Cape Town - This year’s Wine & Whatever event will be hosted by the popular Bahia Bleu restaurant at Diaz Beach Hotel. The event will be launched in celebration of South African wine culture and cuisine in anticipation of the tourist season on October 29 and 30 at Bahia Bleu in partnership with Wesgro.
Several food and wineries will have a chance to sample products from 10 farms, collectively offering around 40 different wines for the tasting.
The owner and chief executive of Bahia Bleu restaurant, Emile Nel, said this wine event would be a different experience to other wine events as it will incorporate food in every represented wine.
Apart from pairing the wines to delicious meals, Nel said the hosts aim to educate the public about fine South African produce such as the wide varieties of pinotages.
“We are situated in one of the few hotels situated on the beach, which gives the opportunity for guests to really enjoy the experience as a getaway. The experience won't be a rushed food and wine event, it will give a really relaxing holiday feel.”
Nel said they aim to broaden perspectives. They are working with distributors who will showcase a variety of local pinotage tastings from different regions in the Western Cape, and will educate the public about what climate change has changed for the wine industry.
Such festivals were important, especially in light of the huge knock the hospitality industry suffered as a result of the Covid pandemic and lockdown restrictions. “These initiations and launches are essential to have people experience hospitality and kick-start the restaurant season.”
Guests can expect to be introduced to different wines from Boplaas, Bonnievale, Herold and Du Toitskloof Wines, with distributors including Brand Republic, South Cape Distributors and Garden Route Cargo.
Red wines rare to be tasted include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinotage, Sangiovese and Shiraz, and white cultivars comprise Sauvignon and Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Viognier.
Event organiser Alewijn Dippenaar, of Thousand Sensations boutique beer fame, said the Wine & Whatever concept was specifically designed to offer an alternative tasting format, with its primary focus on experiencing singular varietals from various farms at the same time.
Dippenaar said they intentionally steered clear of the traditional ‘cheese and wine’ idea which is why the emphasis at ‘Wine & Whatever’ was for it to be an ‘experience’ rather than a festival.
Entry to the Wine & Whatever Experience costs R100 per person, which includes your wine glass. Visit www.onlines.co.za to book online.
Weekend Argus