The Month November 2010

Have Some Manners We interview cricket guru, Neil Manthorp at Pearl Valley - PAGE 26

Heart and Sol - Reuben Makes His Move We chat with Franschhoek’s boy-wonder - PAGE 10

The babylonsTorenexperienceThe babylonsTorenexperience

PRINTED ONRECYCLED PAPER

the monthTHE

MONTHNOvEMbEr 2010

Your MonthlY winelands Magazine in newspaper forMat

“By-line” to be changed to “” Not happy with the address details and it doesn’t include the new shop – any ideas? We can’t make it too busy so perhaps it should just sat “Franschhoek” and “Camps Bay” with the website and telephone number somewhere along the bottom?

FRANSCHHOEK CAMPS BAY

WWW.EBONYDESIGN.CO.ZA 021 876 4477

f u r n i t u r e i n t e r i o r s f i n e a r t

If this was the last ladybird on earth, would you consider where you stepped?

Tread Lightly by Backsberg wines are packaged in eco-friendly soft bottles that use 50%

less energy to produce and transport, without compromising the

quality of these fine wines.www.treadlightly.co.za

Available at Backsberg and in selected Pick n Pay stores.

Lazy Day PicnicsLazy Day Picnics

Back to the Chalkboard‘bubbles’ on Graham beck’s new wine

Find yourPerfect ManFind yourPerfect Man

The

Cederberg is...Not too Far From Here

The

Cederberg is... Not too Far From Here

www.THEMONTH.cO.za NOvEMbEr 2010

THE MONTH

2

from the editorfrOM THE EdiTOrNOvEMbEr 2010

At the foot of the Simonsberg, the three hundred-year-old, 240-hectare working wine and fruit farm, Babylonstoren, re-opens its doors this month with a Manor House, restaurant, spa, twelve guest cot-tages and one simple aim: that visitors and

guests “return home from the farm more in tune with themselves and the world around them, and with an understanding and ap-preciation of a small piece of Cape farming history, beauty and hospitality.”

inspired by the company Gardens, the defin-ing feature of the farm is the babylonstoren garden; eight acres of fruit and vegetables within a formal structure of fifteen clusters spanning vegetable areas, berries, bees, in-digenous plants, ducks and chickens. Gravity feeds water into waterways from the nearby stream into the garden using a centuries-old irrigation method. Guests are encouraged to lose themselves for a few quiet hours dis-covering the many corners and layers of the garden and even invited to join in the har-vesting, pruning, planting or picking of the many fruits, herbs, nuts, spices and vegetables available.

The garden also services babel, the Maranda Engelbrecht inspired restaurant, which serves “clean food with distinct flavours that cel-ebrates the seasons and the bounty of the garden.” if seasonal produce, ‘farm-to-plate’ eating and healthy cooking float your boat, babel is the restaurant for you. as Maranda says “we don’t like to tamper with food or slash it to bits - pick, clean, serve is our ap-proach.” The offered fare reflects the colours of the season; “in summer we may serve you an Orange Salad of pumpkin, oranges, carrots and maybe a handful of pomegranate seeds; in winter there will perhaps be a slow-cooked leg of lamb to warm you up” she says.

The twelve tastefully decorated guest cottages which run alongside the garden are converted cape dutch farm quarters with either a gar-den or vineyard view and an area for alfresco dining. The style is 17th and 18th century cape

colony with whitewashed outer walls deco-rated with ornate gables and thatched roofs. interiors are pleasantly cool in summer (due to thick walls) and heated by open hearths in winter. babylonstoren’s historic cape dutch home, the five-bedroomed Manor House, is also available on request.

The beauty of the place and the unique ex-perience offered are probably the defining features of babylonstoren as it enters the winelands compendium. The charm of the working farm and sincere service of its people echoes a deeply proud afrikaner heritage - it is a place, they say, ‘to escape from the world and reconnect with it’ - yet its simplicity, qui-etness and uncomplicated approach are likely to be its legacy.

Some time ago one of our regular readers was driven to comment that “The Month is almost like a real newspaper!” No doubt, once she’s had a look at our front page, she’ll call saying that “The Month is almost like a real magazine” too. Of course, she’d be cor-rect on both scores as The Month is, after all, Your winelands Magazine in newspaper format.

rather than walk you through what i think are the highlights this month, i’d like to share some insight as to why we do what we do here at The Month as well as what it is that i believe we offer that sets us apart.

The Month started a little over two years ago with the express purpose of sharing positive stories about life, people and events in what is arguably the most beautiful location in the world. Our intention, even then, was to grow from an initial focus on franschhoek and the franschhoek valley to incorporate the wine-lands as a whole. without a dedicated budget to fund the paper and its expansion, it fell to the publisher to carry the can and, for the most part, the business has proved to be financially viable despite being launched as the world economy went to the dogs. as the focus is gen-erally on topics of general interest, The Month is a magazine in every sense of the word and not a newspaper. The newspaper format has, however, meant that we’ve been able to put our advertisers’ money to work on their behalf by distributing more copies rather than paying a printer to produce glossy pages that then need to be bound and delivered at extra cost.

we’re a small team and most of what we write reflects a personal experience of, or interaction with, the subject matter. we have never claimed to be anything other than regular (albeit rather privileged) folks and, as a result, our experi-ences often reflect those that our readers easily relate to. we have been attacked in the past for glossing over the imperfections and not being sufficiently critical but that is a comment i re-ject with impunity. we are critical, but aren’t in the business of airing dirty laundry for the sake of building a particular reputation or upping our readership. where we are disappointed we tend to share our experiences with the relevant parties – usually owners or managers who are able to use our input productively – and gener-ally choose not to publish anything at all about the parties involved until we have had a chance to revisit them and reassess things. when we do write positively our sentiments are invari-ably genuine and are an honest reflection of our experience.

Our approach has come as a refreshing change for many and the result is that the 20,000-plus copies we distribute each month are often ex-hausted within a week or two of the start of any month. it means too, that our advertisers get a genuine exposure to many more hands and households than were they to choose something that lies in a wire basket until it is replaced with the next edition. Surprisingly it has meant that at least one of our recent adver-tisers chose to pull an ad as it was felt that be-ing potentially visible (on the off-chance that a new reader may choose to pick up just such a copy as it sat forlornly in one of those baskets) was more valuable than actually making into

the hands that our carefully-constructed distri-bution ensures they will. a bit like the man in the Karl vallentin skit that looks for a penny under the street lamp despite losing it in the shadows some distance away.

i digress. Today The Month is a serious pub-lication that still maintains its reputation for not taking itself too seriously. we’re happy to ask direct questions, tackle thought provoking issues and have a lot of fun. feel free to interact with us at any time; SMS 34995 (start your message with Month); follow us on Twitter (The_Month); look for us on facebook (The_Month) or drop us a mail at [email protected]

Dear reaDer...

Editor: Brett Garner083 260 0453 [email protected]

Publisher: David Foster084 827 3986 [email protected]

Photography: Lightworks Photography021 876 4832 [email protected]

Graphic Design & Layoutby Gravity Media [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORSMichele Lupini [email protected]

Dave Rundle [email protected] Liesl Hartje [email protected]

Glenn Barkhuizen [email protected]

babylonstoren: Creating an understanding and appreciation of a small piece of Cape farming history

Matter of Fact...last month our article on The appren-tice restaurant in stellenbosch suggested that the ICa have a campus at spier. as a matter of fact only the banhoek campus is used. We regret the error. We also in-advertently printed the number for susan Charlesworth, the Franschhoek-based at-torney, instead of that for Café des arts in an article about Chris hoffman. susan regrets the error. as a matter of fact, Café des arts can be reached on 021 876 2952.

the_month

the_month

From the front page...

Reaching New Heights

www.THEMONTH.cO.za 3

THE MONTH NOvEMbEr 2010

NOvEMbEr 2010

Sibusiso Mntambo, the good looking, dy-namic young chef at the Palmiet Valley Wine Estate, is a man who is destined for great things. His love of people, his ability to work under pressure and his undeniable talent in the kitchen make him a draw card to the five-star boutique hotel that rivals the estate’s more obvious attractions which in-clude a stunning location, historic buildings and rolling green lawns. I enjoyed a delec-table meal of Grilled Beef Fillet on Saffron and Sweet Potato Puree with Shiitake Mush-room and Red Wine Beurre Blanc followed by a Guava and Chocolate Mousse with Berry and Vanilla Ice Cream, all of which he “threw together” whilst I was shown around the estate by the manager, Nicky Hahn.

Sibu grew up with a passion for food and speaks fondly of his mother’s influence in the kitchen. after training for three years in dur-ban and cape Town through the international Hotel School, Sibu spent time working at a Pam Golding development in Hillcrest and then moved to Grootbos. from there a chance invitation to cater for a function at Palmiet valley saw him move to the estate as their resi-dent chef. i ask him about the source of his

inspiration, suggesting that training and books must be very important. “i find books are too similar to be of use,” he reveals. “it’s the chance i have to experiment in the kitchen that works in my favour. i create a new menu every day and have the opportunity to try new things; and, of course, i can count on the advice and input of friends in the business.”

He doesn’t refer to it, but i’m aware that he has catered for wedding parties of around 120, from his modest kitchen and that, with the help of only a few staff. “it must be very stressful getting everything right for so many people,” i prod. “Not really,” he says genuinely, “it boils down to good planning and getting things prepped.”

i had been drawn to Sibu’s story by something i’d heard about him taking six months off to work with underprivileged children in rural Eastern cape. “it was a bit stressful for the es-tate,” he says “but it was something i had to do and the owners were very understanding. i had met richard Mason, the guy who shot to fame with his book The drowning People, which he wrote when he was 19, here at Palmiet and his work with the Kay Mason foundation was re-

ally inspiring. i spent time working with the foundation in an area outside butterworth, and one day, after discovering that the library had become an office for the municipal waste people, i saw an opportunity to personally give something back. Since then we’ve been hard at work with a library and a books initiative to add to the work of the foundation. i’d love to be there more, but it’s not the right time yet.”

as if cued, we both check our watches and conclude the interview. Sibu to finish up in the kitchen and me to enjoy one more walk through the tranquil gardens as i process the experience of chatting to a rising star based in one of the most beautiful locations in the winelands.

See the Palmiet Valley advert on this page for details.

Destined for Great ThingsStaff Reporter

The dynamic young chef at Palmiet Vallei, sibusiso Mntambo

what ’s on


wHaT’S ONNOvEMbEr 2010

4

WhaT’s onNovember

29 O

CT 20

10 - 1

APR

2011

JAZZ ON FRIDAYCol’Cacchio pizzeria66 Huguenot St.Franschhoek

R140 PER COUPLE(includes a bottle of wine)

EVERY FRIDAY 5.30 - 8.30 PMINFO & BOOKINGS: EMAIL: [email protected]

www.capedutchconnection.co.za

with CAPE DUTCH CONNECTION and

04&054th & 5th november: Bites & Sites: Italian Cheese Workshop Miki Ciman teaches the art of making genuine Italian mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan and oth-ers. r2200pp (price includes all you’ll need), la Masseria agri-Tourismo (on r44), 08:30-16:00. Hanli, 076 032 8234 or [email protected]

la Masseria agri-Tourismo 1111th november: Devonvale Ladies Classic enjoy a Four ball betterball stableford (2 players per team) format competition at beautiful Devonvale. r290pp in-cludes: green fees, welcoming table, goodie bag, fantas-tic prizes and dinner. Tee off times from 11.30-13.30 Dev-onvale Golf & Wine estate - Golf Course, 11h30 - 22h00. [email protected]

Devonvale

01 Dec1st December: The Big Music Night enjoy some raucous musical fun in aid of the local Fran-schhoek charity, The Kusasa Project. expect all the old favourites for, perhaps, the last time. out-side at Col’Cacchio, Franschhoek, 19:00-21:30. booking essential 021 876 4222

Col’Cacchio, Franschhoek

1111th november: Bites & Sites: Italian An-tipasti Workshop learn to prepare a delec-table array of antipasti perfect for long, lazy sum-mer lunches. Mama Miki will also share her food combination secrets and other useful information. r450pp, la Masseria agri-Tourismo, 18:00-22:00. Hanli, 076 032 8234 or [email protected]

la Masseria agri-Tourismo

077th november: Jazz Jam Sessions every sunday from 2pm until 8pm at The lucky store in Idas Valley in stellenbosch. enjoy lunch and a glass of wine and while away the afternoon to the ramon alexander Trio and guest artists. 021 886 7044

The lucky store

2121st november: Dirtopia Full Moon Hike enjoy the sunset over Table Mountain with stun-ning views of the Winelands, whilst enjoying snacks or a picnic on Klapmutskop as the full moon be-gins to rise. 9,75km in total starting at the Trail Cen-tre on Delvera (shorter options possible). r50pp (snacks for sale, pre-book picnics), 18:30-21:00. www.dirtopia.co.za (Follow the ‘Trail Centre’ link)

Delvera

26-2826th - 28th november: Synergy Live Music Fes-tival south africa’s legendary mega-music festival, returns to the beautiful boschendal estate in the Fran-schhoek Winelands with an extraordinary line-up of international and 60 local acts for three full days of sum-mer celebration. r360pp for early bird full weekend tick-ets, boschendal Wine estate. www.webtickets.co.za

boschendal interact with usKnow of something happening in the winelands in December? email details to [email protected] or visit the_Month on Facebook.

2828th november: High Tea at Le Franschhoek Traditional high Tea served swiss Farm style. r125pp includes a glass of bubbly, le Franschhoek hotel and spa, 12:00-16:00. 021 876 8900, [email protected]

le Franschhoek

2727th november: Saturday Summer Concerts spend a saturday evening soaking up the sun, scenery and sounds at the solms-Delta summer Concerts. r170pp, children under 12: r85, 18:30-21:30. 021 874 3937 or [email protected]

solms-Delta

06&076th & 7th november: Franschhoek Open Gar-dens 10 spectacular gardens on show: small to medi-um-sized village gardens; farm gardens; indigenous gar-dens; ‘out of town’ gardens and the gardens of Grande Provence heritage Wine estate. The village will feature a tea and bubbly garden, live music, a fresh goods mar-ket and a plant sale. r100pp for a weekend pass at the Town hall (GarDen ClUb “group discount” for 10 peo-ple or more – r80pp). Fay bentley, 021 876 3495 or [email protected]

Franschhoek

077th november: Jason Hartman Open Air Con-cert Join Idols sa 2009 winner, Jason hartman at al-lee bleue estate for a performance and byo picnic on one of the estate’s beautiful lawns. r140pp, allee bleue estate, Gates open at 11:00, concert starts at 13:00. [email protected]

allée bleue

10-01 Dec10th november - 1st December: Fragile Earth Glass Exhibition award-winning artist, Jean-nette Unite showcases a unique collection of transmogrified glass artwork at The Gallery at Grande Provence. Monday to sunday, 10:00-18:00. 021 876 8630, [email protected]

Grande Provence 11-1311th - 13th november: AgriWorks Farm-ers Expo an expo for farmers and the family, with all the expected stalls as well as workshops, food and wine, a poitjiekos competition and daily enter-tainment by the beautiful etha. adults r20, Chil-dren r10, Van der stel sports Ground, 09:00-18:00. www.agriworks.co.za

Van der stel sports Ground

2010

www.THEMONTH.cO.za

just for fun

5

JuST fOr fuNNOvEMbEr 2010

NOvEMbEr 2010

MONNEAUX RESTAURANT • FRANSCHHOEK COUNTRY HOUSE & VILLAS Tel: +27 (0)21 876 3386 • email: [email protected]

For more information visit our website at www.fch.co.za

This month we introduce The Hottie of The Month – an idea we shamelessly stole from the creator of SpitOrSwallow.co.za, Anel Grobler. Launched in June 2008 after nu-merous visits to various wine farms across South Africa, SpitOrSwallow is arguably the best winery review site in the country. What

started out as a hobby has became a platform for wine lovers to rate, review and keep track of their cellar door experiences. Today the site has over 900 active users, also known as Wineflies, and visitors can view the Top 10 wine farms in South Africa according to public opinion. The team’s insatiable love for wine, people and the Winelands also brought about a sister website called Wi-neTimes.co.za, dedicated to all things wine related.

To qualify as The Hottie our only criteria at The Month is that the person concerned must have a profile within the wine, food or tourism business in the winelands. by way of introduc-tion, this month’s Hottie and the associated text is taken from the wineTimes website.

Susan is the award-winning winemaker at vrede en Lust who has no problem with getting her hands dirty. The blonde bombshell was born in cape Town and grew up in the free State. She returned to the winelands in 2000 and was voted Landbou weekblad’s woman win-emaker of the year in 2007.

Hottie of The Month

Tel: (021) 874 1611 | Corner of R45 and Klapmuts Simondium Rd, PaarlVisit our website to join our wine club: www.vnl.co.za

We have tailored an exclusive Wine Club for our valley's special 'Swallow' community where the shipping schedule is tuned to your Southern summer stay needs! You willl receive discounts on our Award Winning Wines, Accommodation and Swallows Wine Club

Questions by SpitorSwallow.co.zaAnswers from Susan erasmus

Q: Single?A: Nope, happily married!

Q: If you were a type of wine, what variety would you be?A: A Feisty Shiraz.

Q: What’s your favourite Vrede en Lust wine?A: Boet Erasmus 2007 and Sauvignon blanc… and Viognier…

Q: Share a secret of Vrede en Lust that we prob-ably don’t know?A: No secrets, only a few hidden barrels.

Q: If you were a tree, what tree would you be?A: A massive oak tree.

Q: What one thing would you take with you to a deserted island?A: I don’t have one, but apparently an iPad can solve all your problems.

Q: Do you think people should eat the fish they catch, or just let them go?A: If they are on the green list, eat them!

Q: What song always makes you happy when you hear it?A: Ting Ting’s That’s not my name.

Q: Name one person you would never want to meet?A: Paris Hilton.

Q: Do you dance crazy when no one is looking?A: Yes, but my husband always steals the dance floor…

Q: An angel appears out of Heaven and offers you a lifetime supply of the alcoholic beverage of your choice. What will you choose? A: Wine. I wouldn’t mind a non-stop supply of some spectacular Rhone blends.

Q: You had the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?A: Does Bruce Willis sing?

Q: If you were the opposite sex for one day, what would you look like and what would you do?A: Asterix.

Q: Have you ever thrown up in a car?A: No.

Q: How much cash do you have on you?A: R210.87

Q: Do you have a secret talent and what is it?A: Yes, baking cakes!

Q: Would you rather be good looking or rich?A: Glich…

HAve A HoTTie oFTHe moNTH CoNTeNder?sMs the word Month, the name of the hottie and

where we’re likely to find him/her to 34995

Susan Erasmus - Vrede en Lust



6

[email protected] | 021 876 8900 | www.lefranschhoek.co.za

A Provençal-style French Picnic.

Select your baguette or rosemary flatbread straight from the wood fired oven. Then, your choice of pâtés, cold cuts, organic cheeses, condiments such as piquant humus and order olives straight from the barrel. Relax and spend a slow day with friends in one of the many

conservatories or under an ancient oak.

Welcome to Le Franschhoek – country style!

R125 per person

every weekend from

25 September 2010

“OFF

THE R

ECORD” A

RE PERFORMING LIVE ON THE BANDSTAND AT LA PETITE FERME

NO

VEMBER 2010 “WHEN VINYL WAS STIL

L CO

OL”

Relax and sip chilled wine, enjoy scrumptious food and watch an unforgettable sunset over the beautiful Franschhoek valley.

Tables are allocated on a “�rst come �rst served basis” so book now to avoid disappointment! Cost is R150 per person and includes

a choice of any starter and main with a bottle of wine per couple and live music. Tel: 021 876 3016 – Band plays 6 - 9pm.

WHATEVER YOU DO DON’T MISS OUT ON FRIDAY EVENINGS AT

Rod Byl on drums, John Mc Williams on bass guitar, Tony Thomson on lead guitar and vocals, Rael Yudelman on

Keyboard, 12 string guitar and harmonica plus vocals, Anton du Plessis on vocals. Hits such as Love is in the Air,

Love me Do, and Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress will be some of the many numbers performed

in November on FRIDAY EVENINGS!

The Gallery, at the Grande Provence Herit-age Wine Estate in Franschhoek, has consist-ently raised the bar in terms of the quality and diversity of exhibitions and exhibitors on display there. The suitability of The Gal-lery as a venue for just about any type of art is particularly evident at the moment with The Gallery being awarded the oppor-tunity to permanently display a number of the pieces that constituted the National Ce-ramics Exhibition as well as showcasing the glass slumping work of Jeannette Unite and the current installation: Painters who Print – Art on Paper.

The venue has generated so much positive press and traffic that the gallery has almost doubled in size of late and the new section will play home to the National ceramics Exhibi-tion pieces and more.

For more information, call 021 876 8600.

Grande DesignsStaff Reporter

As Pieter Ferreira, of Graham Beck Wines, spoke to me of the estate’s newest creation – a series of wines to be referred to as the Chalkboard – it struck me that a good wine maker, like an accomplished artist, crafts an idea not an ideal.

The chalkboard wines, at present a Sauvignon blanc/chenin blanc/viognier blend further identified as ‘series#1’ and a Shiraz ‘series#2’, offer a radical departure from a traditional win-emaking approach that sees the winemaker combining different parcels of the same grape varietal to then transform into wine. while it is not uncom-mon to coax or enhance particular aspects of any given wine from different portions of the total by employ-ing specific meth-ods on each, the Graham beck team works at the level where individual par-cels of grapes each receives the kind of t r e a t m e n t that allows for that par-cel’s terroir, the attention it received though the season or even just what experi-m e n t a t i o n the winemak-er chose on a particular day to find its way into the bottle. The result is a one-off series that may go on to become a wine that stands on its own, becomes part of a blend in another wine or simply disappears. The feedback of customers and the wine’s per-formance as a series will determine its future, explained Pieter.

There’s a sense that rather than being presented with a finished product, the chalkboard offers wine drinkers a glimpse of a work in progress and a chance to shape the final outcome. it’s why each chalkboard needs the ‘series’ label. any number of Shiraz 2007 variations may make it to the cellar door but Pieter pointed out that they may be as different as chalk and cheese.

The wines will only be available in limited quantities and at the cellar door. at r80 for the white blend and r85 for the

Shiraz, series#1 and series#2 are well priced

but not aimed at bin end buyers. The white is a seriously good wine with a nose that changes perceptibly as the wine warms. The Sauvignon blanc is dominant but well com-p l e m e n t e d by the flo-ral chen-in while the tiny a m o u n t of viog-nier was ha r ve s t ed when very ripe and adds a no-t i c e a b l e dimension. The Shiraz is sure to e l e v a t e series#2 to an iden-tity on its own. 15 months in

first, second and third

fill french and american oak means that the

wine is complex but well-rounded with supple tannins. Expect lots of berry aromas, a spicy palate and somewhat sweet finish. for anyone who has yet to learn of the pleasures of fine wine, it’s time to step up to the chalkboard.

Back to the ChalkboardWine Correspondent


food and winefOOd & wiNE NOvEMbEr 2010

NOvEMbEr 2010

stephan du Toit, master of the ‘feminine style’

It was recently announced that SAA had awarded Dieu Donné Vineyards in Franschhoek the rare compliment of choosing to offer the Dieu Donné MMC to its Premium Class custom-ers, for the second year in a row. It’s the kind of award that sees the airline purchase vol-umes of wine and as a result I feared that I might find myself a little short of bubbles come Christmas. I rushed out to the well known Franschhoek wine estate to stock up and see what else might be news. As it turns out I bumped into Stephan du Toit, the estate’s wine maker, and soon had him seated outside with a cup of coffee as he chatted to me about winemaking, awards and what leads to what.

Stephan explained that dieu donné has three unique features that have a profound in-fluence on the wines he and his team create: the steep south-west facing slopes of the farm; the relative height of the slopes (which makes the average summer temperatures about 4°c cooler than the valley floor) and the weathered granite greywacke soil in which the grapes rip-en slowly as they fight to survive. The effect of the latter is that the tannins in the grapes ripen

substantially more than in other areas in South africa, by the time the grapes are harvested.

The result is Merlot and chardonnay that closely resemble those from the Médoc region north of bordeaux and that benefit from the winemaking approach typical of the region. Stephan’s experience of working in the region at places like château Margaux, has given him a wealth of experience and a distinct advan-tage that perfectly matches the grapes he has to work with.

Stephan describes his wines as having a femi-nine character – with dominant mineral/floral characters rather than the berry/tobacco fla-vours that characterise a more masculine wine such as a Mouton-rothschild. He attributes these characters, in part, to terroir and also to the winemaker’s particular style. He suggests that successful wines are made in a style that respects the terroir and that the two need to be properly paired. as his wine making experi-ence in france was with wines that were suited

to the feminine style, the matching terroir at dieu donné has led to his consistent success. No doubt he’s correct, but his modesty belies his obvious ability and exceptional knowledge of the local environment and the french ap-proach to winemaking.

The upshot is a Michelangelo 2010 double gold as well as a veritas 2010 gold for the 2008 dieu donné Merlot and the recent purchase by Saa of the Mcc.

with the purchase of much of their 2008 Mcc stock, Stephan has had to think out of the box to ensure that the estate is a viable exhibitor at this year’s franschhoek champagne and Méth-ode cap classique festival in december. There was talk of them pulling out of the event but as Stephan regards it as one of the most impor-tant bubbly festivals and the wine festival he enjoys the most, he soon had a plan in place to disgorge a special batch of the 2009 vintage by hand especially for december.

we’ll drink to that!

‘Du Toit’ing With WineStaff Reporter

DATES: 27th NOVEMBER, 4th, 11th AND 18th DECEMBER

AND 15th, 22nd AND 29th JANUARY AND 5th FEBRUARY

TIME: 6:30pm – 9:30pm

COST: R170 per person. (Children under 12yrs – R85)

FOR BOOKINGS: Call Fyndraai on 021-874 3937 ext 115 or email [email protected] INFORMATION:

go to www.solms-delta.co.za - EVENTS & SUMMER CONCERTS tabs

Summer in the Cape Winelands heralds long, leisurely days of ‘warmth and sunshine’... and also the Saturday Summer Concert season at Solms-Delta wine estate near Franschhoek. From 27th November (excluding Christmas and New Year weekend and Sat 8 January) until the end of February 2011, spend a Saturday evening soaking up the sun, scenery and sounds of this magical concert series while indulging in a glass of Solms-Delta wine and a hearty Fyndraai Kaapse braai buffet. Local favourites DELTA SOETSTEMME, DELTA VALLEY ENTERTAINERS, DELTA LANGBROEKE and LEKKER LEKKER DELTA will set the stage for toe-tapping revelry and there is an exciting line-up of musicians from around the country, which include the popular RADIO KALAHARI ORKES and much loved HANNES COETZEE as well as LES JAVAN, Solms-Delta’s musician artist-in-residence.

SATURDAY SUMMER CONCERTS AT


THE MONTH

8

food and winefOOd & wiNENOvEMbEr 2010

During November 2010 the FWVTA will be collecting feed-back from Franschhoek visitors, potential visitors and residents to determine their perception of the Franschhoek valley and what it has to offer. Feedback will be collected via an online survey that will be accessible from the www.themonth.co.za website. This will enable the FWVTA to better plan future marketing initiatives and de-velopment priorities.

This year’s Franschhoek ‘Magic of Bubbles’ Cap Classique and Champagne Festival, takes place over the weekend of the 3rd to 5th of December, and for the fifth year run-ning, this social calendar highlight is spon-sored by Investec Private Bank. The festival

is South Africa’s premier Champagne and Cap Classique showcase and features some of France’s best Champagnes alongside the finest local Cap Classiques. There will be a larger number of Cap Classique exhibitors participating this year (some for the first time) and the theme for this year’s festival is ‘Black and White’, with a prize on offer to the best dressed couple on each of the festi-val days.

The format of the festival has changed some-what to allow for a larger, more spacious, grand marquee on the sprawling lawns to the left of franschhoek’s famous Huguenot Monument. cap classique and champagne stalls will be interspersed by restaurants offering delicious delicacies to match, with new food products and restaurants taking part. a number of high-

end wine-related products from franschhoek’s exquisite retail shops will also be found at this year’s festival.

Special value-added franschhoek packages that include accommodation, breakfast and festi-val tickets will also be on offer for the friday evening event, making any trip out to fran-schhoek even more exceptional. This year the festival will take full advantage of the cape’s glorious summer evenings, with the festival open from 6pm to 10pm on friday the 3rd, and then between 12pm and 6pm on both the 4th and 5th of december.

a r180pp entrance fee includes a tasting glass and a complimentary booklet of tasting cou-pons. Thereafter all tastings will be charged on consumption. Tickets are available online at www.webtickets.co.za, and numbers are lim-ited. contact [email protected] for more information.

Pop Goes the FestivalStaff Reporter raising the wine bar

Last month we reported that The wine bar at café bonbon was open and we decided to pay them a visit to see what all the positive hype is about. in true La Petite dauphine style, The wine bar is decorated so as to complement the adjoining dining venue in the popular rustic/traditional style synonymous with the working fruit farm and vineyard. while the setting is lovely, the proof of the pudding (so-to-speak) is in the drinking and after an in-depth exploration of the Haut Espoir wines on offer there’s no doubt that they have a recipe for success.

Nikey van zyl, the Haut Espoir wine maker, tends the vines at La Petite dau-phine and after many years of selling off the grapes to the well known wine estate, he will soon produce a number of wines under La Petite dauphine’s own label. it’s a win-win arrangement says rob armstrong, the Gentle Giant of Haut

Espoir. The decision to move the public tasting from the wine estate to café bonbon has the added advan-tage of offering wine lovers a more complete experience and an op-portunity of expertly pairing their respected wines with the café’s delicious food. Haut Espoir is still open by appointment for those interested in a cellar tour or rob’s famous fynbos walks.

See their advert on page 21.

Enjoy special three-course Christmas Eve & Christmas• Day celebrations with family-style cuisine, live musical enter-tainment, complimentary gourmet gift & arrival drink from R690.00 per person. Fabulous New Year’s Eve celebration with welcome drink, fi ve-course dinner, live music from R1490 pp.

Main Road Franschhoek Western Cape T + 27 21 876 8600 F + 27 21 876 8601 E [email protected] www.grandeprovence.co.za

To avoid potential disappointment reservations are essential to ensure you are able to secure a place for you and your family and friends at these fabulous Grande Provence Celebrations.

BUY 6 BOTTLES & ONLY PAY FOR 5.• Make a lunch reservation at � e Restaurant and your •

superb cuisine will be accompanied by a complementary glass of our award-winning Grande Provence Shiraz 2007*.

Dine with us on Sundays over the summer months and• relax while enjoying live musical entertainment, as well as the beauty of our magnifi cent gardens. Award-winning cuisine accompanied by internationally-recognised Estate wines.

From 31 October – 01 December, � e Gallery at Grande• Provence will be exhibiting a selection of inspiring examples of lithography by artists who have worked for � e Artists Press.

Celebrate the art of

living

celebrate with shiraz 2007

Celebrate Summer on sundays

celebrate xmas & New Year

celebrate ‘painters who paint’

*Please bring this advertisement with you, in order to qualify for these special Shiraz 2007 off ers.


NOvEMbEr 2010

NOvEMbEr 2010

food and winefOOd & wiNERestaurant ReviewStaff Reporter

Laborie Restaurant, on the three hundred-year-old Laborie Wine Estate in Paarl, has something to offer everyone. Its historic buildings provide charm and an elegant ambience; the Belgian owners, Peter and Maureen Raes, add a dynamic international flavour that complements the global-fusion cuisine of Executive Chef, Alicia Giliomee and her proudly South African staff and there’s a decent wine list which caters for every pocket and palate.

as is our norm at The Month, we arrived at La-borie without notice (although we had booked our lunch table in advance). we were met by a handful of friendly staff and Nadia our vi-vacious host for the afternoon. we were soon seated inside, with the option to move out-doors if we preferred. despite being a sunny day the marked chill meant that the crackling fire in the dining room was entirely relevant and most welcome. it was a nice touch and we were happy to sit at one of the five avail-able spots. The tables were elegantly laid and without otiosities, there are linen overlays and napkins, relevant wine glasses and a tumbler should we choose to drink water rather than wine. we sent the tumblers away without de-lay.

with a budget and a typical business-lunch agenda we went straight for the chef ’s Summer Special which runs until the end of april next year. The three-course menu offers diners the choice of two items and a glass of Laborie wine for r145. i chose the main and dessert, while my partner the starter and main. The starter is ‘Laborie’s famous Salad’; lettuce, cucumber, apple, mushrooms, rosa tomatoes, calamata olives and phylo wrapped feta. The dish is colourful

and fresh and the portion quite generous. The cape Malay chicken curry main is equally impressive and satisfyingly filling. The beau-tifully presented curry, with rice and roti on the side, includes stewed apricots, prunes and other fruit and the resultant flavours infuse the dish with a sweetness that perfectly balances the yellow curry. Toasted coconut shavings and some crisp mini-corns and other veg add an interesting variation to the texture. if you don’t like brussels Sprouts warn the chef – she doesn’t seem to mind them.

The dessert is a work of art. with chocolate and icing sugar to dress the plate, the Summer berry vacherin is a scoop of creamy vanilla ice-cream hidden beneath a berry topping, nestled in a light meringue base. The rich vanilla ice-cream perfectly complements the intense berry flavours which offer a touch of acidity to fresh-en the palate and combine to make the perfect end to a memorable meal.

while not imposing, we were visited by Na-dia once or twice to see if all was in order; we had an opportunity to chat to Peter who was ever-vigilant as he chatted to the many guests who arrived during the course of the lunch-time service and despite the pressure that must have been on her in the kitchen, alicia made an appearance to accept our compliments and comments.

for less than r350 including gratuity, we were well fed, carefully attended to and made to feel like welcome friends. it brought to mind the by-line on the Laborie restaurant web-site, “where Yesterday and Today Meet,” and thanks to the Summer Special i’d add “again

and again.”

LAborie, PAArLraising the wine bar

Log onto www.zoopy.com/cooking03 to see roland preparethe recipe of The month in person.


THE MONTH

10


“Don’t move, they’re taking our picture”

after the wildlife tour, ‘pig out’ at the winery

When Simon Grier of Villiera Wines led me to the Landy, pointing to the newest solar panel installation on the roof of the estate’s large storage shed, I could sense I would learn much in his company for the next hour or so. I had visited the farm previously to pick up some wine and left with a mixed case of bubblies and a brochure about their game drives. For R150, Simon conducts an in-depth tour of the 175 hectare Villiera Wild-life Sanctuary that incorporates parts of Vil-liera and neighbouring property and there’s the added incentive of a self-conducted cel-lar tour and the pleasure of a Villiera wine tasting. I hoped it would be a good way to spend a little money and a couple of hours of my time - I wasn’t disappointed.

The Griers bought the farm in the ‘80s and since then have worked hard to establish a name for themselves as serious wine producers who are equally passionate about protecting the environment. The solar panel installation that spans three large buildings and almost 900m2 is the largest roof-mounted installation of its kind, says Simon. The savings the farm enjoys on its current Eskom bill will see the project pay for itself within six years. More than that, removing many of the now unnecessary power lines on the farm, and within the sanctuary, means that the environment is made visually more appealing and safer for birds, such as blue cranes, that breed there.

Simon is a walking encyclopaedia when it comes to wildlife and matters environmental. He pointed to a patch of the indigenous trees at the entrance to the sanctuary, naming each tree and explaining which animals and birds would benefit from its planting. To date, more than 23,000 trees have been planted by villiera and the cape Garden centre, who have also donated land to the sanctuary. No sooner were we in the sanctuary when we were met by a small herd of Eland. They looked at the vehicle inquisitively as Simon shared that the drives are not marketed aggressively and that he con-ducts them personally in order to control the number of people who visit and minimise the impact on the animals.

as we moved forward slowly he pointed to birds, animals and plants i would otherwise have missed: a knee-high wild Olive, the swishing tail of a hiding bontebok and an elu-sive black Sparrow Hawk. Simon spots a Pat-terson’s curse and does the same. The invasive weed has the ability to spread like wildfire and he detests it. More than once on the journey Simon would stop the vehicle and gather up a handful of the plants and toss them in the back of the car. The farm employs a team of six people who scour the sanctuary removing the weed and any rubbish that may have re-mained from the previous farming activities on the land. in places it’s hard to believe that the sanctuary incorporates a now defunct clay mine, so complete is the transformation of the vegetation and terrain.

i asked Simon about the presence of a number of alien trees such as Port Jackson, rooikrans and Eucalyptus. He pointed out that a number of animals and birds rely on the presence of large trees and that removing them would have meant destroying this vital habitat. instead his approach has been to reintroduce indigenous trees, which are fenced off or packed with mounds of branches until they are adequately established, while allowing the larger game species such as Eland and Gemsbok to natu-rally control the growth of the aliens or even eradicate them completely. The action of a kind of wasp in particular has lead to the death of a large number of the Port Jacksons. Simon

is quick to point out that even the dead trees serve a purpose and become home to many of the smaller species and birds on the farm. The resultant landscape is an amazing display of how to turn a good example of the destructive power of man into a powerful testimony of a good man’s dedication and care.

in total the sanctuary is home to about 230 large animals that include zebra, Eland, Gemsbok, bontebok, Springbok (in true rain-bow Nation spirit with white, black and col-oured examples) and bush Pigs as well as 120-odd bird species, fish and creepy-crawlies.

Once out of the sanctuary i was glad to note that the farm has made energy saving and sen-sitivity to the environment part-and-parcel of every aspect of their operation. The cellar is naturally lit using solar domes; where tem-perature regulation is important doors are kept closed; processes that require extra power from

Eskom are scheduled for off-peak times and staff are made aware of their value in adding to the farm’s environmentally responsible identi-ty. The result is that Marks & Spencer recently named the vineyard their international Plan a Supplier of the Year; the first time the award has left the uK. it means that Marks & Spen-cer regard villiera as “doing the right thing” in terms of social and environmental sustain-ability.

There’s no doubt in my mind that the Griers and their team are doing just that, and the game drive and their efforts are going to earn them many more words of praise.

Winery Review With a Difference...Staff Reporter

viLLierA, STeLLeNboSCH


NOvEMbEr 2010

NOvEMbEr 2010

food and winefOOd & wiNE

Matthew van heerden, one of ‘The best’

like the setting, the Uva Mira Chardonnay is spectacular

3 Reservoir Street, Franschhoek • Tel: 021 876 3083 • [email protected]

home builders

architectural interiors

In 2006, Uva Mira, on the slopes of the Helderberg Mountains in Stellenbosch, was declared to have ‘The Best Chardonnay in the World’ as well as being the ‘Best South African Wine Producer of the Year’ at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London. At the same time Uva Mira’s wine maker, Matthew van Heerden, was also named as one of ‘The Top Ten Winemak-ers in the World’. Since then the estate has consistently released wines that have been highly rated by Platter, and earned awards from Michelangelo, Decanter, Mundis Vini and Winemakers’ Choice to name a few. We headed up the Hidden Valley road to the es-tate recently to show some hard-to-impress friends about, and literally had our collec-tive breath taken away.

The wines justifiably deserve the many acco-lades they have earned and the friendly and genuinely self-effacing Matthew is an enter-taining fellow who has grown and matured as impressively as his wines have, in the short time that he has been at the helm of the wine production process there. Having joined the farm in 2003, Matthew wasted no time in get-ting the estate on the map and in 2006 Neil Pendock wrote in his Pendock unbottled col-umn that “The maiden vintage of his 2004 uva Mira red blend was rated better than Opus One 2002, chateau Mouton-rothschild 1999 and chateau Haut-brion 2003 by a blind tast-ing panel comprised of the major elements of the Sa wine fourth Estate.”

The 2008 chardonnay (Platter 4½ stars; de-canter Gold and regional Trophy; Mundus vini Silver and Michelangelo Silver) is sadly sold out. Sadly for tasters that is… but the 2009 iteration has already garnered a win-emakers’ choice diamond award and is some-thing special indeed. while it will benefit from some more time in the bottle it is worth drinking already. it’s a full-bodied chardon-nay, oaked in small barrels, that maintains its fruity identity and a distinct minerally finish. at r200 it’s likely that most will save it for a special occasion and we were soon listing as many occasions as we could to justify buying as many bottles as we could afford.

The 2009 Sauvignon blanc (Platter 4 stars, Michelangelo Gold) is a well-balanced white with fragrant tropical fruit and green pepper both evident and a touch of acidity to freshen things up. at r75 it’s a steal. The available reds, a 2006 Merlot cabernet Sauvignon and the well-known blend, are classics. The Merlot cab-Sauv is another well-balanced wine with the typical characteris-tics of each varietal evident.

12 months in oak, of which 70% was second and third fill, means that the wine has a well-rounded mouth-feel and is perfect for drinking now or will keep - if you can bring yourself to put it away. The 2006 red blend (36% caber-net Sauvignon 24% Merlot 23% Shiraz 17% cabernet franc) is a complex work that is far too easy on the palate! 18 months in french oak means that it’s probably best with food and another of those special occasions.

The “hard-to-impress” were unanimous in their verdict: uva Mira has the best view, abso-lutely delectable wines, a great winemaker and all that’s needed for a truly memorable after-noon out.

Simply “The Best...”Staff Reporter


THE MONTH

12


Warwick’s refined offering

cosecha; refreshingly old-fashioned and authentic

le Verger: r125 for the picnic, the view is complementary

With the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer finally here, The Month went is search of a good picnic spot or three and happened upon Le Verger in Franschhoek, cosecha in Paarl and Warwick in Stellenbosch in no particular order and for no reason other than that they each offer picnics quite dif-ferent from the other. (if you feel aggrieved that your picnic spot wasn’t reviewed, send a voucher to [email protected] and i’ll happily oblige – ed)

Le verger restaurant, at Le franschhoek Ho-tel and Spa, recently started advertising the french affaire, a “Provencal-style french Pic-nic.” intrigued that someone in franschhoek should be doing something french, i prepared for a lazy afternoon of alfresco dining and a feast of franschhoek’s famed views and a self-serve selection of eats that include oven-fresh bread, pates, cold meats, cheeses and their ac-companying condiments. with wife, child and a large yellow digger-loader in tow, i arrived worried that my hyper-active terror would be too much for the staff and me. what a surprise to find the weekend crowd peppered with kids and the staff calm and collected as they wel-comed us warmly, showed us around the heav-ily laden tables and pointed us in the direction of the very important wine bar.

i was surprised to be given an empty goodie bag – save for some recyclable containers and eating utensils. “125 rand per person doesn’t buy much these days,” i joked as Eben Las-sen, Le franschhoek’s General Manger stepped closer. in no time he helped transfer a number of eats to the containers and we were soon seated on a grassy spot in the sylvan garden complete with blanket, cushions and digger-loader. we could have chosen a seat in one of Le verger’s well-known glass houses but the sunny day and hiss-ing micro-misters gave me the perfect excuse to lie down and knock back the restaurant’s vrede en Lust house wine aptly

labelled for the occa-sion.

The venue has been cleverly used to accommo-date picnickers, although all the grassy spots are quite close by and those seeking a more in-timate space would do well to take one of the glass houses overlooking the valley (head left as you enter Le verger). On a really sunny day the shady awnings will be a blessing too.

for those not into picnic food, enjoy a french-style tappas platter, pizza or an item from the hotel’s menu and there’s lemonade and ice

tea for non wine-drinkers and if, like me, you want to see a menu, stop one of the waiters and take a look at his shirt.in Paarl i took the same team to co-secha, the Latin-inspired restaurant at the Noble Hill wine estate, where they offer bespoke picnic baskets full

enough to feed an army. The setting at coescha is quite different from that at Le verger, with a rolling lawn dot-ted with shady trees, sloping gently to an open dam.

with the digger-loader still in the car, Kristo-pher Tillery soon had my youngster sussed and brought a set of boules and an offer of a cro-quet set to us. we’d ordered the vineyard bas-ket, which includes meat, cheese and salmon platters respectively, a number of salads, bread, biscuits, chips and some killer chocolate brown-ies. what struck me, as i lazed about with the clunk of boules and chatter of the weavers in the background, was that the whole experience is authentic. all the food served is what i would have imagined packing had i planned a picnic myself – not that i would have managed quite so many variations or prepared everything quite so meticulously. what was particularly impressive is their use of ceramic plates, linen napkins, proper cutlery and reusable contain-ers; it’s refreshingly old-fashioned.cosecha also offer a kid’s picnic option and a

Garden basket for those who want to avoid the meat and fish. wine, water, soft drinks and coffee and teas are also available. at r218 it’s well-priced and worth the visit.

Our last stop was to warwick, on the r44 out-side Stellenbosch. a rolling lawn, similar to that of cosecha, but larger and dotted with um-brellas rather than trees, presents an expanse of green that meets a large and safely fenced dam. The picnics are available from 12pm onwards and as we had arrived a little early we chose a suitable spot, set the toddler and his friend to work on the jungle gym and headed off to do a little wine tasting. with the lawn and play area in full view we were close enough to help if needed but far enough away to feel as though we were having a break.

To sum warwick’s offering up in one word is easy – it’s refined. The picnic is delivered in a box atop a board that doubles as a working sur-face; perfect for the still-warm baguette, deli-cious cheeses, various salads, rooibos and oak smoked chilean salmon, biltong pate and oth-er delicacies. Most items are presented in small glass bottles or cardboard boxes and each item features a simple tag identifying it. utensils are made from biodegradable Plastarch and what little plastic there is can be burnt without emit-ting any toxic smoke. r800-odd was enough to satisfy the needs of four adults, bought one kiddies picnic, included a tasting and a bottle of chardonnay and a made for a very satisfying afternoon.

Having tried three very different venues i was relieved that we had not set out to find the best one. They each offer an excitingly different take on a dining option that is sure to be a favourite this summer.

Lazy Day PicnicsThe Editor

SMS...Your favouritepicnic spot to

34995(start your SmS with

the wordsmonth Picnic)

Terms & Conditions on page 31

www.THEMONTH.cO.za 13NOvEMbEr 2010

Property & Lifestyle Section

THE

MONTH

AWARDS

2010 Compleat Golfer ‘5 Star Golf Experience’2009 Golf Digest ‘Best Golf Estate’ 2009, 2008, 2007 Host of the SA Open 2009 Golf Digest ‘2nd best conditioned course’

MODERN HOUSE WITH A VIEW

This four bedroom contemporary home was designed with the prime position and views that this site had to offer in mind. The views across the green and down the fairway with Simonsberg mountain in the background are truly spectacular.

SPACIOUS FAMILY HOME

Ideal open plan Family home offering fantastic entertainment potential, and loads of living space. This home is located in a great position on the estate, offering golf course and mountain views and is North facing.

ACCOMMODATION | FROM R990 PP

Pearl Valley offers a variety of luxurious, fully equipped self-catering lodges. Lodges are air-conditioned, all bedrooms are en-suite and are serviced daily. A variety of Short Term accommodation packages are also available.

From R990 pp

R10.95 million

For sales and lease enquiries | T +27 21 867 8000 | F +27 21 867 8096 | E [email protected] | W pearlvalleygolfestates.com

R8.5 million

The Month 270mm x 270mm 22 Oct.indd 1 2010/10/25 09:13:44


PrOPErTY & LifESTYLENOvEMbEr 2010

14

R64 million sales in 7 months!

Seeff Franschhoek - the smart move!

QUAINT COTTAGE + SECURITY Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms 2 Garage 1

WEB 219 580MARIANNE 082 921 3248 [O] 021 876 4592

FRANSCHHOEK R1 700 000

Ideal cottage for scaling down to or a starter Franschhoek property with an open plan lounge/dining area and 2 en-suite bedrooms. On a security estate with a swimming pool & tennis courts.

market

COTTAGE ON DOUBLE PLOT Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 3 Garage 1

WEB 202 038JEANINE ALLEN 082 410 6837 [O] 021 876 4592


1500m² Plot with beautiful 3 bedroom home positioned in a stunninglandscaped garden with a pool. Double volume entertainment area with gas fireplace and airconditioning. Very characterful property!

1800's VILLAGE CHARMER Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 2 Garage 1

WEB 209 058MELINA VISSER 082 419 9928 [O] 021 876 4592


Perfectly placed close to Village centre offering you 3 bedrooms, a small pub, spacious lounge with fireplace and a lovely country style kitchen. Bonus garden apartment/office. A rare find in the village!

URGENT SALE - MAKE AN OFFER! Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms 2 Garage 1

WEB 218 890MARIANNE 082 921 3248 [O] 021 876 4592

FRANSCHHOEK R2.3m - make an offer

Great investment opportunity for you on this urgent sale property - will consider all reasonable offers. Spacious house on a large plot of 813m² with elevated views! Excellent double storey potential.


NOvEMbEr 2010

NOvEMbEr 2010

PrOPErTY & LifESTYLE



16


NOvEMbEr 2010

NOvEMbEr 2010




18


NOvEMbEr 2010

NOvEMbEr 2010


NOvEMbEr 2010

NOvEMbEr 2010

20

some of the happy children of the Koelpark after-school programme


www.THEMONTH.cO.za

Occasionally the exploits of an individual are able to influence the lives of many. When that influence is positive, it’s worth sharing with the world – or at the least readers of The Month. Hearing of the efforts of 31-year-old Werner Wirth, CEO of the Nooitgedacht family estate just outside Stellenbosch, I went in search of a story and was pleasantly surprised to discover someone who has de-cided to put his money where his mouth is.

werner is behind a unique residential-cum-business development, The foundry village, to be established on a 25 hectare plot of gen-eral industrial land at Koelpark just beyond the catholic church on the Elsenburg road near Koelenhof. rather than getting entangled in the usual political and legal wrangling typi-cal of many developments that require the dis-placement of residents, the fritz wirth Trust, under the leadership of werner, is to house the present occupants of the plot in a brand new, donated development in Klapmuts.

The “foundry” referred to, relates to the bronze foundry situated in Koelpark where the creations of renowned local sculptor, dylan Lewis, are born. with the help of development partner Gerhardt Jooste from Prosperito and local architect chris de Hart, The foundry first phase will consist of 113 single 140 m2 residential units in a picturesque setting remi-niscent of the romantic bo-Kaap style. further phases will include retail shops, offices and apartments all complimenting the old-world-like gated village with its piazzas and other medieval-type themes.

Having already put five years of work into this project, werner explains that the 86 families currently living in the small redbrick houses and the larger more derelict “compound” are first to be relocated to a temporary site with improved sanitation and water sup-ply before moving to their final des-tination.

Spending just under r10 million on this philanthropic venture, the en-tire relocation project is guided by the Koelpark Housing association, a body of local community leaders. in it for the long haul (and certainly doing more than the expected mini-mum), the idea is to use this reloca-tion as an opportunity for human development in the form of skills training and job creation.

werner has made land and a com-munity centre available for a soup kitchen, after school care, a pension payout point, an office for the lo-cal housing association and a skills training centre. The intention is to enable these relocated residents to create small businesses that would be involved in building their own new homes. werner and the Koel-park Housing association are rely-ing on the government to fund the housing project.

They have extended an invitation to philan-thropically minded individuals and associa-tions to get involved in the project. with so much knowledge and resources at our disposal, the only remaining question i ask myself is

“what can i do to pay it forward?”

Werner can be contacted at [email protected] for more info.

How You Can Pay It ForwardGlenn Barkhuizen



NOvEMbEr 2010

new partner, andrea hamman

The landmark thatch cottage at the en-trance to the Vrede en Lust Wine Estate at the intersection of the Klapmuts road with the R45 in Simondium, has undergone sig-nificant change in the last couple of years. None more so than with the arrival of And-rea Hamman to join Duncan Doherty whose shared vision is a really world-class country bistro and deli experience, complementing the excellent Vrede en Lust wines with light, sophisticated and delicious cuisine.

Their emphasis is on healthy food made with the freshest ingredients and cotage features a bakery and a deli stocked with local and spe-cialty cheeses, olives and cured meats which serves not only the restaurant but offers cli-ents the chance to buy fresh country goods for their own kitchens.

Since the departure earlier in the year of both Matthew Gordon and JP Smith, duncan is joined in the business by andrea and husband francois Hamman. “francois and i, who both have such a special interest in, and affection for, the franschhoek area, jumped at the op-portunity to put our knowledge and love for the food industry into one of our favourite restaurants and delis” says andrea, who is seen here with her special cotage fromage christ-mas Hampers that go on sale for r395.

The hampers consist of a variety of goodies in-cluding Kloovenburg olive oil, balsamic vinegar and olives, Tierhoek organic jam, Karoo gold honey, onion marmalade, Tilly’s beetroot chut-ney and sweet and sour peppers. Spiced pre-served oranges and a willow creek tapenade compliment a 375ml bottle of vrede en Lust wine, a packet of homemade marshmallows and a christmas cake for two. in each hamper there will be a lucky number for a draw held on January 10th with a prize of one night’s stay for two at vrede en Lust, two bottles of vrede en Lust wine and a complimentary breakfast at cotage fromage.

Cotage Fromage is open 7 days a week from 8am till 5pm from through the summer. Call 021 874 3991 or email an-drea on [email protected] for more information.

Festive FoodieStaff Reporter

bistro style restaurant · scrumptious breakfasts · deli · freshly baked artisan breads

COTAGE FROMAGE – OPEN DAILY FROM 08H00 TO 17H00 T. 021 874 3991VREDE EN LUST WINE ESTATE, CORNER R45 AND KLAPMUTS SIMONDIUM ROAD, PAARL

COMPLIMENTARY FILTER COFFEE WITH BREAKFAST MONDAY TO FRIDAY!

Our Christmas hampers are now available – a feast of edible treats including a Christmas cake for two, a 375ml bottle of Vrede en Lust wine and a chance to win an overnight’s stay on the farm! *

* TER

MS

& C

ON

DIT

ION

S A

PPLY

the Olive shack to Open @ alloraopening this month at Allora in Fran-schhoek is the olive Shack - an empo-rium specializing in olive and other food products that will principally showcase the excellent quality of Western Cape olives.

The shack will stock a variety of olives, olive products and olive oils from the Western Cape and feature daily olive oil tastings. Vari-ous varieties of olives, tapenades, preserves,

jams and soaps will feature and accompany home-made food to go like trays of lasagne, cannelloni, panzerotti and mousaka. a varie-ty of sauces with freshly rolled spaghetti and fettuccine will also be available to order.

The Mediterranean kitchen will offer guests ‘alfresco’ light lunches, tapas, freshly squeezed juices, teas and coffees in the gar-den and picnic baskets will be available, to be enjoyed along the stream in our picnic area, or as take-outs.

Call amanda or Philip on 021 876 4375 for further information or pop in at 58 Main road, Franschhoek, (next to Franschhoek Country house).


accommodationaccOMMOdaTiONNOvEMbEr 2010

22

Pontac Manor: Framed by majestic oaks

“secluded, discrete and intimate” - Coopmanhuijs

Faced with the task of reviewing the huge ar-ray of accommodation in the Winelands, we have decided, here at The Month, to run a se-ries of articles comparing guest houses that share a particular theme; be it great views, restaurants on site or unique attributes. This month, in Coopmanhuijs in Stellenbosch and Pontac Manor in Paarl, we have two guesthouses that will shortly celebrate their 300th birthdays.

coopmanhuijs is a boutique hotel and spa in the heart of Stellenbosch, surrounded by eve-rything that makes the town unique: stylish shops, galleries, museums and protected oak trees. Originally built in 1713 coopmanhuijs was one of the town’s first grand residences and, as such, the Manor House enjoys yellow wood and stink wood doors, sash windows

and yellow wood ceilings. The 5-star rooms in the Manor House (as well as the newly-built rooms) overlook a heated pool and an intimate courtyard.

The decor is elegant enough to preserve the dignity and charm of a bygone era. carefully chosen handmade objects are displayed and used in the 14 en-suite bedrooms of which three have their own small lounges. coarse

hand-woven silk, jute, linen, cotton and vi-brantly coloured velvets adorn the rooms and fine Egyptian cotton bed linen the beds.

The theme carries through to the dining room where the richly embossed french wallpaper is teamed with trees made by an artist who works only with wire. The cuisine is simple but re-

fined where good unpretentious food is served and the Hotel has an impressive wine cellar with carefully selected vintage wines.

The coopmanhuijs Spa offers a wide range of treatments for both Skin and body, to ‘relax, detox and de-stress the body and Mind’. The Spa is nicely secluded, discreet and intimate and conducive to total relaxation to ‘celebrate and pamper the senses’ where, in specialised treatments, africology products make use of the healing properties from the essence of South africa’s indigenous plants.

in Paarl, the Pontac Manor hotel and restau-rant is surrounded by established oak trees and manicured gardens and is situated on the east-ern slopes of The Paarl Mountain. The hotel dates from 1723 and has been restored to its former victorian elegance in 4-star charm with nine double rooms in the Manor House, five double rooms in the victorian cottage, five

double rooms, two suites or family rooms in the Garden Suites and one Honeymoon Suite.

Original historic features in architecture and furnishing certainly reflect an era of gracious living. The bedrooms, a combination of spa-ciousness and comfort as well as selected an-tiques, are individually decorated and furnished

in fabrics of the finest quality and feature vic-torian and african furniture; it’s ‘a reflection of refinement and understated elegance’.

The Pool annexe includes 5 double-rooms furnished in colonial style with light woods and Spanish reed ceilings. The Honeymoon Suite offers luxury in a romantic setting with a king-size bed, Jacuzzi spa bath and private courtyard.

Perhaps the most impressive feature at Pontac is the beautifully laid out garden flanked at the front by majestic oak trees. The veranda over-looks the manicured victorian rose garden and water feature where quiet seating areas are dot-ted in various locations. Here guests can relax and enjoy peaceful moments of contemplation whilst enjoying the views over the valley.

back inside the Manor House, plump sofas and armchairs create a homely atmosphere and duke’s bar at Pontac, furnished in afro-chic style, offers a magnificent mahogany bar coun-ter and a huge indoor fireplace.

See ads on this page for contact details and further information.

Guesthouse ReviewCooPmANHuijS & PoNTAC mANor

www.THEMONTH.cO.za

her page

23

HEr PaGENOvEMbEr 2010

NOvEMbEr 2010

On a recent visit to the quaint little town of Franschhoek, The Month bumped into Bicara Haigh Newton outside the Red Pep-per Boutique at the Place Vendôme Lifestyle Centre. She has a habit of opening shops in the centre, it seems, so we pressed her for news on any upcoming ventures. Turns out she’s full of beans about Jenny le Roux’s

Habits Trunk Show which is set to take place on the 24th of this month, at The Gallery in the centre.

She went on to explain that Jenny spent 15 years as the fashion Editor of fairlady and then turned the wealth of her experience in the South african fashion market into a successful

business called Habits. She is involved in every aspect of the business from sourcing fabric, to design, production, marketing, selling and even making the tea. Jenny has won a number of prestigious fashion and business awards and the Habits claim to fame remains a strong cus-tomer focus and Jenny’s intimate knowledge of international and South africa fashion trends.

The Habits team will bring the best of their Summer 2010/11 range: birkin-style bags, sexy summer dresses and cuddly gowns for women and men. in bicara’s opinion, the items sure to get the most attention are the Habits knot-ted t-shirt dresses which come in many colours

and will be available on a two-for-the-price-of-one basis.

after the success of the winelands Habits Trunk Show last year, Jenny is excited about this year’s show, says bicara. it seems they have a huge following in the winelands and it’s no wonder then that the team have undertaken to spoil those who visit this year with de Grendel rosé wine and luxurious Lindt chocolates.

For further information on the Habits Winelands Trunk Show visit www.habits.co.za or email [email protected]

Fashion HabitsStaff Reporter

The best intentions of ‘single ladies’ are of-ten thwarted by friends, especially those in comfortable relationships or marriage, and the ever-present collection of nosy busy bodies, snoopy sams and worry-pot-women that seem to constitute at least part of every friendship circle. All tend to have an exalted opinion when the topic of putting yourself “out there” or entering the world of dating is raised. Lets face it, it isn’t a subject married women contemplate when they have their hands full with babies, breast pumps and nappies. A single woman looking for love is without support.

after many chats with my single friends, some thought and a great

deal of red wine i have decided to put into practise a care-fully constructed plan to snag a man. and not just any man. i’m looking for the kind i’d like to keep for longer than a naughty weekend. Given the

promise, (and possible excitement of such an exercise) i felt that a two or three part series shared with our female readers would make sense in The Month.

by way of introduction let me explain that the plan is to find an extraordinary man, the kind who gets who gets the centre of one’s midriff tingling, who brings light to the eyes – or even fireworks! The kind of man who justifies what being in love is all about – i’m looking for the “one”.

The biggest challenge to start with will, no doubt, be finding the right supply of men to choose from. where does one go to find that gorgeous beast? bars? rugby clubs? The mall? i don’t think so. Or how about something com-pletely different: an anthropological society or a friend’s co-ed book club? can we approach men in trendy business parks or restaurants? i happen to think that the internet is a superb option, but my girlfriends are seriously daunt-ed by it. Perhaps we need to re-think our strat-egy there.

Maybe i’m getting too caught up in the tech-nicalities. Like a female leopard on the open savannah, i should trust my instincts when it’s time to move in for the kill. as women, after all, we have an innate ability to exhaust all six senses in a matter of seconds when it comes to spotting a decent man amidst the crowd.

but before you leap headfirst for your king Kudu, decide what it is that you want. Here’s my list which i offer under the heading, Part 1: Must haves.

He must have all of his teeth, a fair amount of hair, a great smile, an aura and, if you prefer a fresh kiss and loathe an ashtray aftertaste, be a non-smoker. He needs to have compassion, a career, quiet determination, a kind and lov-ing nature, a sense of humour, a love of food, wine, travel and much more. Your preferences may differ from mine but i am convinced that a splendid man is out there for each one of us.

There are things he’s looking for too. as you make initial contact remember to be friendly, not-too-cheeky and honest. Smile, be enthusi-astic and ooze confidence (men are always at-tracted to confident women), give him an op-

portunity to be chased - but not for too long and never, ever do anything in desperation!as you set about ticking off your list, and be-ing who you need to be, think of yourself as an undercover Mi5 special forces agent, out on a love mission. i’ll leave it to your imagination when it comes to making your approach scin-tillating and captivating. and remember that

whilst you may not find your close-to-perfect man the first time around, it pays to be honest and kind to yourself and to not take the court-ing ritual too seriously.

Look out for parts 2 and 3 to follow...

Find Your ManCatch your King Kudu by Liesl Hartje

SMS...Your thoughts to


the word month) or email

[email protected] & Conditions on page 31


green pageGrEEN PaGE NOvEMbEr 2010

24

dear david

i am an avid reader of your paper, The Month, especially now that you have ventured

into the winelands at large, which i’d like to suggest makes you even more readable and

certainly more relevant than before.

Your recent articles based on The 11th Hour have led to much debate in my home.

whilst it is not your intention, i’m sure, to upset, i for one am somewhat distressed. in

your recent piece called buy-buy world, i contend that you run the risk of raising the ire

of those of us with a traditionally monotheistic faith-influenced view on life?

while few schools teach children that a deity created the world for mankind to use and

enjoy, many of us as children were exposed to this view and then chose to share it in re-

turn with our children. Many millennia of recorded history have left us proud of but sen-

sitive to the fact that the gift of God’s creation to us needs to be cared for and nurtured.

but we understand that it is a gift given to us to use nonetheless. Your opening statement

in the article mentioned suggests that because of our superiority over nature we have be-

come separated from it. what nonsense! we have become separated from nature because

we have not been taught to value the gift-giver and the gift given to us.

i concede that your point about the deification of material wealth and your insight with

respect to the power that advertising and television have, or certainly appear to have,

are well made. but to suggest that salvation lies in sourcing “knowledge from the earth”

borders on a form of fanaticism. Surely it is better to source knowledge from something

conscious and everlasting than the earth, which even scientists agree has a finite lifespan,

no matter how beautiful it is?

in closing, i suggest that the history of humanity is not summarised as a relationship

between human society and nature, and more importantly, the environment will not

survive. Life on earth presents us with an opportunity to make use of what time and

resources our maker has afforded us, to discover what truth, and develop what relation-

ships we can.

careful consumer

There are two things we try to avoid writ-ing about here at The Month: Politics and Religion. Unwittingly, however, our piece on the environment in last month’s paper drew an interesting response from ‘The Careful Consumer’ below. As a result, the original plan to air the third part of our analysis of ‘The 11th Hour’ will be postponed to De-cember so we can properly as-similate his views. The letter fol-lows:

The writer gives a powerful synopsis of a crea-tionist viewpoint and, in doing so, makes it clear to me that global warming will become another arena within which the ‘creationist versus evolutionist’ debate will be played out.

i don’t, however, believe that the motivation behind the documentary was to attack a crea-

tionist way of thinking. More probably it aimed to highlight how a creationist interpre-tation (that man holds dominion over the en-vironment) is problematic if attempts to cur-tail global warming elevate the environment’s importance.

why? because the lawmakers share this broad-ly conservative approach. if the uS can’t pass a climate bill while barack Obama is Presi-dent and with the democrats controlling both houses of congress, what chance will it have in the future? Of the 48 republican contenders for the senate election (being held this month), not one accepts that man-made climate change is actually happening.

as Thomas friedman says “we’ve basically de-cided to keep pumping greenhouse gasses into mother nature’s operating system and take our chances that the results will be benign. Some day, unfortunately, the climate change deniers will see how wrong they were as ice caps and glaciers melt, sea levels rise and weather be-comes more extreme.”

Now why is that? it is not a wanton desire to destroy the environment or use up fossil fuels before someone else does, as liberals would

have you believe. it is the problem that conservative thinkers have with the acceptance that concern for the en-vironment is being elevated beyond its rightful place; that it is there as a gift to man to use. by elevating concern for the environment above concern for man we are essen-tially turning on its head the assumption that man holds do-minion over the en-vironment and that goes so absolutely against the conserva-tive way of thinking. what is worse, it seems, is that accept-ance is seen as a con-cession to the liberal way of thinking.

Liberals are also to blame for too often crying ‘wolf ’. Since the 1970s environ-mentalists have is-sued new warnings with regular mo-notony; be it that population growth

would cause mass starvation and the collapse of civilisation, that pollution would destroy humankind or that the biggest danger to civili-sation was the hole in the ozone layer. because the catastrophes never obviously materialised and global living standards soared, the public naturally grew sceptical about impending ar-mageddon. it’s not that environmentalists were wrong – it’s that they politicised something seen by conservatives as a human right.

Given the gravity of the environmental chal-lenge we face, and the short time left to con-quer it, the slide of the battle to contain climate change into a fight on religious and political grounds means it is almost certainly lost. despite this, we’ll soldier on next month with our planned article on corporate Eco-nomic Globalisa-tion.

FundamentallySpeaking The 11th Hour Part 2b

The Publisher







NOvEMbEr 2010

Not Too Far From Here...The Publisher

CederbergThe Cederberg re-

gion is not too far from here (about two hours by car) yet the landscape is com-pletely different with

rugged, knarled mountains and raw, dramatic beauty. The area, named after the ancient cedar trees that once pros-

pered there, is a hiker’s paradise offering not only spectacularly brilliant purple and or-ange skies at dusk and dawn and swims in clear mountain rock pools but also the like-lihood of seeing just about no other people.

when the offer came to join an experienced hiker on a three day, two night hike i jumped at the opportunity.

we parked in the shade at welbedacht at an elevation of about 900m, with a plan to hike up to the welbedacht cave, kip there, head off to the wolfberg arch, camp out for our second night and then traipse back. Maps in hand and tents on backs we headed off.

There’s plenty of water on the stretch up to the cave (since the route follows the stream) but as you get higher and the views get bet-ter the backpacks get heavier. what appeared to be a couple of clicks at most took us over three hours and, although i didn’t let on, my legs were mighty glad to get there. The cave is a hard slab of granite on which you could fit about 20 people side-by-side and, although we heard voices later that evening, we had the place to ourselves. Having dumped the 12kg survival kit, i went back down about 50 metres or so to a pool i’d clocked on the way up and hosed down. amazingly, sans backpack, and having cooled off, my legs nearly gave way on the climb back up.

as the sun went down we cooked a dried beef and couscous meal and downed a bottle of backsberg’s Tread Lightly Merlot which, in its plastic bottle, must have been made for mo-ments like these. There’s nothing quite like the silence and the sunset to sooth those aching bones and, appetites replenished, i squeezed into my old school sleeping bag (that came up to about my waist) and made a pillow from by

hiking pants. Meanwhile, my partner proceed-ed to unpack not one but two sleeping bags, a blow up mattress, put on his beanie and was out like a light. i shuffled around uncomfort-ably for about an hour or so when suddenly it was like someone had turned the lights on. The moon was up. and that’s when it got cold, real-ly cold. No matter how you try, you won’t find a comfortable place on a hard granite slab.

i don’t know that i got much sleep on that first night but rose at dawn to make coffee dizzy from the mixture of pain, cold and an aching back. i made two cups quickly and then made more. Gradually, as the sun rose some feeling came back qnd after eggs and bacon for break-fast had lightened our load yet more, off we trekked with a second day 13kms planned.

from about 1400m you initially rise some more as you leave the welbadacht cave then take the contour path for about eight kms to Gilman’s crossing which drops to 1200m.

about halfway down we came across leopard tracks and, although we knew our chances of spotting one were slimmer than a cederberg hiker who leaves his rations in the car, it’s a stark reminder that you’re a guest in someone else’s territory.

at the base of Gilman’s crossing we ate what-ever we could to prepare us for another climb. Two hours and 400m up the views over the citrus orchards and rooibos farms put me in the mood for a cocktail and a cup of tea – in that order – and i wasn’t fussed about getting to the tea.

Eventually we arrived at the impressive wolf-berg arch and pitched tents as the weather closed in. at least with cloud cover it’ll be warm tonight, i reasoned. it rained; we ate and, after the second bottle of Tread Lightly was well trod, fell asleep at 7pm. Having dropped off to the sound of wind and rain, i woke at 2am to silence and cold and had to break the ice off the tent to go pee and clean my teeth. four

more hours of curling up in the base of my completely inadequate sleeping bag to beat out the cold and it was morning. There’s nothing quite like watching the sun rise through the arch in the morning silence of the cederberg and is one of those things every mortal should do before they die.

after more coffee and a bowl of oats for break-fast, we packed up and headed back. Going down is hard on the knees and, because your muscles are working in the opposite direction, is actually more difficult. we passed amazing rock formations and waterfalls, potential (more comfortable) camp sites and enjoyed the hottest day of the three. down on the flat and head-ing back to the car it became harshly hot and, although our bags were by now lighter, our legs were heavier. we saw a distant sign that i read as ‘cold beer’ but, as we got closer, actually read ‘Swemgat’ which was second prize. Strip-ping off and jumping into the ice-cold water was like being simultaneously pierced with a million needles - but boy was it refreshing!

Heading home, i made a mental list for next time:

CAPE TOWN John Jacob Interiors Building, 231 - 233 Bree Street, Cape Town Tel: 021 422 0106

FRANSCHHOEK SHOWROOM 15 Daniel Hugo Street, Franschhoek Tel: 021 876 2155

OPENING TIMES Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 1pm • E-mail: [email protected]

ART & INTERIORSLa Grange

1. Don’t carry heavy food

2. Take a beanie

3. Apply sun cream early in the morning and

carry lip balm

4. Don’t check the weather in Clanwilliam if

you’re going to the Cederberg

5. Bring a thermal vest and long johns –

don’t skimp on the warm stuff – it doesn’t

weigh much and you’ll be glad you did

when you’re sleeping on solid rock


financefiNaNcENOvEMbEr 2010

26

Paul Nicholson has been advising interna-tional private investors living in South Af-rica for the past 19 years and since Septem-ber has been contributing to The Month. In previous missives he has discussed Pension Schemes and Death Duties, in particular their impact on ex-pats, and this month ad-dresses another very important part of his business: ensuring that a local resident set-tlor or beneficiary of an offshore trust is not being overcharged or underserviced by their offshore trustee.

“at the last exchange control amnesty there were some 50,000 amnesty applicants, which brought approximately r80bn in foreign assets to the attention of the South african reserve bank that was formerly ‘grey’ money” says Paul. “Many complex offshore trusts were es-tablished by South african residents prior to

the last amnesty to create anonymity of owner-ship in respect of these assets.”

at that stage they could not challenge their off-shore trustee in respect of the exorbitant fees being charged but post amnesty, where there was no longer a need to ‘hide’ grey money off-shore, more cost-effective offshore structures could be established and this is an area that Paul can offer specialist advice on.

“it should not cost more than £500 a year to have a simple trust offshore. There is a lot you can do to ensure that your offshore trustees do not overcharge you” says Paul, who works closely with the best-known offshore trustees in assisting Sa resident beneficiaries with the ongoing management, administration and servicing of trust assets. “Many trust transac-tions can actually be taken care of at a local level thereby preventing excessive trustee time costs being levied” he says.

Paul, with devere and Partners, is hosting a ‘best of british’ evening at the ‘Elephant & barrel’ pub in franschoek on 8th december 2010 where he invites all british Nationals to “come and enjoy a typically british fun social at the only English pub in the small village of franschhoek.” ‘Good old traditional pub fare, the best lagers, Guinness and pork pies’ will be on offer.

To receive an invita-tion please contact Paul at [email protected] or call him on 082 453 8887.

As global finance leaders fail to resolve their differences, the outbreak of a full-blown cur-rency war is a threat.

various nations, such as South africa, are seek-ing to devalue their currencies as a way to boost exports and create jobs during tough economic times. as country after country raises protec-tion barriers to imported goods, the concern is that such efforts could trigger a repeat of the trade wars that contributed to the Great de-pression of the 1930s.

but with growth in the uS, Japan and Europe weak or non-existent, a large chunk of money is heading to emerging markets where it stands to enjoy better yields. recently, the war drums grew louder as the uS mounted a high-profile campaign to pressure china into allowing a more rapid depreciation of the yuan currency. The uS believes the yuan should be about 40% stronger than it is now to correct trade imbal-ances. as china dug in, Japan intervened in the market for the first time in six years to stem a sharp rise in the yen.

So what about South africa? Pravin Gordon, the South african finance Minister, recently said “the rand is too strong given the Sa context and we share the concerns of other emerging markets.” what he is basically telling South af-rican investors is that it might be an opportune time to take some money offshore in order to diversify portfolios. The rand never moves in a graphical straight line and when it reverses trend, as we saw in 2001, it moves very quickly. i doubt anyone can predict when this is going

to happen, so the time to act is now. Some institutions believe that the rand will remain strong for a while, as the developed markets try to get out of their giant experiment of reducing massive government debt whilst avoiding defla-tion.

we think that if you are planning for the long-er-term this is an opportunity not to be missed. Most of the well-established balanced funds in Sa, such as alan Gray balanced fund and foord balanced fund, currently have the maxi-mum allowable exposure to offshore assets.

if you look in the rear view mirror, offshore investment performance has not been good in rand terms over the past 10 years, but i do think that this trend might be reversed in the next 10 years. in the december article i will focus on which offshore investment ideas and opportu-nities i think ought to be considered.

dave rundlerundle Management Services 083 658 8055

Time to Swing the Willow?Dave Rundle on Finance

In Offshore We TrustPaul Nicholson

deVere and Partners Investment Services (Pty) Ltd is an authorised �nancial services provider.

deVere and Partners cordially invites you to a truly British food and South African wine pairing to be hosted at ‘The Elephant

& Barrel’, Franschhoek on 08 December 20105pm till late.

Come and enjoy a typically British fun social at the only English pub in the small village of Franschhoek.

Good old traditional pub fare�e best South African wines from top local estates

‘Yard of Ale’ beer drinking competition�e best lagers, Guinness and pork pies with sumptuous cheeses

Live music and entertainmentWin a night and dinner for two at Constantia Uitsig

All British Nationals welcome Please show a copy of your British passport in order

to participateTo receive an invitation please contact Paul at

[email protected] / 082 453 8887

This article is solely intended to provide you with objective information about financial products and services and is not intended to constitute a recommendation, guidance or proposal with regard to the suitability of any product in respect of any financial need you may have.



NOvEMbEr 2010

In the October edition we flighted the first half of a sporting interview we did with Neil Manthorp over 18 holes at Pearl Val-ley to hear his thoughts about cricket, the Universe and everything. If you didn’t see the first half, you can read it online at the-month.co.za archive page and what follows is the second.

The Month: Prince opening for the Proteas last year was widely

seen as a disastrous experiment with most neutral observ-ers seeing a Kallis move to 3 the natu-ral solution. Just pri-or to the resignation last year of coach Mickey arthur, how-ever, sources close to the action suggested that if Kallis wanted

to bat 4, he’d bat 4 and insinuated that Kallis, Smith and boucher were actually running the team. You’re now writing a book with arthur – how accurate is this observation?

Neil Manthorp: i love that expression – ‘sources close to the team’ – ha! ha! it’s hard to say that Prince opening the batting was ‘disastrous’ when he scored 150 in his first innings at the top of the order against australia. The prob-lem was that J-P du-miny had made himself undroppable with his heroics in australia and, when ashwell was fit again, there was no place in the team for him. it was only when Graeme Smith had his hand bro-ken again by Mitchell Johnson that a place in the top order opened up and it happened to be as opener. i can reveal, however, that Mickey vot-ed to put ash-well straight back into the team when his broken finger had healed – in place of J-P, who, remem-ber, had just scored and un-beaten 50 to help in the record run-chase of 414 in Perth and then made 166 to set up victory in just his sec-ond Test in Melbourne. but Mickey was outvoted by Mike Procter and the other selectors. Hav-ing said that, Mick-ey believed in ‘back-ing’ the

senior players and giving them responsibility for making decision. and that created the im-pression that there was a senior ‘clique’ which got its own way. and mostly they did!

TM: The use of technology in cricket is widely called for, yet the ‘referral’ system, by giving the players the opportunity of appeal, fails to improve decision-making, undermines the um-pires, slows the game down and enables players to participate in a process that should exclude them. is there a better way?

NM: what an absolute load of rubbish! ‘fails to improve decision-making’?! it helps hugely – if you don’t trust your instincts or your eyes, go by the icc’s figures (which are judged by a mixture of players and umpires, not admin-istrators) which tell us that the percentage of correct decisions goes up from 91% to 98% when the referral system is used. ‘undermines the umpires’? agh, shame, the poor little lambs. The game, of course, is all about the umpires, isn’t it? we wouldn’t want them getting upset or feeling picked on, would we? No, umpires should be allowed to make as many mistakes as they like, and without consequence. Never

mind the players – we should all do as much as possible to make the

umpires comfortable and hap-py. ‘Slows the game down’?!

who are we trying to kid? are you telling me that cricket is a fast-paced game? it takes an ex-tra minute to get the right decision. five or six times a day, on average, during a day

of Test cricket. Small price to pay. ‘a process that should exclude them’? in which other profes-

sion do you find people advocat-ing that employ-

ees should have no right of appeal, no say

whatsoever in their own career? if cricket wants to cling on to a bizarre notion that stupid and avoidable mistakes are somehow ‘charming’ and ‘part of the game’, then it has no place in

today’s world and deserves to be

marginal ised and played

by an out -o f -

t o u c h m i -nority.

TM: well that’s just not cricket! Our thanks

once again to club Operations Man-ager ray Snyders and the team at Pearl valley for providing us this oppor-tunity, and to Neil for giving us his time.

It’s Just not CricketStaff Reporter

The Swingfit Performance academy was launched in South africa at Pearl valley in Jan-uary to provide a complete golfing education from beginner through to elite in all aspects of the game. They have now launched their Junior membership program with support from part-ners, the boland Golf union and Global, sup-pliers of Srixon and cleveland, to show each junior what they need to focus on to improve their own performance.

“we want every child to have the opportunity to try the game out without huge expense for the parents” says coaching pro, James wade. “we understand the importance of setting off on the right foot. it takes far fewer hours to develop a good technique from the outset than to engrain bad faults and go about fixing them at a later stage” he says.

Swingfit also recognize that golf is not just about the swing - see the article in last month’s edition www.themonth.co.za/archive.php. be-cause there are so many different factors that can influence performance on the course, the Swingfit coaches focus on each junior to find out how they like to learn.

“How we teach is very important. we want it to be fun, we want to be interactive, we like to introduce an element of competition from an early age and we help each child set their own

goals, set out how they will practice and rec-ognize their success when they achieve them” says James.

a successful graduate of the program will have developed several life skills which this wonder-ful game endorses – honesty, humility, disci-pline, commitment, the ability to deal with setbacks, a sense of camaraderie, and many more. They will also learn how to set their own realistic goals, to assess and manage their own performance and know how to correct techni-cal faults as and when they arise.

“The plan is that graduates become independ-ent and can rely on their own knowledge” adds James, “and at Swingfit, we believe you are never too young to start and never too old to learn!”

The beginner programme starts at r595 per quarter and includes group coaching sessions covering the basics (grip, posture and align-ment), an introduction to the golf course, how to play each shot, the rules and etiquette of golf and much more.

For more info call James on 082 435 5831 or visit www.themonth.co.za and follow the link to our Blog.

swingFit’s James Wade: “never too young to start”

Off On the Right FootStaff Reporter






his pageHiS PaGENOvEMbEr 2010

28

When my Vbox belted out a 5.5-second 0-100km/h run on just the second attempt along my test stretch down the valley, I knew Ford had something special here. An hour or so later, after a run out over du Toits Kloof, through Rawsonville to Villiersdorp and back down the Franschhoek Pass, it had me convinced and craving more.

for the true petrol-head there’s little more in-toxicating than the hiss-burp-bang of a bare-back turbo mill blasting through those cogs – never mind the snap-crackle-pop of the overrun. it’s the stuff of excess-adrenaline rac-ing gods. i’m not too sure how it sounds from the outside, but inside the delightfully well appointed rS the noise just spurs you on. if you’re a hot hatch fan, your nemesis has just arrived.

despite it being a turbo, the rS revs to a cos-mic 8000rpm abbreviated by that intoxicating intake din seeping into the cabin and punc-tuated by that five-pot rasp. OK, the Subaru

impreza STi is a tad quicker off the mark and yes, the rS is a bit of a wild thing through that process thanks to it only being front-wheel driven, but ford’s revoknuckle front suspen-sion makes it more than just competitive.

we also put the rS to the test around Kyalami – it’s incredible. a 2:02.8 Hot Lap in the hands of my pal Hennie Groenewald all but matched the likes of the Maserati Gran Turismo S, Lex-us iS-f and audi’s r8 v8. Subaru’s winning works driver was also smitten by the rS.

The rS is dynamic to the extreme in every-thing it does – it handles brilliantly, goes like the clappers and pulls like a train. it’s also very well equipped; this is a giant-killer of epic proportion and it’s without doubt 2010’s hot hatch of choice.

Granted, it is a bit rough and darty on tricky surfaces and i would not recommend it to any-one less than a competent driver. but if you fit into that echelon and you want the ultimate

tool to drive on the brilliant roads close to franschhoek, then this may just be the car for you. Even at the price…

read the full Cars in ac-tion road test on Focus rS in Cars in action’s No-vember issue on sale in Pick n Pay or BP in Fran-schhoek

rOaD testFerocious ForD Focus rs

Michele Lupini

Stat Sheet ForD FocuS rS

EnginE 2252cc DOHc 16V turbO 5

gEarbOx FWD 6-spEED

pOWEr, tOrquE 224kW, 440nm

tEstED 0-100km/H 5.9 sEc

tEstED ¼-milE 14.1 sEc @ 167km/H

maximum spEED 263km/H

kyalami HOt lap 2:02.8

FuEl/EmissiOns 9.4/100km, 225g/km

Warranty/sErVicE 4 yEars/5 yEars

pricE r487 900

Our rating 10



NOvEMbEr 2010

Warren Carstens: Celebrating the ‘coloured culture’ at the lucky store

Since taking on The Lucky Store in Stel-lenbosch from Judy Badenhorst last year, Warren Carstens aims to make the pump-ing restaurant-cum-music venue in the heart of Idas Valley, a shrine to ‘everything good about coloured music, food and culture’. We caught up with him and asked him to explain a bit about it.

“when people travel they need to experience the culture of the place they visit. i want to give them something authentic, something that embodies the coloured culture. at The Lucky Store you can get authentic bobotie, stews, chicken pies and oxtails - just the way my mum makes it,” says warren. and you know that to be the case because his mum ac-tually does make the food - assisting local chefs (and old school friends of warren) Ola cloete, brandon carelse and Peter isaacs.

“at The Lucky Store,” says warren, “the restau-rant is a tool for music. as well as their stom-achs we must feed the minds, hearts and souls of our guests.” The restaurant rolls out into a big area outside with tables arranged around a boma; a hodgepodge of plastic outside seat-ing, benches, couches and a large oven sur-rounded by shack-type material, wood, mir-rors, pictures, Tvs and a fireplace that seats 80 covers. “The decor is a ‘coloured culture’

thing. we borrow some chairs from the church or the neighbours; put it in the back yard and we have a party. That’s what we have recreated here. it is done on the cheap, bought second hand, borrowed; we make do with what we’ve

got.” warren entertains with musicians from all backgrounds and styles – he describes it as ‘a fine bunch of people sharing a passion’ – but cape Jazz, predominantly played on piano, sax and guitar, is what he aims to promote. “The

up and coming guys need a platform locally and nationally” to reach the heights of cape Jazz’s guitar great allou april and the late rob-bie Jansen who, warren says, he idolised.

warren, who was schooled and grew up in idas valley, suddenly lost all his hair to alo-pecia areata at the age of 21 which came as “a huge shock” and robbed him of his features and confidence. However it was a spur to his ‘stagnating’ lifestyle here so he left for the uK

where he had friends working in London. They soon started playing gigs in their flat, ‘flipping the vinyl’ and organising Home away from Home parties, (principally for South africans but open to all) playing cape Jazz, Hip-Hop and r&b. Over there he was part of a people

with a shared history, a history of South africa, he says.

during this time he began to raise money for the Stellenbosch workcentre for the disabled children’s and other charities back home in Sa and nowadays keeps that tradition alive with a number of what he calls ‘stunts’ to attract at-tention and, more importantly, much needed funds. between feb 23rd and March 21st next year he plans to drive a camper van across Sa to raise money. “for 27 days i’ll live, sleep and drive in the van and there’ll be slots in the trailer where people can donate money.” all raised funds will stay in the van so he’s essen-tially testing the nation to see if he can get back in one piece. The aim? “To draw attention to the drug problem and, by filming the whole trip, give local youngsters a glimpse of the rest of the country. People must realise how small drugs makes your world’ he says.

He himself has been in that “deep, dark hole” of drug addiction and understands that “when you can’t deal with reality you turn to drugs.” fortunately today, young kids have a positive role model in warren who believes the solution is to restore pride to the coloured culture. “To get the pride back we need to talk about and celebrate the coloured culture and this is what we’re doing at The Lucky Store” he says.

We wish him well. The Lucky Store in Idas Valley is open for music at no cover charge on Saturdays and Sundays from 2pm. See the What’s On guide for de-tails.

“Hie’s Jou Geluk”Staff Reporter

CharloTTe Daneel and invited guests appreciate the arrival of the latest la Grange Collections at Charlotte’s new venue at 231 - 233 bree street in Cape

Town during october.

WaiterLa Motte Estate, situated in the Franschhoek Valley, requires a stylish person with a positive attitude and excellent communication skills to work as a waiter in the restaurant on the estate.

The following requirements and responsibilities are applicable: • a minimum of two years’ experience in a similar environment • spontaneous presentation ability • an excellent spoken and written command of English as well as Afrikaans • sound knowledge of food and wine • a friendly disposition and the ability to communicate effectively with guests and colleagues • willingness to work on Saturdays, public holidays and evenings • own transport (an added advantage).

La Motte offers a competitive salary, commensurate with the extent to which the above criteria are met.

Forward your CV (three pages maximum) to Mariëtte Grové, Laker & Le Roux Human Resources Practitioners, P.O. Box 557, Southern Paarl 7624 or fax 086 589 3425 or e-mail [email protected] (with Reference Number LLR 181 in the subject line) to reach her by no later than 8 November 2010, or apply on-line at www.lakerleroux.co.za

Commencement of duties: As soon as possible

Should no feedback be received within two weeks of the closing date, it may be assumed

that an application has been unsuccessful.

22560 month www.ayandambanga.co.za



30

bridge house pupil, Matthew van Marken - just 15

bridge House is an independent school com-mitted to educating children for life. in a beau-tiful setting, boys and girls from pre-primary to Matric experience a happy, creative and dynamic environment in which academic rig-

our, information technology, cultural growth, sporting success and entrepreneurial spirit are emphasised. Each member of our community is encouraged to develop sound values, self-dis-cipline, respect for others, responsible citizen-ship, a healthy self-image and passion for life.

bridge House is committed to academic ex-cellence, unity and teamwork, open channels of communication, broadening access to our school and developing centres of cultural and sporting prowess. we strive to become the

school of first choice and to change the way in which peo-ple experience education by upholding our values, vigorous-ly pursuing our mission, stimu-lating passion for life and grasping the opportu-nity to innovate and lead in our changing world.

Epitomising the “can do” atti-tude the school encourages, 15 year-old bridge House pupil

Matthew van Marken recently climbed Mont blanc. The french alps peak is western Eu-rope’s highest at 4810 metres. Matthew was one of only five climbers (of a group of 15) who made the summit, spending five days in the alps on a mountain that is considered a far from straight forward ascent.

The team faced a fi-nal summit day of 17 hours involving 1950m of cumulative ascent followed by 3500m of cumulative descent, which in climbing terms is a massive day, and endured tem-peratures of minus 20 degrees centigrade. The route was techni-cal involving ropes, ice axes, crampons and involved climb-ing on steep rock, ice and snow. There was also a major snow fall the day before which made the climbing very demanding.

despite Matthew get-ting very cold and hav-ing serious problems with his hands and feet, he persevered and made the summit. He is still suffering from some nerve damage to the tips of his toes, but this should get better

in the next few weeks. “due to the weather and the fact that our designated camp site was closed we had to start our summit ascent from a much lower elevation, which added about 6 hours to the summit day. Then we had to descend off the mountain completely because they closed our hut at 3167m. we started at 1.30am in the morning on summit day and were back down at 7pm. all in all a very long day” said Matthew, who believes he ‘can do’ even more.

bridge house school, situated in the magnif-icent Cape Winelands close to Franschhoek, stellenbosch and Paarl is a well established, independent day / boarding school for over six hundred and fifty girls and boys from Grade 00 to Grade 12. Committed to nur-turing a ‘can do’ attitude, bridge house ex-cels in recognising the spirit of individualism within a framework of integrity, humility, wisdom and inspiration. our children are encouraged to develop their unique poten-tial, to make their own mark upon and to innovate and lead in our changing world.

For more info go to www.bridgehouse.org.za or call 021 874 8100

Nurturing a ‘Can Do’ AttitudeNews from Bridge House School

6-a-siDe cricKet & FAmiLY dAY20 noVeMber 2010 @ brIDGe hoUse

6-a-SiDe cricket tournament: 8 teams consisting of 5 players + 1 bh teacher. entry fee r5000 per team, great prizes!1st prize: a day at the races courtesy of Varsfontein stud.

French BouLeS comPetition: 8 teams of 2 players each entry fee r400 per team.refreshments & bar facilities available

For the kiDS: Mountain bike Fun ride, biggest 6 Competition, Waterslide and lots more...branding & sponsorship opportunities available! To enter & for more information contact: bH Sport department (021) 874 8421

IN AID OF BRIDGE HOUSE SPORTS FUND

A bid For boNGoIn the october edition of The Month we drew attention to former bridge house pupil odwa bongo, who returns to the school in January after a two-year stint at the world-renowned Draken-sberg boys Choir school. a very generously do-nated skiing holiday in the beautiful French ski resort of Val d’Isere was successfully auctioned for r11500 and will contribute to the ongo-ing fundraising effort for his final instalment of school fees at DbCs. a big Thanks to all who par-ticipated. anyone who can offer a meal or week/weekend stay in their holiday home, hotel/restau-rant or guest house in future fundraising drives to enable deserving boys to attend the DbCs please contact bridget of Friends of the Draken-sberg boys Choir school on 0724180577 or email [email protected]

AudiTioNSThe Drakensberg boys Choir currently has 10 boys hailing from the Cape and boland regions. These choristers are between the ages of 12 and 15 years and during the past two years, these boys have had the opportunity to tour norway, the netherlands, botswana, Zimbabwe, swazi-land and south Korea. They were also privileged enough to perform with local artists such as rina hugo, Chris Chamelon and romanz. several old DbCs boys are now international artists; the bala brothers, Clint van der linde and Jacques Imbrai-lo, to name just three.

auditions for boys wanting to enrol at DbCs in 2011/2012 will take place during november in rondebosch, Fish hoek, Paarl, stellenbosch and Cape Town.

• In Paarl they will be held at the Frank Petersen Music school, sandrift street, Paarl from 15h00 to 18h00 on Tues 16 november 2010.• In Stellenbosch, they will be held at the Stel lenbosch University Conserve, Corner of neethling & Victoria streets, stellenbosch from 15h00 to 18h00 on Mon, 15 november 2010.

Contact Ms Paula Fourie on 079 325 4232 / [email protected] for an appointment, or Janine le roux at 036 468 1012 / [email protected] for further information.

Dave rundle has arranged for Dale

steyn and Jacques Kallis to give a

two hour net session in Cape Town to the school team of the highest bidder. Visit

www.themonth.co.za to place your bid!



NOvEMbEr 2010

Thankfully we live in a free society de-spite what you may have thought reading the front page of the September edition of The Month. IOL reports that ‘according to Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, the SA government remains fully committed to the Constitution and had “no intention whatsoever” of doing anything that would undermine freedom of the media and of ex-pression noting there were checks and bal-ances in the Constitution to prevent abuse of power by anyone in authority’. We never doubted you Sir...

which is great news to a quality publications like ours. where we need proper government regulation is in the spurious and unwanted projection of daft innuendo by advertisers. Now that’s an abuse of power.

Look, i know i’m a bit of a country bumpkin and don’t drive into cape Town nearly enough and, for sure, being far away from the rock face takes its toll, but why-oh-why when i do make that trip must i be treated like teenage board-ing school boy as punishment? ‘when were you last laid?’ blasts out the N1 billboard just before ‘Size really does matter’.

what? in rela-tion to? “well obviously, you bor-ing village idiot, we’re talking italian ceramic floor tiles here” it screams at me, condescend-ingly. do me a favour! are “risque” double en-tendres paraded as innocent utterings the latest play of the advertising industry? don’t get me wrong - i like innuendo as much as the next man but is it really necessary to publically sex-ualise a kitchen tile? where’s the government when you need them?

i gather it’s a European thing, since in London we hear there is a salad bar called ‘Tossed’ where the staff wear t-shirts declaring ‘i am a Tosser’.

Okaaay... and then there’s the (luminous pink and white) frozen yoghurt store called Snog. You’ve guessed it already; the loyalty card by-line is ‘tell us about your first snog’. for those of us that are still boarding school boys this is hilarious but are we really their market?

Still, if it’s the latest thing we need to be doing it. So, i know i’m not a grocery item but i can tell when you’re checking me out...

SMS your thoughts to 34995 (start your SMS with the word Month)

Franschhoek Village

stellenbosch

Franschhoek Valley

Paarl

Welgemoed

tygerValleycanal Walk

WaterFront

bishoPscourt

loeVenstein

constantia

camPs bay

the monthDiStriBution areaS

CAPe ToWN (6505)

Camps bayConstantiaConstantia hillbishopscourt

durbANviLLe (2227)

Welgemoedloevenstein CAPe ToWN (500)

V&a Waterfront Wine shopsCanal Walk restaurantsWillowbridge restaurantsone&only Cape Town

PAArL & FrANSCHHoek (5006)

Paarl Prime suburbs Door to Doorseidelberg Wine estateFairview Wine estateWoolworths Paarl MallPaarl MallGoedemoedThirion Dentist42 on MainbosmansKikkaJunoPam Golding real estatePsG ConsultinglaborieMarcsnoopoak Tree lodgeKWVPrimi PiattiZomerlust10 Chapters Wine barde oude Paarl/butchers Grillde leeuwenhofPalmiet ValleyPontac ManorPaarlberg bMWnederburgavondaleboschenmeerVal de ViePearl ValleyFreedom hillst Croix CottagesWinelands estatenoble hill Wine estatebacksberg Wine estate

Glen Carlou Wine estateDalewoodanura Wine estatebP Garage Klapmutseaglevlei Wine estateKlein JoostenburgVilliera Wine estatele Franschhoek hotel and spaThe Franschhoek Villashaute Cabrierele Petite Fermeakademie street Guest housela Fontein Guest houseMont rochelleFine and Country real estatele Quartier FrancaisKalfi’s restaurantreuben’s restaurantengel & Volkers real estateessence Coffee shopsothebys real estateFranschhoek Photolabseeff real estatePam Golding real estateTraumerie restaurantJager real estateelephant and barrel PubFrench Connection restaurantFWVTaChez d’or restaurantFranschhoek ChemistMasqueradeCol’Cacchio restaurantProtea hotelbP Garagebridge houseDieu Donné restaurantMon Plasir restaurantDomaine des anges estateallora restaurantFranschhoek Country houseGrande Provence Wine estatela Petite Provence estaterickety bridge Wine estateMaison Wine estatela Motte Wine estateMoreson Wine estateGraham beck Wine estatel’ormarins Wine estateDelta Crest estatesolms Delta Wine estatealles bleue Wine estateboschendal Wine estatehillcrest berry FarmTokara Wine estateDeliCaTessen restaurantThelema Wine estateDelaire Graaf Wine estateKo-operasie stories

Vrede en lust Wine estateWinelands events

STeLLeNboSCH (6112)

stellenbosch Prime suburbs Door to DoorThe hydroWaterford Wine estateDornier bodega Wine estateMooibergUva Mira Wine estateernie els Wine estatehidden Valley Wine estatealto Wine estateGaurdian Peak Wine estaterust en Vrede Wine estateJC le roux Wine estateDevon ValleyJakataClos Malverne Wine estate

Muratie Wine estateDelheim Wine estateKnorhoek Wine estatesimonsig Wine estateKanonkop Wine estateUitkyk Wine estateThe Vineyard ConnectionWarwick Wine estatel’avenir Wine estateollivello Villiera Wine estateJoostenbergstellenbosch Golf ClubKlein de Zalze estateKleine Zalze Wine estateTerrior restaurantblaauklippen Wine estateDie Wijnhuisapprentice restaurantMinouche restaurantJava restaurantbeads restaurant

CoopmanshuijsD’ower Werfstellenbosch hotel/Jan CatsChas everitt real estatestellenbosch Col’Cacchiostellenbosch Tourism22 Die laanbig easy restaurantMelissasUmamiVolkskombuisaan Dorpstraatseeff real estaterawson real estatePam Golding real esatelanzerac Wine estate96 Winery roadMajeka houseKanu Wine estateasara Wine estatestellenbosch Medi Clinic

the month distribution breakdown

The Parting ShotThe Publisher Free to Snog

SMS Terms & Conditions...SMSs charged at r2/SMS. Free SMSs do not apply. errors billed. Sender must have the bill

payer’s permission. You may be contacted in future by SMS unless you opt-out.


the social pageSOciaLNOvEMbEr 2010

1. Carina Bekker, the new curator of The Gallery at Grande Provence with owner Alex van Heeren and General Manager, Amanda Roberts seen here at The Gallery.

2 - 4. Motoring celebrity and contributor to The Month, Michele Lupini recently celebrated his 50th birthday in Franschhoek with friends and family.

5. The K9 Search and Rescue team at the Cape Outdoor Eco Adventure and Travel Expo at Bien Donné held on the farm in early October.

6. South Africa’s prominent property analyst, Erwin Rode, shared his insights with invited guests at L’ermitage in Franschhoek on the 25th October.

7. Darren Roberts, Reuben Riffel and Neil Jewell with staff from Hoofweg Primary, whic is supported by the Peninsula School Feeding Assosciation.

8. The Kusasa Project held a Wes-Eind Idols competition as a fundraiser for Franschhoek High School in October. Seen here are some of the final 32 competitors.

9. The editor of Elle magazine in South Africa, Jackie Burger, seen here with guests at the opening of Babylonstoren in October.

1

9

3

4

5

6

7

8

2

Documents

The Month November 2010