Lifestyle - Inspired Living SA

Season of Sauvignon Durbanville Wine Valley

Season of Sauvignon

This weekend Durbanville Wine Valley is hosting a Season of Sauvignon. The festival takes place on the 24th and 25th October. Season of Sauvignon celebrates spring, as well as a selection of amazing Sauvignon Blanc’s from the area.

Nestled in the Tygerberg Hills, a mere 20 minutes drive from Cape Town, lies the Durbanville Wine Valley. Perhaps not one of the most well known wine routes, the Durbanville Wine Valley, has become a force to be reckoned with in the wine industry! With hectares of flourishing vineyards, award winning wines and hospitable atmosphere, this wine route is fast becoming the Cape’s destination of choice.

The Durbanville Wine Valley consists of twelve wineries, each offering the finest in wines. Durbanville wine farms, also offer some of the best fine dining restaurants and intimate country kitchens in the region. Having only visited a handful of the participating farms, myself, I am really looking forward to exploring more of the valley!

Below you will find a list of the farms participating in the Season of Sauvignon, as well as more details on the their offering. Along with wine tasting, the farms will offer delicious food, ranging from spit braai to sushi, so there will be something to please every palate.

As well as delicious food and wine, you can enjoy a festive atmosphere, with live music and plenty of supervised entertainment for the kids! If you are keen on a bit of adventure, you can indulge in a Heli-hop between De Grendel, Durbanville Hills and Meerendal, with Base4 Aviation. {see contact details below to book}

The map below will help you plan your route and decide which farms you would like to visit first.

I hope to see you there! Please remember drink responsibly and DO NOT Drink & Drive!

Contact details: For a details and information on the Season of Sauvignon, as well as ticket sales visit www.durbanvillewine.co.za. Heli-hop between De Grendel, Durbanville Hills and Meerendal with Base4 Aviation contact tel 021 934-4405 or [email protected]

Lifestyle, Wine Farms

Franschhoek Uncorked Festival 2015

We were invited to attend the Franschhoek Uncorked Festival at the end of last month. Like many other adventures this year – a first for us! Wine tourism has become such an integral part of the wine and tourism industry in SA and I love to celebrate it whenever possible! If you for some reason you did not managed to attend the Festival this year, then it is a definite must for next year!

Franschhoek Uncorked

The Franschhoek Uncorked Festival, took place on the 26th and 27th of September. To celebrate Braai4Heritage, Franschhoek wineries opened their doors to the wine loving public.

What better way to celebrate your heritage, than with a glass or two of Franschhoek wine! Wines featured at the festival where selected by the winemakers, of the participating farms. Wines were then paired with delicious food and cooked over an open flame – a braai, as we know it!

We started out our wine adventure at Vrede en Lust. After collecting our weekend pass and our wine glasses, we got stuck into the wine tasting. Then it was time for a bite of lunch.

Attending a festival like Franschhoek Uncorked, is a great way of experiencing farms and wines, which you may have overlooked before. It also gives you the opportunity of spending time, soaking in the beautiful valley that is Franschhoek!

One of the highlights of the festival for us was visiting Maison, which we both love. The atmosphere was wonderfully festive and the setting gorgeous! I also picked up a few bottles of the Blanc De Noir which is delcious!

After the Festival we were invited to attend the Protea Party, at Anthonij Rupert Wines. The Protea Party started at 18:30pm, to take advantage of the sun setting over the Franschhoek valley.

Held in a marquee, on the lush lawns of the Anthonij Rupert Tasting room, one could not have asked for a more magical setting! Dining under the stars, with the majestic Drakenstein Mountains as your backdrop – stunning…

Booking for the Protea Party is essential, as seating is limited. Tickets are available for purchase online and are in addition to the cost of the Uncorked Festival tickets.

I am not usually one to write about an event after the fact but we had such fun! I really recommend you pencil in Franschhoek Uncorked for next year, as it is well worth the visit. I know we will be back! Be sure to do what we did and make a weekend of it – stay over! We spent the night at the Le Franschhoek Hotel, which was wonderful!

Your Uncorked Weekend Pass, costs R120 per person and allows you access to the participating farms, as well as a complimentary tasting glass and free wine tastings.

For more info contact the Franschhoek Wine Valley offices on 021 876 2861 or visit the Franschhoek Uncorked Website.

Disclosure Ranking:2

Food, Healthy Eating, Living Green, Storage

Consol Top Reasons Why Food Tastes Better in Glass

Glass has always been my first choice when it comes to storage of both foodstuffs and drinks! It is not only functional but also aesthetically more pleasing. Seeing that it is Choose Glass Week (28 Sep – 02 Oct), I have decided to write a post about why glass… well…works. Over the years I have accumulated an impressive collection of Consol Glass jars and bottles. I use these for everything, from everyday food storage to decorative table displays. [Read more…]

Lifestyle, Photography

Nestling Photography is Coming to Cape Town Book Now!

I have great news, Nestling Photography is Coming to Cape Town! Girly duo Natasha Andreon and Carmen Niemand, of Nestling Photography, are lifestyle photographers, who specialise in Maternity, Newborn, Child & Family photography. Although based in Jozi (Johannesburg), they travel all throughout South Africa and October is Cape Town’s turn!

Nestling Photography

They believe wholeheartedly in family, in love, in nurturing, in children and tenderness. This is most evident in the beautiful images they take!

Nestling’s portfolio covers all aspects of family photography from maternity, newborn, family, to events such as birthday parties and baby dedications.

We love celebrating all things belly, family and children! The cuddle between a mom and her baby, the strong embrace of a dad, the all-to-sweet giggling of a ‘now’ toothless little one! Celebrating families and children being eccentric, being brilliant, being loud, being who they’re suppose to be – themselves!~ Nestling

As a family we have very few, professional photographs of us all together! This is definitely something I regret and wish I had done more of, especially when my girls were younger!

I was really excited to find out that Nestling are coming to Cape Town, to do their Mini sessions. They will be in Cape Town on the 3&4 of October! So don’t miss out book your session now. To book a session or make an enquiry click here.

Images: Nestling Photography

Design & Decor, Lifestyle

FRESH Beyond Words with Cavendish Square

You may recall my post last month featuring the Cavendish Square Beyond Words Campaign. The campaign launched in June and will run until the 13th December. As part of the campaign, Cavendish have asked me to create a “lifestyle” display for each of the Beyond Words themes. The first theme interpretation, I did, was Cosy and the theme for this month is FRESH Beyond Words. You are able to view the display on level P1 until the 21st September.

FRESH Beyond Words with Cavendish Square

“Spring” a FRESH outlook on life!

The word FRESH means “new or different”, which is the perfect definition of Spring. Spring brings with it a fresh outlook on life – green leaves on trees, sweet smelling blossoms and the promise of new life. This is also the perfect time of year, to do some of the things I love – spending time at the seaside, lounging by the pool, picnics in the garden and alfresco dining with friends.

For my FRESH Beyond Words interpretation, I decided on a nautical theme – of navy, red and white. These colours work really well in an outside space and evoke feelings of poolside living or holiday’s at the beach.

I used a mixture of these colours, for the tableware, as well as clear perspex. The wine glasses and pitcher have a funky embossed pattern, for an element of elegance and the “Seven Seas” tray, continues the nautical theme.

For lighting I kept it simple and “beachy” by using two Woven Rope Lanterns and Sea Urchin Candles – both in white.

In keeping with the theme, I dressed the mannequin in stunning navy and white beachwear from Accessorize.

As well as being a wonderful source of inspiration, the Beyond Words Campaign offers shoppers the opportunity of winning prizes to the value of R400 000! You can enter at Cavendish Square on P1 from the 9th June until the 13th December 2015.

Cavendish Square are also offering readers another opportunity of winning! SHARE and COMMENT on the Cavendish Square Facebook Page, telling us what your favourite item from my FRESH look is and you could win a Partners voucher to the value of R410! Remember to visit the Beyond Words display on P1 to see my FRESH look.

For this look, I was assisted with the setup by Shelley Nell.

All items on display are available from Cavendish Square, please see details below:

Mannequin
Sun Hat – Accessorize
Necklace – Accessorize
Navy Dress -Accessorize
Navy & White Bikini Top -Accessorize
Navy Detailed Flip Flops -Accessorize
Sun Glasses – Old Khaki

Table and Bench
Scatter Cushions – Mr Price
Beach Towels – Mr Price
Woven Rope Lantern -Mr Price
Embossed Wine Glasses -Mr Price
Embossed Dot Pitcher -Mr Price
Nautical Lighthouse Tumblers – Mr Price
Red and White Placemats -Mr Price
Seven Seas Plastic Tray -Mr Price
Planters – Mr Price
Starfish -Mr Price
White Coral -Mr Price
Sea Urchin Candles -Mr Price
Red Cube Seat -Mr Price
Magazines – Woolworths

White Metal Tub – Woolworths
Drinks – Woolworths
Nachos – Woolworths

Mens Wear-
Milo T Shirt – Old Khaki
Neil Shorts -Old Khaki
Jackson Thongs -Old Khaki