Ladies and gents, get your smartphones out and diarize Thursday to Saturday 5th to 7th September at the University of Johannesburg, Chris Hani Road, Soweto, to attend the highly-anticipated, like-no-other, stylin’ TOPS at SPAR SOWETO WINE AND LIFESTYLE FESTIVAL, in association with Food Network and the Travel Channel. It is Stylin’ in Soweto in September! 

Mnikelo Mangciphu, co-founder of the TOPS at SPAR Soweto Wine Festival, and owner of Soweto’s Morara Wine and Spirit Emporium says, “This is our 9th festival and we have a couple of surprises up our sleeve this year in anticipation to the build-up to our Decade-nt Wine-and-Lifestyle Festival in 2014. Firstly, we have a new associate sponsor, the Travel Channel. It is very exciting to have this DSTV channel interested in this market. It is an ideal partnership. We have expanded this year by adding a hospitality section, to which corporate clients are invited to experience VIP Stylin’ in Soweto the only way we know how… 5-star all the way!  There are only 100 tickets that have been available to our visitors to enjoy this experience. They are available online at webtickets.co.za.” 

Marilyn Cooper, co-founder of TOPS at SPAR SOWETO WINE FESTIVAL, in association with Food Network and the Travel Channel, a Cape Wine Master and CEO of the Cape Wine Academy, says “This festival is the place to be in September as we will have South African wineries bringing around 900 wines into Soweto for visitors to taste and purchase. There will also be 14 of the BEE wineries this year, and a well-stocked Wine Shop managed by Morara Wine Emporium.  For those of you that want to further your wine and food pairing knowledge, the popular Nederburg Wine & Food Taste Theatre, hosted by MasterChef SA Judge, Pete Goffe-Wood will share the stage with Nederburg's Danie Morkel. Not to be missed.”

The Nederburg Taste Theatre will accommodate guests on a first-come, first-served basis. The presentations, which are always on stage on the main hall, will be at 19:00, 20:00 and 21:00 on the Thursday and Friday, and at 17:30, 18:30, 19:30 and 20:30 on Saturday.

Activations at the festival are plentiful this year such as the Headline Sponsor TOPS at SPAR who have a nifty app getting you all home safe and sound! So if you’re planning to have a festive night of wine tasting, music and food at the festival, then the new DRYVER mobile app brought to you by TOPS at SPAR is your new responsible friend who’ll get you home safely!

“Tipsy friendly” and simple to use,  all you have to do is download this free app at Dryver.mobi, choose a community network of friends from your phone contacts and help or a lift home can be arranged at any time you feel you’ve had one too many.

Says TOPS at SPAR Group Liquor Manager, Mark Robinson, “We know and understand the effects of drinking and driving and we want to give our customers a solution; making them aware that they have a choice to be responsible. Drinking and driving is a serious issue in our country and we feel strongly about playing our part in finding solutions to the problem. By delivering our message in a practical, fun way, that includes a call to action, we believe we are taking our responsibility seriously.”

A clever feature of the DRYVER app is the ‘Rescue Me’ option, which can be activated if you’re feeling a little too tipsy to contact a friend directly. Also available on this app is a list of the closest taxis in the area so there is no excuse to drink and drive. The dryver.mobi app is paired with networking and geo-location technology and is available for Apple, Android, Windows and Blackberry Smartphones. Look out for the TOPS at SPAR stand at the Festival where there will be dedicated people to assist you download the free DRYVER app, helping you to have responsible fun!

There will be exciting collection of wines available for tasting at Nederburg’s exhibition stand, including the acclaimed Ingenuity blends, as well as the popular Winemaster’s Reserve range of wines and the new generation, super-smooth drinking 56 HUNDRED wines, which will be paired with melt-in-your-mouth chocolates. Baronne, one of South Africa's top-selling reds, which celebrates its 40th birthday this year, will also be showcased, and instant prizes will be up for grabs.

Always drawing a massive crowd, the 4th Street stand at the festival promises to be a celebration of good wine and good friends, with an array of Rihanna inspired activations sure to evoke squeals of delight from hundreds of visitors. Their eye-catching black and white stand complete with custom designed Rihanna artwork in 4th Street’s trademark pink has an urban feel with a touch of girlish sophistication.

Along with tasting 4th Street’s delicious wines, visitors to the stand will be invited to have their lips covered in eye-popping glitter and their hair beautified with neon pink extensions. 4th Street will also be giving away tickets to Rihanna’s upcoming Diamond World Tour- the most anticipated music concert of the year! Shine bright like a diamond with 4th Street at the TOPS at SPAR SOWETO WINE FESTIVAL this September!

Durban Tourism, Gauteng Tourism and Joburg Tourism will all be featured at the TOPS AT SPAR SOWETO WINE FESTIVAL, in association with Food Network and Travel Channel.
Head of Durban Tourism, Phillip Sithole, says “Durban Tourism is launching its Summer Season at TOPS at SPAR SOWETO WINE FESTIVAL. The Gauteng market is crucial for the tourism industry in Durban and we will be using the festival to showcase the beauty and splendour of our city to all the visitors.  We have some really exciting holiday packages that we will be promoting for Summer and we are also giving all visitors a chance to win a luxury 2 night weekend for 2 to Durban.  So visit the Durban Tourism stand and enter the competition.  We invite you to have an unforgettable Summer in Sunsational Durban.”

More stylin’ fun and sensational news coming to you soon!

Festival details:
Dates: Thursday to Saturday 5th to 7th September 2013
Times: Thurs-Fri: 6pm to 10pm | Sat: 5pm to 9pm
Venue: University of Johannesburg, Soweto Campus, Chris Hani Road, Soweto
Tickets: R120 per day from the door on the night, online from www.webtickets.co.za , Cape Wien Academy offices in Bramley JHB and Morara Wine Emporium, Mofolo Central, Soweto
Dress Code: Smart Casual, no slops or shorts
ROAR.
More info: http://www.sowetowinefestival.co.za 

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