![]() At least it was as a proudly appointed Abingdonian with several bottles to savour later. I had to truly tear myself away from such contagious enthusiasm, but leave I must (with a designated driver). ‘We want to teach people to be brave with the wine lists! They also go into the vineyard and cellar, followed by a long, boozy lunch. I’m definitely returning for the beginner’s course one Saturday. It’s been met with a tremendous reception garnering support from renowned chef Jackie Cameron (born and raised in the Midlands, she gained fame for her fantastic food as head chef of Hartford House before leaving to start a culinary school based in Hilton) and you’ll find graduates at The Oyster Box, The Living Room at Summerhill and Qambathi Mountain Lodge. So I opened one here in 2015,’ Laurie explained. ‘I did all my qualifications overseas and there’s a wine school around every corner in London, but in South Africa, the only school was in Cape Town. Laurie is in her second year of the Master of Wine qualification (she’ll be the third-ever South African with that title if she gets through it) and she runs the WSET-accredited KwaZulu-Natal School of Wine to train up-and-coming wine aficionados. The whole family has put their heart and soul into making wine work. Yes, we’ve proven it can be done, but it is hard. The only reason our vineyard isn’t diseased is that we’re out there every day thinning the vines and we are pedantic. ‘We’ve had rain for seven months this year. There are also vervet monkeys,’ Jane gestured to some of the vineyard’s electric fences. Instead, there’s a culture of learning and a sense of wonder about wine. Here, there’s no snooty sniffing and spitting (at least, not during my visits where every sip was swallowed). Why dilute it? ’ Jane continued, her dogs snuggling deeper into the rugs beside the blazing fire in a quintessential Midlands scene. In a blind tasting, you get a leaner style and a lovely minerality. It’s got an old-world nature that’s much more delicate. ‘We’re getting such a name for incredible wine because it’s so different. With plenty of rain and rolling green scenery, the environmental conditions of the Midlands are similar to those in parts of Europe. ‘KZN is capable of making fabulous, fabulous wine,’ she said. Such a spirited quality undoubtedly aided in making their wild idea work. Like the bubbly that lines the shelves of the cellar, Jane is effervescent. ‘We want you to come and sit with us for an hour or two, hear our story, and become an Abingdonian, as we call them.’ ‘We don’t want to be an anonymous bottle on a shelf,’ Jane says. The resulting wine is something of a compromise between them. ‘He says, “Right, my gut says this” and she’ll respond with “Don’t be ridiculous, science says this.” They have an amazing synergy.’ ‘Ian is completely self-taught, and Laurie studied wine more formally,’ Jane explained. I immediately loved this winery because Abingdon embraces us, the amateur wine lovers. The following year, their tasting room was the recipient of the American Express Dining Awards South Africa’s Best Kept Secret. Online version at the Topos Text Project.Brought up among the gloomy grapevines of Lion’s River, Laurie Cooper (daughter to Jane and Ian) is now the assistant winemaker at Abingdon and was named the Moët & Chandon best young sommelier of South Africa for 2019. ![]() A few entries from this important ancient handbook of place names have been translated by Brady Kiesling. Stephanus of Byzantium, Stephani Byzantii Ethnicorum quae supersunt, edited by August Meineike (1790-1870), published 1849.Latin text available at the Perseus Digital Library. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Publius Ovidius Naso, Metamorphoses translated by Brookes More (1859-1942).Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press London, William Heinemann Ltd. Pausanias, Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S.Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press London, William Heinemann, Ltd. Online version at the Topos Text Project. Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca translated by William Henry Denham Rouse (1863-1950), from the Loeb Classical Library, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press, 1940.Greek text available from the same website. Evelyn-White, Cambridge, MA.,Harvard University Press London, William Heinemann Ltd. Hesiod, Theogony from The Homeric Hymns and Homerica with an English Translation by Hugh G.
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