Get the lowdown on the people, places and products making an impact on the City of Oaks.
Vergelegen Rose Terrace
A charming new attraction for breakfast, tea, and light lunch enthusiasts is blooming at Vergelegen Estate in Somerset West. The Rose Terrace Tea Room, which offers a delightful escape into a world of floral elegance and delectable treats, has just opened its doors. The Rose Terrace is perfectly located beside a glorious rose garden, where the blooms’ breathtaking beauty creates a serene, scented atmosphere. Guests can satisfy their sweet cravings with an ever-changing range of cakes, and there are also savoury specials such as smoked salmon bagels, quiches, and coronation chicken open sandwiches.
Instagram @vergelegen_wine_estate
Take Four Piano Quartet
Take Four is a women’s piano quartet consisting of lifelong friends Zanta Hofmeyr on violin, Elna van der Merwe on piano, Susan Mouton on cello and Jeanne-Louise Moolman on viola. Individually, they are considered to be four of South Africa’s most talented and best-known classical musicians. In August 2022, they decided to join forces and perform together for the first time as a formal ensemble under the name Take Four – celebrating friendship and women!
To book Take Four for your next event, contact leone.pitts@gmail.com.
Delaire Graff Wine Estate Lodges & Spa
Delaire Graff Wine Estate’s Lodges & Spa have reopened following an extensive refurbishment. Inspired by the landscape, culture and natural beauty of its setting atop the Helshoogte Pass, Delaire Graff Estate now boasts 16 luxurious lodges and the Owner’s Villa, alongside its award-winning wines, as well as a tranquil spa and a new Japanese restaurant, Hõseki, which opened its doors in 2023. Implemented by the renowned David Collins Studio, who has worked with the estate since its inception, and guided by the vision of the owner and renowned diamantaire Laurence Graff OBE, the interiors have been reimagined and refined while honouring the original ethos and spirit of Delaire Graff Estate.
The new interior architecture is simple in colour yet rich in texture to complement perfectly Laurence Graff’s extensive collection of African art. Warm, comforting golden oranges, yellows, greens, and natural textures reflect the African sky, the estate’s vineyards and indigenous gardens and the imposing Stellenbosch valley below.
African motifs are paired with European touches, and David Collins Studio consciously worked closely with local artisans and artists, ensuring a spectrum of materials that include chiselled woods, stone and copper, and hand-woven textiles. The result is exceptional: the contemporary, aspiring, light, and elegant interiors are the epitome of quiet luxury while remaining grounded in the locale. Each space is distinctive, yet the excellent service for which the estate is renowned, draws every element together, ensuring that guests feel relaxed, special and at home.
“Delaire Graff Estate is my happy place. I love visiting because of the people, the hospitality,” says Simon Rawlings, chief creative officer of David Collins Studio. “This makes every project at the estate very personal and special to me. Our collaboration with Laurence Graff is longstanding and successful. For these reasons, I think Delaire Graff Estate instantly makes guests fall in love with it, embrace its warmth, enjoy its personality and leave with wonderful memories.”
Instagram @delairegraff
Sea Walls
The inaugural Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans public art project in Africa has left a lasting legacy for ocean conservation and community activism in Cape Town. PangeaSeed Foundation’s Sea Walls South Africa, presented by the Save Our Seas Foundation, saw 18 mural artists, including four from overseas, adorn the walls of 16 buildings around the city with powerful works on important ocean topics – from the scourge of plastic pollution to the need for community action to protect ocean livelihoods.
Shani Judes, the project director of Sea Walls South Africa, in partnership with SJ Artists and Wavescape, says the 10-day programme was set up to give a talented and diverse group of artists a chance to express themselves about the urgent need to protect marine ecosystems, but also as an important way to celebrate a unique camaraderie that binds us to a common humanity.
“These walls have a lifespan of up to seven years and will serve as a constant reminder to Capetonians and visitors to the Cape of the interconnectedness of all life on our planet, the importance of collaboration in these difficult times, and the vital role of the oceans in sustaining life on earth,” she adds.
Instagram @seawalls_
International Public Arts Festival
The 8th edition of the International Public Art Festival (IPAF), in collaboration with Baz-Art, a trailblazing non-profit organisation established in 2016, once again recently transformed the streets of Cape Town into a vibrant canvas of public art and community engagement.
Melissa Cucci, co-founder and creative director at Baz-Art and co-founder of IPAF, spearheaded the initiative with a vision to revolutionise place-making through art. “As we unveil the 8th International Public Art Festival, we are reminded that art is not just a mirror held up to society, but a hammer with which to shape it,” said Melissa ahead of the festival. “Our mission is to turn every wall, every street, every corner into a conversation, into an opportunity for change. Here in Cape Town, we’re not just creating art, we’re crafting the future, one brush stroke at a time.”
This year’s IPAF set out to create groundbreaking public artworks that contribute not only to the aesthetic landscape, but also to economic development. This year’s theme, ‘CoACT | CoLLAB’, focused on creative collaboration across various disciplines, sectors and cultures.
Instagram @ipaf_festival_sa
Danie du Toit se Nuwe Noord
Danie du Toit, hoofsanger van die alombekende Stellenbosse musiekgroep Spoegwolf, is nie net bekend vir sy stories wat hy deur lirieke vertel nie, maar ook dié wat hy deur gedigte vertel. Ná die vrystelling van drie digbundels bring Danie vir lesers nóg ’n bundel met stories van “soek maar nooit vind” in Nuwe Noord.
Nuwe Noord word beskryf as ’n bundel vol gedigte oor wat mooi en wat mal is; ’n versameling woorde wat gesing word of op klein servette gelos word. “Die idee agter die bundel is dat jy jou lewe lank soek vir een ding, en dan besef jy in ’n stadium jy moet van rigting verander en die skip moet draai na ’n nuwe rigting; ’n nuwe noord,” sê Danie.
Instagram @danie_reenwolf
Republique Coffee
Republique, a recent addition to Stellenbosch, is a French-inspired speciality coffee shop. The fusion of French decor and a passion for all things coffee defines their celebration of life. Republique proudly champions speciality-grade coffee, the ultimate testament to the artistry of coffee cultivation. Its certified baristas are excited to brew your favourite cup from either the elegant La Marzocco Modbar or the experimental Slow Bar.
Republique’s roots run deep, as it grew out of one of Stellenbosch’s oldest businesses, Fidder’s Gifting & Lighting, dating back to 1945. This unique union blends history and beauty, offering not only exceptional coffee, but a selection of homeware, gifts and lighting. Republique invites you to experience life’s pleasures by browsing and savouring a meticulously prepared brew.
Instagram @republique_stellies
Cape Cobra Leathercraft
Cape Cobra Leathercraft is a South African luxury specialty leathergoods company handcrafting all products locally in Woodstock. As a third-generation family run business, Cape Cobra Leathercraft has a long legacy of manufacturing bags for luxury fashion houses around the world, including Tiffany & Co, Dupont, and Michael Kors. Established in 1972, they are Africa’s largest exporter of luxury exotic leather goods. Their atelier handcrafts sustainably farmed Nile crocodile, ostrich, and python skins into timeless pieces in a variety of vibrant colours and styles. Having just launched their FW 23-24 collection, Cape Cobra Leathercraft invites you to visit their shop at 43 Bree Street in Cape town, as well as their online store at capecobra.com.
Instagram @capecobraleathercraft
Investec Cape Town Art Fair
The 11th edition of the Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Africa’s largest art fair, recently took place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The curatorial theme for the 2024 edition was ‘Unbound’, focusing on emerging and ‘unbound’ voices.
Art becomes a compelling catalyst amid global challenges and offers individuals a platform for expression and a space where diverse voices can be heard. ‘Unbound’ serves as a conduit for exploring alternative possibilities and breaking free from constrictive narratives.
This year’s edition of Investec Cape Town Art Fair saw the city of Cape Town play a far more significant role in bringing to the fore the art fair’s activities and artists for its local and international audience of collectors and institutions. As fair director Laura Vincenti says, “The city’s geography is an integral part of Investec Cape Town Art Fair’s success. Cape Town is a vibrant cultural hub, with a supportive community. It is very attractive to international collectors, with the great combination of diverse, cutting-edge art and a favourable exchange rate.”
With more than 20 new exhibiting galleries, both local and international, and close to 380 exhibiting artists, the Investec Cape Town Art Fair continues its work of providing an annual platform for artists, galleries, curators, museums, cultural institutions, collectors and art enthusiasts to connect and interact in the name of art, says Laura.
Instagram @investeccapetownartfair
De Vrije Burger at Time Out Market Cape Town
Time Out Market is a food and cultural market in the V&A Waterfront that brings the best of the city together under one roof – a selected mix of the best chefs, drinks and cultural experiences. This year, Stellenbosch’s very own De Vrije Burger by chef Bertus Basson forms part of the market’s culinary line-up. The first to open on the African continent, Time Out Market Cape Town is home to the city’s award-winning chefs, much-loved local gems and up-and-coming talents to offer a taste of Cape Town and the surrounding areas’ diverse and exciting food scene. This foodie destination offers 13 kitchens, three bars and a dedicated wine bar.
“We are excited to expand our horizons to Cape Town! It is also nice to be in the V&A Waterfront, where Time Out Market Cape Town is located, and have esteemed local chefs as our neighbours in the market. Being part of
an international concept and brand like Time Out Market is also very cool,” says Bertus.
He hopes that, after eating a De Vrije Burger at Time Out Market Cape Town, guests are inspired to visit other restaurants in Stellenbosch. In addition, he hopes that the ‘best burger in Stellenbosch’ will soon become the ‘best burger in Cape Town’.
Instagram @devrijeburger & @timeoutmarketcapetown