Archive for May, 2011

For every one acre planted to vineyards in South Africa, the growers now have 1,27 acres on the farms and estates in conservation status.

These are the latest figures released by the World Wildlife Fund’s Biodiversity and Wine Initiative, a pioneering partnership between the South African wine industry and the conservation sector. The 314 500 acres under conservation are being restored to the indigenous vegetation, and as this process happens, growers are finding that natural water resources return, along with a myriad of wildlife.

South Africa has approximately 250 000 acres under vine. Recent reports that South Africa has had a net decline in vineyards and is facing a wine shortage within 5 years are overstated, said Su Birch, CEO of Wines of South Africa, the generic industry organization. The net reduction in vineyards since 2007 has been less than 1%, and the vineyards that have been removed were largely virused red vineyards that had been too hastily planted during the period when total exports from South Africa absolutely boomed.

Iconic South African wine brand ,Kumkani , salutes the efforts of WOSA in this regard and we support their conservation and marketing efforts.

Read more on wine.co.za

The Gugulethu Wine Festival is new and exiting event on the South African wine calendar.

The Gugulethu Wine Festival is the brainchild of Lungile Mbalo and Mzoli Ngcawuzele.

Mzoli is best known as owner of the successful restaurant called Mzoli’s Place and as a property developer constructing the first mall to be built in Gugulethu – The Gugulethu Square Mall..

Join Kumkani Wines  for a glass of wine at this year’s festival 27 – 28 May.

For more info about the event visit gugulethuwinefestival.co.za

South Africa is a weird and wonderful place, and has spawned some truly gifted pioneers and inventors, as well as possessing some unique and marvelous, biological and geological attributes.

Below is a list of some interesting facts about South Africa

1. South Africa is home to the world’s smallest succulent plants (less than 10 mm) and the largest (the baobab).

2. There are only 12 countries in the world that supply tap water that is fit to drink, and South Africa is one of them. Our tap water quality is third best overall in the world.

3. The Tugela Falls is the second highest waterfall in the world, where the water tumbles down 850 metres. First place goes to the Angel Falls in Venezuela at 979 metres.

4. There are 18 000 indigenous vascular plant species in South Africa of which 80% are uniquely South African.

5. Blyde River Canyon is the third largest canyon in the world – and the largest green one. The Grand Canyon in the US is the biggest, and the Fish River Canyon in Namibia the second, but both are dry as bones.

6. South African grasslands have 30 species per square kilometre, greater than the biodiversity of rainforests.

7. According to recent studies, the star-watching town of Sutherland in the Northern Cape is one of the most geologically stable places on Earth, yet it has a 66-million year old volcano, not yet officially extinct.

8. The only street in the world to house two Nobel Peace prize winners is in Soweto. Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu both have houses in Vilakazi Street in Soweto.

9. Walt Disney serves South African wine exclusively at its 73-acre Animal Kingdom Lodge in the United States.

10. South Africa has the longest wine route in the world, the R62 wine route

11. South Africa is the world’s largest producer of macadamia nuts and the nuts and oils are exported to countries across the world.

12. South Africa is the only country in the world where you can order something called monkey gland steak at a restaurant without the risk of a real internal organ being placed before you. It was invented many decades ago by overseas chefs as a pointed insult, aimed at the brash inhabitants of Johannesburg who poured Worcestershire and tomato sauce over everything.

13. No other country eats as much kingklip as South Africans do (also known as Congrio, Ling and Rockling in other parts of the southern hemisphere).

14. The world’s first heart transplant was done in South Africa in 1967 by South African Dr Chris Barnard.

15. South Africa also has the world’s most progressive and admired water legislation, and it is making a real difference on the ground. Since 1998 when the so-called “Blue Revolution” began, four million more poor people have access to clean water.

16. South Africa is ranked number one in the world for its floral kingdom

17. South Africa’s Coastal Management policy is one of the best in the world with the country being the first outside Europe to gain Blue Flag status for its coastal management.

18. South Africa is the sole producer of the Mercedes Benz, C Class, right hand drive vehicles

19. General Motors South Africa will be the only manufacturing site outside of the United States to build the Hummer H3 vehicle.

20. South Africans are natural inventors, giving the world those breakwater dolosse and the automatic pool cleaner.

21. The Population is 45 million.

22. Gauteng has the most advanced infrastructure in Africa.

23. South Africa has the third highest level of biodiversity in the world.

24. South Africa is the second largest exporter of fruit in the world.

25. South Africa is five times the size of Japan and three times the size of Texas.

Source: southafricalogue.com

Wine enhances the flavour of the food, makes the table look nice and can liven up a meal. But many people find it confusing. There are too many choices, it requires a special tool to open, and there’s the whole culture around wine supposedly dictating what goes with which food and what’s cool to drink.

Here’s a quick primer on how to incorporate wine into your social events without hassles and embarrassment, and what basic items you need to present your drink perfectly.

The No. 1  rule is drink what you think tastes good, and have a couple of other offerings available that others might like.  Your palate is about as individual as your fingerprints. What you like, someone else might avoid and vice versa, but that doesn’t mean the wine is bad. So serve a couple of wines and keep your bases covered.

Secondly, serve it in decent glasses.  The shape of the glass really can affect the taste of a wine.  It has to do with how the bowl of the glass channels the aroma – which is a big component of taste – to your nose.  This is what wine lovers refer to when they are talking about the bouquet of a wine. Use a clear glass so you can see the wine. It’s worth the second or two to raise the stem toward light and just take a moment to appreciate the colour.

Next, get a good corkscrew. A flimsy old corkscrew can be a hassle and an embarrassment.  Corkscrews are really not expensive and, ideally, you should have more than one in your home.

Now all you need is wine. I recommend the multi award winning Kumkani Cradle Hill Cabernet Sauvignon.

South Africa is an extremely diverse and unique country with a wide array of cultures, wildlife and vegetation. The wines are a product and a representation of this diverse and vibrant uniqueness of this amazing country.

 A culture of our own, uniquely influenced by people and places from all around the world. You can experience the fusion of cultures through our warm and welcoming people.

You can taste diversity of the country it in the vibrant dishes and exceptional wines produced in this beautiful country.

Derived from the Xhosa word meaning ‘king’, Kumkani is an award-winning wine that celebrates South Africa’s rich heritage, eclectic mix of people and abundance of natural resources. Thanks to the fertile soil, suitable South African climate and winemaker’s excellence, Kumkani is worshipped by wine lovers.

Source: southafrica.net

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), koeksisters (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