In search of perfection…

Yesterday Danny, our cameraman and Corne caught up with Stuart Botha, the third character in Exploring the Vine, he and his mentor at Eagles Nest, Martin Meinert, being the perfectionists they are, were on a mission to find just the right blend of Stuart’s 2008 merlots.

As it turns out the same grape variety, in this case Merlot, grown on different parts of the farm produces distinctively different wines – it all comes down soil types, weather, sunshine and the attention the grapes receive while growing.

After four days of meticulously testing merlot ratios, Stuart & Martin were pretty pleased with the result: Stuart’s first year as the head winemaker and a merlot he's tremendously proud of - Eagle Nest’s 2008 Merlot Vintage.

Justin says the F-word on live radio:

Justin felt right at home in studio when he joined lee downs and his crazy crew on Heart 104 this morning. They chatted about Cooked, Getaway to Africa 1 & GTA 2 and the mad times he shared with friends, family and the plethora of people he met along the way. For a second he forgot he was live (there are no re-takes) and let a ‘beep-word’ slip out. These things happen.. We are going to post the interview on our website for all of you who missed it.

 

On the road again..

Wine was flowing

All the mayhem of harvest is finally over and things have begun to go back to normal, so Sunel, who is our Director of Photography (DOP) and Corne the Director of Exploring the vine, our new wine show (currently in production) went out yesterday to catch-up with James and Howard. They left Cape Town before dawn and made their way to Flagstone (Stellenbosch), which was one of the estates Howard worked on over the past harvest - they we bottling their merlot. 

Corne reckons that the process of winemaking has been a fascinating journey, something he, and most others know near nothing about. As the year unfolds and the show’s characters develop, he says it’s very interesting to see how the humble grape is simply transformed into some of the fantastic wines he has 'tasted' so far. Now that the guys have done the hard yards its time to reap the rewards so out onto the road they are going in search of the best South African wines out there…

 

James Corder: boss for a day

Autumn is a beautiful season, especially on Beaulieu, the Corder Family-run Estate in Elgin. The farm, traditionally known for their apple and pear orchards, more recently has converted a small portion of the estate, which is now under vine. The Corder’s have hit the ground running; with James at the reigns; the farm is a major contributor to Elgin Vintners, who to date have produced some darn mouth-watering vino.

At the moment the farm is relatively quiet and with all the ‘free’ time on their hands you’d think it would be the worst time to leave Jimbo in charge…

 

 

 

 

Cooked begins shooting Getaway 2

It’s been almost a year since the first season of Getaway commenced filming. So when Justin and Sunel got the green light this morning the two practically flew out of the door.

 

The 1^st episode of Getaway 2 sees the guys stick relatively close to home as they are attempting to re kindle the relationship between the people of the Cape Peninsula and their close cousins, the Chacma baboons.

 

In the case of all close families relationships have their ups and downs and of late the bond between man and the baboons of the Cape has been on the rocks, so much so that for some the only foreseeable solution is to completely eradicate these ultra intelligent animals.

 

The Chacma baboons have harmoniously shared the Cape Peninsula with Homo sapiens for hundreds of years. More recently these inquisitive primates have been turning up in the heart of the leafy southern suburbs of Cape Town and making themselves quite at home.

 

Although these residential areas border on and at times even encroach on the baboon’s natural habitat, their behaviour has caused considerable consternation with residents and homeowners and a result the baboons have been branded as not only a nuisance but also as violent and dangerous intruders. It does seem that they are making a conscious decision to move ever closer to the homes of their human counterparts.

 

Justin's aim is to delve deeper into the ongoing conflict between man and the last existing large wild mammals of the Cape Peninsula and hopes to find solutions that will positively suit both parties.