Cape Town. Oh, Cape Town. Nestled between rugged mountains and two of the world’s great oceans, Cape Town is a city celebrated for its eclectic mix of cultures, breath-taking scenery, cosmopolitan atmosphere, world-class restaurants and impressive arts culture.
In recent years, the city has collected a trophy cabinet’s worth of accolades including being awarded Condé Nast’s coveted Readers’ Travel Awards for Best Overseas City for Restaurants & Bars in 2016, as well as the Second Best Overseas City in the World. Yes, that’s right, in the world. In 2015-16 the Telegraph Travel Awards chose Cape Town as Best City – for the fourth year running – and Cape Town was named as Luxury City Destination of the Year for the second consecutive year in the Luxury Travel Guide Africa & Middle East Awards 2016.
Described by the New York Times as “a place to meditate on freedom and the creative life that followed,” an ode to the city’s vibrant culture, there’s little doubt that Cape Town has firmly cemented its place as a chic, inspiring city on the world stage.
So, what better way to showcase the many jewels in the Mother City’s crown than with a curated ‘So Clicquot’ journey through the city, choreographed by a champagne house that celebrates the art of living and “zeste de folie” at its heart. An experience set to tick all the sensory boxes. A true taste of the Veuve Clicquot champagne lifestyle in a city that loves nothing more than to put on a show.
Enjoyed from palaces to the side-lines of polo fields, Veuve Clicquot first started producing bottles in the cellars of Epernay, Reims, in 1772. Curated Cape Town is celebration of all that the Maison values most.
CLICQUOT. CANTEEN. CHEF.
In the revered 2016 Condé Nast’s Reader’s Choice Awards, Cape Town took the honour as number one food city in the world and Chef’s Warehouse & Canteen shines as one of the city’s most loved restaurants. Winner of the 2017 Eat Out S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna Chef of the Year, owner Liam Tomlin has a celebrated career. Liam opened ‘Banc Restaurant’ in Sydney, Australia, where his commitment to exceptional standards in service and cuisine garnered ‘Banc’ many accolades including the much coveted 3 Hats Award and the Restaurant of the Year title in the 2001 Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide Awards. In that same year Liam also earned the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant of the Year award.
When Liam took the decision to open Chefs Warehouse in January 2014, it offered foodies tapas-style dishes served to fine-dining standards around lively communal tables, a dining concept that at the time pushed Cape Town’s culinary boundaries. And let’s not forget, their ever-evolving menu. Indeed, after each evening’s service, the chefs get together to decide what they will serve the next day which means that guests are presented with a completely different menu every day, with a focus on seasonal ingredients.
The Chefs Warehouse ‘Tapas for 2’ menu has become stuff of legend. Consisting of 8 dishes, flavours can be diverse: something Asian can be found alongside a Middle Eastern dish or even Indian. This isn’t “fusion food” though, it’s more like a pairing of flavours that are unexpected yet work to only complement one another. This makes for an enticing menu that can satisfy anyone looking to experience a myriad of flavours all in one meal.
Chefs Warehouse Executive Chef, the talented Graham Oldfield, took great care to create his Veuve Clicquot Chefs Warehouse Signature Oyster, designed especially for the experience to complement the flavour profile of Veuve Clicquot’s Yellow Label. Testament to his innovative approach to food and desire to constantly push the boundaries of cuisine, Gareth’s oyster was topped a Veuve Clicquot velouté, Veuve Clicquot jellies, cucumber and caviar.
Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label has been a symbol of the House since 1772 and is renowned for its perfect balance between power and finesse – its complexity comes from the predominant presence of Pinot noir and Reserve Wines. It showcases the Maison’s superb vineyards and the consistent style of the House. Grapes from as many as 50 to 60 different Crus are used for the blending of Yellow Label. The predominance of Pinot noir provides the core structure of Clicquot, while a touch of Meunier rounds out the blend. Chardonnay adds the elegance and finesse essential to a perfectly balanced wine.
CLICQUOT. CONTEMPORARY. CIRCA
Cape Town is rapidly carving itself a well-earned place on the international art map. Indeed, the 2018 Investec Cape Town Art Fair showcased a diversity of work that represented the forefront of contemporary art from Africa to the world, and the world to Cape Town: “The city boasts a vibrant arts scene driven by the top galleries on the African continent and beyond. Thanks to its diverse cultural heritage and geographic beauty, Cape Town is a compelling destination for both art world professionals and collectors alike”.
One of these top galleries is Everard Read / CIRCA, South Africa’s oldest commercial gallery. Always dynamic, the gallery strives to maximise the exposure and dissemination of fine contemporary painting and sculpture to a broad audience. An important contributor to the already vibrant cultural life of South Africa, Everard Read / CIRCA maintains a strong and unique identity for itself. A programme of both solo and group exhibitions is often accompanied by publications serving to showcase established contemporary artists as well as the emerging younger generations. Whilst artists from the United Kingdom, Europe, Japan and the USA are exhibited, the gallery retains at its core an impressive stable of South African artists.
Everard Read in Cape Town opened its doors in the V&A Waterfront in September 2016, with CIRCA Cape Town unveiled shortly thereafter in November (across the road from the existing gallery space). This year, Everard Read / CIRCA presented ‘Enemy of Foe’ the first solo exhibition by Blessing Ngobeni – also featured this year as one of the selected artists at the Everard Read / CIRCA Main booth at CTAF Cape Town Art Fair.
Blessing Ngobeni flew in from Johannesburg to present his ‘Enemy of Foe’ works as part of Curated Cape Town experience. Enemy of Foe follows on from Ngobeni’s 2017 Johannesburg Art Fair large-scale installation Broken Tongue: a series of monumental painted collage works, a figurative metal sculpture, an animation and performance. Here in his 2018 solo presentation, Blessing talked of reasserting his focus and developing material languages into a brand new body of artworks. Dissecting and critiquing the powers that be, Ngobeni continues to overtly address the corruption and hypocrisy of the contemporary ruling powers.
CLICQUOT. CHOPPER. CAPE TOWN.
The Western Cape encompasses some of South Africa’s most spectacular scenery and coastline – and nothing, but nothing, beats exploring the Mother City from the air in your own steel bird. From the rugged majesty of Table Mountain, to the wild Atlantic, the perspective offered is awe-inspiring … the ultimate viewing of a city that dazzles with its blend of dramatic scenery and secret charms.
Cape Town Helicopters’ Atlantico flight, which flips from Waterfront down the city’s entire Atlantic Seaboard to Hout Bay, and includes viewing of famous landmarks such as Cape Town Stadium (built for the 2010 World Cup Football), the four Clifton beaches, the Camps Bay strip and the Twelve Apostles, made for impressive viewing.
“We all love Cape Town, and we want people to experience the city the way we see it. At the end of the day, for us, it’s all about the views. Cape Town is such a beautiful city. And the only way to experience it properly is through our cockpit windows,” says Cape Town Helicopters Herman Geldenhuys.
We’d have to concur. Glass of Veuve Clicquot in hand, there can be few experiences that beat taking to the skies and viewing the jewel in Africa’s crown from the air.
CLICQUOT. CITYSCAPE. CELEBRATION.
This year, Veuve Clicquot celebrates a truly remarkable milestone: the 200th anniversary of Veuve Clicquot Rosé. The blend was founded by Madame Clicquot nearly two centuries ago, when in her true inimitable style, she innovated and completely re-created the first blended rosé champagne of the time.
More than two centuries ago, rosé champagnes were elaborated by coloration with a mixture made from elderberries. But this method of coloration didn’t satisfy Madame Clicquot, a most inspired Cellar Master. She was, after all, the woman who once wrote “invent the things of tomorrow … go before others, be determined and exacting … let your intelligence direct your life. Act with audacity.”
She had an audacious new vision in which colour, taste, and aroma were all vital to the quality. So she broke with accepted norms, and re-created the process of making rosé champagne. Madame Clicquot was very fond of red-wine grape parcels from the Bouzy region of Champagne, and she elaborated her own red wine from the area. Inspiration struck, and in 1818 she decided to blend this with her still white wines. The result was a stronger rosé champagne, with definite character. Her talent in re-creation gave us the first known blended rosé champagne: Veuve Clicquot Rosé!
This coppery champagne, with its burst of red fruit aromas, is a vibrant centrepiece of the Veuve Clicquot champagne range. In homage to this significant anniversary, the last Curated Cape Town experience of the day had to be a rosé celebration. And Cape Town’s new Radisson RED Rooftop positioned in the trendy V&A Waterfront Silo District provided the perfect backdrop to mark this iconic moment. Offering exceptional views of Table Mountain and the V&A Waterfront, the RED Roof has quickly become a celebrated early to late hangout. With delicious snacks courtesy of the Veuve Clicquot food truck, sipping chilled champagne as the sun set over the city proved to be the icing on the proverbial Clicquot cake.
CLICQUOT. COUTURE. CHUKKAS.
What better way to end the ultimate Cape Town journey than with the Veuve Clicquot Masters Polo Cape Town – this year attracting 2500 of the continent’s most stylish guests to the scenic Val De Vie Estate.
First held in 2011, the Veuve Clicquot Masters Polo features an impressive polo line-up, with teams from around the country competing for the coveted Veuve Clicquot Masters Polo Cape Town cup. Surrounded by mountains and vineyards of the famous Paarl-Franschhoek valley, Val de Vie is one of the most spectacular polo estates in the world. Their passion for the sport has transformed this scenic estate into an unrivalled polo destination.
Talented local and international players captivated and entertained fans with a fast-paced game as Team Jaeger-LeCoultre dominated with a 6.5 to 1 victory against Eva-last. Half a goal was given to Jaeger-LeCoultre on handicap. The main match featured top South African national players Tom de Bruin, Le Roux Hendriks and Jabulani Khanyile. With a burst of energy in the last minute, Team Vodacom took the main match against Team Veuve Clicquot with a final score of 10 to 9. On the day, Aki van Andel was named the Most Valuable Player and Milo, owned and played by Shaun Brokensha, recognised as the day’s Best Playing Pony.
After an action-packed day of polo, the day ended in a surprise moment which saw guests celebrating Veuve Clicquot Rosé’s 200 Year Anniversary with a 6-tier pink and silver custom-designed cake and a last toast to #ClicquotintheSun.
ABOUT VEUVE CLICQUOT
Since its creation in 1772, Veuve Clicquot played an instrumental role in establishing and evolving the champagne industry as we know it today. Located in Reims, France, Veuve Clicquot prides itself on using only the most distinct grapes reflecting Madame Clicquot’s motto: “only one quality, the finest”. Now, more than 200 years later, Veuve Clicquot champagne inspires the world to “Be Clicquot”: modern, audacious and premium quality. These values, set forth by the ground-breaking and extraordinary Madame Clicquot and maintained by generations of Veuve Clicquot drinkers, promise a remarkable experience with each sip of Veuve Clicquot champagne. For more information, please visit www.veuve-clicquot.com.