I take this opportunity to present to you this new tourism product, built around the passion and adventure of a french cheese & wine addict, Cape tourist guide within the irrepressible beauty of Cape Terroirs. Cheese & Wine Tours explores the Cape Cheese & Winelands like none before. Experience pristine nature while pairing health promoting hand-made cheeses with natural wines.

Cheeses & wines are 8000 year-old culinary treasures that - when consumed with understanding - promote health & beauty, wellbeing & happiness. - Is it by pure coincidence that the French (no cocorico intended) are the longest living humans, after the Japanese, while being the highest consumers of cheese and wine in the world? The South African and especially the Cape's cheese & wine industries are exploding to new heights, every new day. Where else in Africa can you delect your soul in such divine gastronomy. Cheese & Wine Tours guides visitors into Cape Cheese & Wine secrets.

I can't help feeling that some of your guests, readers and viewers or employees may be fascinated by this 'Cape' story as it is original and a lot of fun. We wish to engage your organisation to offer this unique and personalised offering of scenic and culinary delight to them.

Didier and the Cheese & Wine Team 24/7: 0861-243 373 (0861-CHEESE)

----------------------- The Tour...

We day-tour the unique cheese-making farms and niche vineyards of the Cape. Guests meet real cheese and wine makers at scenic farms, taste their high quality products as well as discuss the breathtaking terroirs they emanate from. This off-the-beaten-track tour is fun edu-tainment at its best.  

"it was a magical day out, the sort you always dream of, but never imagine you will get.  We learned such a lot not only about South African cheese and wine but also history and culture and saw some wonderful country.  And to cap it all, we are now enjoying the wine we bought on the day" - Sue & Chris Chandler, from Dorset, U.K. Dec 2005.

"We are back in the fire mould, but certain we will come out like gold. Thanks again for a lovely and memorable tour. It was probably one of the highlights of our trip to Cape Town. You really do a wonderful job, and weren't we lucky to have the boss as our guide, absolutely exceptional." - Anne Kabade, Harare, Zimbabwe, Dec 2005.

"The cheese and wine tour was unlike any I have previously experienced. Didier is quick to point out that the cheese makers are real people, with small, fledging operations - and as such, the tour must adjust every day to meet their schedules. The best way to describe the tour is like driving around with your friend as he takes you to various culinary gems and introduces you to his acquaintances. The time that people spent with us was, in all honesty, astounding. Seeing as how the tour is new this summer, I have a hard time believing that this personal attention will remain as detailed, but hopefully the variety that the tour provides will always ensure a more personal experience that what you'd find in the big tasting rooms. As a foodie, this is one of the best things I have done in Cape Town." Courtney S. Ries, Portland, Oregon, USA, January 2006.

-----------------------On the health side...

"We have prospered as humanity for the last 8000 years for the nutrition genious of...Cheese & Wine."

Yes, natural cheese is one of the most nutritious and versatile foods and has the highest combination of calcium, vitamins A, B group and D, minerals (calcium et phosphore), 'digestive leavens' (proteases, amylases and lipases), proteins and fats, vital for the happy proliferation of human life. Protein builds and repairs muscles and body tissues for growth. It helps give resistance to disease and maintains good muscle tone. Calcium builds strong bones and teeth, aids in coagulation of blood, regulates rate of heart beat and helps relax and contract muscles. It is essential in cell activity and helps control nervous irritability. A constant supply of calcium is necessary throughout our lifetime, but is especially important during phases of growth, pregnancy, and lactation (breast feeding). Phosphorous helps build bones and teeth and is essential in utilization of carbohydrates and is necessary in cell activity. Vitamin A stimulates growth, aids in resisting infections, helps eyes to adjust to darkness and light, helps keep skin soft and healthy and aids in the formation of strong teeth. Yes, some cheeses extend the shelf life of nutritious milk by years! Yes, fat is a necessary food and when eaten responsibly and regularly can contribute directly to weight control and weight loss, because it satisfies our ancient bodies (so we don't eat junk, for one!)'. Children and elderly people in particular benefit from the nutritional qualities of cheese. To develop, we need proteins, fat of good nutritional quality, vitamins and, most of all, calcium. Elderly people do not eat a lot and need to get sufficient amounts of calcium and vitamins from small volumes. Also, their bone density is lower, particularly among women. 'Lite foods' (invented in the USA) is the single biggest contributor to obesity and overall unhealth, precisely because they deprive the body of its need for satisfaction and creates 'junk crave'. Yes, cheese promotes healthy teeth and stops cholesterol from clogging up the arteries and help stop tumour growth (see below) and calcium prevents or retards osteoporosis, colon cancer, heart spasms, nervousness, muscular excitability, confusion and kidney stones. The insidious effects of calcium deficiency include insomnia, tetany (leg cramps), premenstrual cramps, hypertension (high blood pressure). Low calcium intakes have also been linked to premature births and some forms of cancer, including colon and breast cancer. To sum it all up: natural cheeses are delicious, highly nutritious and satisfy, their fat gives them texture and depth of flavour; you naturally avoid over-indulging and just taste healthy goodness. This -I believe- brings us to wine...

According to legend, the roots of wine's hallowed status lie in Persia (Khollar Town, Shiraz City, Fars Province, Iran). Credit is given to one of Iran's ancient mythical kings, Jamshid, who is said to have discovered its medicinal qualities after his wife became gravely ill but later made a spectacular recovery. This was attributed to the fermented liquid she had drunk from grapes blown into ditches during a storm. Convinced of its benefits, Jamshid brought settlers to the area, who, the story goes, established the town of Khollar. Scientists have provided a more precise explanation. They analysed six containers discovered more than two decades ago in Hajji Firuz Tepe, a Neolithic village in the Zagros mountains, and concluded that wine was being made in Iran as far back as 7,000 years ago - 2,000 years earlier than previously thought. Hippocrates (one of greek antiquity's best doctors: the Father of Medicine) recommended specific wines to purge fever, disinfect and dress wounds, as diuretics, or for nutritional supplements, around 450 B.C. Most of the pathogens that threaten humans are inhibited or killed off by the acids and alcohols in wine. Because of this, wine was considered to be a safer drink than water up until the 18th century. "Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities" The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Timothy, 5:23. Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) (who claimed the discovery of vaccination and pasteurisation) said that wine was by far the best anasthetic and analgesic on the planet (he was a also renown oenologue - a wine scientist). Yes, wine and spirit are super-natural disinfectants even better than urine, I suppose... Until the 20th century, hospitals and private doctors relied on wine to treat all sorts of ailments. White wines were prescribed as diuretics, red Burgundies for dyspepsia, red Bordeaux for stomach disorders, and Champagne for nausea and catarrh. Today wine is still a component in many medications. According to scientists in Spain, drinking wine, especially red, stops people from developing colds. Red wine has been associated with a number of health benefits, including a lower rate of heart disease. An ingredient in red wine may also prevent herpes, according to a recent study. Yes, consumed responsibly, wine regulates blood viscosity and circulatory function. A multitude of nutricious goodies are found in wine, other than alcohol, which will - if drunk with gourmet foods like traditional and natural cheeses give pleasure that supports and prolongs a gracious life.

The first point is to consume both products only if they are made naturally . Traditionally made cheeses and wines are in fact made with natural ingredients. The second point is that you must ingest both products every single day of your life, if possible. The third point is to discover and use the secrets on longevity: the quantity, the variety, the balance and the manner of consumption. Combination and pairing is key and constitutes the age-old adage of seculent gastronomy and a healthy lifestyle.The American Cheese Society says:"There are no "rules" in pairing cheese and wines...". Others list exaustively what you can or cannot do! On the opposite camp, the French enumerate distinct rules, which by definition must be adapted if not broken.

You must taste and decide...

----------------------- Controversial Tid-Bits...

'Eat these and loose weight',' 10 ways to eat like the French', Are French women skinny because they smoke?' The MARIE CLAIRE Wine, Cheese and Chocolate Diet, MARIE CLAIRE, South Africa, December 2005, p.120

'Cheese not only is noncariogenic (i.e., does not promote dental caries), but may also protect against dental caries.' more

'Cheese and milk contain a compound that may actually help to keep the circulatory system healthy, scientists have discovered. They both contain a fatty acid which can stop cholesterol from clogging up the arteries....Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) reduces fat deposits in arterties by 30%. CLA has also been found in very experimental studies to help stop tumour growth. It is something that is made in the cow's rumen, part of its digestive system.' more