Monthly Archives: June 2009

With its unique focus on the finer details and special touches, Val de Vie makes any event become a special occasion. The interiors are uniquely appointed with imported decor, cherished antiques and marble floors. Our hiring is of the highest quality; expect nothing less than crystal glassware, flawlessly polished cutlery and the finest crockery. Furthermore, the events team can organise leadings chefs and catering companies to create a dazzling menu, while the estate includes a fully equipped bar. Val de Vie also has a team of professionally trained in-house service staff, ensuring that you and your guests can simply relax and enjoy every minute of the occasion.

Val de Vie Polo can offer your company unique sponsorship and branding opportunities, enabling you to reach a premium target audience. Enjoy the benefits of association with the King of Sports located in world-class facilities.
Unique sponsorship and branding opportunities include:

• Tailor made polo events at Val de Vie
• Product placement
• Hospitality packages
• Corporate Days
• Sponsor a team, match or tournament
• Product launches

The Val de Vie Shiraz 2006 boasts a rich and unmistakable palate. A mulberry, plum and Maraschino cherry richness is complemented by sweet butterscotch and vanilla nuances. The sweet, empty cigar box, dark chocolate and sweet spice aromas follow through on the palate and create with the ripe, subtle tannins.

If you're planning to entertain, this lush, ripe Shiraz will not disappoint. It is excellent served with rich beef casseroles, well hung game and rare steak. A good pairing with tuna Bordelaise indicates the wine’s versatility.

As we head into the chilly depths of mid-winter, the days are shorter and the skies are often filled with thick grey clouds. Of course, at Val de Vie we always like to entertain, and winter is a great time to enjoy cosy evening with friends and family. Why not spice up your winter entertaining repertoire with some Glühwein? It's a wonderfully warming beverage that your guests are sure to love.

Ingredients

1 Bottle of Red Wine
1/8 Litre water
50 grams sugar
1/4 stick cinnamon
3 cloves
Peelings of half a lemon or two lemon slices

Preparation

Bring the sugar, spices and water to a boil. Then let this mixture steer for 30 minutes. Finally, mix in the red wine and carefully reheat to just under the boiling point.

Image courtesy of Flickr

Here are a few quotes about wine that any wine lover will appreciate!

Wine is bottled poetry.
Robert Louis Stevenson

Here's to the corkscrew - a useful key to unlock the storehouse of wit, the treasury of laughter, the front door of fellowship, and the gate of pleasant folly.
W.E.P. French

Good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
Othello, II. iii. (315)

Con pan y vino se anda el camino [With bread and wine you can walk your road].
Anonymous: Spanish Proverb

In water one sees one's own face; But in wine, one beholds the heart of another.
An Old French proverb

In vino veritas
Pliny
Historia Naturalis

Want to shop until you drop? Val de Vie is conveniently located near some of the best shopping experiences in the Cape. Various shopping meccas in the surrounding areas are within easy reach and offer long trading hours to facilitate your shopping experience.

The V&A Waterfront is Cape Town’s most famous shopping centre, and a premier tourist destination. It boasts over 400 stores catering to all your shopping needs. Similarly, Canal Walk Shopping Centre is a massive mall that houses some of the world's most desirable brands.

For those who enjoy a more quaint shopping experience, Franschhoek is a treasure trove of antique shops, boutiques and speciality stores.

Now there's no excuse not to go shopping!

Image courtesy of V&A Waterfront

Ever wondered about a game where eight players gallop after a small white ball mounted on “ponies” with long sticks in their hands, why “shots” don’t include whiskey or guns and “sudden death” isn’t the prelude to a volley of gunfire?
Where did it start?

John Moore said that “wherever man has left his footprint in the long ascent from barbarism to civilization we will find the hoofprint of the horse beside it.”

And following this hoofprint came polo...

The King of Sports, believed to be the world’s oldest and fastest team sport, traces its origins to ancient Persia and China over 2000 years ago, as contests between competing tribes of Central Asia. Matches resembled battles with 80 to 100 mounted players on opposing sides and outcomes could decide war between tribes.

The rugged horse game spread east with the Moguls evolving as a training method for the Elite Cavalry. Thankfully along the way the tradition of using a sheep’s head to score goals, was replaced by a ball. By the 16th century polo was established in India by the Emperor Babur, where 19th century British cavalry officers discovered the galloping game. Originally referred to as “Hockey-on-horseback” the officers took the game back to England from where it spread to through the colonies. Today Polo, known as the fastest ball sport in the world, is played in over 80 countries by both men and women. The exceptionally skilled and daring riders of Argentina brought a whole new dimension to the game, and still today Argentina remains the Mecca for polo enthusiasts with the majority of the high goal players coming from Argentina.

Interesting facts:
• Both Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan were passionate polo players
• Still played in Pakistan, an annual match is held at full moon on a rocky field in the 11 000 foot Shandur Pass following rules dictated 800 years ago by a descendant of Genghis Khan.
• The word Polo is believed to be derived from the Tibetan word “pulu” meaning ball.
• The Turkomans beat the Persians in the first recorded public match in 600 BC.
• King Sapoor II of Persia learnt to play the game aged 7 in the 4th Century AD.
• Shah Abbas the Great built a polo field (300 yards long with goal posts 8 yards apart) in 16th century AD at Ispahan, then the capital. Used as a public park today, the original stone goal posts are still in place.
• The first polo club in the world was formed by the British at Silchar in the 1850’s.
• The oldest active club in the world today is the Calcutta Club founded in 1862.
• Polo was an Olympic Sport from 1900 to 1939.
• Chukka comes from the Indian word for a circle or round.

Your wedding day is one of the most special occasions that you will ever experience; it is a joyful celebration of love and lifelong commitment, shared with friends and family. Val de Vie offers an on-the-day co-ordination service for weddings, leaving you to relax and enjoy every second of the experience. We can also plan the finer details of your event, such as the menu, hiring, service staff and transport. For more information, kindly phone +27 (0)861 63 63 63 or visit our website.

Parents understand that a good education is one of the most valuable things that you can give to your children - it enriches, inspires, motivates and also paves the way for their future success. Val de Vie is perfectly positioned to offer your children an excellent education. The estate is in close proximity to a number of top schools (both primary and high schools) such as Bridge House and Paarl Gimnasium. In addition, both Stellenbosch University and UCT are nearby. It's no wonder that the estate is so popular amongst young families. Visit the Val de Vie website to find out more.

Image courtesy of Flickr

Struggling to tell your Malbec from your Merlot? Visit thewinedoctor.com for an excellent glossary of terms. The list is extensive and covers any thing from production techniques and grapes to wine regions and tasting terms - an indispensable reference for wine enthusiasts.

Image courtesy of Flickr

Be sure to visit The Horse Box, retailers of high quality equestrian products and apparel. This wonderful store stocks Joules, an upmarket clothing range which is very popular amongst polo and horse followers world wide. New stock has just arrived in store, the perfect excuse to go shopping! Browse their stock online, check out their store in Steenberg Village, or call 021 7023329 to find out about their mobile shopping service.

Whether you're planning a large corporate event or an exclusive high society celebration, it's always fun to set an occasion apart with dazzling entertainment. What could be more impressive than a private polo match for your guests to enjoy? Val de Vie can easily organise a game to played as part of an event, creating a mesmerizing spectacle that your guests will never forget.

Residents at Val de Vie are spoilt for choice when it comes to fine dining. The estate is located near some of the finest restaurants in South Africa, including La Quartier Francais and Haute Cabriere in Franschhoek, as well as Bosman's Restaurant at the five star Grande Roche hotel in Paarl. Bon appetit!

Image courtesy of Flickr

Here is a map showing the precise location of Val de Vie, perfect if you're planning to join us at the launch of Sabrage Bar this weekend (click on the map for a larger version). See you there!

Val de Vie is delighted to welcome our first two non-polo ponies into the livery! Easily recognisable from the polo ponies by their flowing manes, Tahila and Spirit are the newest residents at the Val de Vie Stables. Their owners and Val de Vie Homeowners, Maureen and Ryal are thoroughly enjoying the benefits of having their friends close to home. Maureen regularly pops in to give them a carrot and pat on her way to work and the foursome can often be seen out enjoying riding on the Estate. After some initial surprise, Tahila and Spirit have settled into the “polo routine” and walk with the herd to and from the stables with a bareback rider.

Maureen is thrilled with the Estate's livery. “The the stables are managed in the most professional way by John and Jo, as well as their passion for the horses is part of their everyday living.

I've learned so much from them in the past month by stabling at Val de Vie. John is busy showing Spirit that he is actually a horse and Tahila has told me she is living in a five star hotel now and thinks she is on semi–retirement!"

Spirit in the stables

Spirit (left) and Tahila (right)

Join us for the launch of Sabrage Bar, an exclusive new venue at the Val de Vie Pavilion! Taking place from 19:30 on 5 or 6 June, it promises to be a sophisticated occasion.

Kindly click on the image for more details.