Hillcrest Quarry will host the yummy Oyster and Champagne Festival 2017 on 14 and 15 October in Durbanville. So if you’re an oyster lover head to this year’s event and enjoy oysters coupled with fabulous Champagne, music and an upmarket selection of food and treats. The theme will be ‘Gold and White’ – dress up and stand a chance to win prizes for the best dressed couple.
Paired delights
Famous Mark Twain’s take on bubbly was: “Too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right!”
And, the jury’s still out whether oysters really do enhance libido, but there are a good many people who find oysters tantalizing. Casanova, the notorious 18th century Lothario is believed to have started his day by eating 50 oysters!
Headsup on Champagne, MCCs and Sparkling Wines
Champagne
Can only be made using grapes grown in Champagne, a province in north eastern France. Regardless of the method used to make it, anything else is simply not Champagne. Moet will be featured at the Oyster and Champagne Festival representing French Champagne at its best.
Méthode Cap Classique (MCC)
MCC is the South African version of Champagne. MCC is made using the original, bottle fermented process used by the French. Every step of the process aside from the grapes, is the real deal. The quality of grapes coupled with the expertise of winemakers is such that South African MCC rivals some of the best French champagnes. A selection of prestigious local MCCs will be featured – Villiera, Haute Cabriere, Pierre Jordan, JC Le Roux, Pongracz and Krone.
International Wines
Amongst the bubbly’s will be the exquisite Italian Prosecco and Spanish Cava
Prosecco is a made in the Veneto region of Italy around the city of Treviso about 15 miles (24 km) North of Venice. The Glera grape, which grew well in the Prosecco region and became the basis for Prosecco, was grown in Ancient Rome. In his Natural History, Pliny the Elder—who died in 79 AD—talks of Julia Augusta, “who gave the credit for her 86 years of life to the wine of Prosecco.” -a good reason for us all to become familiar with Prosecco.
Cava is a famous Spanish bubbly said to have been first produced by Josep Raventós Fatjó of the Codorníu estate in Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, Spain in 1872. He was so happy with the wine he made he ordered a cool cellar, or cava, dug in order to produce more sparkling wine. In a few years, the family introduced their first bottles of cava to the public. It was an instant success.
And, did you know about oysters?
In 2005 research supported the view that oysters contain a rare amino acid that has been linked to reproductive success. So now we know how Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love who sprang forth from the sea on an oyster shell and promptly gave birth to Eros got it right!
Oysters are “alternating hermaphrodites”, which means they can switch sexes from time to time.
Only about one in 10 000 oysters contains a pearl.
The verb ‘to shuck’, meaning to remove the shell from an oyster, was first recorded in 1881.
The saying “the world’s your oyster” comes from Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor: “The world’s mine oyster. Which I with sword will open.”
Worldwide, around two billion pounds of oysters are eaten every year
What: Oyster and Champagne Festival 2017
When: 14, 15 October, 2017
Where: Hillcrest Quarry, Durbanville, Cape Town
Tickets: R160, includes a branded champagne glass and 5 free tasting coupons
Note: No under 18’s
Gates: Open at 12pm
Book: http://bit.ly/OysterandChampagneFest
Social media: https://www.facebook.com/oysterandchampagnefest/, https://www.instagram.com/oysterandchampagnefestival/, http://ow.ly/As8130edjcD
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