Christmas in South Africa

What a fantastic Christmas!

After much debate and travel planning, Ferdi and I finally boarding Swiss Air to JHB via Zurich on the 24th of December. Landing in JHB on Christmas day was pretty strange, the normally crazy JHB international was strangely quiet and subdued. Our first night was spent at a great little lodge in Boksburg, called Cedar Manor guesthouse. (look out for some great deals for our clients) on our holiday site www.lekkerholidays.com. Nothing like a braai on Christmas day! Our host Kobus was fantastic and all the changes we made to our time with him, including extra nights and extra kids was never a problem.

The next day it was up early, and off to Cape Town, due to a mix up with our car hire (there’s always one who messes it up) We had to be fetched by Ferdi’s brother. A short drive and we were at the spectacular house in Bothasig, dop in hand and in the pool with the kids.

It was fantastic to see ALL the brothers together, Ferdi’s dad couldn’t stop smiling. We even had the added bonus of having one of the Ouma’s with us for a few days.

Highlights over the next 2 weeks were definitely, shopping (and more shopping), fish and chips on the beach, crayfish braai, snoek braai, Soekie Dans on New Years Eve and a fantastic trip on a Catamaran from the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront.

It was all to soon time to go, we borrowed our Nephew Jason and flew back to Joburg with my son and Jason playing Nintendo light the whole way. Back to Cedar Manor, where we spent 2 days organising suppliers for our South African shop. Then it was off to Sabie in the Lowveld. We stayed at Merry Pebbles (maybe you remember it?) it hasn’t changed at all. The kids (and Ferdi) loved the tube ride on the river and the heated pool was a hit with everyone. We did some horse riding just outside of Hazyview and visited a fantastic waterfall. Bought some stock from traders for the shop, lovely.

Then back to Cedar Manor for our last night in sunny South Africa, and here we are back in the UK… (Not that bad I suppose)

All in all a fantastic trip, tons of sunshine, boerewors, klipdrift, wine, family, swimming and friends.

South African Winemaker wins World's best.

South Africa has produced the world's best winemaker for 2008. Abrie Beeslaar, winemaker at Kanonkop, the internationally known wine estate near Stellenbosch, was last night (November 17) voted the International Winemaker of the Year at the International Wine and Spirits Competition's (IWSC) gala award ceremony in London.

The IWSC is the world's leading wine and spirits competition with more than 5,500 entries received from some 50 countries. Apart from the Wolf Blass Trophy awarded for the International Winemaker of the Year, Kanonkop also received the Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande trophy for the best blended red wine with its Paul Sauer 2003, as well as the Dave Hughes Trophy for the Best South African Producer. "It has been a historic year for Kanonkop and it is truly an honour to have been able to share in the winery's successes," Beeslaar said from London. "To be awarded this accolade as the world's best winemaker for the year is an honour one never even dreams about, so the award has simply not sunk in yet. "But I do know that the success belongs to the whole team working in the cellar and vineyards, as well as those who promote our wines throughout the world. But nothing equals the importance of nature with which we are blessed on Kanonkop. It's the soil and the climate that produces the grapes for the wines I am able make to the kind of quality that we are lucky enough to receive this kind of recognition for." Beeslaar also added that he sees this award as recognition of South Africa's potential to compete with the best wine producing countries in the world. "This is the third time that the award has gone to a South African winemaker and should once more prove that our wines are at home with the best in the world." Beeslaar's award comes at the end of an outstanding year for Kanonkop. It was the first wine-farm to receive the Château Pichon Langueville Comtesse de Lalande trophy for a third time. And locally Kanonkop was recently named Wine Producer of the Year by the Platter South African Wine Guide.