On Saturday, 12 May, several inspiring mommy bloggers got together at the Groot Constantia Wine Estate for an afternoon of indulging in wine & chocolate pairing and networking.
I was eager to attend and the sneak peeks of the goodie bag spoils had me wishing away the time until the event.
Some of my favourite brands had signed up as sponsors and I was looking forward to representing their brands and introducing their products to my readers.
On the list were yogi blocks, kids Book club, Wriggle and Rhyme, Bellaroze , Lilly Loompa, Daily Dish, Uzuria, Botane skin, Findings, Bennets, Heart tree, Moo goo, Pure Beginnings, Jungle beat, Cape Wheel, La boutique eyewear, Spurt, Snugster, Kirstens kick add ice cream, rose and oak, Declan & Leah, cherry blossom beauty, Love from, The cheese club, Babes and Kids, Palmers, Toby Towers, cherish beauty, The kids gym and playdate super park.
Saturday came and I quickly grabbed an outfit and put some make up on. As a stay at home mom I don’t get dressed up unless I’m seeing a client or going out, so it was nice to choose something other than my yoga pants to wear.
We climbed into the car and headed towards the breath taking estate. Papa was going to watch Kiki and Bear while I mingled with my fellow bloggers.
The Estate is huge and it took me a while before I found the cellar where we were meant to be. Thankfully I bumped into Kristen from the bird and the beard so wasn’t lost on my own.
Upon entering and being greeted by the organisers and hosts:- Hayley from www.Hayleysjoy.co.za, Cisca from www.itsamomslife.co.za, Tracy from www.Liamandcoletheblog.co.za and Nicole from www.linktr.ee/Heartsandhiccups we received our suprise goody bags.
Each of us took a seat.
In front of us was a treat display of samples from kids book club, Toby Tower, the cheese club and daily dish. All of my favourite brands .
A beautifully presented inventory of sponsors was laid before us, so it was easy to keep track of the brands who so generously spoilt us.
I think the adventure vouchers have to be my favourite spoil from the day as they represent moments to make memories.
We were spoilt with 2 tickets to go back and explore the visitors route at Groot Constantia, 2 tickets to ride the cape wheel ( which has been on my to do list), a full day entry to the playdate super park, a play and training session at the kids gym and a taste of Kristens kick add ice cream.
The food spoils were just as amazing as we each received a complimentary meal box from Daily dish and a cheese box from The cheese club … these both went down well with our bottle of wine from Groot Constantia.
The spoils for our kids ( who are the reason we blog) were very generous. The kids book club spoilt us with a new book, activity pack and book bag that turns into a mask. Toby towers sent us home with one of their fun sand and glitter packs, Happy socks gave us each a bright pair of socks for the kiddies and spurt supplied us with a new swimming cap.
We were gifted vouchers and samples to keep us youthful and shopping up a storm for weeks to come.
The elegant cellar was a stunning choice of venue and our wine and chocolate pairing glasses were set out with each chocolate labeled to match the wine.
I was dying to tuck into the chocolates.
After a brief welcome , the Estates wine expert ( I’m sure he has a proper job description) introduced our wines, their history , flavour and alcohol content and described the chocolate to pair it with.
I’m not certain how many of us heard him as we were giggling and discussing the products and brands.
But , The Groot Constantia wine estate is one of the oldest wind producing farms in South Africa.
The Pinotage still remains my favourite wine although I quite likes most of the 6 wines we tasted. It was interesting to note that Groot Constantia wine estate was awarded Top South African wine producer in 2016 by the South African Wine index.
Next our hosts and speakers introduced the amazing brands , their spoils to us and a little more information on many of them.
I enjoyed this as often times you see a product and over look it before you hear it’s story.
I was totally inspired by the Lily Loompa story. Not only because the priduct grew out of necessity to create an income but also because through its production it has given birth to an entrepreneur of a fantastic brand.
The products are recycled and then upcycled to make functional gifts. We were each gifted a toonacan. These are small tuna cans with decorative wooden lids.
Then we each chose a lucky number and we each won a mystery gift . It was Cisca’s Oprah moment and we each got quite excited, not just for our own prizes but to see what each other received.
I was over the moon when I won a Declan and Leah gift voucher for R500 …. now to choose what to buy bear.
Declan and Leah are one of the brands on my wish list , I want everything on their website. 🙈
After our fantastic spoils it was time for a little bubbly. What’s a celebration with out bubbly?
Although my Dr has said no alcohol whilst I’m on meds, I must admit bubbly is my weakness and I indulged in a few sips.
We then stepped outside to enjoy the yummolicious platters and cupcakes from Fortune cookie, who I must say not only present their platters well but serve fresh , delicious snacks that leave your taste buds wanting more.
It was great to bump into bloggers I know like Angela from our sunshine journey and to meet many others whom I knew by blog and now had the chance to put a face to the name.
Before long it was time to go and I headed inside to grab my goodie bag, lucky gift, complimentary meal box from Daily dish and wine from Groot Contantia estate.
It was such a wonderful afternoon and I can’t wait for the next one.
Thank you to the organisers and the sponsors for their generosity.
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