June 2013. New features announcement!

Time to let these cats outta the bag! Some shiny new features have gone live on the platform over the last week or so. Like any good relationship, new code takes a while to bed. We think it's close to bedding time :)

Without further ado. Here are 3 big new things that you can explore on Real Time Wine.

#1 Activity Stream
See what your friends are drinking, rating, reviewing, voting on and more. It's a social filter to what the Latest tab used to be. What's more - if you want to go outside your friendship circle. Play around with the My City tab and the Near Me tab. Cities are especially interesting as they tend to develop slightly different drinking cultures - usually because of availability.

#2 Specials
We see big things in this feature's future. Essentially it allows Wine Fans and Brands to attach content to a specific location. This content could be a price special (eg. Nitida Sauvignon Blanc 2012 is on special at Pick 'n Pay for Rx.xx) or a notification of a special event (eg. The City Bowl Wine Market open Thursdays, ticket price Rx.xx).

The thinking behind this module is the derived demand nature of wine. We don't tend to plan to buy wine. We buy it "on the way somewhere". On the way home. On the way to a dinner. This behaviour requires a little one touch "see what's on special around me" magic.

In the beginning, we're going to need some help populating this database. So when you walk into your favourite wine retailer, snap some pictures of well priced wine and upload them onto the app. 5 points for every special you load - great way to catch up on the Leaderboard!

# Golden Tickets
Our favourite of the three... but something you're going to have to work a little harder and wait a little more to experience. Remember Charlie & The Chocolate Factory? Remember the 10 Golden Tickets Willy Wonka put into the chocolate bars? Remember the feeling when you were a kid, opening up a chocolate bar, just hoping there might be something behind it? Well - we want to recreate that feeling with wine!

Golden Tickets allows Brands to attach content (eg. food pairings, fun facts, discount vouchers, free wine, invites to events, campaign activations and more) to specific bottles of wine. It's part surprise-and-delight, part treasure hunt - part amazing moment to talk to a consumer of wine during the "moment of consumption".

It'll be fun, watch this space :)

So that's it from us for now. Go play around. We're hard at work doing some optimisation to speed up the app a bit and fixing little creepy crawlies as they show their ugly heads. One of those creepy crawlies (read: bugs) was login using social accounts. This should be MUCH smoother.

IMPORTANT THOUGH. Please go to the Account Settings page, look under Social Networks and check that Facebook and Twitter are correctly link (if they are, you'll see an option to unlink - if they aren't you need to relink). Early users must do this to re-authorise the social accounts. Sorry. But sometimes these social thingies are outta our control!

In the mean time... you, yes YOU - go grab a glass of wine, check in, review it and be happy!

Much love,
Wino Andy.

JOBURG Wine Fans! Win 10 double tickets to the WineStyle Winter Winedown!

Going to be a cracker of an event - our friends at WineStyle have given us 10 double tickets to give to you, our dear community. Get 'em while they're hot!

Click here to enter. Make sure you tell your friends!

All the info about the WineDown after the snip.

--- snip ---


WineStyle Winter Winedown!
Warm up in Jozi this winter at WineStyle’s Winter Winedown.

The Winestyle Winter Winedown is an opportunity to unwind and relax, it not just another average wine show – we are offering you the opportunity to taste some of the ‘Best of the Best’ and to rub shoulders with the wine professionals involved in creating your favorite wines.

WineStyle is a beautiful quarterly, coffee-table style magazine about wine, food and travel with an up to date website hosting everything you need to know about  South African food, wine and travel! As well as some great deals to buy wine.

On the back of our successful Summer and Winter Wine Parties in Cape Town, we are bringing the fun to Gauteng.

The “Winter Winedown” is a wine party, not a wine trade show. Its a celebration of food and wine and for people who appreciate good wine, and most of all who like to have fun. The event is unlike a traditional wine show, and encourages guests and exhibitors to engage, unwind, eat, drink and pick up a few wine tips in the process. Guests also get an opportunity to purchase these wines, at a special Winedown price.

The “Winter Winedown” is being hosted at the stunningly beautiful, Tintswalo Waterfall hotel in Kyalami, This small intimate hotel offers unparalleled cuisine, exceptional luxury and typical Tintswalo service standards.

This boutique destination has a spectacular 360? degree view and is designed as a typical barn, with thick stone clad walls, double volume spaces and heavy bolted timber roof trusses, the décor is warm, with numerous fireplaces and is extremely welcoming, which all makes it the perfect place, to enjoy a Jozi winters day, with great food and wine, music and chilled out vibe.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to warm up this winter!

Venue: Tintswalo Waterfall – Kyalami, Gauteng
Date: 21st & 22nd June 2012 (Friday 4-10pm & Saturday 12-8 pm)
Note: COMPETITION is for SATURDAY 22 June.

Tickets:
-R100.00 per person attending, including a glass.if you buy your ticket on Webtickets
-R120.00 at the door.
or FREE if you win the competition :)

Tickets available at Webtickets: https://www.webtickets.co.za/event.aspx?itemid=405176563

Pinotage on Tap 2013. Save the date!

This was a great event last year, and has been for some time. Hopefully we'll get to giveaway some tickets and run some event coverage. Nothing like getting a barrel of wine trending at #1 on Real Time Wine!

Here's all the info so you can put it in your calendar...

THE 2013 DIEMERSFONTEIN ‘PINOTAGE ON TAP’ SA TOUR EVENT 


The Diemersfontein Pinotage on Tap, South Africa’s most anticipated wine event on the annual calendar is set to take place for the ninth year running on Saturday 12th October 2013 at Wellington’s Diemersfontein Wine Estate outside Cape Town. Diemersfontein will also bring this event to Johannesburg and Durban, on the 7th September 2013 and 21st September 2013 respectively.

Guests attending this year’s ‘Pinotage on Tap’ events can look forward to ‘prepped and primed’ barrels of Pinotage. In Cape Town guests can also enjoy one barrel of Chenin Blanc and one barrel of Shiraz. The official Beer partner for the POT festival is the premium, craft slow beer from Darling Brewery. A range of lunch dishes and sweet treats will also be included in the ticket price, as well as some interesting food stalls in a market style environment. Great entertainment is also in store with an exciting musical line-up for the day, including Gangs of Ballet, Newton’s 2nd Law and Natasha Meister.

Mark your calendars, book your tickets, and make sure you’re at one of the Diemersfontein Pinotage on Tap events this year. Tickets will be available through Computicket from 10 June 2013. Numbers are limited so wine enthusiasts are encouraged to book early to avoid disappointment! Weekend accommodation specials are also available. Please contact Rene at Diemersfontein on 021 864 5050 or online@diemersfontein.co.za (Bookings will only be open with ticket sales)

For more information about Diemersfontein, or their Pinotage on Tap events, visit www.diemersfontein.co.za.


SAVE THE DATE DIARY DETAILS:

JOBURG
Date: 7 September
Ticket Price: R340 per adult
Ticket and Wine R770 – this includes a case of 6 bottles of the Diemersfontein Pinotage to be collected
Timing: 12:30 – 18:30
Venue: Oakfield Farm, Beyers Naude Drive, Muldersdrift, Johannesburg
Bands: Newton’s 2nd Law & Natasha Meister

DURBAN
Date: 21 September
Ticket Price: R280 per adult
Ticket and Wine R720
Timing: 12:30 – 18:30
Venue: The Litchi Orchard, Seaforth Rd, Salt Rock, Durban
Bands: Gangs of Ballet & Natasha Meister

CAPE TOWN
Date: 12 October
Ticket Price: R340 per adult.  No Kids ticket.
Ticket and Wine R770, incl Free gift of an original POT Peak Cap.
Timing: 12:30 – 18:30
Venue: Diemersfontein Wine & Country Estate, Jan van Riebeeck Drive, Wellington.
Bands: Gangs of Ballet, Newton’s 2nd Law and Natasha Meister

Top 10 Trending Wines [South Africa] 10 May 2013

We're going into Winter. Which means you, dear Wine Fans, deserve a Top 10 Trending list to print, email, hit favourite, post to wall, commit to memory, take picture of, click like on, retweet and do whatever else you need - to have a better wine shopping experience. Yee haw! Enjoy.

TOP 10 TRENDING WINES IN SOUTH AFRICA

#1   The Wolftrap Red by Boekenhoutskloof (2012, Blend) R37
#2   Miss Molly Bubbly by Moreson (Non Vintage) R75
#3   Estate by Rust en Vrede (2010, Blend)
#4   Classique by Rupert & Rothschild (2010, Blend) R116
#5   Calligraphy by Nitida (2011, Blend)
#6   Savage Red by Savage (2011, Blend) R160
#7   Pinot Grigio by Terra del Capo (2011, Pinot Grigio)
#8   Sauvignon Blanc by Iona (2012) R75
#9   Cape Jazz Shiraz by Solms Delta (Non Vintage) R58
#10 Sauvignon Blanc by La Motte (2012) R54

Harry Haddon's Incomplete & Unofficial Guide to the Hedonistic Pleasure of the Grape [FULL VERSION]

Harry Haddon's Incomplete & Unofficial Guide to the Hedonistic Pleasure of the Grape

The unofficial guide to wine - the official guide to the culture of Real Time Wine!

Chapter 1: Oh god more wine words, why?
Chapter 2: What the hell is in my glass?
Chapter 3: Drinking Smarter
Chapter 4: Down with scores and up with drinking: Harry's kak en lekker scale of wine
Chapter 5: NATURE vs. NURTURE. Part 1: Nature
Chapter 6: NATURE vs. NURTURE. Part 2: Nurture
Chapter 7: Taking back some wine words!
Chapter 8: The journey continues, one bottle at a time.



Excerpt from Chapter 1: You may already be asking why. Why do we need more words on wine? Can’t you leave us alone and let us just drink the stuff? Do we have to listen to some poncey, big nosed bastard who is going to tell us about the flutteringly fleet-footed scent of an angels fart, offset only by the delicate flavour of cigar boxed, pencil shaved bullshit? In short: Because it’s awesome, of course you can, and I damn well hope not.

Why wine? Well for the last couple thousand years (earliest estimates see evidence for wine making at around 7000 BC) we have been drinking it. We have drunk it to escape our cruel and short lives, to grease our brain’s cogs and wheels, to liven up parties, to find inspiration, and to worship our gods. We have traded wine, made millions with wine, and lost it all with wine. We’ve made it sweet, drunk it sour, wrote books on it, fought for it, died for it, and we have drunk wine because, goddamnit, drinking it is awesome. Wine was at the start of civilization and it will be there, in whatever form, at the end.

So whether you like wine or not, wherever you are on this mortal coil, it’s not going anywhere
But here is the tricky bit, and one that frustrates me, and you I am sure, to no end. How did this wonderful liquid, rich in history, gain this horrible reputation: the more you know about it, the more likely you are to be a pretentious snob.



What the critics had to say...

"Some of my finest work." - Harry Haddon
"Who are you?" - Platters
"Wine! Wine! Wine! Wine!" - The Fans
"He's a genius. It's the best app known to man." - Harry's Friend.