SA Wine & Food Festival in USA

This weekend saw the third annual South African Wine and Food Festival at Grayhaven Winery in the beautiful rolling hills of Gum Spring, Virginia, USA. The vineyard was founded in 1978 by Charles and Lyn Peple, and their daughters, Mallory and Max. South African Deon Abrams married Max and moved to Gum Spring in 2001 to help run the winery. Deon has a soft spot for the South African created Pinotage, a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsaut grapes. The annual festival is attended by the South African ambassador to Washington, and is sponsored by South African Airways. This year saw the local Richmond Lions Rugby Club giving rugby clinics. Chef David Jacobson flew in from Miami and prepared Lamb-On-The-Spit. David is from Cape Town, and trained in London and Paris. He owned a South African restaurant in Greenwich, and has been featured on Food Network. Entertainment included the acclaimed performance troupe JuxtaPower led by South African choreographer Sduduzo Ka-Mbili. Don't miss next year's festival!