Roosters and Springboks

An interesting question from Barend Barnard, national sales manager for L’Avenir. What do you get when you cross a Boerboel with a French Poodle? French Lavender with Cape Proteas? Springboks with Roosters?

cross

L’Avenir is French for “the future” and Barend, who sounds like a boere Bridget Bardot, has hit the marketing nail on its head. France is synonymous with elegance, style and luxury and wrapping yourself in the Tricolour is a far more effective marketing wheeze than telling the truth, wearing Crocs and black rugby shorts. Just ask Franschhoek.

Christophe Durand’s annual Taj Classic Wine Trophy Show is perhaps the easiest way of confirming your French credentials. The blind tasting panel is chaired by Olivier Poels, editor of La Revue du Vin de France and will include Olivier Pousier, best sommelier in the world, wine blogger Claude Gilois, winemakers Philippe Dietrich and Christophe Durand; Miguel Chan, group sommelier of Tsogo Sun Hotels; Jean-Yves Muller, co-owner of Sotano and Germain Lehodey, sommelier at Mosaic restaurant.

Entries close at the end of February and the awards dinner is Friday night 7th March and they’ve asked me to be MC again, so it won’t be boring. Last year’s lamb was a revelation – best function food of the year by a country mile.