MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Wine & Whatever (W&W21) organisers Alewijn Dippenaar his public relations partner Mimi Finestone were host to guests at the Diaz Beach Hotel on Friday afternoon, 29 October.
Held for the second time since its 2019 launch and supported by WESGRO and Mossel Bay Tourism, this year’s event added a sophisticated social calendar option to residents of the greater Mossel Bay area and elsewhere along the Garden Route.
Lavishly sharing their liquid creations, as well as stories on the origin of the wines and artisanal beverages displayed, were winemakers representing 12 different producers, hailing from various estates around the Cape.
Also on hand were distributors Brand Republic, South Cape Distributors and Garden Route Cargo.
“The hall availed by Diaz Hotel easily accommodated a diverse crowd of wine and food enthusiasts,” says Dippenaar, who pays tribute to each participating producer for generous sharing of trade secrets.
Chef Emile Nel of Bahia Bleu restaurant at the Diaz Hotel pulled his considerable culinary weight with food pairings to delight.
A firm favourite was Nel’s butternut chicken roulade with barley risotto paired with pinotages from Jakkalsvlei and Du Toitskloof.
A vegan strawberry eat-'n-mess (aquafaba meringue, vanilla coconut cream, strawberries and berry coulis) scrumptiously complemented the Boplaas moscato.
“The weekend was even more memorable for the fact that people didn’t just pop in to quickly taste and buy wine,” says Nel. “They socialised and that created a truly festive atmosphere.”
More than 140 guests attended the food and wine pairings and demonstrations. There were R70 000 worth of sales.
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