Paris is passé – its Rooiberg for  lovers

Elda Auret and Marianne Lochner with an ample supply of padlocks for Rooiberg romantics.

With the historic Pont des Arts bridge across the Seine buckling under the weight  of lovers’ padlocks, the French authorities have cried Assez! and this week officials will be removing around 45 tons of locks from this and other popular Parisian bridges. What started as an expression of eternal love has become a security risk for pedestrians as  romantic visitors from across the globe attached padlocks to the bridge grilles and threw the keys into the river a little too often.

These – and all – young lovers can head to Rooiberg cellar later this week, get a bright red padlock for R30, and attach it to a designated love wall along with their names, when they collect their passports for the Wacky Wine Weekend. The key can be dropped into a barrel, and thus – romance locked and sealed – the visitors can celebrate the liveliest weekend in the Cape in passionate style.

Others, who may be more intent on wining and dining can hone in on Gallic-style soup served in hollowed-out bread crust “bowls”. Good red wine overflows from this large cellar, but anyone aiming to invest in  some great reds this winter should make a point of sampling Rooiberg’s award-winng Reserve Shiraz 2011 and the prized Reserve Pinotage 2012 – both excellent and affordable buys. And remember that once your wine purchase comes to more than R500, you are in line for some worthwhile lucky draws.

 

 

 

[Author: [email protected] (Myrna Robins)] [Category: Wine]