Sam Venter News Today

Change is a constant, in even the largest and most successful businesses, and often driven, as it should be, by taking the time to listen to the customer.

The labels of the wines of Glenelly Estate in Stellenbosch have several stories to tell about both the youthful 21-year-old estate and more than two centuries and eight generations of French winemaking.

Passing a wine course, a nomination process and attending at least three wine tastings so that other members can check you out — these were some of the conditions if you wanted to join the Port Elizabeth Wine Appreciation Club when it was founded in 1984.

The New Brighton Art School exhibition now on at the Art on Target gallery in Walmer is vibrant, contemporary and dynamic — and represents a number of firsts for the visual arts scene in Nelson Mandela Bay.

The Stoep Tasting weekend started 10 years ago has developed into an annual R75-million economic boost for Graaff-Reinet.

IN THE FAMILY: The Four Cousins of Van Loveren – farmer Neil Retief, From 500 cases of wine a year to 1.4-million — it’s taken the Retief family of Robertson three generations and 40 years, along with an innovative spirit and instinctive gut feel for the market, to build Van Loveren into a wine industry powerhouse.

Whatever happened to Stellenzicht?Back in 1997, John Platter wrote that Stellenzicht Syrah “might become the priciest, most prized modern Cape wine”, and called it “one of SA’s newest and most convincing cult wines”.