Opening a bottle of bubbly has always been a thrill for me. But this guy has taken opening bubbly to a new level.

A restaurant manager in Sandton, Andrew Duminy, has successfully set a new Guinness World Record for opening the most sparkling wine bottles in one minute using a sabre according to the traditional ceremonial sabrage.

Sabrage is a lavish ceremonial technique whereby a champagne or sparkling wine bottle is removed with a sabre or sword. The force of the blade causes the cork and collar to shoot off the neck of the bottle in a show stopping display of bubbles and blasts.

The world record attempt began at exactly 5:00pm on Valentine’s Day at The Bull Run Restaurant. Exactly one minute later at 5:01pm Andrew Duminy had successfully opened 27 bottles of Pongrácz with his sabre, smashing the previous record of 21 bottles set by Canadian Andre Saint Jacques in 2005.

Read more on food24.com

the company of wine people™ welcomes Tamsyn Jeftha, a Cape Winemaker Guild protégé to their company.

Jeftha joins the company of wine people^TM this year and embarks on her winemaking career under the mentorship of winemaker and Cape Winemakers Guild member Nicky Versveld. At the beginning of the year Jeftha was chosen by the Cape Winemakers Guild as one of the two protégés to embark on a great opportunity to work side by side of some of the country’s leading winemakers.

Commenting on her appointment, winemaker at the company of wine people, Nicky Versveld says, “As a member of the Cape Winemakers Guild we have been selected to host Tamsyn Jeftha, a Protégé Program Intern for a period of six months. Tamsyn graduated with a BSc Degree in Viticulture and Oenology at the end of 2009 and was selected to do a three year internship With Guild Winemakers, having access to certain Guild functions, mentoring and coaching during the internship.”

“We welcome Tamsyn to the company of wine people^TM and wish her all the success at the start of her career.”

Commenting on her appointment, Jeftha says, “Being a protégé is very exciting. Not only do you get to meet well established winemakers, but you also have the opportunity to learn from them, which for any young winemaker is a great first stepping stone.”

For the most part of the first decade of the second millennium, the wine industry in South Africa experienced a significant swing towards red wine production – moving from 18% of planting in 1996 to 44% in 2008. This gave rise to a surplus production position putting downward pressure on producers’ prices according to SAWIS reports.

Given that the local demand for wine, red wine in particular, did not match the increased supply, the local industry was forced to enter the export market in a much more aggressive way than ever before.

No wonder then that export, as percentage of local production increased from 21% in 1999 to 54% in 2008. Despite fluctuations in the Rand exchange rates over this period, the general trend was downwards, helping to maintain export profitability.

The inflationary conditions coupled with pressure on disposable income have resulted in consumers trading down.

These obviously became much more price conscious. The South African wine consumer in general is regarded as more price conscious and less likely to venture into the higher priced products. In 2008 the demand for white wine has weakened while red wine sales showed a moderate increase.

However, as far as red wine is concerned, the supply/demand position has since moved into equilibrium.

Read more on www.cbn.co.za

Kumkani Brand News:

One of the iconic South African wine brands is Kumkani. This wine range produces award-winning red wines such as the magnificent Kumkani Cradle Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2005.

Cape Town is set to draw thousands of tourists in the upcoming FIFA World Cup. Visitors to Cape Town will be able to explore the beauty of the mountains, the winelands and will also be able to see and experience the cultural melting pot that is Cape Town.

One of the places that will attract tourists is the colourful Cape Malay Quarter, namely the Bo-Kaap.

Bo-Kaap, aka Schotsche Kloof (Scottish ravine), belongs to one of the most interesting parts of Cape Town. With its picturesque houses lined along steep and winding roads, you’ll find it on the itinerary of most visitors to the city. But the Cape is vast and beautiful – so what exactly makes Bo-Kaap so special – could it be the rich heritage or the tantalising food? Why don’t you explore and decide?

Taking a step back…

Bo-Kaap is the oldest Malay settlement in South Africa. It is nestled below Signal Hill where you’ll find the historically significant Noon Gun. Most Capetonians are accustomed to its loud bang at midday but the tradition began in the late 1800s to signal to farmers that ships had docked and were ready to trade. The hill is also the resting place of Tuang Guru, originally a prince from the Ternate Islands and believed to be the founder of the Cape’s Islamic community. A hallmark of the Cape Malay people is the warm hospitality they extend to all their visitors, which brings us to the exciting part – the food.

The Bo-Kaap neighbourhood is not your average food destination and its Southeast-Asian ties mean the menu is anything but bland. The Cape Malay’s fusion of Asian, European and Mediterranean flavours are available at many high-end as well as local authentic restaurants around Cape Town.

The Cape Malayan dishes like Bobotie and  Biryani  pairs well with spicy wines like the Kumkani Shiraz Cabernet 2006 . This wine has interesting summer berry aromas with  spicy and toasty flavours.

Read more on www.gotravel24.com

The Wine:

When you go to a dinner party make sure you do not arrive empty-handed, here are some gift ideas for the host. Host gifts are hardly obligatory, but during the holidays, wrapping up a wine bottle or two should not be a burden.

That said, finding the right wine requires the same due diligence that finding any other gift requires. Before you go, ask yourself a few questions about the kind of wine the host really enjoys: red or white, New World or Old World, traditional varietal wine or something more edgy. It all matters.

Never feel you have to spend a fortune. It’s all about choosing a wine that demonstrates you did a bit of work.

Most important, the gift is for the host. Don’t expect the host to open the wine you just gave her; in fact, you should insist she put it away to enjoy on a future occasion.

A host who suspects the wine he’s receiving is particularly meaningful to the gift-giver may consider tagging the bottle with that information and, in the future, share that bottle with the gift-giver.

The most important piece of advice is: Don’t wait until the last minute.

Sparkling wine is the ultimate host gift, because it’s something we seldom buy for ourselves. It’s both festive and celebratory and, best of all, everyone should have a bottle of bubbly in the house. To make your bottles sparkle, dress them festively in clear or coloured cellophane–perfect to see the bottle–and tie with ribbons.

Quirky off-the-beaten-path wines are perfect for the curious wine-loving host. The Austrian gruner veltliner fits this type, as does the aromatic torrontes from Argentina, petite sirah, mourvedre and more.

For the host who likes wine and food, an affordable, balanced red wine that works with a variety of menu items is a great choice.

Read more on canada.com

Kumkani Brand News

The Kumkani Infiniti MCC- Sparkling wine is a great wine to give your host.

If you want to give an interesting yet superb red I will suggest the Kumkani Shiraz Viognier 2006. Rich, medium to full bodied wine. Black summer fruit in combination with floral undertones from Viognier. Complex, yet soft tannin structure with multi layered palate and beautiful finish.

The wine:

Try this hot and spicy romantic recipe on your honey for Valentine’s Day. It’s sweetly spicy, inherently healthy, and couldn’t be easier to prepare or clean up. Piri-Piri is an African term for hot and spicy. Control the amount of fire by adjusting the amount of cayenne pepper. This recipe is presented as mild-to-medium heat.

Piri-Piri Pomegranate Chicken

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 cup parboiled brown rice
1 cup water or broth
2 to 3 pieces chicken
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Salt to taste
18 to 20 Brussels sprouts, trimmed with shallow “x” cut into stem end
1-1/2 cups baby carrots, halved
1 cup oyster mushrooms, sliced thickly
1/2 pomegranate, seeded
Fresh parsley

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 230 degrees C. Spray inside of 2 liter  Dutch oven and lid with olive oil.

2. Pour rice into pot and add liquid. Stir gently to coat grains and smooth into an even layer. Set chicken pieces in next in a single layer.

3. In a small bowl, mix together ketchup, honey, molasses, lemon juice, garlic and cayenne pepper. Drizzle 1/2 mixture over top of chicken. Drop in Brussels sprouts and carrots. Pour rest of mixture over all. Top with mushrooms and pomegranate seeds.

4. Cover and bake for about 45 minutes, or about 3 minutes after the aroma wafts from the oven.

Recommended Wine:

The Kumkani Chardonnay Viognier 2008 will complement this dish. This wine as aromas of lemon peach with a hints of vanilla oak flavours complementing a well balance elegant wine.

Notes:
You can use any combination of boneless, bone-in, skinless, or skin-on chicken pieces in this recipe.

Look for pomegranate molasses in specialty or health food groceries.

Source: www.sheknows.com

The wine:

Giving wine with chocolate makes for a more special Valentine’s Day, not to mention the opportunity to create time for sharing with your loved one.

There are actually a lot of different wines that pair well with chocolate. Generally, wines that are a little more “fruit forward” make the best partners with chocolate.

Champagnes also pair well with chocolate. Try dark chocolate with a brut champagne, and a lighter (maybe even white) chocolate with a sweeter bubbly. Be careful, though, not to go too sweet.

The Kumkani Infiniti is an excellent dry “champagne”. This exceptional wine is a MCC (Methode Cap Classique ) sparkling wine and pairs well with dark chocolates (especially with 50 percent, or higher, cacao).

Read more…

South Africa is commonly known as the Rainbow nation with a vast array of cultures and traditions. This is also true with regards to cuisine.

Barbara Ludman recently wrote that it was the search for food that shaped modern South Africa: spices drew the Dutch East India Company to Java in the mid-1600s, and the need for a half-way refreshment stop for its ships rounding the Cape impelled the Company to plant a farm at the tip of Africa. There are sections of Commander Jan van Riebeeck’s wild almond hedge still standing in the Kirstenbosch Gardens in Cape Town.

That farm changed the region forever. The Company discovered it was easier to bring in thousands of hapless slaves from Java to work in the fields than to keep trying to entrap the local people, mostly Khoi and San, who seemed singularly unimpressed with the Dutch and their ways. The Malay slaves brought their cuisine, perhaps the best-known of all South African cooking styles.

The French Huguenots arrived soon after the Dutch, and changed the landscape in wonderful ways with the vines they imported. They soon discovered a need for men and women to work in their vineyards, and turned to the Malay slaves (and the few Khoi and San they could lure into employment).

Much later, sugar farmers brought indentured labourers from India to cut the cane. The British, looking for gold and empire, also brought their customs and cuisine, as did German immigrants.

And black communities carried on eating their traditional, healthy diet: game, root vegetables and wild greens, berries, millet, sorghum and maize, and protein-rich insects like locusts.

Today the resultant kaleidoscope – the famous “rainbow” – applies not only to the people but to the food, for one finds in South Africa the most extraordinary range of cuisines.

Read more…

Kumkani Brand News

To complete these amazing dishes South Africa also have extraordinary wines. Like the multi award winning Kumkani Lanner Hill Sauvignon Blanc. This full bodied wine has ripe gooseberry flavours with a crisp lingering finish.

Essentially unchanged since 1894, the champagne bottle is a study in beauty, elegance, and scientific function. Everything about it, from the cork on the top to the indentation on the bottom, serves a crucial role in keeping your champagne safe and at its best.

The Cork Usually larger than corks used to seal wine, champagne corks are made in two parts: the bottom (inside the bottle) is a natural cork composite while the top (outside the bottle) is a mix of cork bits glued together. Corks are straight when first put into the bottle then swell when removed, creating the famous mushroom shape.

The Wire Cage The first champagne bottles used string to restrain the cork, but in 1844 Adolphe Jacquesson invented the metal cage system we still use today.

The Foil Foil was needed to deter rats and other pests from nibbling on the cork. Now it’s a decorative and traditional part of the champagne experience.

The Rim It’s there strictly to serve as an anchor for the wire cage.

The Glass The glass in champagne bottles is much thicker than that in wine bottles due to the pressure, which can be upwards of 70-100 pounds per square inch. The very first champagne bottles were not as thick and strong as they are today and bottles (especially when kept in volume in champagne cellars) were considered somewhat dangerous as they regularly exploded.

The Indentation The indentation in the bottom of the bottle isn’t a sneaky way of serving less champagne per bottle, but instead a means of keeping the pressure from building up near the bottom. Also called the punt or ‘kick-up,’ it helps redistribute the pressure to keep the bottle from exploding.

The process and wine style of South African “champagnes” is called Methode Cap Classique (MCC). Wine made in this style are produced by using similar processes of Champagne and it is of the same high quality.

Kumkani Brand News

One of the best South African MCC wines is the Kumkani Infiniti. This award winning sparkling wine has a pale straw colour with a fine, lazy bead. It has a creamy entrances with a complex and  full persistent  finish.

Source: seriousaboutwine.co.za

Pairing food and wine is not a one-way street. The wine should not only complement the food, but the food should also complement the wine.

Often, a person decides what they are preparing for dinner and then chooses the wine to drink with the meal. Some wine writers’ find it interesting to choose the wine or grape varietal, and then determine what type of food will provide the most enjoyment to the palate.

When you decide that you want to serve a full bodied yet spicy wine like the Kumkani Shiraz / Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 you can choose the dish to pair with the wine.

This wine as aromas of berries, spice, toasty oak and vanilla which carries through in the flavour of the wine. With this extraordinary wine modern meat dishes and fusion cooking dishes can be served.

This wine pairs well with  a range of meat and spicy dishes.

Read more on sunherald.com

The wine:

The annual Audi Joburg Fashion Week featured the crème de la crème of the local fashion industry and drew VIP guests such as Michael Mol, Basetsana Kumalo, Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe, former Miss SA’s Joan Ramagoshi and Cindy Nell, Edith Venter and Geri Rantseli-Elsdon, among others.

These guests were treated to the award-winning Kumkani wines such as Kumkani Infiniti MCC; Kumkani Lanner Hill Sauvignon Blanc and Kumkani Cradle Hill at the event.

Award-winning wine brand, Kumkani, will put a fashionable foot forward as it embodies African elegance when partnering with the Audi Joburg Fashion Week’s Autumn/Winter 2010 collections, which will start at the Sandton Convention Centre and will run until 23 January.

The company of wine people’s Brands and Business Development Manager, Corne Oosthuizen, said: “We are proud to be sponsoring our award-winning, premium wines for an event of this stature. It aligns perfectly with our uniquely South African brand, Kumkani, The King of South African wines and we are pleased to present our flagship wines to consumers.”

The fashion week features the crème de la crème of the local fashion industry, with renowned designers and provides a platform for fashion designers to build their brand; engage with buyers; the media; and speak to their consumers assisting them in creating a sustainable enterprise.

Guests attending Joburg Fashion Week will have the opportunity to sample African elegance at its best with varietals and award winning wines such as the Kumkani Infiniti Methode Cap Classique; Kumkani Lanner Hill Sauvignon Blanc; Kumkani Cradle Hill; Kumkani Sauvignon Blanc; Kumkani Shiraz; Kumkani Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon; and Kumkani Chardonnay Viognier on offer.

Source: publicityupdate.co.za

Hot on the heels of dressing Charlize Theron for the 2010 FIFA World Cup draw Errol Arendz makes his long awaited return to the runway alongside Craig Port at the AUDI finale show at the Fall/Winter Audi Joburg Fashion Week in Joburg in January 2010.

AUDI Joburg Fashion Week F/W 2010 will take place at Sandton Convention Centre over four days from 20 – 23 January 2010, the AUDI Finale Show taking place on Saturday the 23rd of January.

Tickets to Audi Joburg Fashion Week are available from Computicket, and special day passes are available. For more information, full show schedules and highlights from previous winter collections, please visit africafashioninternational.com

Kumkani Brand News

Kumkani, which epitomises style and elegance, is  a product sponsor of this event and we are proud to be associated with this prestigious event which is perfectly aligned with our brand.

Source: fashion.maga-zine.com

The origins of Bobotie can be traced back to the eastern influence on South African culture. The Cape Malay society is famous for cooking this dish and it is usually served with yellow rice.

The Recipe

This is an easy Bobotie  recipe to enoy with friend or family.

Ingredients

• - 1 kg minced lamb
• - 125ml milk
• - 1 thick slice of white bread, crust removed and soaked in milk
• - 2 roughly chopped onions butter
• - Salt
• - 1 tablespoon of curry powder (mix the hot and the Cape Malay versions for a good flavour)
• - 1 chili, finely chopped (optional and only if you like your food quite hot)
  - ½ cup vinegar
• - 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• - 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
• - 1 tablespoon of chutney
• - 8 -10 crushed almonds (optional)
• - 3 eggs
• - 1 clove of garlic, crushed and finely chopped
• - 6 bay leaves
• - 1 orange, sliced in wheels
• - 1 lemon, sliced in wheels
• - Oil for cooking

Instructions on how to make it

Heat the oil in frying pan and add the garlic, onion and curry power. Cook over medium heat for three minutes, then add the mince meat. Fry until the meat is almost done, then using your hands, squeeze the milk from the bread. Discard the milk and add the bread, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar and chutney to the mince. Fry for a minute or so and then remove from heat.

Take a pie dish and place three bay leaves, two wheels of orange and two wheels of lemon at the bottom. Now scoop the mince mixture into the dish. Decorate the sides of the dish with the rest of the lemon and orange wheels, wedging them between the mince and the sides of the dish so that only a third protrudes. If you are using almonds, push them into the mince.

Beat the eggs and 125ml milk, and pour over the meat. Put three bay leaves on top of dish. Place the dish uncovered in the oven and cook for about 30 minutes at 160 deg Celsius.

Serve with a plain green salad or chopped tomato and onion, sprinkled with a little vinegar. Make sure you have some chutney near at hand. Serve piping hot with the yellow rice.

Recommended wine:

The Kumkani Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot 2006 will be a perfect pairing with this dish. This well balanced wine has a berry and spice nose with good round finish.

The wine:

Source: rainbownation.com

Autumn/Winter 2010 Collections will grace the catwalk as the annual Audi Joburg Fashion Week returns for the fourth year at Johannesburg’s Sandton Convention Centre from 20 – 23 January 2010.

The four day fashion showcase features the nation’s best designers unveiling their creative forecast of the season’s trends, to a global audience of media, fashion buyers, and fashion consumers.

Kumkani, which epitomises style and elegance, is  a product sponsor of this event and we are proud to be associated with this prestigious event which is perfectly aligned with our brand.

For more info visit africanfashionint.com

Wine doesn’t just taste good because of its grapes or vintage – it might also have something to do with the room you’re sitting in.

German researchers found that people who sipped wine in a room with red or blue background lighting thought their wine tasted better than people who sat in rooms with white or green background lighting .

The researchers gave their test subjects a glass of Riesling in differently lit rooms and asked for their feedback. The subjects reported that the wine tasted sweeter in the red room compared to the white or green room. The subjects in the red and blue rooms also said they were more likely to pay $1.50 more for the bottle of wine.

“It is already known that the colour of a drink can influence the way we taste it,” Dr. Daniel Oberfeld-Twistel of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz said. “The extreme lighting conditions found in some bars can undoubtedly influence the way a wine tastes,” even when it doesn’t affect the colour of the wine in the glass.

Oberfeld-Twistel believes that the red- and blue-coloured rooms positively affect people’s moods and thus make them enjoy the wine more. But he said more tests need to be done to determine why the colours had an effect on how people tasted the wine.

Last year researchers found that wine tastes better when paired with certain kinds of music . Chilean winemaker Aurelio Montes told the Telegraph that Chardonnay sips well with “Atomic” by Blondie, and Merlot works well with “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding.

Source: foxcharlotte.com

Kumkani Brand News

Kumkani Wines will be great in any colour room but will be best in a room full of friends or family.

In the past few years many new wine brands and wine estates has been established in South Africa. This implies that to get the best out of South African wine and wine tourism a well written and researched guide is essential.

One such a guide is The Essential Guide To South African Wines: Terroir & Travel. This is the second edition of the illustrated guide to South Africa’s premium wines and it retails at about R200.
Caroline Hurry writes that this up-to-date, informative reference work provides vital local knowledge on the practicalities of visiting the winelands.

Published by Cheviot, it presents the wine-producing regions in the simple wine pockets system. Individual pockets highlight a specific terroir unit along with local wine styles, providing insight into the specific qualities of each wine-producing area.

The guide helps you to select a pocket, jump into the car and visit some of the wineries of that area.

Detailed relief maps provide GPS co-ordinates and are backed by downloadable waypoints and routes on the website www.cheviot-publishing.com

Every pocket takes you on a journey, discovering the terroir, viticulture, winemaking techniques and the flagship wines of some of the top producers.

Kumkani Brand News

Cellar door tastings of the multi award winning Kumkani wines can be done at our Welmoed and Helderberg Cellars. For directions please visit our website

Christmas in South Africa is a summer holiday. In December, the southern summer brings glorious days of sunshine that carry an irresistible invitation to the beaches, the rivers, and the shaded mountain slopes. Then the South African holiday season reaches its height. Schools are closed, and camping is the order of the day. In South Africa there is no snow, but it has many flowers, many beautiful varieties of cultivated and wild flowers being in their full pride.

In the cities and towns carolers make their rounds on Christmas Eve. Church services are held on Christmas morning. Christmas Eve celebrations in larger centers include “Carols by Candlelight” and special screen and floor shows.

Homes are decorated with pine branches, and all have the decorated Christmas fir in a corner, with presents for the children around. At bedtime on Christmas Eve, children may also hang up their stockings for presents from Father Christmas.

Many South Africans have a Christmas dinner in the open-air lunch. For many more, it is the traditional dinner of either leg of lamb, roast beef, mince pies, or suckling pig, yellow rice with raisins, vegetables, and plum pudding, crackers, paper hats, and all. In the afternoon, families go out into the country and usually there are games or bathing in the warm sunshine, and then home in the cool of the evening. Boxing Day is also a proclaimed public holiday usually spent in the open air. It falls on December 26 and is a day of real relaxation.

Kumkani Brand News

The Kumkani Merlot Pinotage 2007 will complement the traditional beef or lamb dishes and will complete the uniquely South African Christmas dinner

The Wine:

Source: santas.net

Drinking and Driving over the Festive Season? Then it’s time to ask Goodfellas to the party.

Cathy Marston writes  “Sadly, I realise that this is not the norm here in SA. The drink-driving stats in this country are horrendous with alcohol being blamed for 50% of the 18,000 deaths on our roads every year – yes, that number is correct – 18,000 deaths a year. A massive sea-change is needed in people’s attitudes to drinking and driving, and one company which is providing a real alternative to this is Goodfellas. They offer a membership service which you can call after one too many drinks and they will come to wherever you are and drive you safely home in your own car.”

According to Alison Brussow, marketing manager for Goodfellas, all the drivers have to pass stringent background checks, driving tests on both manual and automatic cars and undergo regular training by the company. Both Morell and Mogamat had branded uniforms and ID cards and we were given their names by the call centre when we rang to book the service so there was no possibility of any mistakes. And we felt completely safe in their hands – much more so than when we pick up a random taxi from the rank, something which is an added boon for women going home on their own as well.

Drinking and driving is a complete social no-no in the UK – if ever I contemplated getting behind the wheel after a few drinks, then the thought of my friends’ total disgust and disapproval is always enough to change my mind. I have heard various excuses over the years such as “Well, we have to drink and drive in SA because we have no public transport!” or “I’m a really good driver so alcohol doesn’t affect me like other people” and really folks, enough is enough. The choices are simple -

• – Drink, but don’t drive
• – Drive, but don’t drink
• – Call Goodfellas or somebody like them.

and with the Festive season in full swing, there are plenty of opportunities to use a service like this and I fully intend to do so. After all, if it’s good enough for the Sharks, for South African Breweries and for Bob Skinstad, then it’s good enough for me too.”

www.gfellas.co.za Tel:   0861 433 552

Source: food24

Kumkani Brand News

Kumkani Wines  supports this initiative and urges consumers to make use of this service.

The Wine show ladies chose and rated six of South Africa’s best Methode Cap Classique (MCC) sparkling wines.

Naturally the Kumkani Infiniti was one of the chosen wines and it seems that The Wine Show ladies had a great time testing the wine.

On their site they wrote:

“In Spain they call it Cava, Italians say Asti or Spumante and the Germans go with Sekt. We boertjies have come up with our own term, Methode Cap Classique (MCC). It still sounds French, so I suppose a bit more posh, but in essence it refers to how the actual fizz is made – the traditional way of Champagne, by secondary fermentation in the bottle.

In the last few years as our palates have evolved, the world has gotten smaller and South Africans have caught on to the fact that, even though we can’t call it ‘champagne’ we can afford it, drink it and yes, even make it.”

Read more…