March 1st is officially the first day of autumn here in South Africa – but it’s somewhat difficult to imagine that when the temperature forecast for the next four days here in Cape Town is 33C, 33C, 29C and 28C respectively!

Autumn in Cape Town is a really special time of year – the crowds have all gone away, the weather is benign, the wind drops – and Beaumont House and Villa have some great “stay for 7 pay for 5” deals – see our specials on www.beaumonthouse.co.za

Autumn here also signals the fact that most of the wine harvest is complete, with only the odd block of late ripening cabernet sauvignon and pinotage yet to be picked. The size of the harvest is reduced from the previous year due mainly to some very high winds early in the season which literally blew away the new fruit, but apparently quality looks good. Did you see recently that South African wines (as measured by volume) imported into the UK have overtaken France, although there is some way to go at the premium end I suspect?

I wasn’t going to mention the World Cup, mainly because you are either just not interested or it’s been overly exposed. Anyway, I just wanted to say that it is now less than 100 days until the kick off – and Cape Town is ready!!

So if you aren’t coming for the soccer, we really do look forward to welcoming you back sometime soon!

Concierge’s restaurant pick

Previously only fine dining establishments have been featured – so here is a restaurant which brings a new menu every day and has an excellent wine list with a good cross section of wines by the glass. Caveau @ the Mill is just the sort of place for really tasty food in an informal setting, five minutes from Beaumont House and three from Beaumont Villa