Petes-Pix: November 2016

My Books

"Pinotage: Behind the Legends of South Africa's own wine" is available on the ibookstore

Learn more about my new book telling all about Pinotage and read sample pages at
pinotagebook.weebly.com

A I Perold's
A Treatise
on Viticulture
A I Perold (1880-1941) was South Africa's first Professor of Viticulture and Oenology. He dedicated himself to improving the quality of grapes for wine, brandy and the table. He studied wine and brandy production in Europe, imported more than 60 varieties to the Cape and bred new ones. Perold said this book “is intended to serve both the student and the practical grape-grower. There are in it technical passages that will appeal more to the student, e.g. the chapters dealing with the biology of the vine, its external and internal morphology, the theory of grafting. My remarks on the practice of viticulture, such as those dealing with the propagation, manuring and pruning of the vine, the production of table grapes for export, will, it is hoped, assist the practical grape-grower as well as the student.” This is a newly typeset reprint, not a photocopy. Text on the 712 pages have been aligned to match the original pagination so any external references to pages in the Treatise will be valid in this edition
Available in paperback and hardback editions. 712 pages

A Year in Paarl
with
A I Perold

Dr Perolds report on his Paarl experiments 1915 - 1916 reprinted with glossary, introduction and brief biography. Fascinating historical document on viticulture for wine and table grapes, wine and brandy making.

26 November 2016

Vuelio Blog Awards 2016

Peter F May with Jane Parker of www.JanesLondon.com

The Vuelio Blog Awards 2016

Bringing together the most influential UK bloggers and vloggers for an evening of immense celebration

On 25th November 2016 we held our second annual Vuelio Blog Awards and boy did we celebrate and party well into the early hours.

More than 500 bloggers and PR professionals joined us to raise a glass (or a few) at The Brewery in London, to recognise and reward the achievements of the very bloggers we pride ourselves in working with.

http://www.vuelio.com/uk/blog-award

21 November 2016

Cite du Vin, Bordeaux

To Bordeaux for a long weekend to visit La Cite di Vin and surprise Beyers Truter who'd come to present a Pinotage master class.

La Cité du Vin, Bordeaux

Beyers Truter at La Cite du Vin

Pear Tarte Tatin and a glass of Sauternes at Les Noailles

17 November 2016

International Wine and Spirit Competition 2016

On the evening of 16th November 2016, London’s Guildhall played host to the 47th annual International Wine and Spirit Competition’s (IWSC) Awards Banquet. The evening marks the culmination of a 365 day campaign establishing the world’s finest wines and spirits and reward true excellence in the industry. Last night’s winners included the likes of Aldi UK, McGuigan Wines and Marks and Spencer, to name a few.

Celebrating the excellence of its entrants and winners, the IWSC’s annual banquet is an evening to be reckoned with, comprised of a five-course banquet where the winning wines taking centre stage at each course, speeches from key IWSC personalities and the official presentation of its 2016 winners. It was also the conclusion of Matteo Lunelli’s year as President and marked the appointment of 2017’s President Christopher Blandy, CEO of Madeira Wine Company.

De Wet Viljoen won the Abraham Perold Pinotage Trophy for his Neethlingshof ‘Owl Post’ Pinotage 2014, and Neethlingshof was also a finalist for the South African Wine Producer of the Year.

I was there representing The Pinotage Association,sponsors of the Trophy, to awrd the Trophy to De Wet.

De Wet Viljoen (right) accepts Pinotage Trophy from Peter May representing The Pinotage Association in the presence of IWSC President Matteo Lunelli (left)


We banqueted in The Guildhall

We're sitting in the front row two aisle seats

07 November 2016

AWS National Conference, California

California 2016

I came to talk at the American Wine Society National Conference in Costa Mesa at the beginning of November. First we took the opportunity to spend 4 nights in Las Vegas, Nevada, 2 nights at Grand Canyon and then visited Jerome, Arizona and the Temecula Valley Wine region on the way back to San Francisco and the Conference.

Peter at Callaway Vineyards, Temecula Valley California in 2016. I was looking for the sign I stood in front of in 2002 but that was no more . Below is my 2002 picture at Callaway