A group of photographers in PE have decided they desperately need some wine education and they’ve chosen to acquire it in the Karoo. Below is the mail that’s gone out to their database.

Join us for a fabulous wine course at the famed Karroo Hotel near Steytlerville.

“Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world….” ― Ernest Hemingway

Renowned wine “impresario” Janice Scheckter, owner of The Wine School in Johannesburg, will host the event. The term impresario is reserved for someone who organises and sponsors concerts, operas and plays. Janice is not an impresario, but we took the liberty of calling her so. She will make the wine sing on your palate.

Janice enjoying the view at Campo Viejo in Rioja.

The following is included: Overview of the world of wines – old world and new world along with chocolate pairing  What is champagne, rosé, white wine, red wine and fortified wines.

How champagne is made  

Introduction to white and red varieties

How to taste, how to buy and how to order in a restaurant

Overview of the South African wine industry, areas, production etc 

Pairing with food The weekend also includes

An astronomy lecture and star gazing with a deep space telescope

A talk on plate tectonics, the formation of the Karoo and an introduction to the Karoo fossil record.

A fabulous burlesque show presented by the talented hotel owners Mark and Jacque while dinning on succulent Karoo lamb by candlelight and seducing your palate with great wines. Burlesque Show – Karoo Hotel

Janice Scheckter runs a highly successful wine school in Johannesburg and presents courses countrywide. Her wine school is independent with the result that her courses are not restricted to the cultivars of a single cellar. Rather she is free to choose from a wide range of cellars, cultivars and wine producing regions. She is much sought after as a presenter and to have her in the Eastern Cape is a rare opportunity you do not want to miss.

You can look forward to a great weekend with good wine, fabulous food, interesting company, awesome entertainment, new friends and an altogether unforgettable experience. Date: 8 – 10 March 2013.

Cost per person sharing is R3 700 all-inclusive. (Two nights accommodation, all meals, the burlesque show, lectures and talks)

For more info: info@learnphotography.co.za

I write this blog, having returned from my 50th celebration in France and Spain, almost two weeks ago. It was my absolute intention to blog on the move, but it was just one of those trips where “the big chill” never happened. We were on the move from morning to late night, taking in the wine regions of Bordeaux, Rioja and Penedes and loving it. And so I find myself blogging from memory while staring out my window into my garden at a Hadeda chick just rescued from the jaws of our dog, unable to fly and wondering whether I am about to have the first domesticated Hadeda?

For those who read one of my previous “Celebrating 50″ entries that I managed to post on the move, you would have learnt that our trip, while it had some rough plan, contained no reservations. We went where the wind took us. So after five great days in Bordeaux, two in the city of Bordeaux and three in Blaye, on our original rough plan we were heading to the Rhone Valley. But I felt like a birthday in Barcelona – so that’s where we headed.

What a city! Between the tapas and wine, architecture, museums and amazing La Boqueria, Barcelona’s magnificent food market, you can indulge every sense. It wasn’t my first visit, in fact my 4th, but it’s a city to love. La Boqueria, the food market is visual feast that starts at the entrance and when one starts tasting the Seranos, the tortillas, the tapas, it draws you in and you just never want to leave.

The famous varieties of Spanish jamon.

Fresh produce providing a great selection.

Barcelona proved a great birthday choice was great – as the day itself turned out to be national Catalyna day which saw over 1.5 million nationalistic Catalans congregate for a march through the streets. the city was bathed in yellow and red and unbelievably festive.

9am may have been a tad early for wine.

So as five beautiful Barcelona days came to an end, we needed to do some planning. Spontaneity is not to be over-rated.  Back to France or stay in Spain. Spain won the day and we found ourselves heading in the direction of Rioja, via the beach in Sitges and then via Zaragossa. Zaragossa was worth the overnight. it’s a very pretty city where we sampled the tastes of Aragona.

Another 200kms or so and we were in Logrono. I’d done a little research and understood where we were in close proximity to some great wineries, but what my research didn’t produce, was the fact that it was the Festival of San Mateo.

The professional shows how it’s done at the San Mateo chorizo and wine tasting.

and yours truly gives it a go!

Doesn’t this just say “harvest”.

This is the harvest festival. The town of Logrono is all about wine, food, music and fun. A visit to the tourist office produced a one week programme which showed daily activities from around 09:00 through to midnight and after. These included, paella tastings, wine and chorizo tastings, fireworks displays, soccer with bulls in the Plaza de Toros, orchestras at midnight, bands through the streets and more. It was just great. Shops, although closed had dressed their windows with wines, bakeries had produced large breads with the wording Feliz San Mateo – what fun.

We managed visits to Campo Viejo, Marques de Riscal with Frank Gerhy’s beautifully designed hotel and Ontagnon.

The eco-friendly Campo Viejo

If you’re planning a visit to Rioja – this is the time to do it. Know though that you do need to book either tours or tastings at Bodegas. It not a matter of simply popping in, but if you do book a tasting, you are led through it by an expert.

The hotel at Marques de Riscal

So as four days in Logrono drew to an end – we thought about where to spend our last night in Spain. I really wanted to taste some Cava – so it was back in the direction of Barcelona, via Vilafranca del Penedes. The drive and finding accommodation proved longer that anticipated and we really only had time to go to Freixenet. It’s quite mind-blowing, the volume output – 100 000 million bottles per annum with 50 000 million going to Germany.

And so our trip in Spain came to an end with an exceptional dinner at a restaurant called Il Purgatori in the shadows of the Basilica.

A last picnic just outside La Guardia.

Viva Espana – I can’t wait to go back.

Anyone who’s ever attended an international wine course or enjoyed French wines from a distance  will know a fair amount of the great Bordeaux and the Grand Crus Class. One can see websites, travel programmers and read books on the subject but nothing quite prepares you for what awaits you in this area.

About three years ago, I sat watching Oz and James’ big wine adventure as they motored through Napa and Sonoma in their humongous winibago. “This” I announced to my other half, “is what I want to do for my 50th”.

Now some years later I find myself in the world’s premium wine region, Bordeaux with 50 just days away. The plan changed. Why? It’s simple really. One cannot be a wine lover and visit California before Bordeaux – it’s just not right!

So I write this first entry at the end five great nights in the area, two in Bordeaux and three in Blaye, just up the river on the right bank. You get to Bordeaux and it’s all about wine. While it’s a gorgeous city I can’t really imagine that too many folk are here for anything other than wine.

Now for the most part, wine tasting has to be one of the best travel (or home based) ways to spend one’s time. But here’s where it gets a little stressful. France is not a place where one arrives and meanders through tasting rooms as you may in South Africa, Aus, New Zealand – or California I guess. Here it’s about tours, bookings, appointments, pre-made arrangements,etc.

So here’s my first piece of advice, dispensed with humility is this. Don’t be hell-bent on tasting in numerous Chateaux (damn what’s the plural!) Hire a car, shop in a supermarket or small specialist boulangeries etc, and head for Margaux or Pauillac or one of the other areas. Stop in at a decent looking wine store (cave) and generally there will be someone with great knowledge to take  you through a tasting. Buy, find a picnic spot and enjoy. This is what we did. We had great tastings and picnics in Margaux and in St Emilion and it was GREAT!

We also did the tour though. In entry two I will write on visiting two Grand Cru Classe Chateau and of course it was fabulous. More on that in the next blog.

Last Saturday night I was one of the lucky few to taste Happiness in a bottle. How is this for cool! Three Jozi guys, Ngalaah, Mpho and Charles who don suits and ties every day, now have their own wine. No harvesting, no stomping, but clearly quite a bit of tasting along with super talented Jose Condè of Starke-Condè.

Furaha – happiness in Swahili.

Last week getting my new Mac Airbook and an iPhone was cool – but this week I also want my own wine! That’s waaaaay cooler.

So why is the “happiness in a bottle” (apart from it being super cool on the coolness barometre) – it’s called Furaha – happiness in Swahili. and it’s lucious, sumptuous and …well – happy

I cook a lot with wine and I like it! Not sure if I like the sipping more or the cooking more, but here, as promised in a recent tweet is one of the best “with wine” receipes I remember making.

I’ve also added some notes below on a fabulous Pinto Gris tasting I recently hosted. 

Pinot Noir and Porcini risotto

from Vineyards of New Zealand Cookbook

Ingrediants

15g dried porcini

1/2 cup warm water

1 cup Pinot Noir

1 1/2 cups beef or chicken stock

2 tbs olive oil

2 cloves garlic crushed

1 onion peel and finely diced

1 stalks celery, finely diced

1 1/2 cup risotto rice

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

2 tbs chopped fresh mint

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place porcini in warm water and leave for 20 minutes. Squeeze porcini, slice and set aside. Filter soaking liquid through a sieve lined with a paper towel.

Heat porcini water, pinot noir and stock together in a saucepan.

Heat a large heavy-based pan, add oil, garlic, onion and celery and cook gently for 5 minutes. Add rice and stir for 2 minutes to toast but not brown. Add one ladleful of hot stock mixture and stir well. Continue to stir and keep adding hot liquid until absorbed. After 15 to 20 minutes. The rice should be al dente and creamy. Stir in chopped porcini, Parmesan, mint and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and leave to steam for 5 minutes. Serve with venison French rack.

My recent trip to NZ has really created a love to their approach to food and their wines. A month or so ago I lines up 7 Pinot Gris – 2 from NX (Waitiri Creek and Lime Rock), 1 from South Africa, 1 from California and 3 from Italy. The NZ representatives won hands down while the others really paled by comparison.

Just salivating while I write – that’s it – off to find something delicious!

Vandals have destroyed the art of Brett Murray[1]

Zuma supporters are “pricked” into a flurry

While our leaders continue to perform at zero

Please please give us someone to call a hero

Sharkozy’s gone and Hollande rules France

From G8 Angela watches Bayern go down in a trance

Chelsea’s loss of Didier is a real blow

I’m hyperventilating – one large Merlot

Zapiro for President – let’s vote today

Yes pour that Merlot [2] – hurray hurray

The only intervention we can hope for is divine

And this is exactly why we wine!

[1] Protest artist whose Zuma piece was defaced yesterday.

[2] While not a huge Merlot fan – loved the Remhoogte Merlot recently tasted on Uncorked One

…to good wine that is, especially when I’m forking out my hard earned dosh in a restaurant. The other day I met my husband at Atholl Square in Johannesburg. Now for those “out of towners” this is a small centre in an affluent suburb of Johannesburg. All I actually wanted was a good glass of wine. It became a bit of a hunt but I was finally rewarded with a yummy selection at the Grill House.

A week later at one of my favourite lunch meal spots in Parktown North, Moemas – in a similarly affluent area, I ordered Salmon fishcakes and wanted a good glass of white wine to go with it. Frustrated on scanning the “by the glass” list – or lack thereof, I walked two shops down, bought a bottle of delectable Ataraxia Sauvignon Blanc and paid the very oddly priced R23 corkage – not expensive, just odd?

I don’t get it! You’re selling good food at premium prices and your wine by the glass is Chateau le plonk! It’s like serving a great plate of food and when it arrives at the table, you have to eat it with plastic cutlery. We’re in a country where great affordable wines are produced. How damn hard can this be!

Nomvula says our hospitals are just fine

I wonder if she toured after a litre of wine?

Fikile Mbalula’s says the greed just won’t do!

Didn’t he share Kebble’s Johnny Walker Blue?

The government digs in heels on the e-toll highway

But Cosatu and its might may have the last say

Velvet Sky is a name with an odd sound

Thinking about it, it should be Velvet Ground

So much more about which to get vocal

And for now this blog’s just been local

Little at the moment‘s maintaining its shine

This, I suppose, is why we wine

p.s. With Human Rights Day celebrated this week

It would be remiss to exclude patriotic speak

Remember the heros who sacrificed for the rest

And raise a glass of South Africa’s best

Nomvula Mokonyane is Premier of Gauteng Province in South Africa

Fikile Mbalula is the South African Minister of Sports and Recreation

Kebble – Brett Kebble was a South African mining magnate with close links to factions in the ruling political party, the African National Congress (including treating then youth league members to expensive whisky and monogrammed shirts). Deceases 2005.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is a trade union federation in South Africa.

Velvet Sky – an independent airline that has been grounded due to financial disputes.

3 jets, 6 wives and a partridge in a pear tree

What a way to start a new year!

When everyone’s detoxing from too much beer

Our pres flew three jets across to the states

Even Air Force One flies with just one mate

Etolling[1] arches decorate the highway

No-one’s paying to drive that way

US pres wannabees all in the race

While the sheriff’s held in Nomvula’s[2] place

Homophobic comments – was the king [3] misquoted?

Questions over how Ivory Coast voted?

The Italian captain has sailed his last ship and

Seal and Heidi end their trip!

What kind of news year lies ahead?

Nothing we can’t handle with a good Bordeaux red.

Will we survive and will we be fine?

This is exactly why we wine!

Footnotes for the readers outside South Africa

[1] New highway tolling system in SA in complete disarray

[2] Premier of Gauteng province, served by sheriff in Johannesburg office, Sherriff mysteriously ‘detained’.

[3] The Zulu Royal Household has denied reports that King Goodwill Zwelithini called homosexuals “rotten”, blaming the incident on a “reckless translation” instead.