Day to Day

On Saturday, we had a awesome day on the farm celebrating a Valentine’s Day Harvest. Couples and friends arrived bright and breezy at 8am, to be greeted with coffee and freshly baked muffins. From the restaurant we trekked to the Merlot block that would be the scene of the harvest work. Clive, the farm manager, [...]

My sister and I set out to do do a crop estimate on the second and last days of 2008. Our estimates suggest the crop is definitely lighter than in 2008. This is largely due to the long cool winter. The 2009 Harvest is also going to start some 7-10 days later than usual. The quality is looking good…

Facebook, the social networking site, is the number one searched for item in SA, according to Google. What does this mean for the wine industry. Should we forget all traditional marketing and create Facebook pages? Or is the topic more nuanced. Either way, the question of how one uses web technology tools is critical…

The Porsche Club came out to the farm for Sunday Lunch. The sight of them coming up the drive was awesome. Great fun was had by all, even though I was still left Porsche-less by the end of the day. Somethings don’t change!

Originating in Spain, tapas are small savoury dishes. They offer a great alternative to the traditional notion of a three-course meal. Over the weekend, I teamed up with the Culinary Academy on the farm for a tapas workshop. Here is a run down…

Is the Swedish wine monopoly Systembolaget all bad? Or are there two sides to the monopoly system, for consumers and producers alike? The monopoly means goodbye to independent wine shop and bottle stores, but there are a number of upsides with the system too- skål to those benefits.

Yesterday, I met up with the restaurant manager at Stockholm’s iconic Grand Hôtel. Home to Nobel prize laureates when they are in town, the hotel is of the most prestigious in Scandinavia. We tasted some Backsberg wines in their cellar, with the Babylons Toren Viognier 2006 going down well.

It’s my lucky day: had lunch in Östermalm. This Stockholm district is not for the budget-sensitive. Over lunch I met up with WOSA’s Swedish rep. South Africa is doing very well in Sweden, despite the Swedish Alcohol Retail Monopoly! SA has been in the top 3 exporters to Sweden for the last number of years.

I don’t like the term ‘marketing manager’. It just doesn’t feel right. I prefer storyteller. Marketing for me involves telling stories. Stories allow a conversation to take place, they allow you – the reader – to participate and to engage.