It was death by chocolate at the Anura Vineyards which recently hosted the Chocolate Festival. Our new Taste team, The Truman Show, checked it out:
THE TRUMAN SHOW reviews
When we were asked to review the chocolate and wine festival at the Anura Vineyards, we did a dance of joy. Anura has a special place in our hearts as we have many fond memories of this sensational venue. Chocolate with wine sounded like a truly sublime experience – and, at Anura, there’s no better place to be. The Chocolate Festival promised to be “bigger, better and even more choc-filled than before”.
Our first impression on entering the gates was the number of cars that were leaving. Then we noted that car guards were turning cars away at the entrance to the farm – these cars belonged to the unlucky families who had decided to risk finding a ticket on the day. Tickets were R150.00 each with children under 18 free. Included in the price was a free glass on arrival.
Death by chocolate … almost
There seemed to be hundreds of the under 18s running around whilst their families enjoyed the (paid for) offerings from the food stalls. There had to be wine first before we started this truly spectacular adventure. Alack, the duck, the dive, the dodge around the chocolate hall as we tried to get our bearings (well, find the wine) left us with strained faces, especially as my mantra as we walked was “sorry, sorry, so sorry, ouch, oh dear I am sorry” as we tried treading around prams, children and adults also in search of the many delights this festival had to offer.
Eventually we managed to get to the front for some of the chocolate tastings. But there wasn’t much, if any. The chocolate seemed to have disappeared no sooner than it was put out, which left us with a sense of empathy for the chocolatiers who were trying to showcase their works of art. They resorted to placing chocolate crumbs in bowls at some of the tables which had people sticking their fingers in for a tasting (bah, no spoon). We bought a few bits of chocolate as this was the only way we could taste anything.
Highlights for the children seemed to be the chocolate fountain, and the various trapeze and juggling performers.
Lessons to be learnt
Will there be a next festival? We certainly hope so! But if the organisers were hoping for “a truly sublime experience” they should truly consider
- Selling fewer tickets or using a larger venue
- Using spoons at the chocolate tastings for the bowls of chocolate crumbs
- Having more free samples included in the price of the ticket
We eventually found our way, as did many others, to the Anura tasting room and settled for a tasting of wines with a cheese platter. Anura, the wine farm, never disappoints. The venue, the service from Percy and his team, the food, and especially the wines were spectacular and left one feeling content as normality returned.
Incidentally, the following day there were a few calls to talk radio by listeners bemoaning the large crowds and the possible problems this may have caused if there was an emergency that required evacuation. This experience has shown us that Cape Town does indeed love chocolate, so a heartfelt thanks to the organisers for bringing us this spectacular concept!
Kiru and Neil Truman are passionate about wine and food (as long as Kiru does not have to cook it). Apart from loving what goes down in their own backyard in the Western Cape, they have also been spotted sampling local offerings in Italy, Argentina, Uruguay, Thailand (there are a few nifty wine farms there) and soon New Zealand.
WS
