Thursday: 24 July 2003

This site will be updated on: 31 July  2003 at 17:00

Business - Sakenuus

• Jongwyne sê mekaar die stryd aan
• SA wine course
• 'Hidden gems' at tourism expo
• Kia Sorento safest
• US aid for local schools
• Wynboere steun VinPro
• Taste top Pinotage

'n REKORDGETAL van 2232 jongwyne het vandeesweek by Nederburg in die Paarl teen mekaar te staan gekom by die beoordeling vir die SA Jongwynskou - 12% meer as verlede jaar.

Die wyne is ingeskryf deur 193 produsente van die Wes-Kaap en so ver

Benewens die kampioenskapstrofeë in 17 klasse is die gesogte Genl Smuts Trofee vir die SA Kampioen Jongwyn, en die Pietman Hugo Trofee vir die beste punte behaal met die vyf beste inskrywings, ook op die spel.

Vyftien spesialis-panele van sewe beoordelaars elk - wynmakers of ander wynkenners wat oor 'n besondere kennis van 'n spesifieke wynstyl asook 'n formele kwalifikasie, beskik - sal die ingeskrewe jongwyne beoordeel.

Wynliefhebbers kan by die onderskeie streeksjongwynskoue 'n voorsmakie kry van die beste inskrywings, alvorens die SANW die SA Kampioene op Saterdag 23 Augustus tydens 'n galadinee te Upington bekendmaak.

Die streekskou word op 15 Augustus in die Paarl gehou waar die wenners te proe is.

THE First Wine Course, a fun and exciting introduction to wines of South Africa, will be presented in Wellington by the Cape Wine Academy on four Tuesday evenings from 29 September to 21 October in the Flappie Lochner hall at Boland Stadium.

The course consists of three evening lectures starting at 18:00, including tutored tastings, ending with a short 75 minutes theory exam on the fourth evening.

The cost of R550 per person includes all lectures, tasting, a full-colour course manual and a carry pack containing four international tasting glasses.

To book phone Wellington Tourism 873-4604 or the Academy on 809-7597 orinfo@cwa.org.za.

A WHOLE new world of exciting destinations for tourists wanting to explore the hidden gems of a holiday in the Western Cape is about to be revealed thanks to the 2nd annual Tourism Showcase.

The Tourism Showcase, due to be held from August 15 to August 17 this year, will be the first tourism expo to be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

It is aimed specifically at giving those businesses in the tourism industry who do not have the money to compete with the "big boys" their place in the sun.

Local exhibitors are Ikhwezi Centre and the Taalmonument Koffie Shop.

The Showcase will offer exhibitors the chance to grow their business by making contact with tour operators, agents and members of the public who may not have heard of them.

It will be the first tourism expo to combine destination marketing with the Flight Centre and Outdoor Adventure exhibition.

"The Showcase enables the Western Cape's 'hidden gems' to get some exposure in markets usually out of their reach," said Basil Cupido, Chairman of the Western Cape Tourism Board.

Over 140 exhibitors from all over the Western Cape have registered. A new feature will be a Best Stand Award, sponsored by the Tourism Enterprise Programme.

The Showcase is open to the travel trade on Friday 15 August and open to members of the public on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 August. 

Exhibition hours are 09:00 to 20:00 on Friday and Saturday and from 09:00 to 18:00 on Sunday.

Partners in the Tourism Showcase this year are the Southern Africa Tourism Services Association (SATSA); the Department of Tourism; the Tourism Enterprise Programme (TEP); RAI Exhibitions and the Cape Town Convention Centre.

THE 2003 Kia Sorento mid-size SUV has earned the United States federal government's highest safety rating in new wide impact crash tests.

The Sorento received five stars for both the driver and rear-seat passengers, according to information released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The Sorento was one of only three new models in a group of vehicles tested recently by NHTSA to receive the five-star rating in side impact crash protection.

The other two models were the Mercedes C240 and the Volvo XC90. A five star rating indicates a risk of serious injury of 5% or less.

The side crash tests are part of NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). NCAP provides consumers with safety information about the two most dangerous injury-causing crashes.

NHTSA tested the 2003 3.5litre V6 Sorento in a simulated intersection-type collision with a 3,015 pound (1,368 kg) barrier moving at 38,5 mph (62 kph) into a standing vehicle.

The Sorento's five-star rating for side-impact collisions is clear evidence of Kia's commitment to safety," says Kia Motors COO Yong-hwan Kim.

"The Sorento is a brand-leading vehicle for Kia. It is a key asset in our plans to raise Kia to the status of a global top five automaker by 2010."

Since its international launch in February 2002, the Sorento has been a topselling vehicle for Kia, with more than 150 000 units sold around the world to date.

Thousands of Paarl children from rural schools and previously disadvantaged communities have benefited from a massive donation of books from the Sun Lakes Rotary Club in Arizona.

The Paarl Rotary Club distributed at least 30 000 text and library books with the assistance of Books For Africa (BFA), an American organisation which assists in the distribution of used American text and library books for distribution in African countries.

Many of the learners attending rural schools around Paarl have limited exposure to literature due to severe economic constraints. It is not uncommon for these children not to have any books at home.

As a result the masses of reading and school books distributed to approximately 30 schools were received with great joy and excitement.

The local office of the Western Cape Department of Education assisted with the distribution of the books, which included text books on Science, Maths, Reading, Social Studies and Health as well as teaching charts and teacher's aids.

Staff members from the different schools were given turns to peruse the books stacked in huge mounds in a packing shed on a farm just outside Paarl, to enable them to select the books most suitable for their schools.

The members of Paarl Rotary Club are thrilled with the project which was initiated more than a year ago when visiting Rotarians from Arizona became aware of the severe lack of books in some schools.

DIE verteenwoordigende organisasie vir die land se wynprodusente, wat KWV se vorige rol in hierdie verband oorgeneem het, het nou sy volle beslag gekry met die registrasie van sy naam.

Die organisasie het die afgelope ses maande voorlopig onder die naam Wijngaard Koöperatief Beperk funksioneer, sedert daar verlede jaar finaal besluit is om die paadjies van KWV Groep en sy koöperatiewe lede met gepaardgaande diensfunksies te skei.

VinPro was wel die vorige naam van die dienstedivisie waaruit hierdie nuwe onafhanklike wynprodusente-organisasie ontwikkel het.

Na omvattende kommunikasie tussen die direksie, bestuur en lede in die afgelope ses maande, is daar besluit om na hierdie naam terug te keer, maar wel met 'n nuwe logo, 'korporatiewe' kleure en die slagspreuk "Vir Kaapse Wynprodusente".

Die bestuur en die direksie het onlangs 'n reeks van nege "distrikskonferensies" gehou waar indringende gesprekke oor die organisasie se rol gevoer is met die oog op sy 5 000 lede, voorheen KWV-lede, se sukses oor die lang termyn.

"Dit is die VinPro-span se erns om die produsente by te staan om te groei tot 'n posisie van finansiële volhoubaarheid," het Jos le Roux, uitvoerende hoof, gesê.

VinPro se standpunt is dat die wynbedryf op drie hoekstene rus, naamlik die mark, die ekonomie en tegnologie (wat navorsing, ontwikkeling en die oordra van inligting insluit). 

Relevante inligting sal deurlopend deur verskillende kommunikasiekanale aan VinPro se lede oorgedra word sodat hulle dit na gelang van hul behoeftes sal kan toepas.

VinPro dien ook as die verteenwoordigende liggaam as dié spreekbuis wat in belang van produsente optree en die organisasie word verteenwoordig deur die vyf lede van die "Produsentekamer" van die SA Wyn- en Brandewynmaatskappy wat die totale wynbedryf se belange en aksies koördineer en beplan.

Die organisasie hanteer ook direk, via sy direkteure, bestuur en konsultante die wynprodusente se verteenwoordiging in nagenoeg 30 sleutelinstansies, onder andere in die georganiseerde landbou, die regering, opvoedkunde en navorsing.

VinPro bestaan tans uit die afdelings VinPro Wingerdbou-konsultasiediens, Landbou-ekonomiese Diens, Finansies, Inligtingsdiens, Sekretariaat en Logistiek en WynLand Publikasies - met 'n totale personeel van 23 wat in die Paarl gestasioneer is.

Die VinPro-direksie bestaan uit nege direkteure, verkies uit die onderskeie distrikte, plus die uitvoerende hoof en 'n gekoöpteerde spesialis, onder die voorsitterskap van Danie de Wet, met Johann Krige as ondervoorsitter.

De Wet het in 'n onderhoud beklemtoon dat "die wynboer sal slegs kompeterend in die internasionale markte kan bly indien hy tegnologies met sy konkurrente kan kers vashou."

* Wine producers have voted for the name of Vinpro to be retained.

A CONTROVERSIAL varietal, to be sure, and one that is certainly not to everyone's liking, but a superb Pinotage can win over even the most doubtful wine enthusiast.

The Tukulu 2001 has done just that, claiming top honours as the 2003 Wine magazine Tops at Spar Pinotage Champion of the Year.

The Tukulu 2001's top ranking meant that Môreson was nudged into number two position for the second year running: last year the Môreson 2000 lost by a hair to Rijk's Pinotage 2000.

This time around both the Tukulu and the Môreson rated Four Stars, but it was Tukulu's structure and long finish that persuaded the judges it had the edge.

A selection of the top-rated Pinotages will be available to wine enthusiasts at a public tasting in Cape Town on 22 August, led by the chairman of the Pinotage Association, Beyers Truter, at the President Hotel at 18:30.

Tickets are R100 a person, which includes a gourmet meal tailored around Pinotage. To book, contact Lesley Minnaar 530-3201 or lesley@rsp.co.za.

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