New publisher
for Platter’s Guide
Platter’s Guide – South Africa’s first and best-selling wine annual guide, owned by Diners
Club – is pleased to announce that Jean-Pierre (JP) Rossouw has
been appointed as the new publisher from 1 November 2013. He takes over from
Andrew McDowall who is retiring at the end of December 2013.
Rossouw’s long history in wine started nearly two decades ago when he
began writing about food and wine. Previously food and wine editor for Condé Nast House & Garden and wine columnist for the Cape
Times newspaper for 10 years, he has also been the restaurant columnist for
Mail & Guardian, as well as being a regular contributor to international
magazine titles.
Currently he
is the restaurant columnist for Business Day after gaining experience as an
advertising copywriter at agencies including TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris and Net#work
BBDO, both locally and in New York City.
Rossouw has
been a judge for the Diners Club Winelist of the Year Award for the past five
years, as well as the Southern African Academy of the San Pellegrino Top 50
Restaurants. He has contributed to the Platter's South African Wine Guide and
has written a book on South African wine, named Mixed Case, which was
re-published by Penguin in 2010 entitled Tasting the Cape.
Seeking
reliable and incisive information about South African restaurants and not
finding it, Rossouw launched Rossouw’s Restaurants
guide in 2004 and, as publisher and editor, has grown it into the leading
independent guide to dining out over the last decade. The guide has frequently
been a best-seller on the retail shelves and the website has grown into a
valuable resource, listing nearly 3,000 establishments.
Says
Rossouw: “When I started the restaurant guide a
decade ago, Platter's was my icon. To now be able to take this position is
therefore an honour, as well as being incredibly exciting. It is also wonderful
to return to the world of wine and indeed to marry it to its natural companion
- food. “
Starting
with the founders John and Erica Platter and grown over many decades by Andrew
McDowall, editor Philip van Zyl and the dedicated tasters, Platter’s Guide is now one of the world's leading wine authorities. Says
Andrew McDowall: “After 29 year’s involvement with Platter’s, I am
confident that the guide will continue to grow in stature and international
reputation.”
Rossouw
adds: “Moving forward, the opportunities are vast –the team and I have many ideas to develop the Platter's name.
But at the same time, I am very aware of Platter's fantastic heritage and
certainly aim to be its custodian.”
On the
culinary front, there are also great plans in store, with Rossouw's Restaurants
now part of the Diners Club family. Rossouw concludes: “South Africa's food and wine scene is sparkling and you can
be sure Platter's will remain an invaluable guide through these taste
adventures!”
End
About Platter’s Guide:
South Africa’s first and still best-selling wine annual, Platter's Guide
is the comprehensive, up-to-date and authoritative guide to who's who and
what's what in the winelands. Currently owned by Diners Club, it features
hundreds of producers, negociants and brands, and thousands of individual
wines, packing everything you need to know about the South African wine scene
into an informative and entertaining format.