Slow Food Mother City has organised a picnic lunch at Backsberg Estate on Saturday 27 March 2010, with a presentation on their environmental initiatives and some wine tasting (of course!).

Backsberg has been concerned with its environmental impact for a long time already, way before it became trendy.

Backsberg invested heavily in a carbon audit so that they could reach their goal of becoming carbon neutral. This goal was soon achieved, making them the first carbon neutral wine estate in South Africa and one of only three in the world.

Most of us enjoy a glass of wine on occasion (or often!), but most people don’t realise the impact of wine farming on the environment. The removal of fynbos to plant vineyards is one aspect of that. Backsberg is a member of the Biodiversity in Wine Initiative, setting aside part of the estate for conservation of fynbos.

Backsberg has also built an Earth Centre on the estate which serves as an education centre as well as offices for Food and Trees for Africa, who assist Backsberg with offsetting projects.

These are some of the initiatives that Backsberg has undertaken, but there are many more. For this reason Backsberg has won, and continues to win, many environmental awards both locally and abroad.

EVENT DETAILS

Date and time:
Saturday 27 March 2010. 11.00am

The schedule for our visit looks like this:

• 11h00: Arrival (refreshments served outside the Earth Centre)
• 11h00-12h00: Environmental Tour of the Estate with Simon Back
• 12h00-13h00: Wine Tasting in Historical Vat Cellar hosted by Cellar Door Manager, Danwin James
• 13h00: Finger Lunch outside the Earth Centre

The event is child friendly.

Cost:
The cost will be R80 for members, R85 for guests and R35 for children aged 3-12. Wine will be available for purchase to take home or enjoy with your picnic. Cool drinks will also be available for purchase.

Location:
Backsberg Wine Estate – www.backsberg.com

Bookings:
If you would like to come, please email us at: events@slowfoodmothercity.co.za and let us know how many people you are bringing (and whether you are members or guests). We will then send you banking information to make your deposit and confirm your place/s.

Directions:
From Cape Town: Take the N1 towards Paarl. Take Exit 47 – Klapmuts, Stellenbosch R44 offramp. At the Stop street turn right (underneath the N1 towards Stellenbosch). Go over the next 4-way stop and over the bridge. Take the next left on Franschhoek (R45). About 5km down that road on your right you’ll see Backsberg.

Event feedback

We’d love your feedback on our events! If you’ve attended a Slow Food Mother City event, please let us know what you thought by emailing events@slowfoodmothercity.co.za. All comments and suggestions are welcomed.

Food & Wine Pairing at the Stellenbosch Fresh Goods Market

Dear friends, Heleen and Carla will present their first Saltare Food & Wine Pairing of 2010 on Saturday March the 6th at the Oude Libertas Stellenbosch Fresh Goods Market. The pairing will start at 10:30.

Heleen has put together five seasonal dishes to go with each of the five wines that will be presented. Both Heleen and Carla are fascinated by how certain tastes and textures in the food are enhanced by wine and vice versa.

The five wines that will be tasted are:
Saltare MCC Crémant 2007
Saltare MCC Brut 2007
Saltare Chenin blanc 2008
Saltare Syrah 2006
Saltare Specialis 2006 (red blend)

Please join us by sending an email to info@saltarewines.co.za or call 021 883 9568. Tickets cost R80 per person; we can accommodate twenty people. Heleen’s beautiful cookbooks will also be available for sale.

We look forward to sharing our wines and Heleen’s wonderful dishes with you. You’re also welcome to visit our stand at the SFGM on Saturdays.

Carla & Christoff
Saltare Wines
www.saltarewines.co.za