Franschhoek Uncorked Festival at Rickety Bridge

Delicious food and wine at Rickety Bridge in Franschhoek

Are you looking for the perfect way to spend the first weekend of Spring? 17 on Loader guesthouse in Cape Town has the answer at Rickey Bridge! The weekend of the 4 – 5 September 2010 sees the arrival of Spring and to celebrate, Franschhoek throws a town wide party for all to enjoy – the Franschhoek Uncorked Festival.

Wine Tasing at the Franschhoek Uncorked Festival

Join the fun at the Franschhoek Uncorked Festival at Rickety Bridge – wine tasting of new releases and old favourites, great wine specials all weekend,mouth-watering tapas platters, boules in the vines, farm rides on a vintage DODGE truck for kids and enjoy a performance by singer-song writer Danelle de Vries on Saturday from 16:00 – 20:00.

Danelle’s sultry sounds range between jazz, soulful pop and original “folk-ish” music. She is first and foremost a singer-songwriter, but will be indulging you in music that is easy listening and uplifting. She will be performing songs out of the Great American Songbook, cover songs of artists such as Norah Jones, Katie Melua, Corinne Bailey-Rae, Tracy Chapman, Don Mclean, John Lennon etc. as well as a few or her original songs.

Rickety Bridge Manor House

The access cards, available directly from participating wineries on the day or through Computicket, at R80.00 each, includes a tasting glass and free wine tasting at 20 participating wineries for the duration of the event. There is no additional charge to Uncorked revelers for the Danelle De Vries performance.

www.ricketybridge.com

The Stellenbosch Slow Food Fair

The city is frantic. Even the traffic is flying flagged allegiances. And although The World Cup hype is deliciously palpable, sometimes we need to step out of the red-robot-green-robot regiment that’s currently on show and remember the slow, sultry offerings that lie outside of our mini metropolis.

Take some time to slow down. This weekend the Stellenbosch Slow Food Fair exhibits South Africa’s eclectic food culture. Over forty food stands will feature Indian, German, British, European and Chinese cuisines in a heated marquee – what better resistance to Winter than warm bellies inside and out. 

For hot Gossip Girl XOXO - type convo and a good dose of estrogen in the air (which has been admittedly difficult to find over the last month), The Ladies Lounge will sing the gospel of antique jewelry, fashion, ceramics and mosaics. Meantime, the old forged fantasy of vintage books will be boasted in the reader’s corner.

The Wine Bar and Sports Lounge will combine the rough and tough stumble-into screenings, with a showing of the best balanced cultivars from within the region, as well potter-snitch-like sought-after liqeurs and bubbles.

The Cappaccino and Sweets lounge is where 17 on loader’s lot will likely be at – And for those that are haphazardly meandering the aisles after (Saltare winemaker), Carla Pauw’s food and wine pairings, stumble into rows of African design and Oude Libertas-curated art. 

This weekend, The Stellenbosch Slow Food affair happens the 1st – 4th July, 11h00 – 21h00 at Oudbe Libertas, Stellenbosch. Time to get away a while

The Waterfront Wine Affair

Cape Town’s been very quiet this week – we’ve been nursing our once-flourishing social calendars and wishing for sunburn. But what we have fast forgotten is that winter brings wine, fireplaces and excuses for shared body-heat… 

Until Friday, The V&A spends the week swaying with the inebriated influence of dozens of boutique and reserve wines. With curling leaves and early evenings comes the annual V&A Wine Affair. The backdrop of a Table Mountain-marked cityscape makes The Waterfront’s look out a perfect rooftop for some indulgent-out-of-doorsness. 

This well-loved tasting/sipping soiree is a palate party.  Think sushi, oysters, imported cheeses and charcuterie… the menu boasts the best elements of The V & A’s award-winning restaurants. And for the refined gourmand masticating on the fantastic, a selection of wildly well-reputed wine farms wets the appetite and injects some jollity to the “affair”.

The Waterfront Wine Affair runs from 17h00 – 21h00 everyday until Friday 7th May. Tickets are between R90 and R110 thereafter, inclusive of wine / deli tastings and a brochure guide. 

All in all, merriment in low harbour lighting is a wonderfully warm, cosy way to snuggle into the week’s wintry weather.

Origin

In the heart of the Riebeek Valley, this weekend, comes Origin trance fest. The setting: river, rolling lawns, dance and trippy decor. Strictly an over 18 festival, reviews I’ve heard of previous Origins have involved words, “unadulterated (or maybe not) mayhem” and “way way sick”. While not particularly articulate, I think these drive home the message: ineffable awesomenessity. (I know it’s not a word, but let’s go with it). Festival activities will include swimming, swaying, camping, drinking, dancing, perusing craft and pausing for nourishment at the food market.

While trance isn’t my particular field of expertise, I know enough to know that this one gets rave (literally) reviews. Be sure to check it out this weekend. At only R190 (pre-sale) for the entire weekend, tickets make for a more-than-affordable end of month treat.

Oude Libertas Outdoor Concerts

In full swing of the summer season everyone is embracing the AL fresco (and lustfully absorbing the memory for the months of winter that will come before we know it). Every year, Oude Libertas brings an array of artists to soothe those lazing in the sun.

Situated on the slopes, Oude Libertas‘ amphitheatre captures a postcard view of the Stellenbosch mountain range. This year, Oude Libertas again presents a “picnics welcome” line-up of diverse South African acts, including Ladysmith Black Mambazo and The Black Tie ensemble. If you want to sink into the warmth of the Cape mountains, this is the way: wicker baskets, wine and “whine”

SYNERGY LIVE

For festival-goers Christmas came early, and seven years on Synergy Live promises to be even bigger than what it was – one of Cape Town’s most memorable events.

In Franschhoek Valley – the Western Cape’s own land of milk and honey, where vineyards sag with grapes of world-famous wines and there are even more stars in the sky – Boschendal Estate’s green lawns, lush with Spring, will be the backdrop.

Synergy Live pledges a playground permutation of funfair, live acts, camping, multimedia theatrics and marketplace. Nourishment is provided in usual forms of easy and green-cleansy festival food, or the upmarket option of Boschendal’s own picnic basket luncheons, while things to do include the geodesic theatre for cineastes, carnival rides and backward bungees and, of course, the music.

Better-known live acts include Capt Stu, 7th Son, Plastics, van Coke Kartel, Hog Hoggidy Hog, New Academics, Rudimentals, Taxi Violence, Fokofpolisikar, Aking, Prime Circle, Goldfish, Zebra and Giraffe, and the Dirty Skirts. These acts will be featured on the bigger better outdoor stage, while the bar stage features unplugged and old-school acts – for those laying low between doses of delirium.

Most excitingly, for the dub generation is the electro-drome. Dedicated to top of class DJs and the heaving underground, this will be where it’s still going when the live acts shut their eyes.

With exceptional, eclectic line-ups ranging from PH fat and Killer Robot, to Craig de Sousa, Tony Finger and Shaun Duvet, Synergy Live caters to everyone’s preferred mayhem.


This weekend Friday 27^th to Sunday 29^th, Synergy Live can’t be missed. And for those of you feeling the end of month pinch, tickets range from R380 to R150 dependent on duration. It’s a steal. Check out the line-up here.

Cape Quarters’ Grand Opening

For those of you who have been above ground recently, you will know that the Cape Quarters has been renovating. Already a destination of the most gourmet, five star experiences per meter, the Cape Quarters has extended, and opened the doors onto, its lavish lifestyle of the piazza. As of last weekend they have been celebrating their Grand Opening! 

The Cape Quarters has gone from being a fine dining courtyard, to a creative epi-centre dedicated to the good life(style). The Cape Quarters now includes a variety of boutique stores, salons, a gym and the first gourmet Spar. The facade has been retained, but the magic of the Cape Quarters now spills onto Somerset Road, adding to its sidewalk charm. 

So far this has included art exhbitions, a fashion extravaganza, the festival of lights and (naturally) the fine dining that the Cape Quarters has always been known for. So 17 on Loader, has popped around the corner to enjoy the celebration – and you should too…

All week the square has been (and will continue to be) alive with daily promotions, specials and giveaways. The place is bursting with faces you’ll recognize from Top Billing, FHM and the like. In the evenings, live bands lighten up the pace with chill room music from 7-10PM.

Coming up this weekend is the food and brandy festival, where the Cape Quarters celebrates connoisseur delicacies that they are renowned for. Alchemy of Gold will demonstrate brandy at its best while chef Jenny Morris inspires culinary genius. In the evenings a Cape Quarters cocktail party with Martini, salsa and hip hop on the square, and finally it culminates in a classic Sunday Brunch. More on the Cape Quarters’ wonderful weekend plans to come!