An Extra-Ordinary Night

The invite read "Out with the Ordinary, In with the Extra-Ordinary"... We knew we were in for something at the exquisite Asara Wine Estate and Hotel on Thursday 30 April...

Liezl Jonker, Mariska du Preez an Shelly Schulze

Charlotte met us at the hotel's reception with a glass of Asara Rosé. We then went to the tasting room via one of the hotel rooms - breathtaking!
In the tasting room we sampled some Sauvignon Blanc 2009 – paired with Smoked Salmon Trout crostinis & Salmon Tartar.
The 2009 was bottled a week before but already tasted yummy - perfect for the spring evenings later this year!
We then travelled on to the newly launched deli area where we had some Unwooded Chardonnay 2008 – paired with dried figs wrapped in duck & Goat’s Cheese crostinis.

Next up was the Vinotheque - the private cellar of the owner of Asara. Here we saw some priceless bottles never seen before and had the (infamous) Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc 2008 – paired with Seared Tuna on spicy mango salsa and Marinated Chick pea Salad spoons.

The highlight of the evening was the fine dining area, a private room where guests can soon enjoy exclusive dinners at Raphael's restaurant.
We ended the night with the following treats:
Bell Tower Estate 2004 – paired with peppered ostrich fillet and red onion confit
Noble Late Harvest 2004 – paired with honey, cinnamon & white chocolate truffle
Spirit of Chenin 2004 – paired with Opera Cake with dried apricot and coffee sauce
Pineau de Charentes 2004 – paired with Rich dense chocolate cake, with raspberry coulis and white chocolate shard.

Moms and daughters at the April Women of Wines: Charmaine Murray, Natalie Murray, Elna du Preez, Mariska du Preez, Karen Veysey and Anita Freter.

The schedule for the remainder of the year:
Thursday 25 June: Lovane Boutique Wine Estate {Gail Gous}
Thursday 30 July: Stellenzicht {Lucille Jacobs and Guy Webber}
Thursday 27 August: Lourensford {Janine de Roubaix and Wim Braak}
Thursday 24 September: Mulderbosch {Erina Cillié}
Thursday 29 October: Diemersdal {Inge Heuer}
Thursday 26 November: Jordan {Rachel Erasmus}


For more pictures: Facebook

Women of Wines: May 2009

Women of Wines May 2009 {Skoonheid en Wyn}
Thursday 28 May 2009
MolenVliet Wine and Guest Estate.
Sponsors: Laser Clinic, Karoo Water and Visi Magazine.

Please note this event is unfortunately fully booked.
Our next Women of Wines event is taking place on Thursday 25 June 2009 at Lovane Boutique Wine Estate.

The finest French night in the Winelands

Women of Wines: March 2009 at Villiera {French Flair} with Celesté van der Merwe

The ladies showed up at Villiera dressed in their finest French outfits, Karen stealing the show with her bag of onions!


Celesté welcomed the ladies with the Tradition Rosé Brut NV. After everyone arrived, we were treated to a cellar tour - the first for WOW. Back at the beautifully decorated table, we sampled some of the Tradition Brut NV and the Villiera "king of bubblies", the Monro Brut 2004.

We were then treated to homebaked quiches (and I know they're homebaked, cause I helped bake them! ;) before we started with the whites. The Down to Earth White 2008, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, is one of the winelands' best value wines (at R27.50 a bottle)! This was followed by my personal favourite Chenin, the Cellar Door Chenin Blanc 2005.

We then sampled some delicious cheeses, breads and fruit sticks before trying 3 of Villiera and Domaine Grier's reds. Domaine Grier is a French vineyard owned by Villiera and they import some of their reds from there. First up was the Domaine Grier Syrah 2006, a stunning Shiraz matured in French Oak barrels for 10 months. We then tried the (local) Villiera Shiraz 2004. A true gem! The last red for the evening was the Domaine Grier Galamus 2006, a Grenache 30% Syrah 40% Carignan 30% blend. This wine is worth visiting the farm for!

And because ladies love their sweet things in life, we ended the evening with the Cellar Door Noble Late Harvest Riesling 2005 served with Marí's delicious Cheese Cake. (*Note: if you need sweet things, contact Marí!)

To see more photos of the evening, go to the Facebook photo album
Thanks to Wine Magazine for sponsoring magazines for the goodie bags!