GOURMET FOOD AND WINE IN THE CEDERBERG WILDERNESS

Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Retreat in the Cederberg is offering a number of exciting Chef’s Specialty weekends and Gourmet Food and Wine weekends throughout the winter months.

Toasting the successful marriage of gourmet cuisine and fine wines, some of South Africa's leading wine makers will share their wine-making expertise through fabulous wine-tasting sessions and gourmet food and wine pairing during the Gourmet Food and Wine Weekends. Or on alternative dates guests may join Executive Chef Floris Smith at one of the Chef’s Specialty Weekends as he prepares his award-winning cuisine according to clever themes.

‘Cooking the Louis Leipoldt Way’, the first Chef’s Specialty weekend (2/3 June) explores the fascinating history and cooking of C Louis Leipoldt, who grew up in Clanwilliam from 1884, spent time in the Cederberg during his boyhood, and whose grave is located on the Pakhuis Pass, the road to Bushmans Kloof. The formative years greatly influenced his life as there were many areas of stimuli from the Cederberg area that gave rise to some of his great achievements, such as in the fields of medicine, botany, literature, humanism, and of course, cookery. During this culinary weekend, chef Floris Smith will prepare some of Louis Leipoldt’s famous recipes and historian Paul Murray, who is currently reading for his D Phil degree at the University of Pretoria on the topic of C Louis Leipoldt, will read from some of Leipoldt’s essays and discuss the views of Leipoldt the universal man and his published works. These include Cape Cookery ? write-ups on food and wine; Culinary Treasures ? essays on food, wine, cookery and table etiquette; and 300 Years of Cape Wine ? a history of the wine industry in South Africa from the earliest times to 1947.

From 18 to 20 August, guests will join the chef at Bushmans Kloof in a gourmet experience called ‘Having Fun with Chocolate’, where we will take a closer look at cooking with chocolate in all its fabulous flavours, colours and varieties. Dark, light, milk or white; the possibilities are endless and we will explore them all!

The Bushmans Kloof Gourmet Food and Wine Weekends will kick off on 22 and 23 April with the Bouchard Finlayson weekend. Bouchard Finlayson is a boutique winery located in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley near Hermanus. Renowned winemaker Peter Finlayson, who received the 1989 Diners Club Winemaker of the Year Award for his achievements with the Pinot noir grape, will be hosting the weekend.

The next Gourmet Food and Wine Weekend (5,6 May) will be hosted by Cederberg Wines, South Africa’s most uniquely situated wine estate boasting the Cape’s highest lying vineyards. The farm is located in the Cederberg Wilderness Area, and falls within the Cape fynbos region. Award-winning winemaker David Nieuwoudt, a graduate of the Elsenburg Wine Academy, will lead the wine tasting during this particular weekend which will double up as a Mother’s Day celebration.

Then from 26 to 27 May the Waterford Wine Estate will be featured during the Gourmet Food and Wine Weekend. This 120-hectare estate, nestled between the Simonsberg and Heldeberg mountain ranges, is a joint venture between Jeremy Ord and Kevin Arnold. Kevin Arnold established a reputation as one of South Africa's leading winemakers during his tenure at Rust en Vrede.

Stellar Winery and Fryers Cove will co-present a Gourmet Food and Wine Weekend on 16 and 17 June that will also feature cigars as a special Father’s Day weekend. Stellar Winery is South Africa’s largest organic wine producer and won several awards at the International Wine Awards 2006. Fryers Cove is a little known winery that can be found at Bamboesbaai near Strandfontein on the West Coast. The vineyards are a mere 850m from the water's edge and are blessed with cool breezes from the cold Atlantic Ocean.

The final Gourmet Food and Wine Weekend for 2006 will be hosted by Simonsig on 11 and 12 August. The Simonsig vineyards, northwest of Stellenbosch are privately owned by the Malan family. It produces some of the finest red and white wines in the country and in 2005 wine maker Debbie Burden received the award as South Africa’s Woman Winemaker of the Year.

Every food and wine weekend is all-inclusive of 2-nights luxury accommodation, all gourmet meals, evening nature drives, early morning rock art excursions, and lodge activities, at the promotional rate of R2700 per person sharing. Wine tastings and wine at dinner are included in the Gourmet Food and Wine packages, and the Chef’s Speciality packages include cooking demonstrations.

MORE ABOUT BUSHMANS KLOOF

Bushmans Kloof is a South African Natural Heritage site, and is the perfect haven for a stimulating getaway. Deep in the wilderness, yet a mere 270 kilometres north of Cape Town, Bushmans Kloof is a malaria-free nature reserve offering enrichment, relaxation and well-being derived from education, outdoor adventures, healing spa therapies, supreme luxury and remarkable services and facilities offered here. In contrast to the ancient landscape of wind-sculpted rock formations, the lodge is an oasis surrounded by natural beauty, priceless ancient rock art sites and an abundance of indigenous flora and fauna.

Contact Bushmans Kloof Reservations for more details: Tel (021) 685 2598 Fax (021) 685 5210, email info@bushmanskloof.co.za or visit the website at www.bushmanskloof.co.za.