The below is post by Neil Pendock following Andrew and Rachel's wedding
Weddings and Divorces
Off to the Groenberg outside Wellington yesterday for the wedding of the season between glamorous Seattle shoe-sales stunner Rachel Carrigan and Apollonian Andy Barns, winemaker and self-taught engineer at Mischa Estate. The knot was tied in the cellar by an Ali G and Ayn Rand quoting Presbyterian minister cum psychologist and I could swear the wedding march is on the Buddha Bar CD. Although the joke about “ek het jou lief” being Afrikaans for “I love you” or what Adam said to Eve in the garden of Eden “I have your leaf” went over my head. But it was the Garden of Eden we were certainly in with temptations aplenty, not least of which was Mike Ratcliffe of Warwickfame, pouring down-downs of tequila shooters. The food was unexpectedly good (goats’ cheese starter, truffle stuffed chicken and then chocolate mousse) but when I was told the chef was Margot Janse’s husband, I was not surprised as Margot has something of a reputation in the kitchens of the Quartier Français in Franschhoek.
All this matrimony brought on talk of divorce with the rumour circulating that Schalk Burger was seeking support for a divorce of Wellington from the Paarl wine appellation. As a prelude to declaring Voor Groenberg, Blouvlei,Wellington and the Bovlei Valley as separate wards, presumably.
Lots of changes underway in the Bovlei. London-based financial whizz Dave Kerrison has bought Graham Knox’sjust under 100ha Siyabonga spread from the liquidator and the advertized 20 ha vines, turned out to be 16. Now back under its original name Klein Doolhof, it will be farmed as a unit along with dad Dennis’ Doolhof operation. At Doolhof senior, their new boutique hotel decorated by Dorothy, Dave’s mum (the Kerrisons love the letter “D” – even the farm manager of Doolhof is Daan) is finally complete although Dennis is moaning much better that he has to pay to stay-over when the drive back to his Waterfront berth becomes too demanding. Something Rachel’s American family didn’t have to do. Although as her dad is a Bill Clinton look-alike retired hedge fund manager fromIdaho, I’m sure accommodation at Doolhof would not have posed a pocket-book problem.
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