Spitting at Spit or Swallow
While recovering from some wine time at the newly revamped Stellenbosch Wine Festival, I slapped open my laptop to find an email written by a certain “Johan Coetzee” (johancoetzee111@gmail.com) to the CEO of Stellenbosch Wine Routes:
I am concerned to find that, Annareth Bolton CEO of Stellenbosch Wine Routes, is a reputable affiliate with a site that hosts a forum where Stellenbosch Wine Route members are improperly criticized for bad service, experiences, including slants on the greater Stellenbosch tourism industry. Your affiliation causes the visiting public to assume your feelings are similar to those shared by the so-called “Wine Flies” on the site www.spitorswallow.co.za.
…
Mr Coetzee also post something similar on gumtree. I need to point out that the only affiliation Spit or Swallow had with Stellenbosch Wine Festival was a link Annareth added on their website http://wineroute.co.za/welcome.aspx, which was subsequently removed.
We also need to clarify, Mr Coetzee, that most of the reviews on http://spitorswallow.co.za are actually positive and complimentary towards the wineries. Just because your farms got “criticized for bad service, experiences, including slants” do not assume its the same for the whole of the Stellenbosch area. Maybe if you pull your head out your ass and focusing on treating the South Africa public with a bit more respect, they will stop slinging shit at you.
The rest of the email criticized the new format of the festival and at the end he criticized how bad the pervious format was. Sometimes it’s just astonishing how disconnected people can be from reality.
Anyhow, if you were at the festival, feel free to tell us how it was for you. Read our experience here: 2010 Stellenbosch Wine Festival – The best to date
I can’t believe you get people like this with the scope and foresight of a mole. I had a fantastic time at the fest and will definitely use spitorswallow (as always) to document my wine@ventures!!
Omg, who posts complaints like that on gumtree of all places? I agree, he should pull his head of his ass.
After reading the comments of this oracle of wisdom on Gumtree(?) it reminds me of my involvement with with routes a while ago, and the frustrations that are common. Wineries seem to have this strange expectation that because they are involved in regional promotion they are suddenly going to see great personal benefit for the estate or farm. The punters are in the area, but if you are quiet it is because your little gem is not as polished as your neighbours. Successful cellar doors actively work to improve their own reputations, as at the end of the day they are also competiting within the region. Go to Wacky Wine, the most successful regional wine event in SA, and you will find that some spots are quiet. Why, because something is not right there. People vote with their feet. Sort your own sh*t out and then the boost from your regional body will be an added benefit.
So “Johan Coetzee” removed the article from Gumtree. I wonder why? Is he having second thoughts? Maybe he also had a blast at this years Stellenbosch Wine Festival.
Well done to Annareth, seems like she is doing her job after all! We had a great time!
hahahaha
what a douche!