August 7, 2025 – St Francis Today

Wines With A Story Worth Sipping – An Intimate Tasting Experience by Newton Johnson

by admin | Aug 7, 2025 | St Francis

By Take Note Reputation Management

The St Francis Bay Golf Club was filled with the gentle murmur of friends catching up in anticipation of an evening of exploring the nuances some fine wines. A fully booked tasting event brought wine lovers together for an evening hosted by Newton Johnson and presented by none other than Bevan Newton Johnson himself.

An Intimate Tasting Experience by Newton Johnson

The event, sponsored by St Francis Bay SUPERSPAR TOPS as part of their Wine Club initiative, featured a curated selection of Newton Johnson wines. Those who attended had the chance to enjoy the wines and purchase them at exclusive club rates. With limited seats and a personal touch, these tastings have become popular and spaces are snapped up almost as soon as the events are announced.

Texture Over Colour – The Newton Johnson Way

Each pour flowed with wonderful insights. Bevan shared his knowledge of the Newton Johnson’s winemaking philosophy, where texture speaks louder than colour. “We always say the feel of the wine in your mouth should linger long after the sip,” said Bevan. “Whether it’s the creamy Chardonnay or the freshness of our Albariño, it’s about balance and harmony. Texture is what brings the wine to life.”

The range on offer included Sauvignon Blanc, Albariño, Sandford Chardonnay, Walker Bay Pinot Noir and the Fullstop Rock, a wine that holds a special place in St Francis Bay folklore. Its name, as Bevan explained with a smile, came from a surfing holiday right here in our village. “We stole it from St Francis Bay and bottled the memory.”

Jenny van der Merwe, Rish Newton Johnson, Sam Lindsay

A Feast to Complement Every Sip

Guests were treated to a generous harvest table spread, that perfectly complemented the wines. The menu included mini bacon and parmesan quiche, cheese grillers wrapped in smoked bacon with honey mustard sauce, Indian butter chicken wings with mint chutney and teriyaki beef kebabs with sweet Asian flavours. Creamy biltong and blue cheese soup added a comforting local twist, followed by mini vetkoek with curried mince and Mrs Balls chutney. Rounding off the offering were mini caprese skewers with basil and balsamic reduction and golden butternut arancini with a tomato and basil sauce.

Mickey, General Manager of SUPERSPAR Village Square, St Francis Bay, reflected on the evening saying, “We are proud to bring together good wine, good food and good people. The response to these events has been fantastic and it shows there’s a real appetite for authentic experiences here in the Bay.”

Chantel James and Gary Gilbult

How to Join the Wine Club

To join the next wine evening, enquire at the SUPERSPAR front desk to be added to the Wine Club WhatsApp group. Seats are limited, so early booking are essential.

Whether you come for the wine, the stories or the good company, these are the evenings that remind us why we love living here.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Links – Notes From The Editor

by SFT | Aug 7, 2025 | St Francis

My daughter was rehearsing for her school play, and we needed to get to the rehearsal at the Links that morning — a casual little rerouting from our usual trip to the College on the other side of the Kromme.

I’ve always felt uneasy crossing the Kromme anyway. It’s like the Wild West out there, lappa side of the river, the real world, full of real dangers, Humansdorp etc

Trouble at the Boom Gate

As we arrived at the boom gate, a lady and her daughter were having some trouble. One thing about the Links: they take their security seriously. Double-checking of licences and all that.

Unfortunately, this poor lady had misplaced her licence, couldn’t gain entrance, and her daughter also needed to be at the rehearsal. Since I was heading to the clubhouse with my daughter anyway, I offered to run her up.

The lady now had to reverse, but there was a car parked on my tail. That driver didn’t seem particularly keen to move. Eventually, the security guard managed to persuade them that it would be in everyone’s best interest to reverse, allowing me to reverse, so that the lady in front could get out. What we were now dealing with was rapidly turning into the world’s smallest gridlock. She extricated herself and waved to me in thanks. One bright moment in a morning that was about to go pear-shaped.

The Line-Jumper Appears

Then came the wildcard.

A fourth driver saw me reversing to help the lady and decided that the tiny gap now in front of me was a golden opportunity. They darted forward out of the queue, hoping to sneak into the space just vacated.

Fortunately, I, well-trained by years of early-morning inbound Cape Town traffic on the N2, calmly edged forward and closed the gap before they could wedge themselves in.

“C’mon, ekse,” I thought. “Be cool. We all want to get in there.”

The would-be line jumper was left stranded outside the patiently waiting queue.

(I did have a quiet chuckle. It was a small but lekker win.)

Thanks to the miracle of tinted windows, mine and theirs, we couldn’t see each other, but the fogging on their glass suggested heavy breathing, and I could hear muffled shouting. I turned up the volume on Wayne, Lee, and Charlie Tee just enough to drown it out.

Order Restored… Slowly

Once inside the Links, there was a vehicle practically touching the back of my car. The speed limit throughout the Estate is between 20 and 40 km/hour, so I drove at 20, to show respect to the Links Management. With a tow bar on the back, no one could get clever.

Over the speed bumps, I slowed almost to a standstill, lingering agonizingly to the point of nearly stalling on each apex. But I was in control of the moment. I was the moderator of unwarranted impatience, the great leveller of early-morning entitlement.

We all got to the clubhouse in time, and I briefly considered stepping out to confront the person behind me in a slow-motion face-off, but decided that an early morning meeting between a saphead and a misanthrope might not end well. Anyway, I felt I’d already pushed my luck far enough with kak decisions, and needed to leave a few for next week…