Rustenberg Manor House

The local launches of Google Maps and Street View reflect Google’s investment in South Africa, as well as our commitment to making the Internet more useful and relevant to South Africans.  Street View also shows South Africa’s heritage to the world, ranging from the iconic winelands to the Kruger National Park.

A world first is that Cape winelands images are featured on Street View. Right now it is possible to visit via Street View:  Bouchard Finlayson,  De Rust Estate, De Wetshof, Fairview,  Jordan Wines, Klein Constantia, Meerlust, Morgenster,  Rustenberg,  Vilafonte Vineyards and Warwick Wine Estate.

South African wine connoisseur, Juliet Cullinan, commenting on Street View and the growing importance of digital technology within South Africa’s wine industry, says:

Wine-lovers all over the world can now visit the estates of some of our leading wine domains using Street View, plan their own wine routes and buy online.  As the world’s first vineyards to be placed on Street View, South African wineries will receive great exposure and can take advantage of this new technology in innovative ways, whilst expanding tourism and their global and local customer base.

The scope for improving the online presence of wineries is huge as Richard Cheary of Afrozaar explained:

There are so many ways wine farms can utilise geo products, including the creation of virtual wine route tours, incorporating video and interviews; mobile applications, comprising travel directions and preloaded tourist information; and online bookings with specific requests.

Soon to be added to Street View are  Ataraxia Wines,  Boekenhoutskloof Winery, Constantia Glen, Glen Carlou, Groote Post, Hamilton Russell, Iona Wines, Journey’s End, Kaapzicht, Le Riche, Mont Du Toit, Mooiplaas,  Ormonde Vineyard, Raka, Rickety Bridge, Robertson Winery, Saronsberg,  Strandveld, Thelema Mountain Vineyards, Vergelegen, Villiera and Weltevrede.

Using Google Street View
In areas where Street View is available, you can see the images on Google Maps (on a PC or Internet-enabled mobile) by zooming into the lowest level, or by dragging the orange “Pegman” icon on the left-hand side of the map onto a blue highlighted street.

Google has gone to lengths to safeguard privacy while allowing all South African users to benefit from this feature. Street View only contains imagery that is already visible from public roads and features technology that blurs both faces and licence plates.  In addition, any user can easily flag images for removal that he or she considers inappropriate by clicking on “Report a problem”.  South Africa is the first country in Africa to get Street View imagery in Maps.  Street View first launched in 2007 and is currently available in 23 countries and 100 metropolitan areas worldwide, including large areas of the US, Australia, Japan, France, Italy and Spain.

To learn more about Street View, visit www.google.co.za/streetview

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Threatened dwarf chameleon found only on Jordan farmlands

Stop Mining the Cape Winelands
2010-02-25
African Exploration Mining and Finance Corporation (AEMFC) has applied for prospecting rights for tin, zinc, lead, lithium, copper, manganese and silver on the farms Annex Langverwacht 245 (which includes Saxenburg, Jordan, Langverwacht and Zevenwacht Estates), Haasendal 222 and the remaining extent of Rosendal 249. The Department of Mineral Resources has provisionally accepted these prospecting rights.

AEMFC is state-owned and funded by the Central Energy Fund. It has been exempted by the Minister of Minerals and Energy from many provisions of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act in regard to prospecting rights, mining rights and mining permits. According to the Chamber of Mines these provisions normally require applicants to submit environmental management programmes and to consult with interested and affected parties.

To date, many of the landowners and most of the interested and affected parties have not been consulted nor received notification regarding the above prospecting rights and possible mining activities.

Meeting to be held at Zevenwacht at 10h00 on Saturday 27th February 2010:

A meeting of concerned residents as well as interested and affected parties has been called by Mr. Gary Jordan of Jordan Wine Estate, which will take place at the Conference Centre at Zevenwacht Estate at 10h00 on Saturday 27th February. All interested and affected parties are welcome to attend. None of the farmers and landowners affected as well as their employees in the surrounding area wish the prospecting and mining activities to go ahead. Not only are these farms all members of the Bottelary Renosterbos Conservancy, but they do not wish to see their vineyards and farmland being bulldozed or disturbed in any way. Mining activities would inevitably impact on tourism while the lowering of production and quality of wines from the wine estates in the area would result in the loss of farming jobs. Property values in the surrounding area would decrease.

For more information regarding the meeting, please contact 021 – 8813441 or follow our Facebook page, STOP Mining the Winelands. Were adding new information every day and appreciate any support from the public.

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It takes a special kind of passion for wine, and a determination to keep sourcing, selecting and blending to come up with exceptional ranges of premium wines at the right prices. All the fantastic awards we have won this year show that Woolworths is fortunate to be in partnership with excellent winemakers who are as excited about innovation and quality as we are.

Platter’s South African Wines 2010 – 5 Star – Superlative – A cape classic award 

Limited Release Pinotage Diemersfontein 2008

Woolworths Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc 2009

Limited Release Spectrum TMV 2008 – Tulbagh Mountain Vineyards

Limited Release Cape Point Sauvignon Blanc 2009

Jordan Cobbler’s Hill 2005

Veritas Double Gold award 

Woolworths True To Terroir The Hutton Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Woolworths Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2007

Veritas Gold award 

Woolworths True To Terroir Koffie Klip Merlot 2007

Woolworths True To Terroir and Abacus Chardonnay 2008

Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show “Best Chenin Blanc” and “Best Overall White Wine” 

Woolworths True to Terroir The Hutton Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc 2007

Woolworths Limited Release Chenin Blanc – Simonsig 2008

Michelangelo Awards Competition – Gold medals 

1500 Wines from 263 producers were judged and Woolworths wines garnered the following accolades:

Woolworths Simonsvlei Hercules Paragon Shiraz 2006

Limited Release Diemersfontein Pinotage 2008

Ladybird Red

Of these wines nine are approved by Biodiversity in Wine initiative – BWI. This is a partnership between the South African Wine industry industry and the conservation sector having the goals to minimise the further loss of threatened natural habitat, and to contribute to sustainable wine production, through the adoption of biodiversity guidelines by the South African Wine industry. These wines carry the BWI label which depicts a sugar bird on a protea blossom.

Tasting notes on all of these wines are available on request – simply use the comments field to ask.

These wines are readily available at any Woolworths store throughout South Africa as well as on the website www.woolworths.co.za

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