Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Summer Drinks in South Africa


I live in the heart of South Africa's wine region in the Western Cape. Many of the wine estates are nestled in beautiful valleys surrounded by majestic mountains and producing award winning wines. It's a wonderful part of the world to experience.

During our Christmas holiday at my in-laws' house on the West Coast, we had a lovely selection of wine, beer, and other beverages. These photos were taken over several days and often enjoyed with good food. I'm perfectly happy with drinking one glass of wine with my meal. It's all about enjoying the taste - quality over quantity.

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The Pepper Pot - red wine from Edgebaston

For Christmas lunch we had a bottle of The Pepper Pot from Edgebaston. It's one of my mother-in-law's favorite red wines at the moment. Another favorite red wine by my in-laws is the Boet Erasmus from Vrede en Lust. We had this with our Christmas Eve dinner. Another evening we had White Mischief from Vrede en Lust with freshly cooked mussels that were brought in by the fishermen that morning. It's our favorite white wine. I did a blog post in 2014 that you're welcome to check out at Vrede en Lust Wine Farm and Bistro.

Boet Erasmus - red wine from Vrede en Lust

White Mischief - white wine from Vrede en Lust

Allesverloren - Tinta Barocca Rosé 2013
The wine estate, Allesverloren, translated means "all is lost". It's a sad name, but a truly lovely estate. The last time we visited was December 2013 and you can check out that post at Allesverloren, Swartland Winery.

Porcupine Ridge - Sauvignon Blanc 2013

A can of Coca-Cola

Gin and Tonic

Duet - red wine from Nederburg

The red wine in the photo above and the white wine in the photo below are both from Nederburg, which was awarded the Platter's SA Winery of the Year 2017. I wrote about these wines and the winery on last week's post. If you missed it, be sure to check out Nederburg Wines.

56 Hundred Chenin Blanc from Nederburg

African Java Pinotage from Van Loveren
We took my in-laws out for lunch and Van Loveren wines were on the menu. The wine estate is not far from us in a small town called Robertson and we have visited it several times. We ordered the African Java Pinotage and were very happy with our choice. Pinotage is a South African cultivar. I did a post on Van Loveren back in 2013. It's a bit cheesy the way I presented my photos back then and I wrote very little information, but you're welcome to take a look on The Robertson Wine Region.

The Blauuwklippen 1989 Special Late Vintage below belongs to my father-in-law. He celebrated the Christmas holidays with us by finally opening it.

Blaauwklippen 1989 Special Late Vintage

Craven Craft Lager from Stellenbrau

Flying Fish from South African Breweries and
Tafel Lager from Hansa Brewery in Swakopmund, Namibia
We drank the beers in the above photo at the river's edge in Velddrif. It was a hot day and a cold beer was just the right thing. We always enjoy visiting this little town whenever we're at my in-laws'. I did a blog post on our last visit with lots of neat photos and quotes last year that I highly recommend. Check it out at Velddrif, South Africa.

Savanna Premium Cider
My mother-in-law organized a lovely picnic for us at a nature reserve. Our picnic table sat on a hill overlooking the beach. We could see dolphins swimming in the waves. Most of us chose cold beers or ciders, but my mother-in-law wanted a bottle of Graham Beck sparkling white wine, the same wine that President Obama had at his inauguration. She packed the picnic and we bought the savory pies on the way. Mine is pictured above and it was filled with Bobotie (a traditional South African dish of spiced minced meat baked with an egg topping) and it was delicious! Hubby took the photo below of his mom.

Brut - sparkling white wine from Graham Beck

Sedgwick's 1986 Old Brown Sherry
The photo above of the Sedgwick's Old Brown Sherry in the vintage jug and the one below of the KWV 1930 Muscadel in it's original wooden box were taken for the fun of it. They belong to my in-laws and we did not drink either of them. The Muscadel has never been opened.

KWV 1930 Muscadel


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I'm also on Instagram.
Ich bin auch auf Instagram.



Tina Morley

All original photographs by Tina Morley
unless stated otherwise. 1camera1mom is
mostly in English mit ein bisschen Deutsch.

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Nederburg Wines


On our way to South Africa's West Coast for our Christmas holiday with my husband's parents, we stopped in at the Nederburg Wine Estate in Paarl for some quick wine tasting. It was our first time visiting Nederburg and it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that Nederburg was awarded the Platter's SA Winery of the Year 2017, which is the famous Platter's Guide ultimate accolade. Nederburg won the award six years ago as well.

Two of our kids were with us and two were already at the West Coast with my in-laws. My husband and I, along with our son, Jeremiah, were greeted with a glass of sparkling wine. Samantha, our 16-year-old, was offered a fluted glass of sparkling grape juice. We had a lot of fun at Nederburg. We bought a variety of their wines and gave some bottles as Chrismtas gifts. The first four photos below were taken with my husband's phone.

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My husband chose five reds and my son and I tried three whites and two reds. We asked the staff if Samantha could have a milkshake or something while we tasted wines. They kindly organized a bowl of ice-cream for her from the restaurant. 


The Nederburg Wine Estate was established in 1791 when a German immigrant Phillipus Wolvaart and his wife, Margaretha, took a leap of faith and purchased the farm for 5600 guilders. The wines in the 56 Hundred range are named after that strategic piece of history.

Robbie and I opened a bottle of the 56 Hundred Chenin Blanc for a quiet New Year's Eve at home with just the two of us. We had it with our sushi appetizer. For Christmas Eve, he opened a bottle of the Nederburg Duet Shiraz Pinotage while we were with his parents at the West Coast. Pinotage is a uniquely South African cultivar. From the three white wines that we tasted, Jeremiah and I especially liked The Winemasters Special Late Harvest. It's a sweeter wine, being a late harvest, but not too sweet.


The Winemasters Special Late Harvest

Nederburg Duet Shiraz Pinotage

56 Hundred Chenin Blanc


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Links of Interest:

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I'm also on Instagram.
Ich bin auch auf Instagram.



Tina Morley

All original photographs by Tina Morley
unless stated otherwise. 1camera1mom is
mostly in English mit ein bisschen Deutsch.

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Melissa's Food at Du Toitskloof


If you are looking for good food and wine in Rawsonville, then I highly recommend Du Toitskloof Wines. Attached to the main building where the wine tasting happens is a Melissa's Food shop. At Melissa's, they offer a breakfast and lunch menu along with a wide selection of cakes and other sweet treats. It's the best blend of good food, good wine, and a beautiful view.

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Capesecco Rosé

Wood Fired Pizza Oven

Melissa's Food Shop

Our Tea-Time Treats

Coffee with Lemon-Meringue Cup-Cake

Coffee with Black Velvet Cup-Cake

The view on a drizzly October day

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I'm also on Instagram.
Ich bin auch auf Instagram.



Tina Morley

All original photographs by Tina Morley
unless stated otherwise. 1camera1mom is
mostly in English mit ein bisschen Deutsch.

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Du Toitskloof Wines

The South African and German Flags

One of our favorite places to do wine tasting is at Du Toitskloof Wines. They have a wide selection of wines and a beautiful setting along the Breedekloof Wine Route. Today's photos were taken on a drizzly day in October.

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Du Toitskloof Wines

White Wine at Du Toitskloof

Flower Arrangement

Flower Arrangement

Flower Arrangement

Flowers in front of a Photo on the Wall

Bougainvillea along the Fence

Sunlight through the Trees


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I'm also on Instagram.
Ich bin auch auf Instagram.



Tina Morley

All original photographs by Tina Morley
unless stated otherwise. 1camera1mom is
mostly in English mit ein bisschen Deutsch.

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Let the Blind Lead - Part 2


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Today I'm continuing to share about the tour of the different departments at Kaleidoscope, formerly known as the Blind Institute. I am also including photos taken after the tour at the Annual General Meeting (AGM), which is often a vibrant function with good food and interesting stories. Every year that I'm invited to go on the tour to get a glimpse of the "behind the scenes" and listen to the function afterwards, I am left inspired!

Be sure to check out
Part 1, if you missed it!


The Cane Department

Ledivia sharing about the Cane Department



The Metal Department





The Woodwork Department




Some of the Crafts made by
the Visually Impaired and
Multi-Disabled





The theme for this year's
AGM was "Carnival"

Afrikaans Sign in English:
Kaleidoscope Carnival






Ying-Shan Tseng and Robyn Waters

We were in awe of Ying-Shan's musical ability as she played a long difficult piece on the piano and then sang a solo from the Phantom of the Opera. She is a grade 8 Braille student who uses Braille music notation to master her pieces. Among her achievements, she participated in the SAMRO National Music Competition two years in a row and both times made it through to the semi-finals with a standing ovation from the audience!

Another talented blind student who is in grade 10 was Robyn Waters singing opera. During May 2016 Robyn took part in the final round of Talent Africa. Her outstanding performance led to an invitation to represent South Africa in New York this past July. She is very versatile, singing across genres from classical to country. In New York, she sang nine songs in six different categories, winning all but one. She was also indicated as the overall winner in her age group!

I was thrilled to see these two amazing achievers perform at Kaleidoscope's AGM. Being blind or multi-disabled does not mean that you cannot lead a rich and fulfilling life.


Ying-Shan Tseng with her piano teacher

Robyn Waters with her trophies

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I'm also on Instagram.
Ich bin auch auf Instagram.



Tina Morley

All original photographs by Tina Morley
unless stated otherwise. 1camera1mom is
mostly in English mit ein bisschen Deutsch.

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