Wednesday 17 October 2012

Lesley Charnock to host another workshop

Lesley Charnock recently hosted a landscape painting workshop in the Riebeek Valley, it was an overwhelming success and will be followed by another one at the end of October. There are still limited spaces available so should you be interested please contact Lesley for details. Lesley very kindly sent me these wonderful comments from ‘students’ to share.



Dearest Les,
The days I spent last week in Riebeek Kasteel were magic! I will long remember with gratitude and pleasure this Plein Air Workshop, which you planned so meticulously and executed with such positive energy and passion. Each one of us had your full attention when we needed it.
Our luxurious accommodation, tasty, sumptuous meals, the places we shared them and the outdoor painting venues, were all excellent. For me it was also a time when I learnt a great deal, made new friends and cemented old friendships. It was a special group of really lovely people and the warmth and laughter we shared will always be a part of this treasured memory.
As I work towards that goal of 1000 plein air paintings, I trust I will not forget the lessons learned, nor the inspiration which sprang from this wonderful experience, in such a beautiful part of our country.
Your passion and dedication will continue to inspire all of us fortunate enough to know you.
A big thank you and an even bigger hug!
With love, Wynnie.

Dear Lesley,
I have excellent memories of the workshop you organised. You put so much thought and hard work in it even before it starts and that is one reason for its success. The other one is that you are such a caring person and so dedicated to every participant.
Your expertise with painting is evident and I definitely picked up some (potential) new skills. Clay is more my medium then painting but it is something new and I love playing with colour. Never too old to learn.
The job now is to get rid of the extra kg after the inspiring food we had!
Enjoy your Italy trip and take it at your own pace!

With love, Tineke

Hi Les
I just had to write to tell you how much I enjoyed the workshop!!! I learned so much & gained a lot of confidence to go out there & paint.
I can't wait to get out there again. I made some lovely new artist friends & we had so much fun. I shall have to diet for the next month to counteract for all the delicious food we ate!!!
Thankyou so much. Put my name down for the next one!
All the best
Love
Noeline

Dear Les,

Just a not to say 'thank you ' again for an inspirational and 'fun' workshop.

I am in awe of all the wonderful organization and all the trouble you took to make everything work so smoothly, which it most certainly did.
We all worked our 'buts off", but what fun we had during the whole workshop.

I will admit that it took me a few days to recover !!
Now I am having fun trying to improve what I did ? Anyway I learnt so much !

Thank you again,

Love June
Dear Lesley
I learnt SO much in the 4 days of intensive painting under your guidance. Riebeeck-Kasteel is a charming town and who would have thought we would have such excellent food
(and wine) along the way? Hats off to you for an excellent workshop. I would recommend this to anyone interested in plein-air painting, you certainly get your money's worth!

Many, many thanks.


Hi Les
The week at RBK was extremely rewarding & I just wanted to say thank you. The art instruction was so good, & I learned a huge amount ( coming of course off a very low base, the learning curve is steep)
But also the company was fun & stimulating, & the meals were great, if too good, actually, I ate far too much.
So thanks for your excellent organisation. I know it doesnt just happen.



Tuesday 9 October 2012

Once again local cellars achieve top honours





Allesverloren’s Fine Old Vintage 2008 (previously known a Allesverloren Port) and Riebeek Cellars’ Kasteelberg Shiraz 2010 both received gold medals at the recently held Michelangelo International Wine Awards.

The following wines by local cellars also received silver medals: Het Vlock Casteel Cabernet, Sauvignon 2010, Het Vlock Casteel Merlot 2010, Riebeek Cellars Kasteelberg Chenin Blanc 2010 and Riebeek Cellars Kasteelberg Shiraz 2011.

Thursday 4 October 2012

The Swartland Wine Route comes to Kirstenbosh

The varied Santam Swartland Wine and Olive Route will be at their now annual Country Market taking place at the Stone Cottages at Kirstenbosch on Saturday 6 October. The Country Market offers you a hint of what to expect on this remarkable Wine Tourism Route and introduces you to the amiable and colourful people of the area.
From Malmesbury to Piketberg in the North, the route includes the Paardeberg vineyards and the celebrated vineyards of the Riebeek Valley and encompasses 23 vineyards in total all with their own unique flair.
The market is a great destination for the whole family with not only wine being available, but olives and produce from the area as well. It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet some of the more interesting producers from the region and taste their exceptional wines. Entrance is free or R30 per person for a glass and tasting vouchers, for more information contact 022 487 1133/swartlandinfo@westc.co.za.

Tuesday 2 October 2012

Beautiful weddings at Café Felix


If you type in Café Felix on Google you will be inundated with photographer's websites and blogs filled with stunning images of past weddings at Café Felix. We at Shiraz Estate are very lucky to host so many of these wedding guests and since wedding season is in full swing I thought I'd share just some of these lovely celebrations.




See more of this wedding
See more of this wedding
See more of this wedding
See more of this wedding

Wednesday 26 September 2012

Valley looks forward to Shiraz and Art Weekend 2012


The Riebeek Valley is definitely a creative place and boasts a large number of not only nationally but internationally renowned artists who call it home. Unlike many other festivals the Shiraz and Art, as it is locally known, does not draw tens of thousands of visitors but rather a select number of art lovers making it an ideal opportunity to visit. In addition to art exhibitions and performances, there are several markets on the go and most of the restaurants have Shiraz inspired menus on offer as well as excellent winelists. Being only an hours drive from Cape Town the Valley is the perfect place to explore this coming weekend.

Monday 17 September 2012

Muzick Project

With the Shiraz and Arts Weekend taking place in the Riebeek Valley on the last weekend of September it's the perfect time to talk about some of our local talent and these two are local as well as talented. John Harris of Muzick Project very kindly sent me the following information as well as the wonderful photo of him and Werner Denner performing at Shiraz Estate recently.

Muzick Project was formed for basically one reason.

To get what joy we can get by sharing our craft and passion with as many fellow musicians and audiences as possible.

It has started on a small scale by musicians for musicians and is intended to grow and grow and  grow……….. !

Apart from sit down shows, we cater for all corporate functions, launches, lunches and weddings and are able to provide an extremely varied program tailored to any organizers needs.

We can be reached at www.muzickproject.com

John Harris and Werner Denner performing at Shiraz Estate

Friday 14 September 2012

The Darling Wildflower Show 2012

Images courtesy www.darlingwildflowers.co.za/show.htm

The Darling Wildflower Show takes place this weekend and with the weather forecast looking beautiful for the duration of this yearly event it is the ideal opportunity to visit the district which represents approximately 1200 species of wildflower.

Images courtesy www.darlingwildflowers.co.za/show.htm
The event takes place at the Darling Sports Club and R30 entrance includes entry to the landscaped as well as a ride on a tractor drawn wagon to see the Oude Post Wetland, which is only  accessible during the show.

Images courtesy www.darlingwildflowers.co.za/show.htm
Various food and refreshment stalls are available, but Darling is a stone’s throw from the Riebeek Valley with its selection of eateries and with Groenrivier Slow Food and Craft Market taking place on Sunday, why not make an entire day of it?

Images courtesy www.darlingwildflowers.co.za/show.htm
Images courtesy www.darlingwildflowers.co.za/show.htm
For more information:

Tel: 084 916 1111

Images courtesy www.darlingwildflowers.co.za/show.htm