Monthly Archives: December 2011

Bester recently celebrated their year-end on 9 December 2011 at Val de Vie, and we loved working with this young and funky crowd. Based in Stellenbosch, Bester is an agricultural marketing company that specialises in the domestic and international marketing of grain, oil seeds and animal feed ingredients.

The event was held in true Chanel style, making it a glamorous occasion that was enjoyed by all!

Christmas doesn't have to be red, green and gold every year. Have a bright, happy and modern Christmas with a colourful pastel palette. Delicate pinks and blues look gorgeous with some silver sparkle - it's a fun style that shakes things up a bit.

This pastel Christmas candy station was created with a lot of excitement by Glorious Treats. We love how the soft colours feel every bit as festive as more traditional shades.

The second Veuve Clicquot Masters, one of the most sophisticated events on the South African Polo calendar, is set to take place on Saturday 25th February 2012 at Val de Vie Wine and Polo Estate outside Cape Town.

The prestigious Champagne House sponsors some of the world’s biggest polo events, and the 2011 Veuve Clicquot Masters was their first foray into African polo. The event proved to be a resounding success, enjoyed by SA’s elite, including top celebrities, glamorous socialites and polo lovers.

The 2012 Veuve Clicquot Masters is set to grow in size, drawing in crowds dressed to impress for a stylish day of polo. Utilising Val de Vie’s world-class polo fields and luxurious club house facilities, VIP guests can expect a glamorous day out filled with champagne, gourmet canapés, haute couture, and of course, thrilling polo.

SAVE THE DATE DIARY DETAILS:
Event: Veuve Clicquot Masters
Date: Saturday 25th February 2012
Venue: Val de Vie Estate (Paarl-Franschhoek Valley)
Tickets: Available online through Webtickets
Click here to visit the event's Facebook page for more details.

Ryk Neethling is featured in the latest issues of YOU and Huisgenoot in an insightful article that explores his valuable role at Val de Vie. Be sure to check the article out to find out more about his involvement in the Estate.

Click here to see the article.

Credits: YOU and Jacques Stander

On Friday 25 November Bentley, Veuve Clicquot, Pirelli, Breitling and LIVEOUTLOUD partnered in an event like no other at the Val de Vie Wine and Polo Estate in Paarl, Western Cape. The day’s proceedings consisted of an exclusive Polo tournament between four sponsored teams as well as a glitzy unveiling ceremony and cocktail celebration for the much anticipated Bentley Continental GTC during the evening.

Invited VIP guests were given access to the exclusive estate for the polo tournament, which saw a round-robin clash between four professional polo teams. Guests were welcomed to relax under the Veuve Clicquot umbrellas or enjoy a cold Peroni at the bar whilst watching the games against the backdrop of the Paarl Mountain Range. The start of the tournament was commenced with Kristina Diehl from Bentley UK throwing the opening ball onto the pitch from the passenger seat of the new Continental GTC’s predecessor before they raced away from a slew of horses clashing for the ball.

Michael Eilertsen, CEO of LIVEOUTLOUD explains: ‘The 2011 Bentley Polo Invitational has positioned itself as the pioneer event before LIVEOUTLOUD hosts the inaugural 2012 Beach Polo Festival in Camps Bay, Cape Town. This festival is set to become one of South Africa’s premier events and we look forward to breaking ground on this truly remarkable and original concept.’

The 2011 Bentley Polo Invitational culminated with guests being entertained by the vehicles on show; a jazz band playing smooth melodic tunes, and drew to a close as the sun set behind the mountains with as much style and sophistication as the vehicle itself, a day encapsulating both sporting and luxury living.

Holiday time is approaching and I am sure everyone can’t wait for the long awaited festive season the lies ahead of us.
The polo club will be closed from the 19 December and will re-open on the 4 January.

The ponies are going to enjoy a mid season break, which will give them time to re charge those batteries, put on a bit of condition and get them ready for the busy polo that awaits them next year.

We have had a great season so far, the polo and skill that has been exceptional and we are expecting a number of overseas visitors in the new year.

We have sadly said goodbye to a very important Val De Vie personality, Toffee. He was a very precious and dear little chap. He has moved to a big farm in Stellenbosch, with huge lush fields that would be the dream of any pony, to be a companion to another horse. We are also sadly saying goodbye to a very special polo pony, Angel, who has been with us since July 2011. She has unfortunately become blind in her one eye and can’t play polo anymore. She will be going back to Natal to retire on a farm with her previous owners.

We have had a number of new ponies arriving at Val De Vie over the past couple of months. We also welcomed Jason Drew s three ponies, Whistler, Charlie and Hunk at the beginning of October, Gavin Watson’s two ponies, Fernanda and Pepita that arrived at the beginning of November and we welcomed Joseph Bronn s three polo ponies that arrived on the 6 December all the way from Natal. Girlie, BMW and Jura stepped out of the truck late Tuesday afternoon and settled into the Val De Vie way of life as if they had been here before.

The Bentley Polo was held on Friday 25 November, with all the top polo players from around the province coming together to display their talents and skill on the polo field. This was truly a chart topper of an event with the prestigious Bentleys everywhere added in the mixture with exceptional polo, what more could you ask for?

Val De Vie was very proud to sponsor a Championship class at the South African Dressage Championships that were held in Stellenbosch from the 14 till the 20 November. We have a number of talented Dressage riders from Val De Vie that will start competing in shows next year such as Karen Dormehl on her young horses Kontikki and Frosty Kiss, Stacey de Villiers on her horse Dallas and Michelle Evert riding her new polo pony, True Rhythm. Hopefully all of these riders will be competing at the next SA Dressage Championships and we can offer as much support to them along the way as possible.

That’s all from us at the Polo club for now, wishing you all the best for the holidays!

Tehri

We really admire the creative talent of FJS Productions, who are undoubtedly one of the premier wedding film companies in South Africa. They recently filmed the wedding of JP and Sue Duminy and the video is a stunning tribute to this glamorous and beautiful occasion. Click here to view the video on FJS Productions' Facebook Page, and be sure to check out their website to find out more about their fabulous work.

We love the latest newsletter from Leipzig Weddings and Function Design. Packed with gorgeous photos and news features, it's got some great shots of the team's recent photo shoot at Val de Vie. Here is what they have to say:

"We finally set off one morning on our way to the sophisticated Val de Vie Estate & Polo club which set the perfect backdrop for our photo shoot. It was filled with so much laughter specifically when we decided to pay a little tribute to all the men who have taken part in Movember, struggling to keep our pose as we could not restrain ourselves from giggling at how hysterical we looked."

Click here to view the full newsletter.

The Western Province Show Jumping Championships where held at Glenellen Farm in Hout Bay over the weekend of the 25, 26 and 27 November. There where riders from all over the country that travelled the 1000km + to compete for the title, Western Province Adult Show Jumping Champion. The riders who compete in the big championship class are tested over fences that can get up to 1.40m high, over a course of 12 plus jumps ranging from water jumps to a triple combination with one stride in between. Jumping those heights is the ultimate test between every horse/rider combination. The final result was in first place Jeanne Engela and Liam Stevens in second place.

Tehri travelled through to the Championships on the Saturday morning with her horse, Alfonso. It was their first show together as a team and they competed in the 90cm class. Tehri was very pleased with her talented young horse, being his first time in that arena, he did not put a foot/hoof wrong.

We are looking forward to an exciting new year in 2012 with all our competitive riders, we will be sure to keep you updated with all the show results.