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…

Scientists are delivering some unexpected cheer this Christmas. They have found that a couple of glasses of champagne a day are good for your heart and blood circulation.

And the benefits are not limited to expensive fizz, they believe. Other sparkling wine  alternatives such as cava, prosecco and  Méthode Cape Classique (MCC) may offer similar effects.

The research is the handiwork of a team led by Dr Jeremy Spencer of Reading University in Britain, working with scientists in France, and is to be published in the British Journal of Nutrition this week.

“We have found that a couple of glasses a day has a beneficial effect on the walls of blood vessels - which suggests champagne has the potential to reduce strokes and heart disease,” said Dr Spencer. “It is very exciting news.” Two glasses a day of red wine, previous research has found, helps ward off heart and circulation problems.

Most of that effect comes from chemicals called polyphenols, which affect circulation by slowing down the removal of nitric oxide from the blood. In turn, elevated levels of nitric oxide cause blood vessels to dilate, which lowers blood pressure and reduces risks of heart problems and strokes.

Polyphenols are found in relatively high levels in red but not white wine. However, they are found in champagne, which is made from two varieties of black grape, pinot noir and pinot meunier, and one of white, chardonnay.

“The question was: would champagne have the same impact as red wine or would it have the limited impact of white wine?” said Dr Spencer.

The team found champagne had a far greater impact on nitric oxide levels in the blood than did a polyphenol-free alternative of alcohol and carbonated water. In short, its polyphenols have the ability to improve blood pressure and reduce heart disease risks.

“Our data suggests that a daily moderate consumption of champagne wine may improve vascular performance via the delivery of phenolic constituents,” the researchers say in their paper.

They have yet to test other types of fizz, such as cava and prosecco, but Dr Spencer said there was “no reason” in principle that they should not perform in the same way.

Red wines and champagne are not the only sources of polyphenols available to consumers, the team said. They are also found in high levels in cocoa beans. So you could achieve the same gains without alcohol by with a mug of cocoa at bedtime, Dr Spencer added. “The benefit is certainly the same but it doesn’t seem as much fun somehow.”

Kumkani Brand News

The Kumkani Infinity is a sparkling wine made in the Méthode Cape Classique (MCC) style. This great wine was rated one of the Top 10 MCC sparkling wines by WINE magazine.

The Wine:

Source: nzherald

In a recent online poll by GoTravel24 the Kruger National Park were voted South Africa’s favourite game reserve.

In this poll, fairly unsurprisingly, the Kruger National Park that pretty much wiped the floor and won with a solid 36% of the vote.

The sheer size of Kruger is extraordinary - it is nearly 19 000 square kilometres - bigger than Gauteng and about the size of Wales - and hosts all the game you could ever wish to see. According to a 2004 count, there are over 1500 lion, nearly 30 000 buffalo, 11 500 elephant - the numbers are staggering. And it’s over 100 years old so they certainly know what they’re doing. The science that goes into accommodating so many animals in such a massive space is incredibly detailed so that we, as good South Africans, can enjoy the beautiful things our land has to offer.

The other reserves on the list were:

Tsitsikamma National Park

Pilanesberg National Park

Kgalagadi Transfrontier  (originally the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park)

Hluhluwe Game Reserve

Kumkani Brand News

South Africa is blessed with amazing game reserves and all of them contribute to the uniquely South African experience and lifestyle.  Kumkani supports all uniquely South African tourist attractions.

Source: gotravel24.com

Apart from the amazing beaches, wild life and natural beauty South Africa also over tourists unique experiences in the form of World Heritage Sites.

South Africa boasts numerous World Heritage Sites, including Robben Island and the Cradle of Humankind.

The lesser-known, yet fascinating Vredefort Dome, situated just 120kms south of Johannesburg, near Parys, was declared a World Heritage Site in 2005. According to the UNESCO website, the Vredefort Dome is the oldest discovered astrobleme (a structure created by large meteorite impact), dating back more than two million years. Spanning 190 kilometres, it’s also the world’s largest impact site.

According to UNESCO, the Vredefort Dome is unique in that “it is the only example to provide a full geological profile of an astrobleme below the crater floor”, which makes it a vital link to understanding the earth’s evolution and geology. Parts of the Dome are open to the public.

Source: destinyconnect.com

Kumkani Brand News

This brand is an uniquely South African wine brand and we celebrate all the things that makes our country unique.

The World Cup will bring an approximate 500 000 foreign tourists to South Africa and millions of people will take note of this amazing country.

Is 2010 really such a big opportunity for SA wine with soccer-mad European consumers?

Dalene Steyn, market manager Europe for Wines of South Africa (Wosa) answered this question as follows:

“In the long term, I believe 2010 will give South Africa the opportunity to showcase our beautiful country, our friendly people, our great tourism destination as well as our fantastic food and wines. So yes, it creates a platform, but it will depend on each and every South African how positive the experience will be. Every visitor that leaves South Africa happy will become an ambassador and be positively inclined to buy South African wine in future.

In the short term, June and July are normally slow months for the South African hospitality industry. The fact that we will have a great number of people descending on SA will keep them busier than usual. We have heard that soccer players are mainly beer drinkers, but among them will be the wine consumers, and I am sure they will be pleasantly surprised when they experience the quality of the South African wines on offer.”

Source: timeslive.co.za

Kumkani Brand News

We are looking forward to hosting the world and to let them experience and taste the amazing wines and winelands of South Africa.

Howard Booysen, the first aspiring winemaker to be selected for the Cape Winemakers Guild Protégé Programme, has just completed his three-year internship honing his skills and knowledge of the wine industry under the guidance of some of the country’s top winemakers.

“My internship programme has come to a close. It was a lifetime experience which I am very grateful for,” said Howard. Over the past three years, he has worked alongside some of the finest winemakers in SA including Carl Schultz at Hartenberg Estate, Bruce Jack at Flagstone, Pieter Ferreira at Graham Beck Wines and Gary Jordan at Jordan Wine Estate. Howard also travelled to the US during his time with Bruce Jack and worked at Ravenswood Vineyards in Sonoma County.

The mentoring programme is a unique one in the SA wine industry involving as it does the hands-on experience and guidance of winemakers of this calibre. Their vision is to cultivate and nurture winemakers from previously disadvantaged backgrounds to become winemakers of excellence.  Howard was the first to embark on the programme after completing his final year of study at Elsenburg Agricultural College in 2006 and Praisy Dlamini, the Guild’s first woman protégé, is currently in her second phase of the internship programme as we speak.

In addition to super-honed winemaking skills, Howard himself brings a whole raft of talents to the table. When I first met him last year doing promotions on behalf of Flagstone, he completely charmed everyone in sight - whether it was with his wines, his personality or his lovely dark eyes, I wouldn’t like to say! Currently, Howard is wowing diners at Cape Town’s prestigious Aubergine Restaurant as a sommelier whilst he prepares the maiden release of his own-label wines which will be released next year.

Kumkani Brand News

Kumkani (company of winepeople^TM) is part of the Cape Winemakers Guild and support their protégé programme. We congratulate Howard on his achievements and wish him the best of luck for his future endeavours.

Source: food24.com

Ethical business practices in the South African wine industry have long been a priority for organizations and these efforts were recently recognized by international awards.

As our South African wine industry continues to grow exports despite the global recession, it is also achieving increasing international recognition for its ethical approach to winemaking, says Wines of South Africa (WOSA) CEO Su Birch.

Within the space of a few weeks the country was acknowledged by influential UK trade publication The Drinks Business, winning its Ethical Award for 2009 while also earning the lion’s share of trophies and prizes in the Fairtrade Wine Committee’s competition for best wines of the year, held in London. Read more

Kumkani Brand News:

We congratulate WOSA for their efforts regarding business ethics as well as their commitment to promoting South African Wines in a sustainable and ethical manner.

The third annual ‘Magic of Bubbles’ Cap Classique and Champagne Festival will be held In Franschhoek form  4 - 6 December.

This is the largest Champagne festival in South Africa and in his hosted at the Huguenot Monument in the cuisine capital of South Africa,  Franschhoek.

Visitors will be able to taste the best of South African Method Cap Classique sparkling wines as well as French champagnes.

Not only will the visitors taste the best of bubbly, but they will also be able to taste delicacies of the Franschhoek restaurants, which include Cafe Allee Bleue, Dieu Donne, Haute Cabriere, La Petite Ferme, Le Franschhoek, L’Ermitage, Mange Toute, Monneaux, Grande Provence, and Salmon Bar.

The impressive Kumkani Infiniti 2004 will be one of the magnificent sparkling wines that visitors will be able to enjoy.

Please come join us for a glass of bubbly at this year festival and enjoy the Magic of Bubbles with us.

Source: whalecottage.com