Mangaung Wine Shows invades Bloem

Is it a Merlot, a Cabernet, or a Shiraz? The City of Roses will soon be boasting its own exclusive wine festival where connoisseurs and novices will be enticed with the finest wines from home soil and abroad.

Event organiser Vuyo Dywili says he was inspired by an article he read last year about the annual Soweto Wine Festival and thought “it will only be fair for an event like that to come to Bloemfontein”.
The Mangaung Wine Show is a lifestyle event and a brand as well as a social and networking platform for wine and food lovers, providing an opportunity to sample, taste, appreciate and be educated about wine in a friendly yet upmarket environment.

Any wine lover will agree that over the years enjoying a fine glass of wine has moved beyond a mere drink – it has become a lifestyle.

Because an event of this calibre will be a first for many Bloemfontein residents, Dywili said the festival will be divided into two sections – the main wine festival and small monthly wine tastings which will build up to the main wine festival.
“Bloemfontein is not really known for hosting wine festivals, we are more of an entertainment host city. So in order to change that mindset, we will be hosting different themed wine tasting events every month to build up more hype around the festival, while we also educate people more on wine.

“We hosted the first wine tasting last Saturday at the Protea Hotel under the theme Red vs. White, which was basically a brief introduction to the different wines out there. And for a first-time wine tasting event, I can safely say there is definitely a market for it.”

Dywili says next month’s wine tasting theme will be The Night of Bubbles.

“There will again be sampling of the different sparkling wines that are available on the market. Our wine tasting sessions are not only about sampling wine, they are also a platform to introduce people to different types of wine.

“For instance, people will come out knowing that sparkling wine is actually a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide which makes it fizzy. It is usually white or rosé but there are many examples of red sparkling wines such as Italian Brachetto and Australian sparkling Shiraz. The sweetness of sparkling wine can range from very dry brut styles to sweeter doux varieties.

A classic example of a sparkling wine is Champagne which is also known as Cap Classique in South Africa.”

To make the event a success, Dywili will be working with different wine makers, wine connoisseurs, and professional sommeliers (trained and knowledgeable wine experts).

He has already got the thumbs up from the renowned Nederburg winery.

Besides planning to host a first class wine festival, Dywili aims to promote Bloemfontein as a leisure and lifestyle destination of choice.

“Bloemfontein can offer more than Macufe or night club scenes. It has the potential to also become home for your upscale lifestyle and leisure festivals.”

The wine show will feature two days of wine tastings from the best wineries, wine and food pairing classes, live cooking demonstrations from top local chefs, art as well as entertainment.