I am not a wine fundi by any means, I know what I like and I love to drink it, I am a self professed wine LOVER! Having said that, there is only one place I go to satisfy my wine needs and that’s ‘La Cave Liquors‘ in the La Lucia Mall.
I have yet to meet a liquor store owner or owners – as is in this case, who have as much wine knowledge and wine passion (genuinely after my own heart) as the brother duo, Lance & Miles, owners of La Cave Liquors do. Winners of the ‘Retailers of the Year Award 2009’, you only have to walk into their store to know why they received this award, greeted by their personable demeanors and friendly, helpful attitudes the duo are always at the ready assist you in finding what you’re looking for. Their store has a wine and malt selection which can only be described as vastly impressive with an easy to navigate store layout, making the re-stocking of your liquor cabinet a pleasure and if they don’t have what you’re looking for, and it’s something you really enjoy, they’ll happily go the extra mile to try and stock it on their shelves for you! My best kept secret and now yours is, when I’ve been invited to a dinner party and I know they buy their wines from Lance and Mile’s store, I don’t mess around trying to figure out what they like, I go directly to Lance and Miles and ask them what my party hosts current favourite wine/s are, that way I’m guaranteed to turn up with a winner, which never fails to impress your hosts – Now you know why they’re my wine guys!
It actually gets a little better, no a lot better! Clearly passionate about wine themselves, Lance and Miles have developed personal relationships with a lot of the local wine makers and farm owners in the Cape region and at least once a month we are spoilt with a wine tasting, usually presented at their shop or a coffee shop a little further down from their store when they’re expecting a bigger crowd – which is more often than not lately. These evenings (in my opinion) are best enjoyed with a nice group of friends and are always entertaining and interesting as you learn a little more about the fabulous wines which are home grown in beautiful South Africa. I know when most people visualise a wine tasting they envisage men in suits and ladies in cocktail dresses, swirling glasses of wine while comparing the notes, tannins and accents in the wine, trust me, it’s nothing like that. What makes these events so enjoyable is that they are casual and relaxed and shared with wine lovers alike! I find these evenings a great reason to leave the kids at home with the nanny or sitter and get out with good friends, drink and order some fantastic local wines and follow it up with a decadent dinner out somewhere – my tip though, is make sure you pre-book your dinner to avoid disappointment, as most restaurants close their kitchens during the week at 9pm.
So the moral of the blog is, if you enjoy good wine don’t mess around, stop in at La Cave Liquors in the La Lucia Mall and see Lance and Miles and while you’re there don’t forget to sign up for the wine tastings so you too can enjoy a fun evening out with your spouse/partner and/or friends.
See, I knew you would love my wine guys!
Durban Dining 