What is better than a warm autumn or winter day on the North Coast of Kwa-Zulu Natal?
Escape the winter weather to enjoy a crisp, chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc with a sea view. Then, settle in on the sunny balcony to enjoy the lunch menu on the terrace. The breeze is fresh, ideal for enjoying a glass of white wine. The menu offers a variety of dishes to pair with Sauvignon Blanc.
After a round of golf in the morning, the North Star Micro Hotel terrace and Belvedere bar offers a relaxing lunch break.
Golfing in Durban
Where to play Golf in Durban?
Durban Golf Courses
The coastline city of Durban offers exceptional golf courses to book. Durban golf courses are top quality. In addition, the warm weather city offers consistent warmer weather, allowing you to experience golf all year round.
Playing Golf in Durban provides a mix of parkland and links-style courses. The golf courses lie between the foothills west of the city centre and on the north coastline. Peter Matkovich, a well-known South African golf course designer, designed many golf courses on the north coast. The golf courses blend in with the lush plants and landscape.
The new airport on the north end of the city close to Umhlanga Rocks is world-class, and new resorts have popped up. Durban is an attractive place to visit for a golf vacation or weekend away.
Durban golf courses design blend into the environment. The area is both wild and manicured. There is a lot of wildlife in the northeast of the city, with lush surroundings and vast stretches of inhabited land perfect for golf.
In Durban and the North Coast, almost any day is good golfing weather. Wintertime is suitable for a round of golf on the North Coast with mild temperatures.
The must-play courses include Zimbali Country Club that is part of the luxurious Fairmont Resort on the north coast. In addition, Cotswold Downs provides the best parkland experience of all the golf courses in Durban. The weekends on the Durban golf courses are busy, but weekdays are perfect for booking a golf round.
Durban is a golf experience worth exploring, with spectacular courses to play.
Book at the spectacular golf courses in Durban like Cotswolds Downs Golf Estate, Beachwood Country Club, Umhlali Country Club, Prince’s Grant Golf Club and Gowrie Farm Golf club.
North Star Micro Hotel Golf Package R21 320
Weekend Package
The package is perfect for the golf lover. Weekend getaway with everything you love included.
Book the Golf lover package and enjoy:
– 4 x Night stay in one of the luxurious Twin rooms with breakfast
– 4 x Ball golf, with a golf cart, included at Durban Country Club
*Room to be shared by two people
to book, please email info@northstar-hotel.com
North Star Micro Hotel Star Wine chat
This week we will talk about Sauvignon Blanc.
Are you looking for a dry, crisp glass of wine? Then, Sauvignon Blanc is the wine for you this winter at the North Star Micro Hotel.
Sauvignon Blanc is a dry, white wine originating in France but now produced throughout the world. Styles range from elegant citrus and grassy from cooler climates to ripe and tropical when made in warmer temperatures. Wine experts recommend pairing the wine with fish and creamy cheeses like goats cheese.
Sauvignon Blanc offers ripe passionfruit, grapefruit and mineral aromas. In addition, Sauvignon Blanc tastes refreshing with apple and tropical fruit flavours and a touch of floral elegance.
Other qualities are fragrant citrus aromas with floral notes of tangy orange, lemon and apple flavours.
About Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc grapes are pale green, which leads to light-coloured wines. This grape ripens early and thrives in climates with consistent sunshine and moderate heat. On the vine, it yields tight bunches of small berries. The grapes prefer cool temperatures that protect them from over-ripening to keep the acidity balanced.
Sauvignon Blanc is mineral, crisp, lean and zesty. New World Sauvignon Blanc, like South African wine, consist of tropical fruit and freshly cut grass notes. Most Sauvignon Blanc is aged in stainless steel or neutral barrels to highlight the fresh, fruity profile of the variety. However, oaked versions add layers of toast and spice to the taste.
Global Production Sauvignon Blanc production
Many of the cool-climate European countries focus on the fresh, zesty profile of the grape.
The New wine World offers many Sauvignon Blancs from Australia, South Africa and Chile. In Australia, the grape is commonly blended with Semillon to blend a balanced, refreshing white wine. Chile’s Sauvignon Blancs are crisp and often well-priced. South Africa offers a range of accessible unoaked fresh Sauvignon blanc to bolder oaked versions. Aged Sauvignon blanc delivers subtle nutty-creamy textures from oak-ageing.
Qualities and of Sauvignon Blanc wine
Sauvignon Blanc History
The name Sauvignon is from the French word Sauvage meaning “wild.” It originated in the Loire Valley of France and is a parent grape of Cabernet Sauvignon. Sauvignon Blanc is at least 500 years old.
Stylistic Differences of Sauvignon Blanc
There are two types of Sauvignon Blanc wines:
Stainless Steel Sauvignon Blanc
The popular style is unoaked Sauvignon Blanc. Unoaked Sauvignon Blancs are fermented in stainless steel or concrete vats and are known for their high acidity with aromas of lime, grapefruit and gooseberry.
Barrel Fermented Sauvignon Blanc
The other style of Sauvignon Blanc is barrel fermented and aged. Aged Sauvignon Blanc has a creamier texture. Sometimes winemakers age the wine in oak, which develops additional flavours of lemon curd, creme brulee, and butter. Barrel-aged Sauvignon Blanc is rare but worth tasting if you love Sauvignon Blanc wines.
Sauvignon Blanc Regional Differences
The production methods affect the core style of Sauvignon Blanc wine, while the effect of regional growing conditions also affects the flavours.
France
France is the largest producer of Sauvignon Blanc, and it grows mainly in the Loire Valley.
Loire
- Primary flavours are lime, green grass, chalky minerals and honeydew melon with sharp acidity and a light body.
- High-end wines from this area offer more decadent fruit flavours of peach, fennel, lemongrass, and ruby red grapefruit with good acidity, slightly higher alcohol levels, and light-medium bodied.
South Africa
Even though South Africa has a dry, warm climate, the country produces a sizable amount of high-quality Sauvignon Blanc. Most of the value wines are unoaked. However, several smaller, more distinct areas within the Western Cape region, including Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Elgin, produce barrel-fermented and aged Sauvignon Blancs with bolder flavours.
- Primary flavours of green herbs, guava, and green pepper with light-medium body and acidity.
- High-end wines offer tastes of Jasmine flowers, honeysuckle, lemon and nut oils.
Sauvignon Blanc Taste Challenge
One of the best ways to sharpen your understanding of wines is to compare wines from different regions. Pick two to three wines from the different areas and taste alongside each other. For example, choose a Sauvignon blanc from Stellenbosh, Elgin and the West Coast.
When you taste three wines from different areas, you will taste subtle differences in each region’s wine.
Best food pairings with sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon blanc is many people’s favourite wine and is easy to enjoy with many foods.
Sauvignon blanc food pairing guide
Minerally sauvignon blancs
Sauvignon Blanc pairs well with raw or lightly cooked tomatoes, goats’ cheeses, and salads with goats cheese with fresh herbs like dill. Japanese dishes such as sushi and sashimi, steamed and fried dim sum and smoked salmon, if the smoke is delicate, also pair well.
Citrussy sauvignon blancs
If you prefer a more citrussy style Sauvignon Blanc wine, good pairings are grilled fish and oily fish such as sardines, mackerel, and garlicky prawns. They also pair well with fried fish like whitebait, fish and chips, and grilled chicken or lamb.
In terms of ethnic cuisines, they work well with Greek and Mexican food and other fresh-tasting dishes with avocados, tomatoes, green onions, olives and cheeses like feta.
The more aromatic, grassy Sauvignon Blancs from Elgin pair well with seafood salads and salads with asparagus, green peppers and herbs.
Oaked Sauvignons and Sauvignon, Semillon blends
Oaked and aged Sauvignon blanc pair well with your favourite dishes like chicken, especially with a creamy sauce. Pasta dishes with buttery or creamy sauces pair perfect with aged Sauvignon blanc. You can also pair these wines with grilled or pan-fried salmon, scallops and lightly smoked trout.
If these pairings get your mouth watering for a wine pairing, try the Mexi-bowl with a glass of Sauvignon blanc at the Nort Star Micro Hotel.
The Annual Sardine Run in Durban
The Sardine Run is an annual ocean occurrence of large shoals of sardines into the waters of southern KwaZulu-Natal during the winter months.
The sardine run of Kwa-Zulu Natal occurs from May to July when billions of sardines spawn in the cold waters of the Agulhas Bank and move north along the warm east coast of South Africa. The sardines move closer to shore as they travel northwards along the coast. The sardine run creates a feeding frenzy all along the coast.
In Kwa-Zulu Natal, anglers use sardines as bait to catch a variety of gamefish.
Sharks also feed on the sardines. Dolphins are responsible for rounding up the sardines into bait balls. These bait balls can be ten to twenty metres in diameter and extend to a depth of 10 metres. The bait balls don’t last long. Once the dolphins round up the sardines, sharks and birds join the feeding frenzy. There are also whale species, like the humpback, southern right, and minke whales joining in to feed on the sardines.
Sardines are excellent bait for saltwater fishing. The high oil content and the pungent smell sardine releases in the water make it the perfect lure for hungry predatory fish.
Sardine Run Tourism in Kwa-Zulu Natal
The sardine run has a significant impact on the local economy. International and domestic divers join local tour operators on sardine run diving expeditions. The sardine run is essential to tourism and is one of the main attractions in KwaZulu-Natal during the winter months. You can book a dive charter or a boat-based predator viewing tour during the sardine run in Kwa-Zulu Natal.
Where are the sardines currently?
The first nets filled with Sardines were reported this morning in Port Edward. Stay tuned for the sardine migration update.
Winter specials at The North Star Micro Hotel
Long Stay Saving Winter Special
SAVE UP TO R7275.00
2 Nights
– 15% Discount
– One Winter Warmer Dinner p.p
3 Nights
– 20% Discount
– One Winter Warmer Dinner p.p
4 Nights
– 25% Discount
– One Winter Warmer Dinner p.p
One Welcome Drink p.p
5+ Nights
– 30% Discount
– One Winter Warmer Dinner p.p
– One Welcome Drink p.p
– One bottle Champagne.
Valid until 31 July 2021. Excluded from the other North Star Micro Hotel packages.
Fathersday Special 20 June
20 June 2021 Fathersday Special
A T-Bone special with a free beer for R200 per person
Cocktail Happy Hour
Friday & Saturday Cocktails Happy Hour Specials
Time 15:00 to 17:00
Order a Cosmopolitan, Pinna Colada and Long Island for only R45 per cocktail.
Contact The North Star Micro Hotel:
Visit the restaurant and Belvedere bar during these times:
Monday – Sunday
8:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Contact the North Star Micro Hotel today to book your stay.
t: 076 611 4592
Enquiries:
Room stay@northstar-hotel.com
Venue | info@northstar-hotel.com
26 Eastmoor Crescent, Umhlanga Rocks, Umhlanga, 4320
