Out & About

Win Two Tickets to the Knysna Wine Festival

by Fiona Rossiter on May 31, 2013

Knysna Wine Festival

Hi guys have been blogging about the Knysna Oyster Festival over the past few weeks, which is happening next month from the 28th June to the 7th July! Well I am excited to let you know I have two tickets, worth R100 each, to giveaway to one lucky reader for the Knysna Wine Festival!

Knysna-Wine-Festival4

The Knysna Wine Festival is the Garden Routes, Premier Wine Event and will once again be taking place during the Pick n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival on the 1st and 2nd of July. The event will showcase up to 50 of South Africa’s best wine producers and promises to be bigger and better than any of the previous events to date. These wines will all be available for tasting and purchasing at special event prices.

Knysna Wine Festival2

If you would like to be a winner simply sign up to our mailing list below and give a shout out on Twitter “ @inspired_lifeSA I want to go to the #knysnawinefest happening at the @oysterfestival “. Also do not forget to leave a comment with your details below!

To recap:

  • Sign up to the mailing list here:

Subscribe to our mailing list

  • Tweet:” @inspired_lifeSA I want to go to the #knysnawinefest happening at the @oysterfestival ”
  • Leave a comment below the post with your contact details.

Competition Details:

  • This Competition will run from 31st May 2013, until the 14th June 2013. The winner/s will then be randomly selected and announced on my blog and on Social Media Platforms. The winners will also be notified via email.
  • Please complete all the necessary steps stated above, to ensure that your entry in processed correctly (please use a valid email address). Your details will only be used to validate your entry and inform you, if you are selected as a winner.
  • Conditions of entry: Anyone may enter this giveaway but please be advised that unless otherwise informed, the companies sponsoring prizes on Inspired Living, are based in South Africa and therefore prizes will only be shipped within South Africa. The prizes may not be exchanged for cash. Products are all new full sized products received for review or brand feature purposes.

{ 1 comment }

Pick n Pay Young Oyster Festival 2013

by Fiona Rossiter on May 27, 2013

Oysters2

Hi everyone I thought I would share program details of the Pick n Pay Young Oyster Festival 2013, which is happening in Knysna from the 28th June – 6th July. This is especially for those of you who are planning to spend the June/July holidays in the area, with your kiddies! Please click the link below to take you to the full program:

Pick n Pay Young Oyster Festival 2013 Program

 

PNP-Knysna-Oyster-Festival1

 

 

{ 0 comments }

Just Engage Moms Morning

by Fiona Rossiter on May 18, 2013

Just-Engage-Collage2

Last Saturday I was invited to attend a Mom’s Morning hosted by Just Engage, at the stunning Banksia Boutique Hotel and Spa, in Cape Town.

Just Engage is an online but interactive antenatal course, created to assist those who are preparing to become parents. The amazing thing about the course is that it does not matter where you are located, whether it is Cape Town, Gauteng or Durban or some tiny village or town in between, you can have access to one of the most comprehensive courses this country has to offer.

Just-Engage-Event3

Upon arrival at Banksia Hotel, each mom or mom to be received a wonderful goodie bag, filled with an array of products, vouchers and information leaflets. We were then given the opportunity to mingle and explore the beautiful Banksia Hotel – what a stunning location! A variety of yummy eats and gorgeous teas, were elegantly displayed and begging to be sampled :) who could resist!

Just-Engage4 Just-Engage5 Just-Engage6 Just-Engage7

Sharon, the founder of Just Engage then invited us to take our seats and gave us a brief run down of the mornings events. She then introduced the guest speaker for the morning, Dr. Bavi Vythilingum, who is a mom, as well as a qualified Psychiatrist in private practice and an honorary senior lecturer at UCT. She previously held the position of the head of the Woman’s Mental Health Unit at UCT. Her clinical research interests are in the field of Women’s Mental Health.

Dr. Bavi Vythilingum

Dr. Bavi Vythilingum’s talk focused on a mothers well-being post birth, high-lighting the very real issues surrounding Postnatal Depression(PND) and dealing with motherhood as a new mom. PND is something that can affect anyone after birth and the most important thing is to seek help! The amazing thing is, despite all her accreditation’s, even Dr.Vythilingum, was not immune to suffering from PND, once again illustrating that it can happen to anyone. As a mom you slowly realise, as you get older and wiser that “good enough” is often more than enough, so remember to not be so hard on yourself and simply enjoy the journey because no one is perfect!

Just-Engage-Event2

Thank you to Sharon and the Just Engage team for a wonderful morning and spoiling us with wonderful prizes! I received a stunning baby bag from Living and Loving, which I will definitely be passing on to a new mommy :)

Just Engage is offering 10 Expectant Mommy readers a chance to receive 50% Discount off an antenatal course before August 2013. All you need to do is leave a comment below this post with your details and a contact email address and the first 10 readers to do so will receive an email with the code to secure your 50% Discount from Just Engage.

If you would like to find out more about Just Engage and the courses they offer please pop over to their website by clicking here. If you would like to keep up to date with future event dates you can also follow them on Facebook.

 

{ 0 comments }

Knysna Oyster Festival 2013

by Fiona Rossiter on May 8, 2013

image

As you know Knysna is one of my favourite places to visit in the Cape, so I thought I would let you know about the Pick n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival 2013, which is happening soon!

The Pick n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival will be celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, between 28 June and 7 July this year! With more than 100 events on the programme, there will be fun for everyone.

PNP-Knysna-Oyster-Festival2

“Knysna has long been regarded as the pearl of the Garden Route,” said Festival Manager Nicci Rousseau-Schmidt. “And with pearls being the traditional gift for 30th anniversaries, the 2013 Pick n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival is sure to shine as it presents attendees with a wide array of activities and events.”

“On the menu is a smorgasbord of events to thrill and delight the most discerning of gourmands, wine aficionados and those who appreciate the finer things in life, such as the Admiral’s Ball with the SA Navy Dance Band – the perfect opportunity to display your own pearls and dance the night away. The Festival enjoys a wonderful relationship with the South African Navy, who are attending once again and, along with the Admiral’s Ball, the Navy Band performance is not only an event not to be missed, but the perfect grand finale to the Festival.”

PNP-Knysna-Oyster-Festival3

“Showcasing over 40 top South African wine producers as well as bubbly from the Cap Classique Association, the Knysna Wine Festival & Night Food Market invites you to meet local winemakers, taste their current releases and learn more about the latest trends in wine making,” said Nicci. “And it only makes sense to pair this extremely popular event with the Night Food Market which is sure to offer tasty titbits to enjoy – and line the stomach!”

PNP-Knysna-Oyster-Festival4

“The Pick n Pay Flavours of Knysna challenges restaurants in and around Knysna to compete in a variety of categories for recognition by judges and the public,” Nicci continued. “The event allows them to showcase their talents in what promises to be an evening of culinary delights and gastronomic greatness.”

“Various restaurants will also be identified as Oyster Hotspots. Here you will be able to sample oysters a la natural, as well as oysters cooked according to the restaurant’s own original recipes.”

PNP-Knysna-Oyster-Festival1

“And of course we cannot forget about the oyster shucking and eating competitions. Regularly drawing record amounts of participants and spectators, these events are known for their fun factor. On 3 June 2012 Sonya Thomas, also known as ‘The Black Widow’ of competitive eating, ate 47 dozen – 564 in total – oysters in 8 minutes!” Nicci exclaimed. “This record was set in New Orleans, but I can’t help but wonder if we’ll find someone who can better that attempt at this year’s Festival…”

“So train your taste buds and stock up on the milk thistle,” she urged. “This year promises to not only satisfy your taste buds, but to astound them.”

“28 June to 7 July is sure to be the best 10 days of your winter,” Nicci concluded. “Especially if you spend them in Knysna at the Pick n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival, South Africa’s largest lifestyle, sporting and family event. With over 100 sporting, lifestyle, foodie and kiddie events on offer – each of which benefits local communities and charities, the festival truly offers something for everyone. All you have to do is arrive – we’ll take care of the rest.”

Please visit the Pick n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival website for regular updates to the programme and more details on the event, or contact Knysna Tourism on 044 382 5510 for more information.

Top Image Source: Knysna.org

{ 0 comments }

Groot Constantia New Wine Label

by Fiona Rossiter on April 26, 2013

Groot Constantia

Last week I attended an event at Groot Constantia Wine Farm, which is situated in the stunning Constantia Valley. I have blogged about my love of Groot Constantia before and shared photographs of the stunning vineyards and historical buildings that the farm is renowned for.

Groot Constantia has always been one of our family’s favourite places to spend long lazy afternoons, lunching in one of their popular restaurants, sipping on the amazing estate wines! This is usually followed by a stroll, along the tree-lined avenue, surrounded by the magnificent vineyards and majestic mountains.

Photo Credit Groot Constantia

This event was being held to celebrate the new Groot Constantia Gouverneur’s Reserve label, as well as the official unveiling of the upgraded tasting room. This was definitely an event that I had really been looking forward to attending!

The day before the event, Cape Town was launched into the first of this years stormy winter episodes! Weather predictions for the following day were anything but good, with torrential downpours and flooding predicted but the event was to go on as planned! A bit of rain was not going to dampen our spirits, especially with the offer of good food and amazing wines – wild horses would not keep me away!

We were transported to the event from the V&A Waterfront, aboard the Red Sightseeing Bus, which on a less stormy day would have been ideal but the atmosphere on the bus was fun and filled with great expectations for the day ahead.

Groot Constantia Event Collage3

We arrived at Groot Constantia and managed to make a dash from the bus and get out of the rain! We were greeted with a glass of Groot Constantia bubbly and delicious canapes, courtesy of Jonkerhuis Restaurant. The rain outside was quickly forgotten!

Groot Constantia Event Collage

Jean Naudé, the CEO of Groot Constantia, then gave us a brief history of the farm, which is the oldest wine estate in South Africa. It is a farm steeped in history and it is very apparent that the preservation of its heritage, is of paramount importance. The Groot Constantia legacy has spread far and wide, with bottles, bottle shards and bottle seals, which have been discovered in far corners of the world, dating from as far back as 1774. The current owner of the estate is the Groot Constantia Trust, a non-profit company, which ensures that Groot Constantia is beautifully maintained and operated to the highest of standards.

Groot-Constantia-Event13

Next on the agenda was the official opening and ribbon cutting of the newly revamped tasting room, which epitomizes how Groot Constantia, successfully blends the old with the new. The tasting room is warm and inviting and beautifully decorated.

Groot-Constantia-Event12

This was followed by a tasting of the newly labeled Gouverneurs Reserve range of wines. The “new” wine label is a celebration of the Groot Constantia heritage and is in fact an exact reproduction of one of the Estates historical labels, which has been brought back into use to distinguish and honour the Gouverneurs Reserve range of wines. I got a bit carried away with taking photographs of the wine…

Groot-Constantia-Event14

and more photos of wine…

Groot-Constantia-Event9

and yet more photos of wine!

Groot-Constantia-Event11 Groot-Constantia7

After a rather informative cellar tour we made our way to Simons restaurant to continue the festivities. Simon’s holds very special memories, for me, as my baby brother had his wedding reception there in 2011!

Groot-Constantia-Event17

Groot-Constantia-Event22 Groot-Constantia-Event21

We were greeted with a glass of Port, perfect considering the chilly weather and the treated to an array of delicious finger foods and yummy Groot Constantia wines. My personal favourite wine was the Shiraz – which was perfect as it was definitely red wine weather!

Simon's-Food2 Simon's Food Collage2 Groot-Constantia-Event20

One truly has to experience Groot Constantia to feel Groot Constantia – it is about rich history, a beautiful setting, friendly people, memories to be made, fun to be had and, of course, wine to be savoured and enjoyed.

Thank you to Groot Constantia and the organisers for a wonderful day, enriched by good food, amazing wine and great people!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

{ 1 comment }

  • Page 1 of 8
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • ...
  • 8