Delicious canapés meet their match with the Spier 5.5% Seasonal Tasting exclusively available at the farm’s Tasting Room…

The seasonal Spier 5.5% Seasonal Tasting offers the Chenin Blanc and the Shiraz with delicious matching Canapés...

April 22nd, 2021|Categories: wine of the day|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Spier Creative Block 3 2017, such a perfect partner to Lizet Hartley’s Herbed Mushrooms on Cheesy Polenta…

Spier Creative Block 3 2017, a gem of a Rhone style blend by Johan Jordaan, from Darling and Stellenbosch Grapes...

March 1st, 2021|Categories: wine of the day|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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The Old Road Wine Company Spotted Hound 2018, so good with Nadia Graves’s Chicken with chorizo, potatoes, chickpeas & lemons…

The Old Road Wine Company in Franschhoek has a range of wines called The Quirky Ones and this delicious red blend Spotted Hound 2018 is one of them...

October 22nd, 2019|Categories: wine of the day|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Asara Vineyard Collection Shiraz 2015, June is a time to celebrate Venison with Nina Timm’s Venison Pie made with a Batter Blanky…

Asara Vineyard Collection Shiraz 2015 Asara Wine Estate lies in the folding hills of Polkadraai in the western side of the Stellenbosch Wine Appellation. These hills offer different soils, different aspects and different altitudes which make for interesting winemaking.  The grapes for the Asara Vineyard Collection Shiraz 2015 come from two vineyards. The higher of

June 12th, 2019|Categories: wine of the day|Tags: , , , , , , , , |
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Asara The Vineyard Collection Cape Fusion 2015, perfect partner to Roberta Muir’s Vitello Tonnato…

Asara The Vineyard Collection Cape Fusion 2015, an unusual Cape Blend. While it contains the requisite amount of Pinotage, it is unique in that it is 30% Malbec...

April 24th, 2019|Categories: wine of the day|Tags: , , , , , , , , |
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Oldenburg Vineyards Series Syrah 2015, so good with Ina Paarman’s French Beef Stew with Shallots…

From the greatest vintage of the century, in the middle of the worst drought in living memory, the truly sublime Oldenburg Vineyards Series Syrah 2015...

February 16th, 2019|Categories: wine of the day|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |
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Vondeling Monsonia 2015, a seriously delicious red wine and an endangered flower species…

Matthew Copeland is 'very excited' about his newest release of Vondeling's Flagship Rhone Blend, Vondeling Monsonia 2015. Named for a species of flower, named for Lady Anne Monson, great granddaughter of King Charles 11, a renowned botanist who visited the Cape in the early days of the settlement.

May 10th, 2018|Categories: Michael's Writings|Tags: , , , , |
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Bellingham The Bernard Series Small Barrel SMV 2014, perfect match with Carey Boucher Erasmus’s Chorizo, Chickpeas & Kale in Spicy Tomato Sauce – 05.01.2018

Bellingham Small Barrel SMV 2014 is a masterful blend of Shiraz, Mourvèdre and Viognier. Barrel aged for 14 months, it is a perfect wine for a well cooked meal.

January 5th, 2018|Categories: wine of the day|Tags: , , , , , , , |
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Landskroon Shiraz 2015 & Ina Paarman’s Beef Olives – 30.06.2017

Landskroon Shiraz 2015 Landskroon sits on the slopes of the iconic Paarl Mountain, so named because the three large rocks on the top shine like pearls in the sun after rain. The South-Western slope face towards Cape Town. Nelie & Paul de Villiers Since the family bought the farm some 5 generations ago, the Cellar

July 3rd, 2017|Categories: wine of the day|Tags: , , , , , , |
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Fairview Shiraz 2014 & Alida Ryder’s Baked Gnocchi with Bacon, Tomato & Mozzarella – 16.06.2017

Fairview Shiraz 2014 When a wine you truly like does well for the umpteenth in a national competition. Two Fairview Wines are the most recent award winners in the 2017 Shiraz SA Wine Challenge. At the end of May, Fairview again proved its prowess in the cultivation and winemaking of this popular red wine grape

June 16th, 2017|Categories: wine of the day|Tags: , , , , , , |
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Lanzerac releases maiden Chenin Blanc & first Syrah in more than 10 years

Lanzerac, Stellenbosch's oldest Country House Hotel In May 1966, I started working at Lanzerac, the beautiful country hotel in the very heart of the Stellenbosch Wine Appellation. At the time, Lanzerac was amongst the first f the Country House style of hotels and the fist in South African to served a buffet breakfast.  The Cheese

May 24th, 2017|Categories: Michael's Writings|Tags: , , , , |
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Boschendal’s jewel, a Shiraz with a ruby heart & Dianne Bibby’s North African Chermoula Meatballs – 22.05.2017

Boschendal 1685 Shiraz 2014 The grapes for the Boschendal 1685 Shiraz 2014 come from prime vineyard sites in the Stellenbosch, Elgin and Swartland Wine Appellations, each component especially selected to bring a unique attribute to the final blending. Richard Duckitt in Boschendal's Red Wine Barrel Cellar Vineyard management techniques were practiced. Shoots were thinned in

May 23rd, 2017|Categories: wine of the day|Tags: , , , , |
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La Bri Syrah 2014 & Meeta K Wolff’s Middle Eastern style Buddha Bowl – 05.05.2017

La Bri Syrah 2014 La Bri Vineyards is beautifully positioned in the south west corner of the Franschhoek Valley. Blessed with an enchanting Manor House and cutting edge winery and well tended vineyards, Irene Waller the General Manager and Cellarmaster makes a superb range of award winning wines. Each wine is cleverly labelled with Cape

May 5th, 2017|Categories: wine of the day|Tags: , , , , , , , |
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Delaire Graff Shiraz 2015 & Nadia Graves’s BBQ Pork Ribs – 28.04.2017

Delaire Graff Shiraz 2015 The Delaire Graff Estate is situated at the top of the Helshoogte Pass in Banghoek, Stellenbosch. Overlooking the beautiful Banghoek Valley with its soaring mountains, the Delaire Graff Restaurant has the most perfect views from its deck. Morné Vrey, the award-winning winemaker was recently invited to be a member of the

April 29th, 2017|Categories: wine of the day|Tags: , , , , , |
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Bellingham rated as one of the best by users of the world’s largest wine app

Twenty million wine lovers have voted in the annual Vivino Wine Style Awards and reviewers have recognised Bellingham’s The Bernard Series Basket Press Syrah as one of the top wines from South Africa.  Vivino is the world’s largest wine application (app), allowing a global wine community to buy, rate and review wines. This popular wine

April 3rd, 2017|Categories: Michael's Writings|Tags: , , , , |
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Perdeberg The Ploughman Wines, a tribute to Dawid Diederiks – 23.02.2016

The Ploughman Wines Perdeberg Winery echoes the saying of Pliny the Elder, Roman Statesman and Scholar, who said ‘always something new out of Africa,’ for there is always something new out of Perdeberg Cellar. Dawid “Dappies” Diederiks of Klein Môrewag Perdeberg wines is a strategic partner of the state in developing Klein Môrewag to the

February 23rd, 2017|Categories: wine of the day|Tags: , , , , , , |
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Durbanville Hills Shiraz 2014 & Dianne Bibby’s Spicy Beef Stir Fry with Sweet Peppers & Mango – 07.02.2017

Durbanville Hills Shiraz 2014 There is magic in the Hills of Durbanville, a unique little wine appellation, a valley running up from the sea into the immediate interior.  My parents were wine farmers in Durbanville and many of the 9 wine farms which supply the Durbanville Hills Winery, I knew as a child as I

February 7th, 2017|Categories: wine of the day|Tags: , , , , , , |
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Current Wines, Eikendal & Wildehurst…great drinking

Two wines we have tasted over this weekend are well worth a mention. Current White Wine in the Fridge Eikendal Chardonnay 2015 Complex and elegant, this wine is pronounced by Eikendal’s winemaker Nico Grobler as “This is the best I’ve made.” Made from four different clones planted on different sites and different planting densities.  Each

February 6th, 2017|Categories: Michael's Writings|Tags: , , , , , , |
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De Grendel Shiraz 2015 & Alida Ryder’s Steak Sandwich with whipped goat cheese butter – 03.02.2017

De Grendel Shiraz 2015 As I have said when referring to the 2015 vintage, the dry windy conditions during flowering in late 2014 resulted in lower pollination and led to a drop in the harvest of about 15%.  The harvest was earlier by about 2 weeks and though the bunches were smaller there was a

February 3rd, 2017|Categories: wine of the day|Tags: , , , , |
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KWV Classic Collection Shiraz Rosé 2016 & Mynhardt Joubert’s Pan fried trout with pickled ginger mash

KWV Classic Collection Shiraz Rosé 2016 Get ‘Tickled Pink’ on Valentine’s Day with a Pan Fried Trout Delight with Rosé sauce. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, love is in the air. So, if you want to surprise your loved one with a romantic meal then there is no easier and more flavourful dish than

January 30th, 2017|Categories: Michael's Writings|Tags: , , , , , |
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KWV Classic Collection Shiraz 2015 & Tracy Foulkes’s Seared Tuna with Tomato & Olive Sauce – 20.01.2017

KWV The Classic Collection Shiraz 2015 With temperatures soaring into the thirties this week, if you are not a person who has ever chilled red wine, now is the time for you to experiment. Fridge reds are just brilliant, the flavours are enhanced, the drinking is easy and I find that it is easier to

January 20th, 2017|Categories: wine of the day|Tags: , , , , , |
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Tripe & Trotters Curry – Mpho Tshukudu & Anna Trapido

Mpho Tshukudu & Anna Trapido's Tripe & Trotters Curry In a very exciting new book, Mpho Tshukudu and Anna Trapido take us into new realms of rustic 'food of the people' South African Cuisine and its traditions.  A really interesting read let alone cookery book. Having tried a couple of the recipes, you will want

July 9th, 2016|Categories: Recipes|Tags: , , , , , , |
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Roasted butternut & buffalo mozzarella pasta bake – Alida Ryder

Roasted butternut & buffalo mozzarella pasta bake – Alida Ryder Alida says: "As we are pretty much fully in Winter in South Africa at the moment, recipes have two requirements: 1) Be warm and comforting and 2) Be flippin delicious. I mean, the latter is always a requirement but that first one. That first one is

May 24th, 2016|Categories: desserts, breads & bakes, Recipes|Tags: , , , , |
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about

fav-57 As a young aspiring chef, Michael laid a solid foundation for his career at the Cordon Bleu Cooking School in London. Over the next 30 years he had a series of high profile hospitality management posts, was the Public Relations Manager for Boschendal and ran three successful restaurants in the Cape, one of which, Parks, featured in the national top 10 restaurants.

Michael is a family man, author and broadcaster.
A lifetime devoted to the promotion and appreciation of the South African wine and food industry has earned him many accolades, including the Lannice Snyman Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2013 Eat Out Awards.

Michael continues to be prolific, informative and entertaining on his wine and food website, michaelolivier.co.za