The Sommeliers Association of South Africa will be hosting the first ever South African Sommeliers Forum on 7th September. It is intended to provide a discussion forum for debating the past, present and future prospects of the Sommeliers profession in SA. click here.

New premium producer Bartinney was wowing visitors at The Wine Show this year, and it seems wine judges agree with us! They've just scooped the prestigious "Best Chardonnay in South Africa" at the 2010 South African Terroir Wine Awards. So good, infact, are both their wines (Chardonnay & Sauvignon Blanc) that they've earned an enviable slot on Frogitt & Vonkels wine list. click here.

A 54 ltr bottle of port that was destined for a charity auction broke earlier this month at an artists studio. It is unclear whether or not those present dropped to their knees to suck the port off the floor, but we know what would have happened in our offices. Full story here.

News articles compliments of wine.co.za

Ever wondered why you don't see more wine adverts on TV? Here's a very funny US spoof advert for a Cab Sav 2002 (make sure you have your sound on). We laughed long and hard, and were left wondering if, ironically, it wouldn't actually work wonders!? Take note Nederburg and Durbanville Hills. Click here

Even if there's not much wine advertised on TV, there's plenty of other businesses using wine in their advertising. Did you know IT giants used a wine theme to promote their e-commerce services for small businesses? Check it out here

Chuck Norris comedy phrases seem to be loved by all. Here's a novel contest run by a US wine shop giving away a gift-card for the best wine-related Chuck Norris phrase. We like "Chuck Norris once consumed a whole case of wine in one sitting. Without opening it." click here.

With new wine estates seemingly opening by the day, wine marketeers are constantly struggling to come up with eye-catching and memorable labels and brand names. Here someone with clearly too much time on their hands has gone to the trouble of assembling their "Top Ten Hilarious Wine Brand Names". Anyone for a glass of "Frog's Piss"? No? Shame. click here.

We recently stumbled upon a fresh and cheeky wine-blog (we know, we know, there's far too many of them…but this was genuinely amusing) authored by a Harry Reginald. Here he's having an amusing pop at the recent Shiraz Challenge results and the inevitable squabbles between wine journo's that follow.

Ex Wine magazine Editor, Christian Eedes has also joined the ranks of wine-bloggers with "What I Drank Last Night". At time of writing, Wine Extra was interested to read Christians report on tasting a Fleur Du Cap (voted one of visitors favourite stands at this years The Wine Show) Cab Sav 1986. Not too much detail on the taste of the wine(s), but we had great fun reflecting on the 24 yrs that have passed since '86 and what our hairstyles were like during that vintage!

Nothing to do with wine, but reflecting on Christian Eedes 1986 Cab Sav review (above) we felt compelled to revisit that years best selling single (according to the UK Charts) "Don't leave me this way" by The Communards to enhance our trip down memory lane and couldn't help but ponder the possible irony with the change in editorship at Wine mag.

Jeanri-Tine van Zyl of Wine magazine takes an interesting trip to Namibia to discover vines, and wines, growing in the desert. The stories are fascinating, and the characters themselves full of depth and life (although we got the impression from the lack of "reviews" that the same cannot be said of the wines themselves!