Petes-Pix: Vuelio Blog Awards 2017

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 Fascinating historical document on viticulture for wine and table grapes, wine and brandy making.

25 November 2017

Vuelio Blog Awards 2017

To London on a bitterly cold evening and the Vuelio Blog Awards 2017, held this year in the Bloomsbury Big Top, a circus tent in Coram’s Field, Guilford Street near St Pancras railway station.

The tent was warm, well appointed and the function smoothly organised. Guests were greeted with ample Prosecco and we moved into dinner promptly at 19:45.

Entering the dining area

Three people were missing from our table of ten – perhaps because of a security scare at Oxford Circus – but we still managed to empty the table’s two bottles of Chilean Merlot, so I managed to swap our untouched bottle of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc for another table’s Merlot.

Entertainment was great with fire eaters and acrobats suspended on ribbons high above us, a real ‘big-top’ show.

Vuelio CEO Joanna Arnold gave a witty amusing and topical speech before handing over to comedian Ellie Taylor to compère. I couldn’t make out most of what she said as she gabbled so fast.

Natalie Keeler

I was lucky to be sitting with Natalie Keeler and her partner Michael Bass. Natalie is a journalist who blogs about her life at Chatalie the Natabox, a clever pun that I didn’t get until much later. Michael is a techie wiz who specialises in SEO (Search Engine Optimisation).

I would have liked to have spoken longer with this interesting couple, but all too soon I had to leave to catch a standing room only train to arrive home at midnight.

Have a look at Natalie’s blog at www.chataliethenatabox.com