Archive for the ‘Welmoed’ Category

Wine and cheese have gone hand in hand for centuries; however, with today’s ever increasing options for both wines and cheese the pairing decisions can be staggering. So, to take a lot of the guess work out of pairing, here is a quick handy guide to give you a starting point for pairing your favourite wines with cheese. So let us look at four South African favourites to start. Naturally experimenting on your own is definitely recommended.

Welmoed’s easy-drinking Chardonnay will pair excellent with the wonderful brie.

With the taste of fresh citrus fruits, the Chenin Blanc and Camembert would work.

The hint of a sweet Sauvignon Blanc palate, would complement the contrast of a nice and rich chedder

Lastly, for the semi risk takers, try the Cabernet Sauvignon with some Blue cheese.

Yet again, experiment on your own and just enjoy it.

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Welmoed Harvest Update: Pinotage grapes coming in and it’s looking great

Excitement is mounting – the first grapes of the season are here! Winemaker Bernard Claassen can’t help himself, he’s out there inspecting the grapes as they’re fed into the destemmer.

Finding new ways to improve on traditional recipes can be a mouth-watering exercise. Here is a ‘improved’ pasta recipe which is sure to impress and delight your friend/ family.

Ingredients

• 1 small onion
• 3 slices bacon
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1 pound ground beef chuck
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan plus more, shaved, for serving
• 3 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 1 large egg
• salt and black pepper
• 350g spaghetti
• 3 cups marinara/tomato based pasta  sauce

Directions

1. Heat broiler. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. In a food processor, combine the onion, bacon, garlic, and parsley; pulse until finely chopped, 10 to 15 times. Transfer to a medium bowl, add the beef, Parmesan, bread crumbs, egg, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper, and mix gently to combine.
2. Form the beef mixture into 16 meatballs (about 2 tablespoons each) and place on a foil-lined broilerproof rimmed baking sheet. Broil, turning once, until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
4. Heat the marinara sauce in a large skillet over medium heat, 2 to 3 minutes; add the meatballs and toss gently to coat. Serve over the pasta and sprinkle with the shaved Parmesan.

Recommended wine: The versatile Welmoed Rosé will competent this dish.

Source: realsimple.com

The holiday looms, and so does Christmas. All you want to do is chill out after what’s been a hard year. But that’s not always the easiest thing to do – you know the bit about life being “the thing that happens while you’re making other plans”.

For some, chilling out may mean booking a camping site 20 km from the nearest village a year in advance. Or going into a Trappist monastery until the festive season is over.

But most people will have a more sociable time – either at home, visiting relatives, or at the seaside somewhere. Who knows, you might need to get back to the office in January to get some rest. In order to get the most out of your break , women24.com suggest that you try and avoid the following festive season stressors.

Guests galore. You have a big house, and over Christmas it fills up with aunties, grannies, nieces, uncles – you name it. Instead of looking after four people, you are now looking after twelve. This is no holiday for you, as you are the unofficial entertainment committee, the caterer, the conflict resolution specialist, and the local cleaner. If you live in a popular destination, you might have to put your foot down. Or at least put together a duty roster for the cooking and the cleaning. And, for heaven’s sake, don’t feel you have to be the unofficial tour guide. Take a day or two off and let the guests entertain themselves.

Feeding frenzy. Food, food, food. It’s all over during the Christmas season and it’s lying in wait for you everywhere, and we’re not talking about celery sticks either. It’s chips, cakes, cheese snacks, chocolates, to name but a few. And, after all, you’re on holiday. So why not? That’s fine, but just don’t get into a new habit. Most people end the festive season with quite a few kilos that were not there in November. Don’t become a festive season fatty.

Booze bonanza. From the office party to friends’ homes, to family barbecues – booze is no stranger to the festive season. And often, other people are paying for it. By all means have a beer or two, if you’re not driving, but don’t binge on booze. Drinking too much is something that carries its own punishment with it, a bit like eating that second helping of hot Indian curry. And do remember, that everyone likes you to have a drink or two, but nobody likes having a social embarrassment at their parties. Fall down drunk, or insult one of the other guests, and you can be sure you’ll be off the party list. Forever.

I’m so lonely. Some people wish everything could be a little quieter. Others wish for a break from the peace and quiet and they dream of the phone ringing or a horde of guests arriving. The secret is to arrange a few things in advance. Invite people for supper, get a friend to go with you to a movie, or organise a day or two away in a different place. Don’t wait until the festive season is upon you before doing something about your social calendar. It’s not going to happen by itself.

Exercise inertia. Most people give their exercise regimes a break during the festive season. It is, after all, the end of the year. Problem is, many people overindulge completely on the food front at the same time, and coupled with a fortnight of couch-potato-ism, your waistline might be expanding at the rate of knots. Go for a walk with the family, run along the beach, play volleyball. Do anything to burn up those extra calories. And get back into it early in the new year.

Credit card crisis. The last of the Big Spenders. If that describes you in the shopping centre with your Christmas bonus and your credit card, you’re obviously a sucker for all those Christmas ads. And you’re going to be stony broke in January, and depressed in February when the credit card statements start arriving. Point is that you can probably buy just as nice a present for R100 as you can for R200, or R400. You just need to plan it well. It’s the thought that counts, not the size of the present.

Sunburn stress. The sun in the southern hemisphere is vicious , and skin cancer is a real danger. And remember that the damage is cumulative. Burning yourself to a crisp or having a whimpering and sunburnt child on your hands, is no way to spend Christmas. Speak to your pharmacist and get a high-factor sunblock before you head for the beach. And speaking of the beach – watch out for bluebottles or pieces of broken glass in the sand.

Crowd control. Think of Christmas, and what many people see are teeming masses of people in a shopping centre, all of them with a mission, and accompanied by at least two unwilling and exhausted kids. It can be avoided – do your gift shopping in November and do a bulk grocery shop before 18 December. Milling crowds can be exhausting, and elicit everything but the Christmas spirit in you. In fact, it can bring on a bout of trolley rage.

Gift of the grab. Frantic last-minute gift-buying is a killer – not only don’t you get what you are looking for, you also spend a fortune on it. Rather than give unwanted and expensive presents, go for gift vouchers – at least people will appreciate them, even if they are not the most personal of offerings.

Family fest. Family. You get them, you don’t choose them. And never is it more obvious than at Christmas time when Uncle Freddy is holding forth on all his achievements, or Aunt Doris is slurring after her third beer. Or your cousin’s kids are running around screaming, chasing your poor cats. Then there are the endless questions about when you are going to tie the knot, have babies etc. Family get-togethers seldom do much for your self-esteem. Just repeat the mantra, “It will soon be over for another year.”

Welmoed has a wide wine range that will suit any palate for all the festive season occasions.

Source: women24.com

We are running a great competition on our Facebook page where you can stand a chance to win a turkey for that perfect Christmas lunch.

To enter visit our Facebook page .

Mobi users can enter here

Some people perceive Viognier grapes to be relatively new to the South African wine market. Viognier became popular in South Africa in the 1990s as the reputation of this Rhône Valley grape grew for both for blending purposes and for making single varietal wines.

Viognier wines are well-known for their floral aromas, due to terpenes, which are also found in Muscat and Riesling wines.

The colour and the aroma of the wine suggest a sweet wine but Viognier wines are predominantly dry, although sweet late-harvest dessert wines have been made. It is a grape with low acidity; it is sometimes used to soften red wines. In addition to its softening qualities, the grape also adds a stabilising agent and enhanced perfume to the red wine.

 The distinctive aromas of peaches and apricots make it one of the easiest varieties to identify in blends.

South Africa has a few great single varietal and blended Viognier wines and the Welmoed Viognier is one such an example. This excellent wine as a pale straw colour. Lively tropical aromas of peach blossoms and lime with floral and perfume notes. Palate is delicately textured with a smooth, yet fresh acidity and excellent balance. Elegant, medium bodied wine with satisfying finish.

Source: food24.com

Who should be held responsible for under-age liquor purchases as the trend seems to be to point fingers at everyone else? The truth is, the responsibility lies with each and every one of us as individuals. In light of this ongoing issue and challenge, the Industry Association for Responsible Alcohol Use (ARA) has launched their newly designed in-store sticker campaign titled RU18 to assist in increasing awareness amongst retailers and the public alike and combating the current stream of underage alcohol purchases.

“The aim is to reinforce the ARA message of responsible drinking by keeping the legal age limit top of mind for both the purchaser and the distributor as well as discouraging adults from sending underage buyers to buy alcohol for them,” says ARA spokesperson Adrian Botha.

Creating awareness regarding the role that traders play in driving a reduction of alcohol abuse in their respective communities is key to stemming the problem. Internationally published author of the LifeTalk books, Izabella Little Gates commented, “underage drinking is a real problem the world over, not just in South Africa and it is up to us as parents and communities to put a stop to the problem at the root, limiting underage children access to purchasing alcohol.

Children and teenagers are faced with a variety of difficult challenges while growing up, most importantly the effect of peer pressure and it is up to parents and communities at large to instill a sense of responsibility and awareness in their children so that they make the right choices when they are put in these situations.”

“The ARA acknowledges underage drinking as a huge problem. It is only with the assistance of the distributing outlets and by encouraging responsible behavior amongst purchasers that we can reduce the extent to which this is happening. While this campaign is targeted on the purchase of alcohol, we are continually focused on educating adults regarding awareness of the availability of alcohol within the home to underage drinkers” continues Botha.

The ARA is in the process of distributing their in-store point of sale material to various outlets over the next few months and look forward to working alongside store owners and retail employees to create greater awareness around their latest campaign.

So this festive season and on an ongoing basis, do your bit and take responsibility by alerting others to the issue of underage drinking and the extent to which children can access alcohol so that together, we may help curb this problem.

Welmoed supports the drink responsible efforts of ARA

 Read more…

One of our loyal supporters, George Britz recently shared his Welmoed memorable moment.

He wrote:

“This moment was as in a time-capsule of eternally tranquillity, love and peace – to be able to enjoy Gods creation with my wonderful wife, Elsie.  Just, as it is important to have a balanced blend of ingredients and time for a good Red Wine in making – this moment added to our near 34 years of marriage (December 2011).”

Thank you  George for sharing your moment and for your loyal support of our brand. As a token of our appreciation we will sent you a few bottles of Welmoed Viognier and Welmoed Pinotage.

Welmoed celebrates centuries of tradition whilst embracing modern times with the launch of stunning new packaging that’s as distinctive as their hand-crafted wines.

The fresh, contemporary labels not only pay tribute to Welmoed’s position on one of Stellenbosch’s most historic farms by featuring the beloved Cape-Dutch gable, they also better showcase the Welmoed range of premium wines, which are already known for delivering great value for just about any occasion – from sundowners and picnics to dinner parties and weddings.

Whether you’re looking for Chardonnay or Shiraz, the new and trendier label for Welmoed makes the varietal of the wine easier to see.

Since Welmoed continuously strives for quality, premium value and craftsmanship, each bottle now showcases the endorsement of the winemaker Bernard Claassen. “As a wine producer we are well-known for our award winning wines and we believe our success relies, in large part, on the handcrafted approach we take to our winemaking,” says Chris O’Shea, Executive Director for Sales and Marketing, at the company of wine people.

Starting in September 2011, the new look will be available on-shelf across the Welmoed’s Heritage Range of wines, which will soon be expanding to include an all-new Viognier option.

12 lucky iafrica.com readers could win a contemporary Welmoed wine hamper worth R200!

Simply enter on iafrica.com