Wine Tasting In South Africa During the World Cup

The World Cup is only a year away with the scheduled start date set in June 2009. The World Cup is similar to the Olympics in that it brings people together from all over the world for a rollicking good time. This World Cup is also a chance to experience the wines of South Africa.

Nobody is looking forward to the World Cup more than the wineries of South Africa. Wine has been produced for hundreds of years in South Africa, but it was a local business only during the years of Apartheid when international embargoes were in place. The embargoes ended with Apartheid, but South African wine has never really seemed to catch on. This is a mistake as there are many excellent vineyards in the country.

South African wine is unique because most of the grapes produced are based on cross-breading of various vines. This makes the varietal claims of the vineyards fairly humorous as it seems every grape is a mix of two or more competing vines. Regardless, the result is a bevy of unique wines that are often like nothing you’ve tasted before.

The best of the wines in South Africa are the Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinotage. Despite the names, each is the result of a cross-breading program. The Chenin Blanc can be hard to find because the name is not used in the country. Instead, ask for “Steen.” The Pinotage is uniquely South African and excellent. It is a cross breading of Pinot Noir and the Cinsault grape of France. All and all, these are wines you do not want to miss.

Should you go to South Africa just to taste the various wine offerings? Probably not. It is a long, expensive trip for most people of the world. Going for the World Cup, however, makes sense. When your team inevitably gets bounced out, you’ll have a side trip to take with the promise that you’ll experience a new vintage that will have you taking notes in your wine journal and pasting labels from bottles!
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World Cup 2010 – Who’s In, Who’s Out?

Well, England, Netherlands, Spain, Brazil, Paraguay, Ghana, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and Korea DPR have qualified, so has host South Africa, for the 2010 World Cup. That’s 11 teams with dreams to win the title so far... What about Argentina? Does it have a chance or will it miss the soccer fiesta for the first time in 40 years? Let’s take a look...
Argentina’s coach, former legend Diego Maradona, who gave the soccer shirt 10 an iconic status back in the day, prayed for divine intervention hoping that his team reaches the 2010 World Cup at South Africa. After a 3-1 defeat against rival Brazil, that too, on home ground, things don’t look too good for the Argentineans. It was their first defeat at home after being defeated 5-0 by Colombia 16 years back. But Maradona stood his ground, repeating, "The bearded one (God) saved me many times before - and I hope he will do so this time."

Having lost to Paraguay as well, Argentina now stand fifth in the continental group, a place below the final qualifying berth. Ready to take on Peru on home ground, plus a make or break match against Uruguay, Argentinean fans are keeping their fingers crossed, as is their coach. "We have to get it into our heads that these two games are crucial to our hopes and we can't keep giving things away such as we did against Brazil," said Maradona. Recently, while on a slimming course in Italy, fans surrounded him, complaining that a World Cup without Argentina just wouldn't be the same... He is said to have responded, "Don't worry, Argentina will be there." So, it’s a match against the Peruvians and another crucial game against arch rivals Uruguay that’ll decide Argentina’s fate. Both Argentina and Uruguay could be vying for fifth place in the South American qualifying group, making it a critical match.

Meanwhile, Brazilian coach Dunga has earmarked a 24 man team before the South American group’s final two games, hoping to give more players experience. Brazil will soon play Bolivia, followed by Venezuela. Dunga explained, "We have two games ahead and the first one is very wearing, but we'll try to do our best in Bolivia... Despite we have already qualified, we're Brazil and we have to win always. We try to keep the group and give chances to some new players."

Spain’s soccer uniform number 6, Xavi Hernandez, feels that England is a strong candidate that can come in the way of Spain's World Cup dreams. Backing England as one of his favorites to win the 2010 World Cup, the midfielder feels that, "England were the big absence from Euro 2008 and I expect they are itching to show they can win the World Cup. They will be among our biggest rivals along with Brazil, Italy and Germany. And we might see a surprise this time from an African country like Ivory Coast. They look very strong to me right now." Let’s see how the cookie crumbles... Only time will tell.
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World Cup Football Tour 2010

With the 2010 world cup approaching, the excitement is building and people are starting to plan how they will view this global spectacle.
There are various world cup holidays available on sale now, but those in the know will beg borrow or steal a place on the ultimate World Cup Holiday the Xtreme Gap 2010 world cup football tour. This exclusive one off tour has limited places available and when tickets go on sale they are expected to sell out fast.
This customised tour in a specially equipped overland truck is a fully inclusive overland tour taking in the best of South Africa and tracking the big games around the country during the month of the world cup. Johannesburg for the opening ceremony, Semi Finals in Cape town and the 2010 world cup final. Share the experience of being at the first ever African world cup as the partying reaches fever pitch in 8 different host cities. Check out the animals on Safari in 3 fantastic nation parks, and dare to try some extreme sports on route (like the worlds highest bungee jump off bloukrans bridge, or surfing with legends in Jeffries bay.
The tour taking in Cape town during the semi finals, will see the beautiful city come alive with an incredible atmosphere, Vuvuzelas trumpeting all around table mountain.
Although flights are not included, all transport, accommodation and game park activities are, making this an incredibly good value to experience the world cup in its entirety.
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Flights to Cape Town - Affordable Prices for FIFA World Cup 2010

Soccer world cup 2010 has been scheduled to be held in South Africa. Cape Town has gain popularity in terms of tourism due to its sporting and cultural events. One of such grand sports event FIFA world cup 2010 will be held in Cape Town. This grand event will be held between 11th June 2010 and 11th July 2010. Cape Town is one of the hosting cities in South Africa.

An estimate of more than 75,000 visitors will be visiting Cape Town from UK. Matches in Cape Town will be held in Greenpoint Stadium. This stadium has the capacity of more than 70,000 spectators. People of Cape Town have done lots of preparations for both the players and visitors for the FIFA world cup. Cape Town is a diverse city and is regarded as the melting point for various different cultures in South Africa.

We offer a wide range of cheap airfares and cheap flights for your travel to Cape Town. With us you can book cheap flights to Cape Town with various airlines. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, South African Airways, Emirates, Qatar, etc are our partner airlines with which you can book your flights to Cape Town online at cheap prices. Airfares are not only cheap for economic class but also very cheap for business and premium class.

British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and South African Airways are the direct flights to Cape Town. All flights to Cape Town depart from London Heathrow Airport and will arrive at Cape Town International Airport.

British Airways departs from London, Heathrow at 19:20pm and arrives at Cape Town Airport at 08:50am.
South African Airways and Virgin Atlantic leaves from London, Heathrow at 20:15pm and reach Cape Town at 10:25am

Qatar leaves from London, Heathrow at 20:30pm and reaches Doha at 06:10 am and then from Doha it departs at 06:45am and reaches Cape Town at 17:40pm (next day arrival).

Emirates leave from London, Heathrow at 20:00pm and reaches Dubai at 06:45am and then from Dubai it departs at 08:35am and reaches Cape Town at 16:15pm (next day arrival).

With us you will also get a wide range of cheap packages also, if you choose packages your problem of getting a cheap accommodation will be solved. There are various other things that we offer for your convenience.
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FIFA World Cup 2010- Johannesburg some cheap flights to Johannesburg

Planning to watch FIFA World Cup 2010, you have chosen the best option to have a break from your hectic schedules. It will be full of excitement and lots of fun. FIFA world cup is going to be held in South Africa. It will be the 19th world cup scheduled to be held in the largest cities like Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Bloemfontein, Kimberley, Orkney, Polokwane, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria (two venues), and Rustenburg of South Africa.

You can go there by getting a cheap flight deal to South Africa. You can explore its beautiful cities like Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, etc. You must visit Johannesburg. It is the provincial capital of Gauteng and the wealthiest province in South Africa.

Johannesburg is served by OR Tambo International Airport for both domestic and international flights. On visiting Johannesburg you will get the opportunity to explore Cape Town and Durban as these places are easily reachable from here.

FIFA world cup is scheduled to take place between 11 June and 11 July 2010. Some of the matches are also scheduled to be held in Johannesburg.

Book your cheap flights to Johannesburg to watch this world cup. Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg Planetarium and the Apartheid Museum are worth to visit.

You can get cheap flights to Johannesburg by asking quotations, off season bookings, advance booking, negotiation, bargaining and various other methods. You can enjoy the world cup and can visit the both on the same trip. It will cost you less and reduce a large amount of expenses on your travel.

It costs around 370-400 GBP for flights to Johannesburg from various locations around the world. Some of the flights offering services to Joburg are Etihad, Iberia, Emirates, Air France and KLM.
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World Cup 2010 match Schedule

Group Matches
Date Time Match Stadium
11.06.2010 16.00 A1 vs. A2 ›› Johannesburg - Soccer City
11.06.2010 20.30 A3 vs. A4 ›› Cape Town - Green Point
12.06.2010 13.30 B1 vs. B2 ›› Johannesburg - Ellis Park
12.06.2010 16.00 B3 vs. B4 ›› Port Elizabeth - Nelson Mandela Bay
12.06.2010 20.30 C1 vs. C2 ›› Rustenburg - Royal Bafokegen
13.06.2010 13.30 C3 vs. C4 ›› Polokwane - Peter Mokaba
13.06.2010 16.00 D1 vs. D2 ›› Durban - Moses Mabhida Stadium
13.06.2010 20.30 D3 vs. D4 ›› Tshwane/Pretoria - Loftus Versfeld
14.06.2010 13.30 E1 vs. E2 ›› Johannesburg - Soccer City
14.06.2010 16.00 E3 vs. E4 ›› Mangaung/Bloemfontein - Free State
14.06.2010 20.30 F1 vs. F2 ›› Cape Town - Green Point
15.06.2010 13.30 F3 vs. F4 ›› Rustenburg - Royal Bafokegen
15.06.2010 16.00 G3 vs. G4 ›› Port Elizabeth - Nelson Mandela Bay
15.06.2010 20.30 G1 vs. G2 ›› Johannesburg - Ellis Park
16.06.2010 13.30 H3 vs. H4 ›› Nelspruit - Mbombela
16.06.2010 16.00 H1 vs. H2 ›› Durban - Moses Mabhida Stadium
16.06.2010 20.30 A1 vs. A3 ›› Tshwane/Pretoria - Loftus Versfeld
17.06.2010 13.30 A4 vs. A2 ›› Polokwane - Peter Mokaba
17.06.2010 20.30 B2 vs. B4 ›› Mangaung/Bloemfontein - Free State
17.06.2010 20.30 B1 vs. B3 ›› Johannesburg - Soccer City
18.06.2010 13.30 D1 vs. D3 ›› Port Elizabeth - Nelson Mandela Bay
18.06.2010 16.00 C4 vs. C2 ›› Johannesburg - Ellis Park
18.06.2010 20.30 C1 vs. C3 ›› Cape Town - Green Point
19.06.2010 13.30 D4 vs. D2 ›› Rustenburg - Royal Bafokegen
19.06.2010 16.00 E1 vs. E3 ›› Durban - Moses Mabhida Stadium
19.06.2010 20.30 E4 vs. E2 ›› Tshwane/Pretoria - Loftus Versfeld
20.06.2010 13.30 F4 vs. F2 ›› Mangaung/Bloemfontein - Free State
20.06.2010 16.00 F1 vs. F3 ›› Nelspruit - Mbombela
20.06.2010 20.30 G1 vs. G3 ›› Johannesburg - Soccer City
21.06.2010 13.30 G4 vs. G2 ›› Durban - Moses Mabhida Stadium
21.06.2010 16.00 H4 vs. H2 ›› Port Elizabeth - Nelson Mandela Bay
21.06.2010 20.30 H1 vs. H3 ›› Johannesburg - Ellis Park
22.06.2010 16.00 A2 vs. A3 ›› Rustenburg - Royal Bafokegen
22.06.2010 16.00 A4 vs. A1 ›› Mangaung/Bloemfontein - Free State
22.06.2010 20.30 B2 vs. B3 ›› Durban - Moses Mabhida Stadium
22.06.2010 20.30 B4 vs. B1 ›› Polokwane - Peter Mokaba
23.06.2010 16.00 C2 vs. C3 ›› Tshwane/Pretoria - Loftus Versfeld
23.06.2010 16.00 C4 vs. C1 ›› Port Elizabeth - Nelson Mandela Bay
23.06.2010 20.30 D2 vs. D3 ›› Nelspruit - Mbombela
23.06.2010 20.30 D4 vs. D1 ›› Johannesburg - Soccer City
24.06.2010 16.00 F2 vs. F3 ›› Polokwane - Peter Mokaba
24.06.2010 16.00 F4 vs. F1 ›› Johannesburg - Ellis Park
24.06.2010 20.30 E2 vs. E3 ›› Rustenburg - Royal Bafokegen
24.06.2010 20.30 E4 vs. E1 ›› Cape Town - Green Point
25.06.2010 16.00 G2 vs. G3 ›› Nelspruit - Mbombela
25.06.2010 16.00 G4 vs. G1 ›› Durban - Moses Mabhida Stadium
25.06.2010 20.30 H2 vs. H3 ›› Mangaung/Bloemfontein - Free State
25.06.2010 20.30 H4 vs. H1 ›› Tshwane/Pretoria - Loftus Versfeld
Round of 16 Matches
Date Time Match Stadium
26.06.2010 16.00 1A vs. 2B ›› Port Elizabeth - Nelson Mandela Bay
26.06.2010 20.30 1C vs. 2D ›› Rustenburg - Royal Bafokegen
27.06.2010 16.00 1D vs. 2C ›› Mangaung/Bloemfontein - Free State
27.06.2010 20.30 1B vs. 2A ›› Johannesburg - Soccer City
28.06.2010 20.30 1G vs. 2H ›› Johannesburg - Ellis Park
28.06.2010 20.30 1E vs. 2F ›› Durban - Moses Mabhida Stadium
29.06.2010 16.00 1F vs. 2E ›› Tshwane/Pretoria - Loftus Versfeld
29.06.2010 20.30 1H vs. 2G ›› Cape Town - Green Point
Quarter Finals
Date Time Match Stadium
02.07.2010 16.00 5 vs. 7(C) ›› Port Elizabeth - Nelson Mandela Bay
02.07.2010 20.30 1 vs. 3(A) ›› Johannesburg - Soccer City
03.07.2010 16.00 2 vs. 4(B) ›› Cape Town - Green Point
03.07.2010 20.30 6 vs. 8(D) ›› Johannesburg - Ellis Park
Semi Finals
Date Time Match Stadium
06.07.2010 20.30 A vs. C(1) ›› Cape Town - Green Point
07.07.2010 20.30 B vs. D(2) ›› Durban - Moses Mabhida Stadium
3rd Place Match
Date Time Match Stadium
10.07.2010 20.30 Loser 1 vs. Loser 2 ›› Port Elizabeth - Nelson Mandela Bay
Finals
Date Time Match Stadium
11.07.2010 20.30 Winner 1 vs. Winner 2 ›› Johannesburg - Soccer City

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Loftus Versfeld Stadium

Loftus Versfeld Stadium, situated in Tshwane/ Pretoria, is one of the oldest stadiums in South Africa. The stadium has been used for major sporting events since 1903, and the first concrete structure, which could accommodate only 2,000 spectators, was built by the City Council of Pretoria in 1923.

Since 1948 it has undergone perennial upgrades. It has been used for both rugby and football matches and is home to one of the country's top rugby teams, the Blue Bulls. Loftus Versfeld is in the heart of Tshwane/Pretoria and currently has a seating capacity of 50,000. It has hosted many significant matches including during the 1995 Rugby World Cup and 1996 CAF African Cup of Nations. It is now used by Mamelodi Sundowns and SuperSport United as their home ground.


South Africa's national team, Bafana Bafana, achieved its first ever victory over a European side at this venue when they beat Sweden 1-0 in 1999.
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