Two lambs on show
In the middle of the recent cold snap, when the mountains of Franschhoek were covered with snow, twin lambs were born at Solms-Delta farm. 
The Real Bastille Day
There are several reasons why Bastille Day in Franschhoek is better than Bastille Day in Paris. There are no squadrons of men with silly tin helmets on horses. Our mountains are higher than Montmartre. Our Huguenot Monument has more arches than the Arc de Triomphe. And no Sarkozy! The best reason is, of course, that this year the Bastille Day parade was led by Solms-Delta’s very own newest biggest marching band, the Delta Valley Entertainers, accompanied by many of the staff and management and most of the workers. In fact, the Solms-Delta delegation WAS the parade.
Gemoedsrus launch and a vertical expression…
This was to be a vertical tasting. I wondered whether I had to stand throughout, and whether I could, knowing my inclination not to spit. In addition to which there were eight reds and a fortified wine to explore.
Now if you are at all like me, you know that dooswyn burns a bit at first and that wine over R20 a bottle is smoother. But I am a willing student, and at this event I was all ears. Luckily I was sitting next to some very well informed people who didn’t look at me too sympathetically when I revealed my ignorance, and turned out to be jolly good company to boot.
Wine and Food Pairing: A New Angle
I was wandering around the village preparing for the “Franschhoek Pairings” Festival, checking out which food was being matched with which wine at the various restaurants. As my knowledge stretches no further than a Sauvignon blanc with snoek and a Merlot with meatballs (which is one step up from my cousin in the Free State who thinks pairings mean a beer with the braai!) I decided to seek wisdom from my favourite chef, Shaun Schoeman of the Fyndraai Restaurant at Solms-Delta.
Anna Foundation partnership
The Wijn de Caab Trust, in keeping with its commitment to transformation in the Franschhoek Valley, has entered into a partnership with the Anna Foundation. The aim is to provide additional educational support to our farm children, both in Franschhoek High during school hours, and during the afternoons in the estate’s After School Centre. The Anna Foundation has the fascinating and totally surprising slogan of the “Three R’s”, which refers to “Reading, Running and Righting” (reminds me a little bit of Alice in Wonderland, where someone spoke about subjects like reeling and writhing).
Elma van Graan: From missionary to wine-maker
Elma van Graan, the assistant wine-maker at Solms-Delta, likes to tell the story about the day her faith wavered. Because of her good school record at Luckhoff High in Ida’s Valley she had been given a very responsible job, straight from school, in the laboratory at Boschendal (by Hilko Hegewisch). But after a while Elma felt a calling to become a missionary. So she enrolled for three years at a theological college. On graduating she felt she could better carry out God’s mission by working close to His creation, nature, especially the wondrous grape-vine. She went back to her very important lab job, testing (for example) the grapes for sugar content and for PH levels to determine whether they were harvest ready. As she told her fellow workers, “50mls can determine the fate of 200 000 liters, so no mistakes are permissible.”
Basketball, a different sort of growing
What in the world is the connection between a good wine and a good basketball player? Well, as Elma van Graan, the assistant wine-maker at Solms-Delta wine estate said after the harvest, “A good wine is not only made, it is also grown.” Same applies to basketball. Just ask Aggrey Ofula and Kyle Ray, the two basketball coaches funded by the Delta Trust to develop the game at the schools and institutions of the Cape Winelands (prisons included). They will enthusiastically tell you the story of the growth and change in the life of one of the prisoners at Drakenstein Correctional Services. He had his sentence reduced from life imprisonment because of a dramatic change in his personality and attitude to the world after taking up basketball.
Or the story of the disabled young people at the Ligstraal School for Special Children in Paarl. In the space of a couple of months their team improved so much that they won a tournament at Drakenstein, beating four other teams in the process. How is that for growing a good vintage? Similar stories abound.
Franschhoek museum on display in Sweden
International Museum Day is celebrated by museums all over the world on 18th of May 2010. Thousands of museums on all continents will embrace this year’s theme: ‘Museums for social harmony’ and perhaps none is more qualified in this regard than the Museum van de Caab, on Solms-Delta wine estate in Franschhoek.
Our Winemaker Hilko Hegewisch visits Lagos
Imagine this. A High Life club on Victoria Island in Lagos. The music is loud, alternating between the beat of 2face Idibia and the subversive lyrics of Fela Kuti, still revered by the people. The dancing is feverish and the colourful kaba’s of the women compete with the equally colourful sokoto’s of the stylish men. The shelves of the bar are stocked high with magnums of pricey French champagne, bottles of single malt whiskey and cognac.
But what are the movers and shakers in Nigeria drinking? Cape Jazz Shiraz!
Delta Draf race report
The inaugural Delta Draf took place on Saturday 24 April under the bluest of blue skies. Nature smiled kindly on the event, even providing a warm autumn morning sun to give the runners some extra energy.
