Soweto Wine Festival Promises Glamour And Glitz
SOUTH AFRICA – With just 2 weeks to go, the 2010 Soweto Wine Festival, happening on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th September, is being hailed as the ‘Bumper Issue’ of all wine festivals when all the glamorous people of Gauteng descend upon the most happening place in Soweto, the Soweto Wine Festival.
5th Standard Bank Soweto Wine Festival
Visitors will enjoy Soweto ‘home-grown’ restaurants with the tastiest foods from la Kitchen Eatery, Roots, Asidle Gourmet, Masekeng Pub and Divine Caterers; VIP entertainment; your favourite Kaya FM DJ’s on the floor; a business lounge for the ambitious; Norman Goodfellows wine shop to buy your favourite wines by the case or bottle, and lots of free stuff to give away to visitors, so don’t miss out.
With over 800 wines to taste, visitors are encouraged to find The One. The One refers to finding your favourite variety, such a Cabernet Sauvignon, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Muscadel, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Shiraz or blends of these and then finding the Winery that makes your style. This year the festival celebrates 11 empowerment wineries that will be exhibiting namely Lathitha Wines, Ses’fikile, Libby’s Pride Wines, M’hudi Wines, Seven Sisters, Remogo Wines, Thandi Wines, Blouvlei, Fair Hills, Tukulu and Jacob’s Quest.
WOSA (Wines of South Africa) in conjunction with the Soweto Wine Festival are co-sponsoring these empowerment brands so that they may be enjoyed and supported by visitors to the festival.
Says Marilyn Cooper, Cape Wine Master, joint founding member of the Soweto Wine Festival and MD of the Cape Wine Academy, who are the organisers of the festival, ‘We are very proud that eleven BEE wineries will be exhibiting this year. It is a vital component to the festival that these empowerment brands grow with this market’s wine enjoyment and consumption and that they are encouraged to continue the often difficult road to success.
Pick n Pay is sponsoring the Pick n Pay Tasting Theatre that will feature two 1-hour wine and food pairing sessions per night in the Taste Theatre – a special demarcated area on stage. Jacob Peu from Jacobs Quest, Ntsiki Biyela – South Africa’s first black woman winemaker from Stellekaya Wines, Erick Sikhosane – the sommelier at the Hyatt Hotel and Citrum Khumalo – a renowned personality chef, will be some of the presenters sharing their passion for wine and food with visitors.
Five well known brands are creating ‘wine lounge’s where visitors can sit and enjoy the wines. They are the unashamedly uncomplicated, easy drinking and flirtatious 4th Street, a wine inspired by passion for friendship and sharing; The Saints winery, which has an unpretentious and affordable range of tastes, which offer wine from sweet to dry, red, white and rose’ in eye-catching and attractive packaging; Nederburg, which is home to South Africa’s most awarded wines; Pearly Bay wines, which are about sunshine, blue skies, fun and laughter all around, the uncomplicated, easy-drinking, fruit-driven wines; The House of JC Le Roux who produce a variety of sparkling wines to suit any occasion, from their naturally lively sparkling wines – the most popular in the country – to their traditional bottled fermented cap classiques, also known as champagne.
Says Brand Manager for Saints, Pieter Terblanche, “The Soweto Wine Festival is unlike any other wine event in South Africa attracting spontaneous and enthusiastic interest in the endlessly intriguing wonders of wine. The Saints wines have distinct synergy with the tempo of this festival and its audience ‘unpretentious, vibrant, expressive and in a variety of styles that suit all tastes and occasions. This year The Saints look forward to presenting a unique interactive experience of the range that will deliver a little bit of “Heaven on Earth’ to tasters, with an adventure of discovery and pleasure. We look forward to meeting, mingling and drinking a toast to visitors at the festival.
The Platinum Arena, introduced this year, will offer much-needed additional space at the festival. This marquee will be an extension to the Main Arena and will feature travel lounges from San Parks and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, premier wineries as well as education and business opportunities e.g. franchising opportunities such as Morara Wine Emporium.
To sum up the commitment, a comment from the most awarded winery in South Africa, Nederburg, Nederburg has always prided itself on being a truly South African brand , appealing to a broad range of wine lovers in a way that is warm-hearted, inclusive and hospitable. That’s why we have participated in the Soweto Wine Festival from the very beginning, says global brand development manager DeMari Kellerman. “We make wines to please people’s palates from connoisseurs, collectors and enthusiasts to those who want the
simple enjoyment of a refreshing and delicious glass of wine, whatever the occasion. The festival allows us to showcase the exciting range of wines we have on offer and gives people, who live far from us in Paarl, the opportunity to meet with our winemakers and the marketing team, so we learn first-hand what Sowetans enjoy and how they like to drink our wines. Concludes Mnikelo Mangciphu, co-founder and active member of the Soweto Wine Festival and owner of Morara Wine Emporium, which is based in the heart of Soweto, ‘It is here. Can you feel it? With approximately 6500 visitors expected over the 3 days, this is going to be the place to be in Soweto on the first weekend in September! With a record number BEE wineries this year, 800 wines to taste from around South Africa, home-grown Soweto businesses offering entertainment and food, who could ask for more. A Truly South African brand’.
Festival starts on Thursday 2nd September – 6pm to 10pm, then Friday 3rd September – 6pm to 10pm and Saturday 4th September – 5pm to 10pm at Main Hall, Soweto Campus, University of Johannesburg, Chris Hani Road, Soweto
