Competition Time! - Win Tickets to the Winestyle Spring Winedown in Jozi

Stand a chance to win double tickets to this awesome event taking place in Kyalami, Johannesburg at Tintswalo Waterfall Estate on 13 - 14 September! The winter winedown held in June was a great success and enjoyed by all, hence the sequel - The Spring Winedown is back by popular demand to tantalize your taste buds.

So how do you win these tickets? 

You have until the 31 August 2013 to leave a comment and say what is your favourite wine to welcome spring with?

Want to increase your chances of winning those tickets?

• Leave a comment on this post on my blog: http://www.thewineoak.com/2013/08/competition-time-win-tickets-to.html;
• Follow me on twitter and tweet me: https://twitter.com/TheWineOak;
• Like, post and share my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheWineOak;

Be creative, go nuts and create a commotion. Good luck!

Details of the Spring Winedown are below:

Press Release: 29 July 2013

Shake off the cobwebs in Jozi this Spring at WineStyle’s Spring Winedown.

The Winestyle Spring Winedown is an opportunity to unwind and relax, it not just another average wine show – we are offering you the opportunity to taste some of the ‘Best of the Best’ and to rub shoulders with the wine professionals involved in creating your favourite wines all on the backdrop of the gorgeous Tintswalo hotel @ Waterfall Estates.

This beautiful destination has a spectacular 360˚ degree view with rolling lawns, big windows and a stunning open terrace to enjoy a Jozi Spring day, with great food and wine, live DJ and chilled out vibe. Bring your family and friends, and come spend the day with us.

The “Spring Winedown” is a wine party, not a wine trade show. It’s a celebration of food and wine and for people who like to have fun. The event is unlike a traditional wine show, and encourages guests and exhibitors to engage, unwind, eat, drink and pick up a few wine tips in the process. Guests also get an opportunity to purchase these wines, at a special Winedown price. So come and stock up your collection!

On the back of our successful Summer and Spring Wine Parties in Cape Town, and our first Winedown event in Joburg, we are bringing the fun back to Gauteng by popular demand.

A ticket gets you entrance and a tasting glass, to roam around and taste for free, buy wine by the glass or bottle, order some delicious platters, picnic style tapas or sushi, find a spot on the lawn and relax with friends and family for the day. Remember to pick up a few cases of wine to take home too!

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to shake off the cobwebs, leave Winter behind and celebrate this Spring in style!

• Venue: Tintswalo Waterfall – Kyalami, Gauteng

• Date: 13^th & 14^th of September 2013  (Friday 5.30-10pm & Saturday 12-7 pm)

• Tickets available at Webtickets: https://www.webtickets.co.za/event.aspx?itemid=405813082

          -R100.00 per person attending, including a glass (Webtickets) 

          -R120.00 at the door per person including a glass

                 

Check out for more info and specials:

Our site: www.wine-style.co.za

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/winestylesa

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/winestyle

For any further information please contact Jeanne:

Jeanne@wine-style.co.za

www.winestyle.co.za

This is the event of the season and we hope to see you there! 

How To Make Glühwein

Friends of mine had this awesome idea to make glühwein and braai. The weather for the coming Saturday looked promising, cold and miserable, just perfect for glühwein consumption. Woo hoo! (Never have I been so enthusiastic about consuming a warm beverage). 

Glühwein (roughly, "glow-wine," from the hot irons once used for mulling) is popular in German speaking countries and in the region of Alsace in France. It is a traditional beverage that is offered during the Christmas holidays. 

We each brought along a bottle of cheapish red wine to contribute to the copious amounts of glühwein we would make and consume. Everything was running smoothly, cold weather - check; construction of make shift fire pit consisting of steel droppers and wire mesh - check. Then the tempting sun called us towards her warm and inviting rays. So we sat in those rays and drank. Now myself and a few others wisely consumed beers, ciders or white wine as our choice of beverage, although there were certain individuals who insisted on drinking red wine in the sun. I warned them against this, but alas my words were ignored... 

Kids, (assuming you are 18 years of age or older as the wine oak promotes responsible drinking) here is the after defect (haha I meant to type effect but I actually prefer predictive text's word suggestion) of drinking red wine in the sun:

We had an awesome day and when the sun finally set, we switched to the glühwein which had been steaming on the stove. It came out mouth wateringly (is that a word?? Well it is now) delicious. Oh yes, we did eventually braai and eat too.

We have 1 month of winter left in South Africa, so I would recommend making your own glühwein ASAP. There are several recipes on the Internet, but this is the one we tried, with a tweak or 2:

Ingredients for 4 glasses of glühwein:

3/4 cup of water

3/4 cup of white sugar or brown sugar or honey for a different flavour

2 cinnamon sticks

1 lemon

1 orange

10 whole cloves

1 bottle of red wine (750ml)

Method:

1. In a large pot, combine the water, sugar, and cinnamon sticks and place on heat. Stir slowly until the sugar has dissolved, whilst  bringing to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer.
2. Cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice into the simmering water. Push the cloves into the outside of the orange skins and place them in the simmering water.
3. Cut the lemon in half, add the halves to the simmering water and continue simmering for 30 minutes until thick and syrupy and then reduce the heat.
4. Pour the wine into the pot and slowly heat until steaming but not simmering for 10 minutes. Do not bring to the boil at any point as this will cause the alcohol to evaporate.
5. Remove the clove-studded orange halves, lemon halves and cinnamon sticks.
6. Serve hot by pouring (a ladle works well) into individual mugs or glasses that have been preheated in warm water (cold glasses will break).