Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category

British Airways announced that BA passengers worldwide have voted Cape Town as their favourite destination and they have reacted by adding second flight. But how can you go to the world’s favourite destination if you already live in it?

Some Capetonians wonder “How can you be a tourist in your own city? “

You go on a staycation. It is a vacation from your own home and you do touristy (or local) things.

Here are just a few things that born and bred Capetonians love:

Picnic at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden- Probably the best way to spend a lazy afternoon with a good friend surrounded by the most beautiful flora and a backdrop of Table Mountain. Get out that checkered blanket and picnic basket and enjoy the fresh air. In summer there are live concerts performed in the gardens amphitheatre for an additional cost.

• Sundays at Mzoli’s – Grab a bunch of friends head to Guguletu for the coolest way to spend your Sunday. With music pumping, drinks flowing and meat on the braai, the proudly South African township vibe is something you can only find here. If you prefer the braai without the buzz of Mzoli’s then head to Tokia Forest, Newslands Forest or Wynberg Park.

• Hiking at Silvermine Nature Reserve – An awesome way to spend time with the family and see a panoramic view of the city. Get a mini work out by following relatively short trails which lead to amazing viewing points of False Bay and parts of the Cape Flats. Also a very cool place to watch the sunset for the romantics.

 • Day in Kalk Bay – Take a stroll along the wharf and browse the quirky shops, enjoy a glass of wine or cup of coffee at the variety of cute coffee shops and visit the natural habour with its superb restaurants and bohemian arty vibe. A must stop in Kalk Bay is Kalky’s. Known for their yummy fish and chips, you’ll always find the most diverse bunch of Capetonians enjoying lunch there

• Capetonians love flea markets - With so many to choose from you can bargain your way to a great deal. Visit Cape Town Stadium Flea market, Milnerton Market, Muizenberg Market and Greenmarket Square for some awesome deals. Or try the Neighbourhood Market every Saturday at The Old Biscuit Mill for some organic treats.

 • Sunsets on the strip – With some of the best sunsets in the world, there’s nothing better than taking a drive to the Camps Bay Strip, Victoria Road and enjoy a sundowner at the variety of little cocktail spots scattered along the beachfront.

Iconic wine Kumkani , is proud to be South African and we celebrate the beauty of Cape Town and its lovely people.

Source: gotravel24.com

It was an amazing experience to be part of the World Cup and South Africans really did a stunning job in welcoming the world and giving the visitors a great time.

It seems that the foreign tourists enjoyed our lovely country as recent survey found that 96% of the World Cup visitors said that they would possibly return and 92% would recommend this country to their friends and family as a holiday destination.

The positive sentiment towards South Africa gave rise to bigger demand for our wines as the export sales of SA wines increased considerable.

We at Kumkani,  salutes all South African who made the FIFA World Cup a success and for giving visitors a great time in our beautiful and friendly country.

Source: sagoodnews.co.za

South Africa was the international flavour month (or the year) with the hosting of Africa’s first and an immensely successful World Cup.

This ‘flavour of the month’ tag gave rise to greater wine  exports, especially to counties with strong soccer interests. This is according to Su Birch , CEO of WOSA.

She indicated that exports of South African wines  have been boosted by the international spotlight on South Africa as a result of hosting the World Cup.
She added that there had been “a marked increase in sales” in countries with a strong interest in soccer even before the event began. “For the six months to the end of June the volumes of packaged wines exported to Germany rose by an impressive 50 percent,”she said.

“Wine exports to the US, which bought more tickets to attend the games than any other country, increased by 32 percent. Sales in Canada, Finland, Belgium and the Republic of Ireland all achieved double-digit growth.”

She said other developments had been a 33 percent growth in exports to Japan and a more than doubling of sales to the United Arab Emirates and China, although from a smaller base.

I think it is great that the world is beginning to realise that SA is producing excellent wines and that iconic SA wines brands like Kumkani is getting the praise it deserves. 

Source: busrep.co.za

The World Cup has brought many foreign visitors to our beautiful country and it seems that the South African tourism industry did exceptionally well in entertaining and accommodating the guests.

So it comes as no surprise that South Africa cleaned up at the annual World Travel Awards for Africa, winning 36 awards out of the total 49 categories.
For the sixth time in seven years the city of Cape Town was named Africa’s leading destination. South African Airways was named Africa’s leading airline, South African Tourism the Continent’s leading tourism board and Durban harbour the leading port.

Cape Town, South Africa’s most-visited destination, regularly receives international accolades for its attractions. This year it joined Paris, London, New York and Venice as one of Forbes magazine’s 10 most beautiful cities in the world.

The iconic South African wine brand, Kumkani , salutes all the people in the hospitality and  tourism industries who  helped to make Africa’s  World Cup the best ever.

Source: sagoodnews.co.za

The hosting of Africa’s World Cup has gained praises from all over as people are extremely impressed by the organising of this world class event. But now it is time for Africa to showcase their best soccer talent , as Ghana tries to keep the continent’s hope alive in the competition.

South Africans are rallying support for the Black Stars of Ghana who will face Uruguay in the quarter-finals on Friday.

Iconic South African wine brand , Kumkani, embraces the African culture and heritage and we support Ghana in their efforts to become the world champions

The ever popular Stellenbosch Wine Festival has taken a different format this year as festival goers will be visiting the farms. The wines from the company of winepeople^TM have arranged a lovely programme and activities for festival goers.

Bring the family and come and enjoy some of the best wines in one of the most beautiful parts of the county.

Arniston Bay, Kumkani, Versus and Welmoed will the wines that will be showcased at this great festival.

Here are some more details about what we’re planning for the Stellenbosch Wine Festival:

• Kiddies corner: Face painting, jumping Castle, colouring in fun
• Tickle your tummies: Spitbraai/ potjiekos. The Duck Pond restaurant will be open daily.
• Free wine tasting!
• Specials on selected wines daily
• A complimentary cool de sac with every case of wine purchased, and other POS materials on sale.
• Foosball fun
• Massages for the ladies
• A jazz band
• A magician

For more info about the Stellenbosch Wine Festival please visit wineroute.co.za

South Africa is synonymous with the amazing Big Five animals and many travellers regard a visit to South Africa as incomplete without having spotted, and perhaps photographed, the Big Five.

Originally used only by hunters, the term ‘Big Five’ refers to five of Africa’s greatest wild animals – lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino. As during the bygone hunting era the term “Big Five” still conjure up the romance and excitement of Africa’s exotic destinations and experiences.

With the World Cup reaching the knockout phases it seems that the soccer world is also choosing football’s Big Five as the big teams are proclaiming their place in history.

Brazil, Argentina, Holland, Germany and Spain are the probable big five teams of this tournament with other teams like Italy, England and Portugal breathing down their necks.

It is a privilege to have the Big Five and the other Big Five on South African soil. I believe that Kumkani, the king of South African wine, is the perfect souvenir to take back home as an uniquely South African memory.   

Source: places.co.za

The World Cup has created a lot of attention on South Africa and South African products, especially SA wines. In numerous campaigns all over the world, WOSA put together events to showcase SA’s wines, cuisine and cultures.

It seems that these events are paying dividends has many wine critics has commented about the South African wine in past few weeks.

One such comment came from Canadian wine critic, Rod Phillips, who wrote that he found that only a handful of SA wines could be described as not interesting. He added that “The great majority (of SA wines) were expressive and had good character, and there were some real stand-outs”.

Some of these stand-outs were the Kumkani Sauvignon Blanc 2009 and the Kumkani Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, which he described as “stylish from start to finish, with great structure and balance”.

I think it is  great that WOSA has initiated these global events and promotions to take advantage of the attention that the World Cup is focusing on South Africa.

Source: communities.canada.com

South Africa is buzzing with tourists and World Cup visitors who are enjoying and experiencing our amazing country. An American Soccer tourist asked me the other day how I would describe South African cuisine? My answer was something like this.

South African cuisine is based on numerous influences from both the indigenous populations of South Africa and immigrants or transient workers from the colonial period. The Khoisan and Xhosa, Zulu- and Sotho-speaking people’s cuisine relied heavily on wild game, milk products, and local fruits and vegetables. To this day the ingredients and method of cooking can still be found in some aspect of local cuisine enjoyed by all South Africans. From the colonial period, those from Afrikaner and British descent, India, and Malaysia, brought some of the flavours, spices, and cooking techniques, that turned South African cuisine into a mesh of international flavours yet still greatly retain local traditions.

Braai, the traditional South African method of barbecue consists of a variety of cuts of meat and the local sausage favourite boerewors, as well as sosaties, kebabs, marinated chicken, pork and lamb chops, steaks, and other sausages of different flavours. Monkeygland sauce is an extremely rich and tangy condiment that goes along well with these meats.

Bobotie, what many call one of the more popular national dishes of South Africa, is a savoury meat dish with hints of sweetness due to the addition of sultanas, or raisins.

To add to this lovely cuisine South Africa also has great wines. The iconic Kumkani is one of the award winning wine brands which personifies the South African tradition and heritage.

Source: world-recipes.info

South African wine industry has come a long way and recently some international wine critics were full of praise for the transformation of our wines to quality and premium wines.

The Rainbow nation is no stranger to transformation and similarly, its wine industry is an excellent case study on how to bring about a major change. This according to wine critic, Brian Elliot. He added that making large volumes of poor-quality wine was ditched once international help pointed out that South African winegrowing areas were especially suited to premium, rather than value, wines. This paved the way for more reds and for sophisticated and complex wines of any type – which are less price-sensitive.

This point of view is shared by Chief Wine critic of the New York Times ,Eric Asimov. He notes “The most surprising thing is the consistently good quality. South Africa today is teeming with good Chenin Blanc, wines of freshness and character, at prices that make them exceptional value.”

Brian Elliot also praises South African  wine companies and indicated that “This skilled winemaking is also evident in large-scale operations like the company of wine people^TM. From its Arniston Bay brand, through the Fairtrade Thandi wines to the rich and aromatic Kumkani range, the professionalism shines through. Kumkani’s top-of-the-range Sauvignon Blanc has vibrant flavours of flint and gooseberry reminiscent of Sancerre”.

Source: scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com

Stand a chance to win double tickets to The Wine Show Jo’burg which will be held at The Coca Cola Dome from 4-6 June 2010.

If you want to win the tickets and you’re living area and able to attend, all you have to do is leave a comment on our  Facebook page or upload a fan picture.

For more info about show,  visit www.wineshow.co.za

South African sayings can sometimes be confusing to foreigners but it is actually very simple to understand and to use. Braai, Ag, Eina and lekker is just a few of the uniquely South Africans words.

Here are some useful South African words:

Braai
What is a braai? It is the first thing you will be invited to when you visit South Africa. A braai is a backyard barbecue and it will take place regardless of the weather. So you will have to go even if it’s raining like mad. At a braai you will be introduced to a substance known as mieliepap (a traditional porridge made from corn)

Ag
This is one of the most useful South African words. Pronounced like the “ach” in the German “achtung”, it can be used to start a reply when you are asked a tricky question, as in: “Ag, I don’t know.” Or a sense of resignation: “Ag OK, I’ll have some more mieliepap then.” It can stand alone too as a signal of irritation.

Eina
Widely used by all language groups, this word,derived from the Afrikaans, means “ouch.” Pronounced:“aynah”.

Hey
Often used at the end of a sentence to emphasize the importance of what has just been said, as in “You’re only going to be in trouble , if you come in late again, hey?” It can also stand alone as a question. Instead of saying “excuse me?” or “pardon me?” when
you have not heard something directed at you, you can always say: “Hey?”

Izit?
This is another great word to use in conversations. Derived from the two words “is” and “it”, it can be used when you have nothing to contribute if someone
tells you something at a braai. For instance, if someone would say: “The Russians will succeed in their bid for capitalism once they adopt a work ethic and respect for private ownership.” It is quite appropriate to respond by saying: “Izit?”

Lekker
An Afrikaans word meaning nice, this word is used by all language groups to express approval. If you enjoyed a braai thoroughly, you can say: “Now that was lekk-errrrrrr!” while drawing out the last syllable.

Howzit
This is a universal South African greeting, and you will hear this word throughout the country. It is often accompanied with the word “Yes!” as in: “Yes, howzit?” In which case you answer: “No, fine.”

Now now
In much of the outside world, this is a comforting phrase: “Now now, it’s really not so bad.” But in South Africa, this phrase is used in the following manner: “Just wait, I’ll be there now now.” It means “a little after now”.

Source: onceinspired.co.za

Kumkani Brand News

Kumkani welcomes all the visitors to our lovely country and we hope this word guide will help you to enjoy your trip.

I stumbled upon this great quiz about South Africa.

Try it, maybe you’ll learn something.

Take the Quiz

The modern South African kitchen is international. But there are some typical South African traditions and dishes.The most important of these culinary traditions is the “Boerekos“. This “farm food” stems from the Boerish settlers and is characterised by hearty meals with a lot of meat.

Very much alive is the Braaivleis tradition, a barbecue of lamb, beef and/or pork with sweet vegetables and salad. On warm evenings you can smell the grill fumes everywhere in the country. A fish barbeque, especially the “Snoek-Braai”, is a speciality of Cape Town.

From the days of the Voortrekkers originates Potjiekos. Lamb or any other meat is stewed for hours with lots of vegetables in a round cast-iron pot on three legs over a fire.

A simple meal, which is eaten daily in the entire country, is “Pap met Wors”, maize mash with fried onions and beef or sheep sausage, the “Boerewors”.

Also the “Melktart” (Milk Tart) and a “Waterblommetjie Bredie” (Waterflower stew) are typical dishes of the Boerekos.

Unique is the Cape Malay kitchen. The Malays who were forcefully taken as slaves to the Cape, brought their cooking methods with them and modified them with local ingredients such as raisins and pumpkin.

Typically, a Cape Malay dish contains lots of turmarin, here called “Borrie”, kardamom, cinnamon, ginger, garlic and raisins. Except for pork and wine, any local ingredient is used. Typical dishes are “Bobotie”, a mince meat/raisin bake with lots of cinnamon and laurel leaves, and “Roties”, wheat flour pita bread with a filling of deliciously spiced vegetables and meat.

Kumkani Brand News

To complement your South African dish you must try the king of South African Wines, Kumkani. This multi-award winning iconic South African wine ranges have a wide range of wines to suit any connoisseurs palate.

Read more on www.southafrica-travel.net

Two South African restaurants are again on the World’s 50 Best Restaurant list.

S. Pellegrino released their highly anticipated yearly list of the World’s Best Restaurants  and El Bulli, after four years at the top has been knocked off its perch by Denmark’s Nomu.

The big news for South Africa however it that Constantia Uitsig’s La Colombe has moved up 26 places since last year to take a very impressive  number 12 spot.  Another regular South African restaurant on the list, Le Quartier Français, moved up 6 positions to number 31.

A huge achievement for both these restaurants in a very important year for South Africa.

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy compiles this list of restaurants. The panel includes 806 people including top chefs, gourmands, restaurateurs and food critics.

Iconic South African wine brand Kumkani,  congratulates these restaurants for their achievement and for setting the standard.

Read more on news24

With less than 50 days to go to the Kick of the World Cup, visitors can get familiarized with some of the South African English slang words.

South African English is both rich and peculiar. Here, cars stop at robots, not traffic lights. A pickup truck is a bakkie, sneakers are takkies, a hangover is a babbelas, and people greet each other with a heita or howzit.

Eish! expresses surprise, frustration or outrage, and a juicy piece of gossip is likely to be greeted with a drawn-out see-ree-ous!. An particularly handy word is sharp (often doubled up for effect as sharp-sharp!), used as a greeting, a farewell, for agreement or just to express enthusiasm.

Voetsek! means go away right now – or else – and a bliksem is what will happen to you if you don’t voetsek.

The nicest South African slang word is lekker which means nice, but it is nicer than nice because it is South African.

Read more…

So when you visit South Africa you must drink a lekker true South African Kumkani wine. This wine embodies all the aspects that  make our country so unique.

South Africa is triply blessed. A long and varied coastline supplies us with an astonishing amount and variety of seafood; our fertile soils and wonderful climate work together to produce an enormous range of agricultural products; and our chequered history has endowed us with a population with such diverse cultural backgrounds that fusion is hardly anything new here.

Of course, you will find a whole range of restaurants serving anything from hamburgers to sushi, but let’s concentrate on our specialities.

Our seafood is legendary, and is best sampled at one of the West Coast’s open air restaurants – not much more than simple shelters on the beach. As well as mussels, fish stew, grilled fish and lobster, you may be offered pickled fish – a well-loved dish which you’ll also find in some traditional Cape Malay restaurants.

Other Malay specialities include fruity, spicy but not overpowering curries, smoorsnoek (a fish dish not unlike kedgeree), koeksusters (a sweet, syrupy treat), bobotie (a spicy mince dish), and some Indian specialities, such as rotis and samosas, with a local twist.

But our cuisine truly is multicultural, and nowhere is this more apparent than at a typical South African braai (barbecue). Now braais are assumed to be the domain of the Afrikaner male, but the reality is not nearly so simple.

Yes, there is an awesome amount of meat, most notably the very Afrikaner boerewors (a spicy, fatty sausage), but there will almost certainly be sosaties too. This is a lightly curried meat kebab, not unlike an Indonesian satay, which was brought to this country by the Malays hundreds of years ago.

And of course, no braai is complete without pap en sous, which is the staple diet of most of Africa. It’s a grits-like maize porridge, cooked up stiff, and served with a relish of vegetables, usually tomato and onion at a braai, or wild spinach (merogo or imifino) in a traditional African environment.

You’ll get the opportunity to try this at most cultural villages, or at one of the many African restaurants which are scattered all over the country.

And of course, all this food is made even more delicious when paired with a good glass of wine. Embodying South Africa’s rich heritage, cultural diversity and natural beauty, king of South African wines, Kumkani, seems the ideal choice regardless of the cuisine.

Read more on southafrica.info

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 place 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 . This wine has interesting summer berry aromas with  spicy and toasty flavours.

Read More: gotravel24

Wines of South Africa (WOSA) has launched a two-minute animated video celebrating wine and soccer. This video was launched at the Prowien Trade Fair in Germany.

This video portrays many aspects of our amazing country and our stunning winelands. Kumkani Wines applauds the efforts of WOSA to promote South African wine and we hope this video is a huge success.

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