Tantalize Your Tastebuds at Gauteng’s Oyster, Wine & Food Festival
Oysters have long been considered an exotic and luxury food, with some claiming that they have powerful aphrodisiac properties, although this has not been proven. What has been scientifically established is that oysters are one of nature’s most nutritionally well balanced foods and highly beneficial for heart health when included in a low-cholesterol diet. Oysters tend to be an acquired taste, and those who have eaten them either disliked the experience, or loved it and keep coming back for more. It is this latter group that you will find at the many oyster festivals held around the world, where oyster aficionados gather to enjoy each other’s company and feast on these little shell-encased sea creatures.
The Oyster, Wine & Food Festival to be held at Brightwater Commons in Randburg on 23 and 24 May 2009 offers the opportunity for seasoned oyster lovers to indulge in this luxurious seafood and invites the uninitiated to tantalize their taste-buds with something new. In addition to loads of succulent oysters, served in a variety of ways, there will be a wide assortment of delicious foods, such as olives in various forms, cheeses by the dozens, confectionery, hand-made nougat and other gourmet treats to sample and to buy.
South Africa is world-renowned for its superb wines and old favorites, as well as new-comers to the wine industry, will be showcasing their best vintages. Visitors to the Oyster, Wine & Food Festival will have the opportunity to chat to representatives from the various wine estates and gain some insight into what it takes to get to the end product that millions of people around the world enjoy. On Saturday at 3:30 pm the annual wine auction will take place on the commons of the Brightwater Commons complex. Not only will buyers at the auction end up with some of the very best wines on the South African market, they will also be contributing to a good cause, as the funds raised at the auction will go to the Refilwe Community Center which serves disadvantaged individuals will child care and medical support, as well as life skills training.
Entertainment at the 2009 Oyster, Wine & Food Festival will include performances by Classic Jazz Masters and Bianca le Grange. During the 2008 Oyster, Wine & Food Festival a total of 14,300 oysters were eaten and the response from visitors was excellent. The 2008 event proved to be a resounding success and organizers are confident that the 2009 Oyster, Wine & Food Festival will be even better – don’t miss it!
