Blog
October 19, 2022

Best of wine tourism awards

BEST OF WINE TOURISM AWARDS Last week the winners of the prestigious Great Wine Capitals Best Of Wine Tourism Awards (BOWTA) 2023 for Cape Town ...
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Blog
May 13, 2022

Fields of gold

FIELDS OF GOLD (fine dining restaurants) I have a very special friend who annually presents me with a somewhere-new voucher for my birthday. The deal ...
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Blog
April 26, 2022

Down by the Waterside

DOWN BY THE WATERSIDE fine dining with a harbour view - your guide to fine dining restaurants AT SIXES AND SEVENS Number seven, or tying for ...
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Blog
December 15, 2021

A few good meals

A FEW GOOD MEALS As the rollercoaster of 2021 draws to a close, we remain grateful that we have worked with resilient, courageous and tenacious ...
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Blog
October 20, 2021

From Greenhouse to function house

FROM GREENHOUSE TO FUNCTION HOUSE The Liz McGrath Collection have announced the closure of three-plated Greenhouse Restaurant at the Cellars-Hohenort Hotel, making way for what ...
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Blog
October 15, 2021

Great wine, great time

GREAT WINE, GREAT TIME I was honoured to again be a judge for the prestigious 2022 Great Wine Capitals Best of Wine Tourism Awards. It ...
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Blog
October 1, 2021

A jewel of a weekend

A JEWEL OF A WEEKEND A SWEET SUITE I recently succumbed to the ultimate, hedonistic treat - to ‘wine down’ at the luxurious jewel of the ...
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Blog
September 13, 2021

Celebrating in the Constantia Valley

CELEBRATING IN THE CONSTANTIA VALLEY The season of promise is a good time to celebrate longer, warmer days and the exciting fresh produce that makes ...
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Blog
August 6, 2021

Waterford Estate

WATERFORD ESTATE  A SATURDAY WELL SPENT It was truly magical to head off to the winelands for our first wine tasting and lunch in a ...
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Blog
July 26, 2021

A night of decadence on our doorstep

A NIGHT OF DECADENCE ON OUR DOORSTEP The Winter Warmer at the Belmond Mount Nelson brought the two-part, stay-at-home, His & Hers anniversary celebration to ...
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Blog
July 7, 2021

It takes two…

IT TAKES TWO… A birthday happens, an anniversary is earned, and can be considered an accomplishment. For this reason, my man and I have always ...
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Blog
June 22, 2021

Schoone Oordt Country House

SCHOONE OORDT COUNTRY HOUSE Worthy of a detour or a destination, the historic town of Swellendam is overflowing with charm and quaint, old buildings that ...
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Blog
May 28, 2021

A walk down memory lane

A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE May has been my month of rekindling old friendships. There are those people with whom you simply pick up where ...
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Blog
May 14, 2021

Constantia on crutches

CONSTANTIA ON CRUTCHES The Constantia wine route has many attributes – the oldest wine-producing farm in the country, stand-out cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc and Bordeaux-blend wines, ...
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Blog
May 6, 2021

A hamper of happiness

A HAMPER OF HAPPINESS It’s official. My love language is now gifts (in addition to acts of service and quality time…). My preference? Preferably practical, ...
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Blog
April 30, 2021

Babylonstoren, for all seasons

BABYLONSTOREN, FOR ALL SEASONS Many moons ago, when my sons were at pre-primary school, I met two fabulous moms. They were the ones who helped ...
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Blog
April 1, 2021

MAZZA and Local at Heritage Square

MAZZA AND LOCAL AT HERITAGE SQUARE Local at Heritage Square is a carefully curated collection of edible options, to be paired with your drinks of ...
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Blog
March 26, 2021

Authentic Overberg dining

AUTHENTIC OVERBERG DINING As the seasons change it gives me unbridled joy to drive to the Overberg, settle into Stanford Valley Guest Farm and ‘work’ ...
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Blog
March 19, 2021

Beyond birthdays

BEYOND BIRTHDAYS When I produced my older son only three days after my birthday, I realised then that I would need to draw a ...
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Blog
February 5, 2021

Back on track

BACK ON TRACK We too are breathing a sigh of relief as the restaurants and wineries can limp back to business with fewer restrictions, and ...
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Blog
January 15, 2021

Winding down in the winelands

WINDING DOWN IN THE WINELANDS With the current alcohol restrictions having a devastating effect on the alcohol and hospitality industries, we were loath to cancel ...
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Blog
December 21, 2020

Farewell 2020

FAREWELL 2020 It is with relief that we approach the end of 2020, a year that has had enormous impact globally. In our world, we ...
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Blog
December 9, 2020

Beyond expectations

BEYOND EXPECTATIONS When invited to experience Peter Tempelhoff and team’s new venture, Beyond Restaurant, one has high expectations. I should have known that they would ...
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Blog
November 6, 2020

Pride and patriotism…on a plate

PRIDE AND PATRIOTISM…ON A PLATE I was honoured to be invited to judge the restaurant category in the Western Cape for the Great Wine Capitals ...
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Blog
October 14, 2020

Mediterranean medley

MEDITERRANEAN MEDLEY The countries and cultures of the Mediterranean are similar, yet vastly different. You will always see tomatoes, garlic and lemon, yet the spices ...
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Blog
August 7, 2020

Irasshaimase

IRASSHAIMASE! SYNCHRONICITY - WHEN YOU WISH AND IT APPEARS That’s the Japanese word for welcome… Every year my friend Anne and I head off for a welcome ...
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Blog
August 3, 2020

Our deepest fear

OUR DEEPEST FEAR So how does a pilot, ballerina or sommelier feel right now? Fear seems to be the immobiliser for many people who have been ...
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