Not as if it was a surprise, but the South African MEGA Tasting has had some really great wines for me to try. I have been able to taste everything from sparkling wines to chenin blancs to chardonnay's to Pinotage to Bordeaux blends (and a whole bunch of other stuff), and although I have to admit that spending 6+ hours a day drinking wine is a bit of tough job (not that I am complaining because I love every second of it) but your palate has to be on the ball to really 'taste' and the wine - not just drink it, and your mind has to be willing to concentrate on the flavours and the profile of each glass that you get poured. Come to think of it, challenging may be more of the word I am looking for, but it is fun none the less.
Yesterday a few of us snuck out of the tasting and headed to a gastro pub for lunch - which is the word for an English pub that serves exceptional quality food. Below is a picture with me and my other Canadian friends eating and drinking at the pub. I had a glass of Pimm's and enjoyed a roast beef sandwich. And you'll be happy to know that I am enjoying beer during this trip too, I have had my fair share of pints and am learning to really enjoy the taste of beer!
The South African Mega Tasting has been a really great wine experience. I have been able to meet many people from South Africa as well as some very talented Winemakers along the way. To boot, I have been able to try some great South African Wine.
In case you didnt' know, South Africa is located in the Continent of Africa and is at the most southern point of it. It is surrounded by the two oceans and each wine growing area has a varying climate depending on where it is located (close to the ocean or in the middle of SA). South Africa also celebrates their 350th Year of Making wine this year so everyone from there and in the wine world is pretty proud and excited for the future of South African wine.
South Africa is making great Chenin Blanc - which is working its way to becoming their signature varietal, but they also produce great Sparkling, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz/Syrah, Pinot, Late Harvest and more. It has many different regions - each with their own distinct microclimate and weather and all are producing really great wines at really great prices.
Some of the wineries I have tried wines from are:
Bellingham
Boschendal
Cape Legends
Fairview
Graham Beck Wines
Ken Forrester Wines
KWV
MAN Vintners
Meerlust Estate
Rudera Wines
Springfield Estate
The Winery of Good Hope
Vergelegen
Warwick Wine Estate
Monday night we enjoyed some great wine in one of the city's oldest wine bars called Gordon's Wine Bar. It was mostly underground and one part of the bar used to be an old wine cellar. It was rediculously cool - especially if you're a wine geek like me. Below is a picture of the bar.
Overall my wine time in London has been very memorable and I am really looking forward to our charity event tonight which is a charity benefit for the Pebbles Project with an Elvis impersonator and I am sure there will be some good wine and some good food - so stay tuned for a final blog on that!
Also be sure to block your calendars for the evening of Saturday December 5th. iYellow is planning a big Happy Birthday Party to Celebrate South Africa's 350th Year of winemaking. It will be a fabulous evening of good music, great wine (all the wines that I tasted from this trip) at a great venue and will be a great way to start your saturday night! All the details will be coming soon!
Thanks for reading!
Yesterday a few of us snuck out of the tasting and headed to a gastro pub for lunch - which is the word for an English pub that serves exceptional quality food. Below is a picture with me and my other Canadian friends eating and drinking at the pub. I had a glass of Pimm's and enjoyed a roast beef sandwich. And you'll be happy to know that I am enjoying beer during this trip too, I have had my fair share of pints and am learning to really enjoy the taste of beer!The South African Mega Tasting has been a really great wine experience. I have been able to meet many people from South Africa as well as some very talented Winemakers along the way. To boot, I have been able to try some great South African Wine.
In case you didnt' know, South Africa is located in the Continent of Africa and is at the most southern point of it. It is surrounded by the two oceans and each wine growing area has a varying climate depending on where it is located (close to the ocean or in the middle of SA). South Africa also celebrates their 350th Year of Making wine this year so everyone from there and in the wine world is pretty proud and excited for the future of South African wine.South Africa is making great Chenin Blanc - which is working its way to becoming their signature varietal, but they also produce great Sparkling, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz/Syrah, Pinot, Late Harvest and more. It has many different regions - each with their own distinct microclimate and weather and all are producing really great wines at really great prices.
Some of the wineries I have tried wines from are:
Bellingham
Boschendal
Cape Legends
Fairview
Graham Beck Wines
Ken Forrester Wines
KWV
MAN Vintners
Meerlust Estate
Rudera Wines
Springfield Estate
The Winery of Good Hope
Vergelegen
Warwick Wine Estate
Monday night we enjoyed some great wine in one of the city's oldest wine bars called Gordon's Wine Bar. It was mostly underground and one part of the bar used to be an old wine cellar. It was rediculously cool - especially if you're a wine geek like me. Below is a picture of the bar.
Overall my wine time in London has been very memorable and I am really looking forward to our charity event tonight which is a charity benefit for the Pebbles Project with an Elvis impersonator and I am sure there will be some good wine and some good food - so stay tuned for a final blog on that!
Also be sure to block your calendars for the evening of Saturday December 5th. iYellow is planning a big Happy Birthday Party to Celebrate South Africa's 350th Year of winemaking. It will be a fabulous evening of good music, great wine (all the wines that I tasted from this trip) at a great venue and will be a great way to start your saturday night! All the details will be coming soon!
Thanks for reading!
