of agave growing, no-one is processing the

RUM-INSPIRED TRINIDAD BREEZE 37ml Angostura® 5 Year Old Rum Angostura® aromatic bitters 12ml fresh lime juice 25ml cranberry juice 25ml fresh grapefruit juice 12ml roast red pepper syrup Coriander leaves Grapefruit zest Chill an Old Fashioned glass with ice. Shake together all liquid ingredients. Tip ice out of the Old Fashioned glass, add fresh ice and strain cocktail over. Garnish with Angostura® aromatic bitters-soaked coriander leaves and grapefruit zest.

piñas anymore for a tequila-style spirit), so we now source our agave directly from Mexico,” Beard explained.

Designed to be sipped, the Esperanza from Hope is a smooth agave spirit. With a floral nose and butterscotch notes, it has rich caramel and spice on the palate and a soft vanilla finish.

There are various ways to enjoy it – Hope recommends sipping it in a leisurely fashion on its own or adding tonic in a “TnT” with a slice of lime. If you’re after something more celebratory, enjoy it in a cocktail like the Paloma:

THE PALOMA 50ml Hope Esperanza agave 20ml fresh lime juice 40ml fresh grapefruit juice 20ml sugar syrup Pinch of rock salt 70ml soda to serve Pour the Hope Esperanza, sugar syrup, salt and lime juice into a highball glass filled with ice and stir. Add the grapefruit and soda and stir briefly. Garnish with a wedge of lime or grapefruit.

IN THE PINK

LAST CHANCE SALOON

November is the final chance for hungry diners to enjoy the celebration of Gabriëlskloof’s “greatest hits” as the restaurant celebrates its first decade in business on the Overberg wine farm.

“It’s hard to believe that 10 years have passed,” said chef patron Frans Groenewald, who launched the venue in 2009 with his wife, Mariaan, and fellow-chef Juan van der Westhuizen. “It was while working in London that we all first dreamt of owning a restaurant like this.”

Ingrained in the Overberg culture is an authentic generosity dispensed informally, which has long been the centre of the restaurant’s philosophy along with a focus on seasonal produce.

The greatest hits menu celebrates the culinary journey, with both breakfast and lunch available.

For the morning line-up, Frans’s chart-topping banana bread French toast is a natural shoo-in. Served with crispy bacon and mascarpone, it’s been a favourite ever since it was conceived. There’s also the Croque Braaibroodjie, an aromatic grilled cheese, tomato and onion sandwich bedecked in a cheese sauce and topped off with a perfectly poached egg. Eggs Gabriëlskloof is another star of the ages that is so typically Frans Groenewald: it features a roosterkoek served with sumptuous bobotie

mince, poached eggs and a sublime hollandaise sauce.

The lunch menu is no less mouth-watering with delicious pork and duck rillettes; butternut and barley risotto, that’s heavenly – even for non vegetarians; home-crafted wontons and Frans’ signature dish: a pork belly that knocks socks off.

Naturally, the restaurant’s “Ultimate Burger” is there too, an ingenious composition that centres around a marrow-andrump steak hamburger ... a favourite of Gabriëlskloof cellar master Peter-Allan Finlayson.

The dessert headliners include Frans’ delectable white chocolate mousse and the all-time favourite: sago pudding.

To reserve a table, call 028 284 9865 or send email to restaurant@gabriëlskloof.co.za.

Robertson wine producer Van Loveren, famous for its Four Cousins range, is ahead of the curve by producing a pink Pinot Grigio – and suggesting that it be paired with prawns. Hot or cold, skewered and braaied or tossed in a wok and then in an Asian style salad, the prawns are a hit.

Pinot Grigio is the grape of Italy, offering ample zesty refreshment during long, hot summers – so it makes sense that it would work well in South Africa’s climate.

The Perlé de Jean was released onto the market last year ... and very well received by consumers who love the salmon pink perlé wine with seafood.

Perlé de Jean takes its name from the late and effervescent matriarch, Jean Retief of Van Loveren. The label design is a loving tribute to her and the magnificent garden she and husband Hennie established with the estate in 1939.

Many of the trees they planted together over the years commemorate special occasions and historic figures, including intimate family events such as the births of 11 grandchildren.

Now a lush paradise, the garden at the home of Van Loveren in the Robertson wine valley is open to visitors and remains a popular, year-round destination to this day.

NOV/DEC 2019

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TUISNYWERHEID |

EMILE JOUBERT

Emile Joubert is a PR practitioner by profession, but a food and wine enthusiast by desire.

Check out his blog: www.winegoggle.co.za

ROOSTERBAAS KRAAI KONING DIT IS WEER SULKE TYD: DIE LUILEKKER SOMERDAE WANNEER MENS KANS KRY OM DIE JAAR 2019 AF TE VEE EN REG TE MAAK VIR 2020. EMILE JOUBERT GEE BIETJIE BRAAI-RAAD.

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EMILE JOUBERT

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TUISNYWERHEID

uid-Afrikaners weet dat braai ’n heeljaaraffêre is. Ons word nie afgeskrik deur nat winters, winderige lente-dae of bedompige somerdae vol donderstorms nie.

As die lus daar is, word daar gebraai.

Maar omdat daar meer tyd is om in die somervakansietyd vuur te maak en te braai, is dit wenslik om hierdie tyd van die jaar herinner te word aan die Sewe Goue Braai-reëls.

Sommige het dalk hul skerpheid in die af seisoen verloor, so net om te verfris word die reëls hier oopgekrap.

Kry goeie handskoene om die vuur oop te krap sonder die gevoel van warm pyn en om die rooster sorgvry om te draai met die wete dat daardie warm roosterknip nie skade gaan aanrig nie.

Die verskil tussen baie warm en koel kole word moeilik met ’n eksakte wetenskapsoefening bepaal. Dit hang van houtsoorte, gewoontes en buitelugtemperatuur af, asook van die verdowende effek van die wyn wat tydens die vuurmaakproses ingeneem is.

1 ’n Mens kan nooit te veel kole maak nie Al bedoel jy om net ’n stuk wors en twee braaibroodjies te braai, maak seker daar is minstens drie keer soveel kole beskikbaar as wat jy benodig. Die braai-lus word aangewakker deur die eerste “siss” vanaf die kole, en voordat jy “rook” kan sê, kom die begeerte om ses tjops, ’n spare-rib en drie mielies by jou braai-ekspedisie te voeg.

Hierdie geesdrif en geestigheid word summier bederf wanneer jy half-rou tjops oor ’n pap, lou en uitgebrande lagie kole wil kry.

5 Meet die regte hitte met jou hand Net die braaier self mag bepaal of die kole reg is vir braai, en dit moet gedoen word deur sy hand te gebruik. (Sonder handskoen, Dries.)

Hou jou handpalm sowat 15cm bokant die kole. Die aantal sekondes wat dit neem voordat jy die hand moet wegpluk bepaal die hitte, soort van:

2 Roosters word gewas Net soos kombuispanne en –potte, word roosters skoongeskuur en met seep en warm water gewas nadat hul gebruik is. ’n Vinnige krap met koerantpapier ná die vorige aand se T-been-biefstukbraai, gevolg deur ’n “skoonbrand” oor die vlamme, is onhigiënies en bar. Wie wil vleis eet deur stukkies van nou die dag se gebrande hoendervel? Nee man.

Was jou rooster met seep en water, nes jou ander kombuisgerei.

3 Brikette is boos Braai-brikette, sulke kompakte kunsmatige braai-bolle, is die euwel self. Hulle gee die reuk af van ’n ou tjor wat uitbrand. En verder, sodra een druppel vet van die rooster op die brikette drup word jou rustige braaitoneel omskep in iets wat lyk soos die paniekbevange napalmvlammeheltonele uit die rolprent Apocalypse Now. As jy nie hout het nie, gebruik eerder maar die gewone houtskool, hoewel die aroma en rook onsmaaklik is.

4 Handskoene is oukei Daar was ’n tyd toe daar neergekyk is op braaiers wat hul hande bedek met dik werkhandskoene terwyl hulle die vuur berei en die rooster omdop. Soos iemand wat vir vier dae buite aksie was nadat sy handpalm moer toe gebrand is deur ’n warm roosterhandvatsel sal getuig, braaihandskoene is nie net gerieflik tydens die braaislag nie, maar keer ook dat jy afgeboek word met ’n hinderlike braai-besering.

Baie warm – 2-3 sekondes (reg om steak te braai) Warm – 3-4 sekondes (dun lamstjops en sosaties) Matig – 4-6 sekondes (dik lamstjops, skaaprib, varkribbes en -tjops, hoender en vis) Koel – 6-8 sekondes (braaibroodjie).

6 Die Braaier is in beheer.

Braai is nie ’n spansport nie. Daar is een braaier, en hy/sy is in volle beheer van sake.

Hulle mag nie gesteur word deur iemand anders se versoek of hy of sy “dink die kole dalk reg is?”, “die varkrib-marinade nie meer sout benodig nie” of – ergste van als - die opdrag van “ek dink dis gaar, jy kan maar afhaal”.

Die braaier mag wel gevra word of hy of sy ’n vars drankie benodig en of daar sweet is wat van die hardwerkende vuurwerker se voorkop gevee mag word. Verder is die braaier op sy of haar eie.

7 Braaibroodjies Daar is net twee tipes Suid-Afrikaanse braaivleis-gaste: dies wat braaibroodjies mét Mrs Ball’s Chutney gesmeer in die brood se middel verkies, en dies wat saam met die Geen Chutney-brigade marsjeer. As gasheer en braaier is dit jou volste reg om die stand van die dag se braaibroodjie te bepaal, en dit dus met of sonder ’n skeut uit die Mrs Ball’sbottel voor te berei soos jý dit verkies.

Demokrasie het immers sy perke, en die een met die rooster in die hand bly koning.

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ALTERNATIVE

LIFESTYLE TREATS

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SUMMER FOODS

LIGHT, LEAFY AND EASY, FOOD WHICH IS WHIPPED UP TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE WARM WEATHER NEEDN’T BE INSUBSTANTIAL – AS CELEBRITY CHEF TJAART WALRAVEN DEMONSTRATES IN HIS NEW BOOK, SUMMER FOOD.

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resh faced and clean cut, Tjaart Walraven was a hit on The Great South African Bake-off reality series which aired locally two years ago. His easy charm and gift of the gab won him a host of admirers but it was his sound baking and cooking knowledge along with an ability to relate to the nervous contestants that was really impressive.

Africa is where his heart is – and he wanted to combine his love of the places, the food, the long, hot summers and African hospitality in the pages of his new recipe book.

And it’s not just lazy lunches in the sunshine that are featured; breakfast and dinner also get a look in. Salads are a given because they are an integral part of warm season eating – from casual and quick throw-togethers to unusual and interesting ones which require some preparation but which will max out visual and taste bud appeal. There are starters, soups, main courses and desserts but also included are bakes and basics too.

The emphasis for this Zimbabwean-born chef is on freshness – something he appreciated from an early age having started his own herb growing business at the tender age of 16!

But his food ideas really took shape once he was exposed to international cuisine and restaurants while travelling abroad.

Switzerland holds a special place in his affections but Walraven is quick to admit that his time spent in the kitchen at La Manoir aux Quat’saisons, renowned French chef Raymond Blanc’s establishment in Oxford, played a massive role in shaping his food ideas. The standards expected of all those fortunate – and skilled – enough to work under the master chef in a two Michelin starred kitchen were high.

Walraven soaked up knowledge like a sponge and is happy to share the tips and short cuts that he’s learned over the years. Beautifully photographed with stunning imagery, Summer Food shows that enjoying summer on a plate has never been simpler.

Anyone will be able to expand their cooking repertoire and impress both family and friends alike by dipping into its pages and following his recipes.

Running throughout the book are his personal anecdotes and thoughts about food. It makes turning the pages seem like a personal conversation.

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B O O K G I V E AWAY

MY ULTIMATE SUMMER SALAD I remember this combination so vividly on my first visit to Cape Town (not knowing that the city would later become “home”). The bursts of fresh deciduous fruit really announce the arrival of summer. I have a sweet tooth, so by incorporating sweetness into a typically savoury meal, this dish hits all the spots for me.

Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 5 minutes Serves: 4 2 large plums, pitted and halved 3 nectarines, pitted and halved 6 apricots, pitted and halved 45ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing juice of ½ lemon 15ml apple cider vinegar Sea salt and black pepper 150g watercress 200g moist beef biltong, sliced 50g cashew nuts, toasted 1 Place a griddle pan over a high heat and allow the pan to smoke. Brush the cut sides of the plums, nectarines and apricots with a little oil and place face-down in the pan to make char lines (1–2 minutes). Remove from the pan and place on a board, cutting the fruit in half again.

2 Place the 45ml olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar and a pinch of seasoning in a jam jar, seal and shake well.

Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

3 Place the watercress in a mixing bowl and add half the dressing, tossing to coat the leaves. Arrange the watercress on a long platter, tucking the fruit in between the leaves. Place the biltong or jerky slices over the salad and dress with the remaining dressing. Scatter with the cashew nuts and serve.

Tips Use different types of plums or apricots if you wish.

For an extra smoky note, grill the fruit on the braai fire.

WIN

A COPY OF MY SUMMER FOOD To qualify, send an e-mail or a postcard clearly marked Cheers Book Giveaway and containing your name, ID number, physical address (not a PO Box please!) along with a contact telephone number to qualify for the lucky draw.

ADDRESS: cheers@cheersmag.co.za or Cheers, PO Box 259, Rondebosch 7701.

ENTRY DEADLINE: 15TH DECEMBER See T&C’s on pg 04 LIKE us on www.facebook.com/CheersMag to double your chance of winning.

NOV/DEC 2019

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B O O K G I V E AWAY |

SUMMER FOOD

SEARED TUNA, GRILLED LETTUCE AND SESAME SALAD Nothing beats a piece of fresh tuna, grilled to perfection. Coated in a wonderful blend of spices, it will take it to another flavour level. Shichimi togarashi is a Japanese spice mix or condiment that boasts seven different ingredients, heavy on the chilli. There are variations, but if you need to make up your own it should include Sichuan peppercorns, naartjie or orange peel, red chilli, nori (seaweed), black and white sesame seeds, and ginger.

You can use this spice blend on just about any meat, so don’t be shy and give it a go. Oh yes, if you need to calm the heat on your palate, suck on a wedge of lemon!

Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 8 minutes Serves: 4

BEEF TATAKI

I am a big fan of Oriental cuisine, particularly its use of bold flavours that meticulously blend in perfect cohesion. The combination of sweet, sour, bitter, acidity, salty and umami with an ounce of heat requires a great palate to balance. But because we all use different brands of product, it is essential to taste along the way! And then, of course, there’s personal preference, so add a little more heat if you need to. My theory is that if you want more of something, add it because it will allow you to enjoy the experience that much more.

Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus 1 hour for the meat to rest Cooking time: 10 minutes Serves: 4–6 70ml light soy sauce 15ml rice wine vinegar 15ml fish sauce 15ml palm sugar (preferably, otherwise castor sugar) 5ml sesame oil 5ml dried chilli flakes 600g beef eye fillet, tied at 4cm intervals 15ml olive oil Sea salt and black pepper to taste 4 spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal 2 radishes, thinly sliced 1 red chilli, finely diced (see tip) 30ml black and white sesame seeds 2 limes, peeled and sliced, or quartered with pith removed 6 sprigs fresh coriander, picked 1 Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, fish sauce, sugar, sesame oil and chilli flakes in a jam jar (best for mixing and storing) or in a mixing bowl with a whisk.

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2 Place a large frying pan over a high heat until the pan starts to smoke.

Season the beef with the olive oil, salt and pepper, then add to the pan and sear, turning onto each side for 2 minutes or until browned. Remove from the heat and place on a wire rack over a plate to cool completely.

3 Tightly wrap the beef in cling wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Thinly slice the beef and arrange on a serving plate, slightly overlapping each slice. Spoon over the dressing generously and garnish with the spring onions, radish slices, chilli, sesame seeds, limes and coriander leaves.

Tip: Although it’s commonly thought that the hottest part of the chilli is the seeds, it’s actually the white pith or membrane, followed by the seeds (the flesh is generally mild). So manage the intensity of heat by the pith and seeds and use the flesh for that pop of colour!

30ml shichimi togarashi 4 x 160–180g fresh tuna steaks or 600g loin 30ml groundnut oil, e.g. peanut oil 2 baby gem lettuces, halved lengthways 50g pine nuts, toasted Sesame dressing 30ml sesame seed paste (tahini) 45ml light soy sauce 24ml rice-wine vinegar 30ml castor sugar 4 cloves garlic, finely sliced 2 thumb-sized pieces fresh ginger, grated 40ml sesame oil For the salad 4 spring onions, sliced on the diagonal 2 medium carrots, peeled and julienned 200g sugar snap peas, sliced lengthways 1 handful fresh coriander, picked 1 Scatter the shichimi togarashi on a plate and roll the outside edges of each piece of tuna in the spice blend.

Place a frying pan over a medium heat and add half the groundnut oil.

Sear the tuna on all sides (about 30 seconds per side) until it has a cooked edge about 5mm thick, but leaving the centre raw. Transfer the tuna to a tray and allow to cool.

2 Keeping the pan on the stove, place the lettuces, cut-side down, in the pan with a dash more oil and turn off the heat. The residual heat will wilt and slightly char the lettuces.

3 To make the dressing, place the sesame paste and soy sauce in a glass jar, seal and shake. Add the vinegar and sugar, shaking to dissolve. Add the garlic, ginger and sesame oil, shake and then allow to stand for 30 minutes to allow the flavours to develop.

4 Mix all the salad ingredients together and dress with enough dressing to coat the salad.

Slice the tuna into pieces, approximately 5mm thick.

5 To serve, place a grilled lettuce wedge to one side in each bowl, add a spoonful of the salad and top with the sliced tuna and toasted pine nuts.

Tip: Make an extra batch of the dressing and store it in a glass jar in the fridge. You will then always have an Oriental dressing on standby.

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MY ULTIMATE SUMMER FRUIT TERRINE Definitely on the retro scale and almost forgotten, this is another one of my nostalgic recipes that I have elevated over the years. At boarding school, jelly with custard was a treat, usually on a Sunday if I recall. Bearing in mind that I had only just turned four when I started boarding school, many of the small joys in life at that stage revolved around food.

Nothing gourmet, just food!

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 6 hours for setting Cooking time: 5 minutes Makes: 1 loaf tin 25 x 10 x 8cm 7 leaves gelatine 1 litre white or rosĂŠ wine 150g sugar 1 vanilla pod, split lengthways and seeds scraped 750g strawberries, hulled and halved 250g blueberries 400g raspberries Place the gelatine in a bowl of cold water and leave to soften.

1 Heat the wine, sugar and split vanilla pod in a saucepan over a medium heat to dissolve the sugar. Do not boil.

Remove from the stove then stir in the softened gelatine leaves until dissolved.

Leave to cool.

2 Line a loaf tin with a few sheets of cling wrap, ensuring that the corners are neat. Place a line of strawberries down each long side, cut-side down. This will become the presentation side when the mould is inverted later. Arrange the rest of the berries in a random fashion. Fill the tin with the cooled liquor, cover with more cling wrap and place on a board and a light weight to hold the fruit in place.

Refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours or until the gelatine has set. Once set, remove the folded-over cling wrap layers, and invert the terrine onto a board or serving platter. Remove the loaf tin, then working from one end, carefully peel back the cling wrap.

Serve slices of the terrine with a crème anglaise.

Tip: Gelatines vary, so it’s best to follow the instructions on the packet and convert the ratios to this liquid amount.

I prefer leaf gelatine, but use powder if you are more comfortable with that.

I reduce the amount of gelatine by 20% for a softer set.

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B LO G S P O T |

T E R E S A U LYA T E

A LITTLE EFFORT

REQUIRED INSPIRATION IS EVERYWHERE: TELEVISION SCREENS, THE INTERNET, MAGAZINES, BOOKS, FRIENDS AND FAMILY – BUT TIME IS THE ONE INGREDIENT WE DON’T ALWAYS HAVE. THE SUMMER VACATION WITH PUBLIC HOLIDAYS MEANS THAT THERE’S NO EXCUSE ANYMORE.

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he holiday season is here again, and what better way to celebrate than with some indulgent treats!

Ideal for the season are these two scrumptious sweet recipes that are perfect for preparing when you have a little bit more time on your hands, and for sharing. (Or not, we won’t judge ...)

These fresh and summery treats are inspired by the festive season and are sure to be a hit when you make them.

Waffles are a firm fan favourite, and this gingerbread version is easy to whip up and wonderfully scrumptious doused in honey and topped with fresh summer berries. If you don’t have a waffle machine then don’t despair – simply cook heaped tablespoons of the batter in a pan and make gingerbread pancakes instead!

I’ve also put together some gorgeous holiday pull-apart buns stuffed with cranberries and pistachios and topped with a honey glaze and delectable cream cheese icing. Pop them on your brunch table or serve at tea time, they are utterly fabulous.

And all that’s left for me to do is wish you and yours well over the Festive Season – be safe and have fun. Happy cooking!

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HOLIDAY PULL-APART BUNS Makes 12

For the dough: 150ml milk 7g instant dry yeast 560ml (2¼ cups) flour + extra for dusting 30ml (2 tbsp) castor sugar Pinch of salt 10ml (2 tsp) cinnamon 1 large egg 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract 60-90ml (4-5 tbsp.) warm water For the filling: 100g butter, softened 60ml (¼ cup) brown sugar 5ml (1 tsp) cinnamon 5ml (1 tsp) ginger 1.25ml (¼ tsp) cloves 15ml (1 tbsp) finely grated orange zest 125ml (½ cup) dried cranberries 80ml ( 1/3 cup) shelled pistachios, roughly chopped 30ml (2 tbsp) honey For the cream cheese icing: 125ml (½ cup) cream cheese 2.5ml (½ tsp) vanilla extract 160ml (2/3 cup) icing sugar 1 To make the dough warm the milk in a small bowl or jug (be careful not to make it too hot). Stir in the yeast and set aside.

Sift the flour, castor sugar, salt and cinnamon into a mixing bowl. Whisk the egg and vanilla extract together lightly with a fork to combine. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients along with the milk and yeast. Mix together adding warm water as you go until you have soft dough.

2 Sprinkle some flour onto your work surface and tip the dough onto it. Knead the dough for 10 minutes until soft and stretchy. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave in a warm place for an hour to rise.

3 While the dough is rising make the filling. Mix the butter and brown sugar together until well combined and soft. Mix in the cinnamon, ginger, cloves and orange zest. Set aside.

4 Lightly flour your surface and roll the dough out into a rectangle roughly 40cm x 30cm. Spread the butter mixture over the dough. If it is not spreading easily pop the butter in the microwave for a few seconds but take care not to melt it – it should be soft but not liquid.

5 Sprinkle the cranberries and pistachios over the butter. Roll the pastry into a sausage, starting at one of the long ends.

Use a sharp knife to cut the loaf into 12 slices.

6 Grease a 23cm cake tin well and line the base with baking paper. Arrange the slices in the tin and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes to rise a second time.

Preheat your oven to 180ºC. 7 Bake the buns for 25 minutes or until baked through. Warm the honey for a few seconds in the microwave until runny and brush over the buns while warm. Leave to cool while you make the drizzle.

8 To make the icing place the cream cheese and vanilla extract in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Sift in the icing sugar and whisk again until smooth.

Drizzle or spread the icing over the cooled buns and serve.

Teresa Ulyate is a multi-tasking working mom who juggles a job, children and a blog cupcakesandcouscous.com

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B LO G S P O T |

T E R E S A U LYA T E

GINGERBREAD WAFFLES Serves 6

2 large eggs, separated 60ml (¼ cup) soft light brown sugar 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract 50g butter, melted 15ml (1 tbsp.) golden syrup 310ml (1¼ cups) buttermilk 375ml (1½ cups) plain flour 2.5ml (½ tsp) baking powder 5ml (1 tsp) cinnamon 7.5ml (1½ tsp) ginger Pinch of salt Fresh mixed berries, to serve Honey, to serve

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1 Whisk the egg whites to stiff peak stage, then set aside.

Place the egg yolks, brown sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl and use an electric beater to whisk together for a minute.

Add the butter and golden syrup and whisk again.

2 Whisk in the buttermilk. Sift in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt; mix to combine.

Cook the batter in a waffle machine as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Serve hot topped with fresh berries and a drizzle of honey.

Tip: If you don’t have a waffle maker simply cook the batter in a pan and make hot cakes instead.

Enjoy delicious seafood on the braai It’s no secret that South Africans love to braai! Now you can savour the wonderful flavours of the ocean on your braai, with our SPAR Braai Snoek. The authentic local flavour will have everyone looking for seconds!

What says “braai” more than a potjie? We’ve put a fun seafood twist on it with our easy Seafood Chowder recipe - perfect for lunch or dinner!

Seafood Chowder INGREDIENTS 800 g SPAR SEAFOOD MIX 350 g SPAR PRAWN TAILS 1 onion, finely chopped 1 pepper, finely chopped 1 green chilli, finely chopped 250 g sliced mushrooms SPAR Sunflower Oil, for frying 1 tsp thyme 1 tsp crushed ginger 1 tsp crushed garlic ½ tsp black pepper ½ tsp turmeric powder 4 tbsp fish sauce 250 g SPAR Bacon, chopped 1 tsp fish spice 1 x 120 g SPAR Tomato Paste 350 ml Old Brown Sherry 250 ml cream Cornflour to thicken

METHOD 1. Pan fry the onions, peppers, chilli and mushrooms for about 3 minutes in a little oil.

2. Add thyme, ginger, garlic, black pepper, turmeric powder, fish sauce and bacon. Cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring all the time.

3. Add the SPAR SEAFOOD MIX, SPAR PRAWN TAILS and the fish spice, stir for 1 minute. Then add tomato paste and sherry. Allow to cook for 8-10 minutes.

4. Add cream, stir for about 1 minute, just to warm through. If the sauce is too thin, add cornflour mixed with cream to thicken.

This dish can be served with SPAR Basmati Rice or over SPAR Spirale Pasta.

THE PERFECT PAIRING Crisp on the palate with limey, acidic freshness, the Olive Brook Chenin Blanc offers the balanced layers of flavour impressions that perfectly complement seafood dishes.

It will cut through the richness of a hearty, creamy chowder dish like this one.

THINGAMAJIGS |

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BRING THE HEAT

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ENJOYING THE FABULOUS SUMMER SUNSHINE OVER THE HOLIDAY SEASON IS MADE MUCH EASIER WHEN ARMED WITH WIDE-BRIMMED HAT, REQUISITE SNACK ESSENTIALS, FUNKY TOWEL, BIG BAG, FUNKY FLOAT AID AND MUCH MORE. 1 RETRO GIRL BEACH HAT | R120 | www.hellowpretty.co.za 2 ZOKU 6 SILICONE SUMMER POP MOULDS | R279 | www.yuppiechef.com 3 BLOMUS BOSTON SHAKER SET | R633 | www.mantality.co.za 4 CORKPOPS VACUUM WINE STOPPER | R89 | www.mantality.co.za 5 PEAKCOCK POOL LILO | R330 | www.aplacetoshop.co.za 6 RAINBOW BEACH TOWEL | R499 | www.aplacetoshop.co.za 7 ROSE GOLD FLAMINGO PRINT CANVAS BAG | R149 | www.niftygifts.co.za 8 BIODEGRADEABLE FLOATING WATER LANTERNS | R289 | www.niftygifts.co.za 9 BEER CHILLER STICKS | R279 | www.niftygifts.co.za

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SEASONAL CHEER

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S PA R G O O D L I V I N G

THIS TIME OF THE YEAR IS ALL ABOUT FESTIVE FUN AND FRIVOLITY. A PARTY IS NOT THE SAME WITHOUT SOME PROPS FOR THOSE INSTAGRAM, TWITTER OR FACEBOOK PHOTOS – AND SPAR GOOD LIVING IS WHERE YOU CAN SOURCE ALL THE NECESSARY KIT.

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1 Paper Straws Assorted (24 Piece) 2 Party Props (12 Piece) 3 Metallic Balloons (8 Piece) 4 Balloon Pump 5 Ice Brick (400ml) 6 Cooler Bag (12 Can) 7 Plastic Shot Glasses (20 Piece) 8 Prosecco Pong Set (14 Piece) 9 Beer Pong Set (22 Piece) NOV/DEC 2019

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HOT NEWS DECADE OF PINT POURING

Ten years ago, craft beer wasn’t really a thing in South Africa, writes Lucy Corne in her preview of the 2019 Cape Town Festival of Beer which takes place over the weekend of November 29 to December 1.

There were one or two players putting out small-batch lagers, and even an ale or two here and there, but it wasn’t exactly a vibrant and varied scene. And yet, in 2009, a group of forward-thinking entrepreneurs decided that it was time for Cape Town to host a major beer event. A year later, the inaugural Cape Town Festival of Beer opened its gates.

That first festival in November 2010 didn’t exactly have the most impressive beer menu. But from little acorns big oak trees grow, the saying goes. The choices were whether to have a half, pint or pitcher in the early days – or taste the few micro-brews from Namibia, the handful of German imports or the couple of local craft offerings.

Just two years later, there were more than 100 beers on show and this year, as the festival celebrates its 10th anniversary, more than 200 brews will be available. The weekend-long event has become a showcase for the country’s flourishing beer scene, where beer nerds and novices come together to taste and drink and dance, and to see who will be crowned best in show by a team of qualified beer judges.

The fest takes place over three days at the Hamilton’s Rugby Club in Green Point. Friday is favoured by beer enthusiasts looking for a little quality time with the brewers before the Saturday throngs descend to party.

Taking place just as December dawns, the festival kind of kicks off party season in Cape Town – and this year the party will be bigger than ever.

Beer calendar: Here’s a look ahead at some of SA’s best beer fests in 2020.

Clarens Craft Beer Festival takes place in the Eastern Free State on February 21 and 22.

Fools & Fans Beer Festival, Greyton in the Overberg on April 4.

Purely Pretoria at the Cowshed Market east of Pretoria on May 1.

Craft Brewers Powwow – incorporating the annual African Beer Cup and awards – takes place on May 15 - 17. (Venue to be announced.)

Capital Craft which will be held in mid-June at the Pretoria national botanical garden.

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TOPS AT SPAR WINE SHOWS – COVERING THE COUNTRY The TOPS at SPAR wine show is covering the country, allowing people to try before they buy.

The penultimate month of the year sees the wine road show visiting both East London and Nelspruit.

The venue for the East London event is the Hemingways Casino – the first time it’s visiting the Eastern Cape city.

“We are looking forward to bringing an amazing line-up of over 150 well-known and as-yet-undiscovered gems from the world-renowned Cape Winelands for tasting and buying, entertainment at every turn, and interactive edutainment in our popular wine theatres,” said event owner Andrew Douglas.

“The Wine Show is always fun, and offers something for every wine-lover from novice to aficionado; it’s the place to stock up on old favourites and make new discoveries, which can be shipped free of charge with

our complimentary ‘Sip ’n Ship’ service,” he added.

Industry players who participate in the show to deliver content and build awareness of their roles in the industry include the Platter’s Wine Guide, Aware. org (previously ARA), the VinPro Foundation, Proudly South African, and the Department of Trade and Industry which, as a catalyst for transformation and change and a promoter of cultural diversity in the wine industry, brings five new wine farms to each city. The SPAR Sommeliers Olive Brook selection will showcase their two new ranges, Everyday and Terroir Selection.

After making its mark in East London from 7 to 9 November, the TOPS at SPAR Wine Show ends off its tour in Nelspruit at Emnotweni Casino’s Arena from 28 to 30 November.

For more information and to book tickets, visit www.wineshow.co.za.

FESTIVE CHEER

There’s something about the festive season which prompts indulgence – and if food and wine is your thing, then there’s a great option in early December with chef Matt Manning of the Chef’s Studio and Grub & Vine in Cape Town collaborating with Luddite and Genevieve MCC wines.

The first two take place on a Thursday and Friday 5 and 6 December, where an exclusive gathering of just 20 lucky people will be treated to Matt’s dazzling One Ingredient Dinner, an interactive dining experience that showcases a hero

ingredient over five courses. This time, however, there’s a special festive season twist. Chef-Santa Matt will pay homage to the decadent, nostalgic foods traditionally served around the table at this most happy time of year.

To book for one of these two evenings, go online to https://www.thechefsstudio. co.za/public_events/one-ingredient/ and make a reservation.

For the event on the 14th, it’s Luddite Wines’ Niels Verburg’s turn to put on the Sommelier Santa suit and be joined by wife

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Chef Matt Manning of Grub & Vine who is pairing up with Melissa Nielsen, the creative force behind Genevieve MCC, and Nils Verburg of Bot River producer, Luddite, for an evening of food and wine.

Penny and Genevieve’s Melissa Nielsen, aka “The Merry Elves”. This time, it’s a Grub-’n-Vine takeover for a joyous fivecourse feast. An exclusive set menu will be presented, designed to showcase the excellence of the Bot River wines.

To book for this event, send an email to info@mattmanningchef.com.

A FEW FAVOURITE THINGS

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, along with brown paper packages tied up with string were a few of Julie Andrews’ favourite things when she sang about them in the Sound of Music.

Overberg wine producer Gabriëlskloof is once again hosting its Favourite Things Market in mid December.

The stylish annual pop-up event will be held from Friday, 13 December to Sunday, 15 December and has become a popular favourite because of the unique, creative and contemporary handmade and homemade, deliciously fresh and beautiful items up for sale.

Over 30 stalls are already booked for the swanky occasion and include an authentic array of high-end, truly crafted goods. Among fabulous favourites will be some chic newcomers. Expect to find lavish leather goods and earthy wreaths; fresh plants and the perfect paella; artisanal bakes and pure honey alongside ceramics and silk wear.

Four-legged friends and children are welcome, and entrance on Saturday and Sunday is Free while Friday is R100 a head.

For more information, visit the Gabriëlskloof Facebook page at http://bit.ly/GKMarket NOV/DEC 2019

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NEXT MONTH |

THE ART OF SOUND AND LIGHT

Spier wine farm might be one of Stellenbosch’s most historic properties but it’s also one of the pioneers of the Stellenbosch wine route, and probably the most environmentally friendly, innovative and awardwinning with it having won big at the Veritas Awards this year.

From 8 December to 19 January 2020 Spier will host “a dazzling array of light and sound artworks throughout this historic Stellenbosch farm”, a press release stated.

Eighteen diverse artworks will be scattered across the Spier farm.

Some are playful and interactive, while others invite contemplation.

The installations include a four metre vertical circle of light and mist, Lyall Sprong’s Bergson’s Misting Circle; Goldendean’s Breathe Goldendean – an interactive inflatable sculpture that allows you to lie on it whilst it gently glows and breathes around you; David Brits’s massive 70 metre glowing shape, suspended high in one of the oldest oaks living on the Spier Werf and Themba Stewart and Qondiswa James’s astute and profound Keep the Lights On, which reminds us that light in the everyday is a socio-political issue that cannot be taken for granted.

Spier Light Art is free and guests can explore the farm at their own leisurely pace. The best time is at dusk, to catch the beautiful sunset and the switching on of the lights. Be sure to book a dinner or picnic in advance.

POPPING CORKS IN PE

The plush Tsitsikamma rooms of the Boardwalk Convention Centre in Port Elizabeth will see the corks pop in the fifth annual Eastern Cape Wine show on 29 and 30 November.

Event organisers, OutSorceress marketing and Michael Fridjhon state that more than 40 exhibitors – many first timers – and 200 wines will be available for wine enthusiasts in the Friendly City.

Simply superb sparklings from Krone, Valdo and Boschendal will set the tone for an evening of magical tastings. Past regulars Boekenhoutskloof, Bonnievale, Chamonix, Glen Carlou, Hill&Dale, Neethlingshof, Jordan, Spier, Tokara and Zevenwacht are expected to

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showcase their latest vintages of all styles of whites and reds.

New brands to the show Holden Manz, Survivor, Balance, Lyngrove and Rainbow’s End amongst others, promise to add curiosity (and delicious wines) to the line-up and select “foodie” exhibitors will ensure PE wine lovers snack while on the wine tasting circuit.

Doors to the show open at 17h00 and will remain open until 21h00.

Tickets can be bought via webtickets.co.za and at the door, subject to availability. No entry to under 18s, babies and prams. Visit www.easterncapewineshow.co.za for all details, the list of exhibitors and wines in the lead up to the show.

BRAAI |

A TIME AND

PLACE WHERE THERE’S SMOKE, THERE’S FIRE … AND IN SOUTH AFRICA THAT USUALLY MEANS THERE’S ALSO SOMEONE WITH A COIL OF BOEREWORS, CHOPS, STEAK AND CHICKEN ON A GRID TOO! VETERAN TRAVEL WRITER AND AUTHOR DAVID BRISTOW SHARES A FEW OF HIS MORE MEMORABLE BRAAI SPOTS.

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irst things first: a braai is not a barbeque, ou pêl. The question, good chap, is not whether to braai or not to braai, but WHEN to braai, and where. Apart from the obvious responses of “as often as possible and anywhere”, a little assistance is never amiss. If you value your health, don’t try to tell a South African how to braai … [But then again, they do tend to overcook the meat! So here’s a hint: while still rare place those chops fat side down.]

And while it might be an immensely social and sociable occasion, most braaiing tends to be done at home. Still, a person needs a bit of get-up-and-go and the odd scenery change. Luckily South Africa offers ample opportunities in both the bush and beach departments. Fortunately [for you], I have about as much experience there as Jan Braai does turning boerewors.

Which brings to mind that old Khoi maxim, that you have to catch your antelope – or snoek – before you can braai it. It puts us in touch with our animal totems. For good 58 w w w .t o p s a t s p a r. c o . z a

reason and without any need to explain, the two most popular game reserves in the country are Kruger and Kgalagadi.

My favourite Kalahari braai spot is Rooiputs in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, just across the Nossob on the Botswana side. It’s a “bring all your own” kind of place.

Unlike the South African camps, the Bots side is unfenced, which means the meat cooking will send out airborne invites to all the totems of the arid savanna. Slim Jakkals makes the Artful Dodger look ham-fisted, while Mr and Mrs Lion are never far off. “One, two, three … zip tents!”

KUIERING IN KRUGER Kruger Park these days is so popular and consequently crowded that if the sky there were fitted with smoke detectors you would need a golf umbrella to keep your coals glowing. But you can get off the grid at Ndzendze, a wilderness campsite whose name means to wander around in the bush as if lost, which is the best way to go.

Like Rooiputs, it’s a real DIY place where

the only nod to modernity are solar serviced ablution facilities. The downside is that it’s also where the camping cognoscenti like to hang out and swap veld stories. They’ll inevitably wander over to compare coals, tong technique and coolant preferences.

You need to bear in mind, however, that SAB is no longer an SA B, so the bush-wise prefer local-brewed options that today are as abundant as mopane worms in Venda.

Comparing recipes is also a top 10 axemeasuring subject – to stir or not to stir the potjie – and nowadays an acceptable topic for fireside discourses ever since the advent of foodie TV. (Personally I blame Ultimate Braaimaster for Mastercheffing the simple pleasure of cooking over coals.)

I know I’m a dinosaur but sadly, one old custom of the Kruger that has been subsumed by the crowding is that cars seldom have the inclination to pull up side by side to swap game viewing information.

For the modern bush connoisseur though, game is passé and the hot topic nowadays

Try to avoid, wherever you can, burning indigenous hardwoods. Rooikrans (Acacia cyclops) from down wine country way is one of the best braai woods, aided by the fact that it’s an alien invader from Oz.

is avian. To look the part and be able to spot the feathered friends, best you throw a pair of “bins” into the braai box; “binos” being so last century.

SAND AND SEA The beach is also a much-loved place to braai, but instead of predatory braai thieves here you need to take evasive action against the wind. It always blows. For views alone nothing beats Storms River Mouth, with some very fine coastal or forest walks to work off that extra serving of pap and chakalaka. Unfortunately this Garden Route perennial is also a crowd puller.

To get a bit away from the madding horde, Vic Bay, which lies in a deep defile down the road from George, is – if not exactly a secret – a small and secluded beach resort where swimming is encouraged by the sheltered and very fine bay.

In truth, I prefer my braaiing to be a bit more on the wild side, and the Wild Coast to me is the epitome of what makes South Africa great again. Dwesa Nature Reserve is, in my humble opinion, the finest braai spot on all the Wild Coast. There is a river mouth, sandy beach, rocky shore and sheltering milkwood forest and log cabins for those averse to tenting.

Thongaland, the very northern reaches of Zululand, has a few very fine braai spots including the Ezemvelo campsites at Mapelane and Cape Vidal. But the special secret place is Mabibi, alongside Thonga Beach Lodge (which also happens to be my number one private lodge in the whole of South Africa). This is turtle and coral reef country, so the place is your oyster (best crumbed and braaied in the shell).

The biggest danger when turning a chop is the braai bore who’ll saunter over, beer in hand, to compare everything from coals to off-road tyres. The bore (who has everything that opens and closes) tends to use packaged briquettes, whereas the old hand knows that wood is the cool way to coal. Wine drinkers from down south might argue that vine cuttings or wingerdstok is de rigueur, but you can throw out that notion along with the Autumn Crackling.

Try to avoid, wherever you can, burning indigenous hardwoods. The package in the supermarket might say “sustainable kameeldoringhout” but, you know in your heart it probably isn’t. Rooikrans (Acacia cyclops) from down wine country way is one of the best braai woods, aided by the fact that it’s an alien invader from Oz. Avoid any of the wattles though (also Australian

acacias) as well as bluegum, as they make more ash than coals – even though there is nothing better than to throwing an Aussie on the barbie.

Up Bushveld way try to get hold of sicklebush (Dichrostachys cinerea), also known locally as Chinese lantern or Kalahari Christmas tree. It is an indigenous plant but it becomes highly invasive in places that have been overgrazed or otherwise environmentally compromised.

The most widespread invasive South African tree is sweet-thorn (Acacia karroo), which is also handy in making very good firewood.

For this, or indeed any wood, you’ll need an axe or machete to cut kindling. With very hard wood, take a splinter out of ancient woodcutting law: place your chopper where you want to make a cut and use something hard (another piece of wood) to hammer it down. If you are camping on sand you can use the old ABC method: place block A on top of block B, then klap it with block C. For getting in touch with your inner Stone Age self nothing beats braaiing a kudu steak or fish fillet over a good old wood fire. Here’s to smoke in your eyes, cheers.

NOV/DEC 2019

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THE ORANGE AND YELLOWS

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FISHING |

THERE ARE MAGNIFICENT RIVERS, AND MAGNIFICENT FISH. BRADFORD CARTWRIGHT TRAVELLED TO KALAHARI COUNTRY TO EXPERIENCE BOTH ON A RECENT EXPEDITION.

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t’s taken four trips to the lower Orange River for me to fully appreciate what this majestic piece of the earth’s surface truly offers us puny homo sapiens, and how frail and stunted we seem when faced with space of this magnitude and splendour.

A visit to this generally arid and remote part of the Northern Cape Province in South Africa, and the mighty river that runs through it, is in many ways, a life changing experience …

Firstly, once out on the river below the Augrabies Falls, there is absolutely no wi-fi or cell signal. So no e-mail, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram ... definitely lifechanging in a good way. You are able to just commune with nature.And then there’s the sense of solitude. You will encounter no-one: not a single person other than those in your fishing party. It’s you, your mates and an endless spectacular rocky desert landscape. This would be scary if you were not gently bobbing down a large, drinkable, crystal clean, fish filled river, on an inflatable boat. So basically it’s paradise ... life changing.

Kalahari Outventures (KO), our preferred operator in this area, have the important details down to a fine art after a decade of taking clients into the wilderness. To the point where one can expect to enjoy a bitterly cold beer or G&T tinkling with ice at the end of the day on a squeaky clean sandy beach, while the guides erect the tents and begin preparations for simple but delicious meals.

MAIN: The rugged rock, chiselled over aeons by the water flowing through it, near the Augrabies falls.

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LEFT: Gently bobbing down the Orange in search of gold BELOW: Home for the night: camping on the river banks

The breathtaking night skies are reason enough on their own to make this excursion and with no dangerous animals to worry about, one is able to pull a mattress up near the fire and drift off to sleep under a magnificent canopy of endless twinkling stars.

I first did this drift 10 years ago with my family, the youngest member being six years old at the time. It was one of the happiest holidays we’ve ever shared, with the memories of that trip still discussed and laughed about to this day. You could say that for all of us it was … you guessed it: life changing!

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Our subsequent visits have been fairly focused on fishing the river for the TV shows we produce in that genre, and even in this quest we’ve never been disappointed. The water is literally teeming with fish and the experienced guides are available to advise and assist in getting flies in the right place to make sure you land a Smallmouth Yellowfish.

This indigenous species is remarkably powerful once hooked and they will provide hours of fun to those who enjoy catch and release angling.

More recently, Craig Eksteen, the owner of KO, and his friends have

The breathtaking night skies are reason enough on their own to make this excursion

FISHING |

“unlocked” the mystery of the Largemouth Yellowfish and it’s now possible to pursue this apex predator with a reasonable chance of success. Slow growing, to well over 20 pounds, these magnificent beasts cruise the deeper sections of water and can be targeted with fast sinking lines and flies. The area below Augrabies Falls has been declared a conservancy and now only catch and release fishing is practiced there.

Time was not on our side when we planned our last trip there, so we chose to fly to Upington on Airlink (daily flights), saving at least a couple of days of driving. A comfortable two hour transfer to the town of Augrabies, with a well-stocked cold box, and an overnight at the splendid Tutwa Lodge saw us well rested and prepared for our river foray.

But you don’t have to fish to enjoy a sojourn to this beautiful area, or a rafting trip down the river. A visit to the Augrabies Falls, wine and brandy tasting at the many wineries, great lodges and restaurants (try the succulent local lamb) and friendly locals, all add up to a unique tourism experience. Should you choose the rafting option though, all I can say is – be ready for a truly life changing experience!

ABOVE: Tutwa Lodge as daylight breaks RIGHT TOP & BELOW: A Happy Craig Eksteen with a beaut Largemouth. Brian with his first Smallmouth Yellowfish

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E N T E R TA I N M E N T |

AUDIBLE, VISUAL & READABLE

BOOKS WHICH ARE COMPULSIVE PAGE TURNERS, MUSIC ALBUMS PACKED WITH SONGS WHICH DEMAND TO BE LISTENED TO AGAIN AND AGAIN AND FILMS WHICH HAVE AUDIENCES LAUGHING, SHEDDING A TEAR OR GASPING IN SURPRISE OR TERROR – THAT’S WHAT ENTERTAINMENT IS ALL ABOUT.

CATS

PLAYING WITH FIRE

top pick The film version of the hit stage musical Cats has its international release the same day as the final instalment in the Star Wars saga – and while some industry critics believe the feline movie will suffer, others believe it will do well at the box office.

How could it not with such a heavy hitting cast – all in cat costumes? Dame Judi Dench, Idris Elba, Sir Ian McKellen, Taylor Swift, Rebel Wilson, James Corden and Jason Derulo are just a few of the talented actors who took up the challenge of playing kitties in the musical.

Based on the 1939 poem anthology by TS Eliot, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, it was a massive smash hit on Broadway (for 18 years!) and in London’s West End (21 years) after Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice sprinkled their magic dust on it.

Directed by Tom Hooper who did Les Miserable in 2012 as well as winning an Oscar for The King’s Speech, the film was executive produced by Steven Spielberg. The action is based on one night in which a tribe of cats – the Jellicles – attend a ball to decide which furry feline will ascend to heaven and be reborn.

The music is fantastic with many of the songs instantly recognisable – like Memory belted out

by Jennifer Hudson – but the balletic choreography is equally good and all actors inhabit their characters superbly.

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Smoke jumpers are hard-core, elite wild fire fighters in the United States. They parachute into the worst brush fires, facing danger and death with steely determination. That is until superintendent Jake Carson, played by wrestling star John Cena, and his team rescue three siblings from a cabin fire.

Chaos ensues while the team share their base with the trio while trying to locate their parents.

No amount of training could have prepared them for their most challenging assignment: babysitting! They soon learn that kids, like fires, are wild and unpredictable.

LAST CHRISTMAS “Last Christmas I was very sick and almost died. I don’t tell people because they get very weird ...”

Emilia Clarke, instantly recognisable after her acting stint in Game of Thrones, plays Kate – a young woman prone to making disastrously bad decisions. Her latest being working as a green elf in a Christmas-themed shop in London. Fate takes a hand when she meets Tom, played by Henry Golding of Crazy Rich Asians fame.

As London’s dark wintry days become a tinsel and fairy light draped wonderland in the run up to Christmas these two carry on a comedic romance against the soundtrack of George Michael and Wham’s! music.

Hilarious and moving, the cast includes Emma Thompson as Kate’s long suffering mother and Michelle Yeoh as the Yuletide shop owner, both of whom have a fine repertoire of witty one liners.

COURAGE CELINE DION September saw Canadian singer Celine Dion embark on a world tour to promote her upcoming album, Courage.

This latest release is the star’s 12th Englishlanguage studio album and explores new musical directions. The singer is most recognised for her anthemic ballad from the hit movie Titanic, “My heart will go on”.

And it’s precisely what has happened for the artist after the death of her beloved husband, Rene. “When I lost Rene, he wanted me back on stage. He wanted to make sure I was still practicing my passion,” she said. “I wanted to prove to him that I’m fine, we’re fine, we’re going to be ok. I’ve got this.”

BLUE EYED SOUL SIMPLY RED Simply Red return with a new studio album Blue Eyed Soul. It’s the 12th album from Mick Hucknall and friends and will be preceded with a single “Thinking Of You” and will be released this month.

All 10 songs were written by Hucknall and the album was recorded at Mark Knopfler’s British Grove studios in London with Andy Wright producing. The album is a 10-track masterclass in funky, brassy soul music and emotionally charged ballads.

“At this stage of my career, I could do one of those dark reflective albums looking back on my life and all that kind of stuff that people tend to do at a certain age,” Mick Hucknall admits. “But I wanted to make something punchy. I want to have a good time.”

And that’s exactly what you get throughout Blue Eyed Soul, satisfaction guaranteed.

SPECTRUM WESTLIFE

GIVER OF STARS JOJO MOYES

Irish boyband Westlife were massive in the late 1990s – and have made a return to performing with their 11th album, Spectrum, their first since Gravity, released in 2010.

Recorded in Dublin, Los Angeles and London, the 11-track album features collaborations with Ed Sheeran and James Bay among others.

“We’re all driven by trying to create the best album of our careers. Our fans deserve the very best version of Westlife possible and with this album we feel that we’ve achieved that,” the band said in a statement.

“The album has everything that we love in music, heartfelt emotional songs and also great up-tempos that are designed for our stadium performances.

The title Spectrum came from us talking about how we feel younger, happier and more energetic than we ever have in our career.

“It’s also a word that represents the various shades and colours in the band, meaning it’s the perfect metaphor for our different points of view and perspectives but together, they somehow join to work perfectly.”

Alice Wright has travelled halfway across the world to escape her stifling life in England. Handsome American businessman Bennett Van Cleve represents a fresh start.

But she soon realises that swapping the twitching curtains of suburbia for newlywed life in the wild mountains of Kentucky isn’t the answer to her prayers. But maybe meeting Margery O’Hara is. The heart and backbone of the small community of Salt Lick, a woman who isn’t afraid of anything or anyone, Margery is on a mission.

Enlisting Alice, along with three other women, all from very different backgrounds, to join her, the band of unlikely sisters battle the elements and unforgiving terrain – as well as brave all manner of dangers and social disapproval – to ride hundreds of miles a week to deliver books to isolated families.

Transforming the lives of so many is all the impetus they need to take such risks. And for Alice, her new job and blossoming friendships become an unexpected lifeline, providing her with the courage she needs to make some tough decisions about her marriage.

Then a body is found in the mountains, rocking the close-knit community and tearing the women apart as one of them becomes the prime suspect. Can they pull together to overcome their greatest challenge yet?

THE MUSEUM OF BROKEN PROMISES ELIZABETH BUCHAN Paris, today. The Museum of Broken Promises is a place of wonder and sadness, hope and loss. Every object in the museum has been donated –a cake tin, a wedding veil, a baby’s shoe. And each represent a moment of grief or terrible betrayal.

The museum is a place where people come to speak to the ghosts of the past and, sometimes, to lay them to rest. Laure, the owner and curator, has also hidden artefacts from her own painful youth amongst the objects on display.

Prague, 1985.

Recovering from the sudden death of her father, Laure flees to Prague. But life behind the Iron Curtain is a complex thing: drab and grey yet charged with danger. Laure cannot begin to comprehend the dark, political currents that run beneath the surface of this communist city. Until, that is, she meets a young dissident musician. Her love for him will have terrible and unforeseen consequences.

It is only years later, having created the museum, that Laure can finally face up to her past and celebrate the passionate love which has directed her life.

DISCLAIMER: All books featured here are supplied by Penquin Random House South Africa

THE TESTAMENTS MARGARET ATTWOOD In this electrifying sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood answers the question that has tantalised readers for decades: What happened to Offred?

When the van door slammed on Offred’s future at the end of The Handmaid’s Tale, readers had no way of telling what lay ahead. With The Testaments, the wait is over. Margaret Atwood’s sequel picks up the story 15 years after Offred stepped into the unknown, with the explosive testaments of three female narrators from Gilead.

“Dear Readers: Everything you’ve ever asked me about Gilead and its inner workings is the inspiration for this book.

Well, almost everything!

The other inspiration is the world we’ve been living in.“ – Margaret Atwood

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RESPONSIBILITY |

BREATHE DEEPLY?

IT WAS INITIALLY SEEN AS SOMETHING OF A “RELATIVELY” HARMLESS ALTERNATIVE TO SMOKING. BRITISH HEALTH AUTHORITIES EVEN PROMOTE IT AS A WAY TO QUIT THE NICOTINE HABIT BUT SERIOUS QUESTIONS ARE NOW BEING RAISED WORLDWIDE ABOUT VAPING.

T

he World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that more than one billion people actively vape. Thailand, Brazil and India have banned e-cigarettes – and many other countries are considering similar action. Yet in Britain vaping is promoted by organisations which assist smokers to quit. Sales figures of tobacco products in Europe show that vaping, or e-cigarettes, helped one million people to stop smoking between 2016 and 2017. And yet the WHO acknowledges that vaping is “undoubtedly harmful”.

In the United States alone 18 people are known to have died as a result of vaping while thousands more have been admitted to hospitals with serious – potentially life threatening – lung diseases. This sudden onset has raised massive red flags among doctors and health authorities and calls have been made on the American Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to ban – or at the very least, regulate this practice.

Vaping has become big business, particularly in the United States. Millions of dollars are spent on promotions and advertising because it leads to big sales.

This somewhat reckless advertising is believed to be one of the biggest issues for America since much of that has been aimed at children – and many of the vaping flavours are candy related.

In a recent Sky News interview, an 18-year-old American girl spoke about her experience. She was under the impression that vaping was a safe alternative to smoking. She did it because of peer pressure: the old “everyone else is doing it” excuse.

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Simah Herman was admitted to UCLA medical centre with both lungs on the verge of collapse. Her situation was critical and she was placed in a medically induced coma and ventilated. A machine had to breathe for her because she was unable to.

She’s one of the lucky ones who survived. Another teenager who made news headlines was student athlete, Adam Hergenreder of Illinois. Doctors told Hergenreder that after 18 months of vaping the 18-year-old had the lungs of a 70-yearold adult! Vaping almost killed him.

“It was scary to think about that – that little device did that to my lungs,” he said.

What is vaping and how does it work?

Simply put, vaping is the inhalation of the vapour produced when – sometimes flavoured – liquid is heated and aerosolised in an e-cigarette.

As Sky News reported in its piece on Simah Herman, the physician who treated her said that as medical professionals they were still in the early days of understanding.

“When vaping, the lung is seeing part of that product as a foreign substance and then putting up a response to attack it. So it is sending white blood cells in and inflammatory markers. And with that comes a lot of fluid.

“It is hard to exchange oxygen and I think that is the problem we’re seeing.”

Essentially, the lungs think they are under attack and mount a serious defence to this foreign substance.

And it’s the liquid used to create the vapour that is the issue. In Europe and the United Kingdom, these products are more legislated than in the United States, specifically with regard to the use of flavourants and nicotine content as well as the carrier fluid.

As MedicalExpress.com reported in September, the liquid “normally contains nicotine, the highly addictive substance present in regular tobacco. Nicotine can effect brain development in the under-25s, according to some studies, and have a detrimental affect on adult brains”.

This is where things get fuzzy and why e-cigarettes were touted as “safer” than their tobacco leaf alternatives, because the liquids vaped don’t include many of the dangerous substances found in cigarettes. Like tar which is carcinogenic or carbon monoxide. But what e-cigarettes do contain are “numerous potentially toxic substances” and even micro-particles of nickel and lead.

In Europe and the United Kingdom, these products are more legislated than in the United States, specifically with regard to the use of flavourants and nicotine content.

MedicalExpress.com reported that in 2015 the French Academy of Medicine stated: “Even if it is difficult to quantify precisely the long-term toxicity of electronic cigarettes, there is evidence that it is significantly lower than traditional cigarettes.”

The debate has advanced rapidly and in the United States, individual states are beginning to ban vaping – like New York and Illinois. As Professor Bonnie Halpern-Felsher of Stanford Medicine’s division of adolescent medicine stated in an interview with CNN, “in the UK the culture is that this is a replacement and not an initiation product”.

Concern about e-cigarette use as a gateway to smoking among young people wasn’t supported by evidence in the UK. It’s a statement borne out by Public Health England which found in 2018 that vaping is 95% less harmful than smoking conventional cigarettes. It also said that concern about e-cigarette use as a gateway to smoking among young people wasn’t supported by evidence in the UK, where regular vaping among young people who have never smoked is less than 1%.

“Similar choice of flavours exist in the US and UK and yet we do not have the same levels of youth vaping here. Our much lower rates are due to our much stricter advertising regulations and possibly our lower nicotine cap,” a spokesperson for Public Health England was reported as having said.

Figures show that around 3% of 11 to 18-year-olds use e-cigarettes less than weekly while a scant 1.6% do so “at least weekly”. By comparison, in America a quarter of all high school students – one in four – vape on a

weekly basis! That’s according to a youth tobacco products survey conducted earlier this year.

A cursory internet search for vaping devices in the United States shows that innovative designers have jumped on the bandwagon to make a buck. There are hoodies for sale with a vaping toggle on the drawstring and backpacks with built-in vaping devices so students can sneak a puff in lectures. Some devices are cunningly disguised as watches or USB drives! The ingenuity is impressive but it’s also scary because these e-smoking tools are hiding in plain sight.

And while Britain is doing its damndest to politically extricate itself from the European Union (EU), the EU regulations restrict the nicotine strength in e-cigarette liquids to no more than 20mg/ml. In the United States, the most popular vaping brand JUUL contains up to 59mg/ml. The other main difference is in the carrier liquid: EU regulations cover this with propylene glycol (PG) or vegetable glycerine (VG) used.

Anti-vaping ban advocates in the US claim that banning the product would only lead to a black market in which unscrupulous proponents would thrive. As it is, people are mixing their own weed or cannabis-based blends for use with these devices. The active ingredient in marijuana, THC or tetrahydrocannabinol, has openly been sold in the USA for use in e-cigarettes. Concentrations of this ingredient vary and with it being unregulated, big problems have arisen.

Adam Hergenreder spent six days in the intensive care unit of his local hospital. He’s back home now but admits that even climbing the stairs to his bedroom leaves him winded. He’s recovering slowly, getting better every day but, as he said in an interview with CNN, “I don’t want to see anybody in my situation.

I don’t want to see anybody in the hospital for as long as I was.”

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Not for Persons Under the Age of 18.

TBWA\ Hunt \ Lascaris \ Durban\82977_1

|

TAKE NOTE

T E C H N O LO GY

AS ELECTRONICALLY ACTIVE AND DIGITAL AS THE WORLD IS, IT’S STILL VITALLY IMPORTANT TO TAKE NOTES. N HAS FERRETED OUT A FEW GREAT APPS WHICH ARE HELPFUL.

NOTESHELF

Want to simplify digital note-taking? Then Noteshelf is the one to go for. Take and search hand written notes, record audio, annotate PDF files, handwriting recognition, organise, sync and share. Whether you’re a student, working professional or just need to take notes, Noteshelf is the perfect home, university, shopping or school tool. Lists can be categorised, personalised and organised for easy access and sharing. With handwriting recognition features, it’s possible to search notes in 65 different languages and also convert writing to text.

Taking notes in a hurry might be difficult sometimes, which is where the audio recording comes in handy. Add as many recordings as you like and playback at your convenience.

And password protection of important and sensitive notes is a good feature to have.

NOTEBOOK – TAKE NOTES

Take notes, add files, create checklists and sketches, record audio and capture moments using Notebook. All notes are instantly synced across devices and also backed up to the cloud. Notebook is 100% free as well as ad-free. It also adds a Web Clipper for Chrome, Safari and Firefox. Featuring Smart Cards where content added to Notebook gets intelligently formatted into beautiful, distinct cards. Like Recipe Card – in which it automatically pulls the recipe photo and description, creates a checklist for ingredients, and provides step-by-step cooking instructions. A 2016 Best App of the year Winner.

INKFLOW VISUAL NOTEBOOK

Inkflow is a note-taking and brainstorming experience like no other! Capture ideas as easily as with pen and paper, then resize and reorganise them with your fingers. Insert text boxes and photos anywhere on the page and resize them seamlessly with the ink. It’s also possible to choose from a range of different paper backgrounds. Zoom and pan with two fingers – Inkflow’s ink stays sharp , so you can add fine detail at full quality. This allows writing and drawing with incredible precision, with or without a stylus. Export your projects as PDF, high-resolution JPEG and share via social media, or with other Apps.

NOTEPAD+

Discover the smoothest note-taking app: make notes, mark up PDF’s, sign documents and sketch your ideas on the fly! Notepad+ is a great assistant in study and business, also perfect for writing down ideas and sharing them.

Let Notepad+ store your notes, documents, memos and everything else while your mind is free to create new projects and set new goals. You are able to take your notes with you wherever you are, draw sketches anytime, annotate PDF’s and save and share your creations and plans.

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in the next issue of

FRINGE BENEFITS – the cordials, bitters and tonics which make up the mix

TEQUILA! THE SPIRITED LOVE AFFAIR CONTINUES

CHENIN BLANC IN SOUTH AFRICA – from work horse to show pony

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

CONGRATULATIONS

to the previous issue’s winners of W W W .T O P S AT S P A R . C O . Z A

MY VEGETARIAN BRAAI:

Ruth Swettenham from Port Elizabeth WINNER OF #MOETMOMENT IS:

Kelly Jones from Pretoria 70 w w w .t o p s a t s p a r. c o . z a

UNDERAGE

DRINKING STARTS LONG BEFORE IT BEGINS. YOU CAN STOP IT.

#MyFirstDrinkStory Adults usually enable our first exposure to alcohol, whether they be parents, aunts and uncles or older siblings. This enablement may be explicit or subtle. Many people don't even realise that they're doing it.

Adults influence underage drinking through: • Conditioning (a drink is an answer to all occasions) • Passive permission (allowing child-sipping) • Doing nothing when you know it's wrong Research indicates that underage drinking may lead to an increased risk of alcohol dependency during adulthood.

When was your first encounter with alcohol?

Share your First Drink Story with us on Twitter and Facebook using the hashtag #MyFirstDrinkStory or leave a story on www.myfirstdrinkstory.co.za

LO O P D O P |

DIE AARDE DRAAI OM

BRONKHORSTBAAI

D DIT WAS IN DIE DAE VOOR TELEVISIE. VOOR SELFONE EN VOOR KUNSMATIGE INTELLIGENSIE. DIT WAS IN DIE DAE TOE ALMAL NOG GESORG HET VIR HULLE EIE PRET. AL WAS DIT SOMS AMPER UIT DIE BUITENSTE RUIM UIT LOOP HAAL ...

Address: Cnr Ennis & Oosthuise Streets, Ermelo Tel: 017 819 7519 Business Hours: TOPS at SPAR Mon-Fri: 07h00 - 19h00 Sat: 07h00 - 19h00 Sun: 08h00 - 14h00 TOPS Customer Care Tel: 086 031 3141

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ie jaartal is nie belangrik nie, maar die feit dat daar ’n groot fees dié jaar in Bronkhorstbaai gehou was, is wel belangrik.

Ons weet mos hoe onse mense kan fees hou. Daar is groot braaivleise gehou. Met pannekoek en koesisters in die tent langsaan. Daar is ’n Mejuffrou Bronkhorstbaai-kompetisie gehou. Met pannekoek en koesisters in die tent langsaan. Talentkompetisies en boere-orkeste. Met pannekoek en ...

Maar moenie die hoogtepunt van elke dag vergeet nie. Die valskermspringers!

Wat is ’n fees tog sonder die waagduiwels uit die lug uit? Selfs iets wat mens van die pannekoek en koesisters in die tent langsaan kan laat vergeet. Hulle was ’n span van drie springers. Ek kan nie meer almal se name onthou nie, maar die voorspringer was Willie Cronjé. Hy had Springbokkleure losgespring. Amper soos Frik du Preez. Nes Frik was hy ook my held.

Elke dag het hulle gaan spring.

Meesal so middel-oggend. As ek nou terugdink, was dit seker wanneer daar genoeg mense was, maar nog min genoeg wind. Al die feesgangers was besig met fees hou (onthou die pannekoek en koesisters) terwyl die Impala-boereorkes setiese, vastrappe en polkas speel. Op ’n paal langs die groot, ronde swembad het ’n man een of ander rekord probeer los sit (hy sou nie Kenneth Gidge se 200 dae kon verbeter nie, die fees was nie so lank nie). Dan ewe skielik hou die orkes op met speel en die seremoniemeester gryp die mikrofoon.

“Dames en here, as julle nou mooi luister, sal julle iets hoor aankom,” sê hy dramaties. Dan hoor jy dit. Nou nie die magtige dreuning nie, maar ’n klein

Cessnatjie op 10 000 voet. Skielik hou die dreuning op soos die vlieënier die vet toemaak. Die volgende oomblik pop drie swart spikkels uit. Ek hou op asemhaal. Totdat die valskerms duisende voete later oop pop. Al swiepende kom hulle in en land hier reg voor ons op Bronkhorstbaai se klein strandjie onder ’n groot gejuig. ‘n Fees kan nie beter nie! Of so het ek gedink.

Die voorlaaste dag het Willie en sy span twee keer gespring. Die eerste was die gewone, maar die tweede was iets ysliks: ’n nagsprong. Ja, die sterre was al uit toe hulle springhoogte bereik het. Al wat hulle gehad het, was ’n klomp bakkieligte wat in ’n halfmaan die strandjie verlig het. Hulle is by daai vliegtuig uit en het gou die skerms oopgemaak. Dis daar waar ’n onverwagse nagwind vir Willie skep.

Al swiepende kom hulle in en land hier reg voor ons op Bronkhorstbaai se klein strandjie onder ’n groot gejuig. ‘n Fees kan nie beter nie!

Vir ’n oomblik verloor hy die kol ligte, maar met ’n draai van die valskerm tel hy dit weer op. Rustig sweef hy soontoe, maar hoe nader hy kom hoe meer begin hy wonder ... En land op ’n tennisbaan in ligte laaie vir ’n aandspel.

Tussen die Smitte en die Botha’s wat gemengde dubbels speel. Hulle monde hang oop.

“Goeienaand, waar’s ek?” vra Willie nonchalant.

“O my aarde!” is al wat tannie Botha kan sê.

“Oukei, dis goeie nuus!” antwoord Willie en begin sy valskerm opbondel.