Celebrating its 10th year, the 2014 TOPS at SPAR Soweto Wine & Lifestyle Festival, in association with the Food Network and the Travel Channel, taking place from 4-6 September 2014 at the University of Johannesburg in Soweto, is going to be ‘Stylin in Soweto’ like never before.

Mnikelo Mangciphu, co-founder of the TOPS at SPAR Soweto Wine Festival, and owner of Soweto’s Morara Wine and Spirit Emporium says, “Those of you who thought 2013’s festival couldn’t be topped should think again. This year we are putting our hearts and souls into creating the biggest and best TOPS at SPAR Soweto Wine & Lifestyle Festival yet. Watch this space Soweto!”

This 10-year celebration of the senses promises to charm and delight all who experience her. There will be a large variety of wine to taste, fashion fabulousness from Elle, decadent décor from Elle Décor incorporating Weylandts, mouth-watering food from Soweto’s top restaurants offering cuisine fit for a King, lifestyle brands with dazzle and glitz, and extraordinary wine lounges to excite the senses!

Visitors to the 2014 event can embark on a taste adventure with Nederburg Wines and Robertson’s Spices, experiencing the flair of matching food and wine from sommeliers that will use opposing taste profiles such as sweet and sour to create perfect wine and food pairings.

The festival now attracts more than 10 000 visitors over the 3 evenings with more than 100 exhibitors showcasing more than 900 different wines and food providing an exhilarating experience as visitors find their love of wine tasting top labels such as The Chocolate Box, JC Le Roux, Rupert & Rothschild, Nederburg, Meerlust, Olive Brook and 4th Street to name a handful of the pedigreed varieties to satisfy the most delicate of palates.

Says Mark Robinson, TOPS Group Liquor Manager and headline sponsor, “TOPS at SPAR is immensely proud to once again be headline sponsor at the TOPS at SPAR Soweto Wine & Lifestyle Festival. This festival is synonymous to the values of TOPS at SPAR and visitors can expect to be captivated by the experience from the minute they walk in the venue. TOPS at SPAR are heavily invested in the education of responsible drinking and will be promoting this at the festival as well as showcasing our wine brands.”

In celebration of ten years of ‘Stylin in Soweto’, this year the organisers are collaborating with Elle and Elle Décor in an exclusive partnership that promises glamour and glitz for all visitors in which to luxuriate.

Says Gisèle Wertheim Aymés, Publishing Director, ELLE and ELLE Decoration, “ELLE and ELLE Decoration South Africa are delighted to be media sponsors for the Soweto Wine and Lifestyle Festival in 2014. Not only is Soweto the hometown to many of our readers but, what makes this event so special to us is that it embodies our values of spirited women leading the way.  We look forward to sharing it with our readers and enjoying all that our local winemakers and food connoisseurs have to offer in September. See you there!”  

Marilyn Cooper, Cape Wine Master, ex- CEO of the Cape Wine Academy and co-founder of TOPS at SPAR Soweto Wine & Lifestyle Festival, saysthe TOPS at SPAR Soweto Wine Festival has been a ‘game-changer’ in the South African wine industry, creating a large broad, new wine-loving market, which has grown exponentially over the last 10 years. Cooper says that this is directly related to the ‘early adopters’ and ‘social influencers’ in Soweto and Johannesburg that have been visiting the festival every year since 2005.

Cooper comments “Wine sales are no longer in decline across South Africa, largely thanks to the wide-ranging influence of this festival. The festival continues to grow from strength to strength, attracting big brands, influential media and aspirational people in their thousands from in and around Soweto, Johannesburg and internationally. This year’s not-to-be-missed event promises to be the best festival yet.”

Watch this space - Immerse yourself in the soul of Soweto at the 10th TOPS at SPAR Soweto Wine Festival happening from 4 September to 6 September 2014! To find out more and book tickets go to www.sowetowinefestival.co.za.