Because August is women’s month… It’s all about the pampering, all the time… And what better way to get your girly on than with a decadent brandy & chocolate pairing, followed by manis and cake?
That’s exactly what myself and some other lovely media ladies got treated two just last week over at the Blue Room at Dear Me in Longmarket Street.
The event had an extra girl power factor in that the brandy we were going to sample was from the Van Ryn’s Distillery in Stellenbosch and their master distiller is a lady by the name of Marlene Bester – the 1st & currently only female brandy distiller in South Africa.
She’s been behind their award winning brandies for years now. In fact, the Van Ryn’s 12 Year Old Distiller’s Reserve has just won to the title of best Worldwide Brandy for the 4th year running. #High5ToThat
On the day we got to sample 4 brandies from their different brandy ranges: Flight of the Fish Eagle, Richelieu, Klipdrift Gold & the famous Van Ryn’s 12 Year Old Distiller’s Reserve.
And these were paired with beautiful hand-made, artisanal chocolates from Von Geusau Chocolates:
Now I guess it’s obvious which brandy ended up being my favourite out of the 4. I mean that 12 yr old didn’t win best in the world for nothing. My second favourite was the Klipdrift Gold. This is definitely not your regular “Klippies” and should definitely not be mixed with “cola”.
On the chocolate side, I thought all 4 pairings worked really well. And ladies, if you’re going to be indulging in some chocolaty goodness, you’ve gotta make sure you’re having only the best. I can happily confirm that the Von Geusau range definitely ticks that box.
Now if this all looks too good to resist, you too can enjoy a brandy & chocolate pairing like the one we did. They do them at the Van Ryn’s Distillery over in Stellenbosch:
- Cost: R75 pp
- What’s included: A tasting of 3 of their Van Ryn’s potstill brandies (the 12 yr old, 15 yr old & 20 yr old) paired with Von Geusau chocolates and finished off with a beautiful coffee as a palate cleanser
- Bookings: Are not required, unless you’re in a big group
- For more info: You can call them on 021 881 3875
- Their address: Van Ryn Road, Vlottenburg, Stellenbosch
- And they are open: Mon – Fri: 9:00 to 16:30 & Saturday: 9:00 – 15:30
As for the manis we were treated to afterwards – Beauty Direct can also pay your home or office a visit, because they’re a mobile spa. Gotta love that, right?
Check out their website www.beautydirect.co.za for all the details on their pricing and how to book.
xxx