Wine cocktails are not as well-known as the classic spirit-based cocktails and you normally see much more spirit cocktails on the menus. 

But, the glass is half-full as many undiscovered wine cocktails await to be created, explored and named. This is so cool, you can make your own cocktail and name it. 

My wine cocktail invention for the week is the Versus Red Devil. 

It is so easy to make, very delicious and ideal for the summer. 

Ingredients 

• ½ lemon
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 125ml Versus Red
• Lime garnish

Preparation 

1. Muddle lime and sugar until all lemon juice is extracted.
2. Add wine. Pour with ice into a shaker and shake vigorously.
3. Pour into a glass and garnish with a lime spiral.

Travel writer Chuck Thompson buried unconventional travel tips in his memoir Smile When You’re Lying. According to the Rogue Traveller you will make your trip more enjoyable if you follow these tips.
Being an unconventional wine brand, the folks at Versus wines agree with most of these  travel tips.

Chuck Thompson’s unconventional travel tips:

Steal An Extra Inch Of Legroom

All that junk airlines cram into seatback pockets? Throw it out. You don’t need magazines and promotional garbage. Chuck everything—except the barf bag—into the overhead bin and enjoy a free extra inch of legroom.

Eat A Meal Before You Board

It’s not like they’ll serve you free food onboard, so swing by a restaurant on your way to the airport and fill up. Or at least grab some fruit before you board.

Resurrect Dead Batteries

Rub dead batteries briskly against your pant leg for a minute. The static generates a recharge that should last for an hour. May not work with iPods.

Don’t Be A Jackass

Look, they don’t know that you lied about the wedding and the deep-vein thrombosis, but they will notice if you’re That Guy, and employees will make it their mission to pay you back in full. Smile, say “thank you,” and have a pleasant attitude.

Bribe

Oh, this box of chocolates you got as a gift that you happen to be allergic to? Would you like them, Ms. Gate Agent who can get you out of the middle seat?

Apparently this form of bribery works if you’re smooth enough.

And gate agents do have extra seats, if you’re nice. On Boeing 767s, seats 17A B H and J are comfy coach spots reserved for the crew on international flights. On domestic flights, they stay open until right before boarding, along with business class and first class seats, and are given to traveling employees and gate agent favorites.

Tip Early

R50 on the first night of your stay goes a long way to saying you might give more later if they don’t spit on your toothbrush.

Pay Up

You’re on vacation, pay up. Don’t travel to the Caribbean and settle for anything less than an ocean view. Pay for the room, pay for the food, pay for the experience.

Ignore Jet Lag

It’s all in your head, whiner. Force yourself to adapt to the local time and walk off the sleepiness.

Read more on consumerist.com

Here are some pictures that were taken in the Versus tent at Splashy Fen 2010.

For more Jack Parow – Splashy Fen photos visit: Versus -Flickr

Jack Parow will be the special guest in the Versus hospitality tent at Splashy Fen this year. Meet and have your photograph taken with the rap star on Friday 2 April from 13:00 – 15:00.

His first big hit was the rap song “Cooler as Ekke” which is a phenomenal success.

The proverbial new kid on the block, or rather the new kid in the caravan park, rapper Jack Parow answered a few questions about his name and claim to fame.

If you weren’t a rapper what would you be?

A bodybuilder with the self-tan… And I would just be flexing.

How did the name Jack Parow originate?

We were really drunk and were watching Pirates of the Caribbean and I said: “Jack Sparrow the pirate of the Caribbean I’m Jack Parow, pirate of the caravan park.” It just stuck.

If you could be any animal what would you be?

I like watching the National Geographic channel and there were these rats; the biggest rodents like ever. They’re cool; I would like to be them.

What does Jack Parow like doing in his spare time?

Drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes and playing games.

Meet the legend in the Versus Tent:

Jack Parow will be the special guest in the Versus hospitality tent at Splashy Fen this year. Meet and have your photograph taken with the rap star on Friday 2 April from 13:00 – 15:00.

For more info on the Splashy programme visit: splashyfen.co.za

A stable of young-gun comedians are gearing up for Splashy Fen.

Booked to do a daily comedy hour at the festival, several of Durban’s top (and rated among SA’s best) comedians will be performing in the Versus tent from Thursday through to Sunday. That’s right, Versus returns to Splashy Fen this year, proving that this unconventional wine brand is the life-blood of the party.

Comedians lined up for the daily comedy hour include Glen Bo, Simmi Areff, Robby Collins, Jem Atkins, Gareth Woods, Little Paul and Neil Green, among others.

Glen Bo has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and was a regular on the UK comedy scene before returning home where he tours and performs in theatres, clubs, dingy smoky pubs and at big comedy festivals. He’s an award-winning globe-trotter, leading the comedians into battle. He was born in Mooinooi. It means pretty girl. It’s a real place.

Simmi Areff (from the ECR breakfast team) is a young effervescent Muslim comedian who has opened for John Vlismas. Known for his parody songs, Simmi is young, single and carries a pipe wherever he goes. This is why he is single.

Robby Collins was voted KZN’s ‘Best Newcomer’ of 2008 and is a regular at DSOC, Punchlines! and 99% Zulu shows. He is from Sydenham/Overport and wears his granddad’s hat. He is currently billed to open for Trevor Noah in Joburg.

Gareth Woods hails from the ‘bustling metropolis’ of Klerksdorp. He’s a graduated scientist and trainer lawyer and, within his first year of stand-up, won the 5FM Fresh Drive Comedy Competition and opened for Trevor Noah.

Little Paul has been part of the Durban underground comedy resurgence since it started in 2007. His humour has been described as dry, and is based mostly around personal, cultural and political observations.

Jem Atkins is KZN’s ‘Best Newcomer’ of 2009 and also made it to the third round of SA’s Got Talent on SABC in the same year.

Neil Green is a regular on the ‘Bruin Ou’s’ comedy shows and performs on the DSOC scene.

Dusty Rich is a skilled tattooist and resident of Toti. He brings a degree of grit and self-deprecation, which is steeped in honesty and hilarity. He recently toured to Cape Town, playing the club scene.

To view the complete comedy programme at the Versus tent visit: www.splashyfen.co.za

One of South Africa’s most successful bands will be performing at this year’s   Splashy Fen Festival .

Prime Circle has been together for more than eight years and their albums like “Live this Live”  and “Hello Crazy World” made them the biggest selling South African rock act for three years in a row (2003-2005)

They will be performing on Saturday 3 April at Splashy Fen’s Grant Erskine Marquee. Other bands on the programme include Newtown, Horse the band, Fokofpolisiekar, Jack Parow  Dimeshift and much more.

Be sure not to miss this festival on a farm near Underberg in KZN. Join us for South Africa’s Ultimate Outdoor experience.

Unconventional wine brand, Versus, will have a hospitality tent at the festival and there will be various comedy and music acts in the tent, so don’t miss out. You will also have the opportunity to meet Afrikaans rapper Jack Parow in the Versus tent at Splashy. For more details, visit www.splashyfen.co.za

Splashy Fen celebrates its 21st festival this Easter (1-5 April) and with the coming of age, comes greater awareness and responsibility.

With this in mind, the organisers of South Africa’s longest-running annual music festival have joined forces with The Green Depot and the Corner Café in Glenwood to create an eco village that will give festival-goers an opportunity to see green initiatives in action and encourage a more sustainable lifestyle.

Powered solely by wind, water and solar energy, the village will offer zero-waste, eco-friendly camping, product displays, an environmental film festival, as well as the cool cuisine and fabulous coffee of the Corner Café eco-restaurant.

All food prepared by the Corner Café will be purchased from farmers in the community and eaten using 100% biodegradable utensils.  Organic waste will be fed into a giant worm farm, while other recyclable matter will be disposed of by YES (Your Environment Spotless), a waste collection and recycling company that aims to create a culture of environmentally responsible South Africans.

Versus Wines, which will have a hospitality tent at Splashy, also show their commitment to eco-friendly initiatives by using the wine pouch. This pouch is the environmentally friendly solution to wine packaging, creating 80% less environmental impact from cradle to grave than the equivalent volume in glass bottles, 90% less waste and takes up less space in a landfill than two glass bottles

For more info visit splashyfen.co.za

The supporter was caught on film cleaning his pearly whites during the game Premiership and the clip was promptly posted on YouTube.

Within hours more than 100000 people had viewed the bizarre entry, which was posted by several different users.

This is dental hygiene to the extreme

Source: telegraph.co.uk

A must for acoustic music lovers, the annual White Mountain Folk Festival is held near Giant’s Castle in the beautiful Central Drakensberg region of KwaZulu-Natal – only 34km from Estcourt on tarred roads, 200km from Durban and roughly 430km from Johannesburg.

Coinciding with Heritage Day and the start of the school holidays, the festival offers acoustic performances by well-known and up-and-coming South African artists, a choice of camping, caravanning and chalet accommodation, plus outdoor activities for the whole family.

Attractions include hiking, boating and bass fishing, arts and crafts, a beer market, assorted food stalls and fun kids’ entertainment. For the more adventurous, there’s abseiling down a 45m cliff face or a fuffi slide across a nearby 100m-wide gorge, with helicopter flips also available if the weather permits. Alternatively you can simply relax outdoors and soak up the peaceful beauty of one of the most idyllic spots in the Berg.

Versus fun-loving wines will be promoted at this exciting festival. Be sure to visit the Versus hospitality tent to enjoy a glass of wine while listening to the impressive line-up of artists.

For more info visit whitemountain.co.za

To view more photos visit: Versus – Flickr

Here are some pictures that were taken in the Versus tent at Splashy Fen 2009.

For more Vernon Koekemoer – Splashy Fen photos visit: Versus – Flickr

The 20^th addition was no exception and I quote Yusuf Laher who wrote:” Splashy Fen 20, just like the nineteen before it, was always going to be the weekend the earth stood still (and stupid)”

Here are some pictures of this awesome festival:

To view more visit: channel24.co.za

All roads lead to the southern Berg this Easter for the annual Splashy Fen Music Festival, which is geared up to celebrate its 20th ‘Big Splash’ with a fantastic four-day programme of more than 90 live acts on two stages. 

Supported by East Coast Radio and Tourism KwaZulu-Natal, the festival is held near Underberg and runs from Thursday, April 9 to Monday, April 13.

Acts to look out for include Goldfish, Watershed, Syd Kitchen, Dan Patlansky, Squeal, Sugardrive, Hot Water, City Bowl Mizers, Stealing Love Jones, Tony Cox, Nibs van der Spuy, Chris Chameleon, Madala Kunene, The Rudimentals, Shawn Phillips, The Simon van Gend Band, Cofield Mundi, The Arrows, Avatar with Steve and Tara Fataar, Napalma, Guy Buttery and Sheep Down.

But music isn’t the only reason to get to Splashy!  Other draw cards include a host of fun outdoor activities for the whole family – from swimming, tubing and fishing in the river or dams to hiking, paintball, horse trails, nature walks and visits to nearby tourist attractions, as well as a full children’s entertainment programme and crèche run by Ocean View Montessori School.  A new annual tube race will also be introduced this year, and people are encouraged to bring along tubes and other inflatables.  Prizes will go to the winner and the most imaginative entrant.

For more info visit : Splasy Fen

From its early beginnings back in 1990, Splashy Fen has evolved into one of South Africa’s premier music festivals which nowadays sees thousands of people making the annual pilgrimage to Underberg in KwaZulu-Natal for what is regarded by many as the ‘ultimate outdoor experience’.

Over the years, this much-loved festival has built a strong reputation as being a financially viable, responsible and well-organised event that continues to reinvent itself so as to stay relevant. Although continuously adapting to changing trends, Splashy Fen has nevertheless managed to retain its unique character and appeal; that special ‘something’ – the people, the vibe, the sense of family – which has allowed it to endure for nearly two decades to become the longest-running music festival in the country

The 20th Splashy Fen Music Festival from 9-13 April 2009.

Versus  is one of the sponsors at Splashy Fen and will have a hospitality tent near the secondary stage.

 For more info visit: Splashy Fen

Join the 2009 Splashy Fen Facebook Group:  Splashy Fen Facebook Group