Archive for 2014

Home » Archive for 2014

BMW i9 Design Concept by Carlos Aliaga Pastor

Rumors of a high-powered BMW supercar, slotted directly above the techy i8, have been floating around for a while now. However, we’ve yet to hear any conclusive evidence as to its arrival. For some Bimmer fans, that “maybe” just isn’t good enough.

3D design artist Carlos Aliaga Pastor is one such fan. For his master’s degree thesis project he took it upon himself to craft what he thinks a next-gen BMW supercar would look like. He built an actual model, named it the i9, and it’s quite the spectacle, wouldn’t you agree?

According to the project details, his proposed i9 pulls its design inspiration from nature, mainly almonds and hammerhead sharks – no, we’re not making that up.

The car’s roofline has a distinctive almond-like appearance, and there’s no getting around the aggressive and streamline selachian body. Up front, the i9′s snouted fascia supports a low-slung diffuser and suspended fender flares. Around back, pronounced air intakes grace its haunches, followed by a tucked and minimalist rear end. Inside, Aliaga’s designs call for an instrument panel and layout similar to the BMW i8.

It’s doubtful that a production BMW i9 would ever go to such extravagant lengths

The Exquisite Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa in South Africa

Not far away from Cape Town in South Africa, there is a wonderful haven of tranquility called the Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa.

Set in a superb natural environment, on the shore of the blue Atlantic Ocean and guarded by the Table Mountain and Twelve Apostles mountain range, the resort offers great opportunities for adventure and relaxation.

It is only 40 minutes away from the Cape Town International Airport, and a mere 10 minutes away from the Cape Town train station, giving guests the possibility to visit the second most populous city in South Africa whenever they want to change the environment for a few hours. The resort, however, has plenty of things to offer, making it hard for anyone to want to return to the hectic big-city lifestyle.

Superb deluxe rooms and lavishly appointed suites await their guests with cozy interiors and top-notch entertainment systems. They all offer stunning views of the surroundings and 24-hour room service. Whenever you need to refuel your body with healthy food, the Azure restaurant staff will tend to your every need, bringing you delicious foods that will delight your senses. You are also invited to visit the Café and the Leopard Room, the latter offering 72 types of vodka and 46 ports.

If you’re looking for a little relaxation, you can go for a swim in the beautiful infinity pool, or visit the resort’s Spa facilities, where traditional treatments will help you unwind and leave all your worries behind. The more active guests can choose to go hiking on the lovely natural trails in the area, they can go swimming with the sharks, or they can visit the penguin colonies at Simon’s Town.

More info & online booking

7 Tips on How to Drink Champagne the RIGHT Way

Elise Losfelt, Oenologist, Moet & Chandon

Ah, champagne. This sparkling libation makes us so very happy. It is commonly drunk when toasting success or celebrating a milestone, though personally, we simply enjoy it whenever, wherever—which is, in fact, the right way to drink a bottle of bubbly, according to Moët & Chandon winemaker Elise Losfelt. Losfelt is a rarity, given she is one of the industry’s only female winemakers in the Champagne region of France. Here, Losfelt gives seven tips on how to drink champagne in the best way possible, how to serve champagne and her brand’s new release, the Grand Vintage Brut 2006, which debuted earlier this summer. Well, what are you waiting for? It’s time to pop the cork and be merry!

7 WAYS TO REALLY APPRECIATE CHAMPAGNE

1. Don’t overthink champagne – just enjoy it. Moët Imperial is the world’s most beloved champagne for a reason – it is fresh, fruity and generous on the palate — and it will bring you instantaneous pleasure! That is what we winemakers at Moët & Chandon most look for when we create our champagnes.

2. Chill your bottle of champagne to the right temperature. For Moët Imperial, serve between 45 and 50 degrees F and keep it chilled in an ice bucket filled with water and ice cubes. Don’t forget to use a good champagne stopper in between pours to preserve all the delicious bubbles! A stopper will keep your open bottle fresh for about 1 day, in case you don’t finish in one sitting!

3. Drink champagne out of a white wine glass. While the traditional champagne flute has a very celebratory shape and is perfect for showcasing the stream of escaping bubbles, the white wine glass – with a wider mouth – will give you the opportunity to enjoy all the aromas of the champagne and to savor the complexity of the champagne on your palate. But be careful to fill the glass to only about 1/3 full; if your pour is too large, the champagne may end up too warm.

4. Hold the glass by the stem. If you hold the glass by the bowl, the champagne will warm up too quickly. Plus, by holding the glass by the stem, you will look oh-so-elegant!

5. Surprise and delight your friends with a pairing of truffle French fries or a cheese plate! Oily and salty foods bring out the fruitiness and freshness of champagne, and Moët Imperial in particular. Your friends will be thrilled with this casual and delicious approach to champagne enjoyment.

6. Impress your friends even more by hosting a champagne dinner. Start with Moët Imperial for the appetizer and first course, move to Moët Grand Vintage 2006 with the main course and finish by pairing a sweet dessert with Nectar Imperial Rosé. Moët imperial, being driven by its fruitiness and suppleness on the palate will be perfect with a fresh first course – a nice ceviche, for example. Moët Grand Vintage 2006, our most recent release, has a floral, succulent and expansive character marked by intense and deep aromas. While pairing it with fish is perfect, don’t hesitate to try a meat course even with a sauce – the Grand Vintage 2006 has the intensity to match it.

7. If you have a bottle of champagne in your refrigerator now, don’t wait for a special occasion. You will see that by opening that bottle, the special occasion will come to you. Elevate the moment by making it a Moët Moment. Celebrate life every day!

Amancio Ortega – The Media Billionaire Behind Zara

Ranking number seven on Forbes’ latest list of the world’s billionaires is a Spanish entrepreneur worth $31 billion. His name is Amancio Ortega Gaona and he is the richest man in Spain and the second richest in Europe.

Together with his first wife, he founded what became the largest fashion group in the world: Industria de Diseño Textil, S.A., better known as Inditex.

But Ortega wasn’t always the rich man he is today. In fact, he started out as a poor boy in a simple Spanish family (born on March 28, 1936), with his father working on the railroad and his mother bringing some extra money into the house by working as a maid. This explains why Ortega was only 13 when he started working as a delivery boy for some shirt stores in La Coruña, Spain. Even though he was a mere teenager, the boy soon understood the basics of business and realized that costs grew as products changed hands from the manufacturer to the actual consumer. He became determined to find ways of cutting extra costs by eliminating the need of middlemen. He wanted to get the products directly to the consumer.

Ortega continued to work in the textile industry for a very long time and after a while he became the manager of a local clothing shop. There he saw that good quality apparel was only available for the wealthy, and he decided to change this reality. He started thinking of good ways to make high quality clothes more affordable. One solution was to begin manufacturing his own products, using cheaper but good quality fabrics imported from Barcelona. As a result, he founded his own company and named it Confecciones Goa (the first letters of his name, in reverse order) and produced good quality yet very affordable bathrobes.

His success was great and in 1975, at 39 years of age, he was ready to open the retail store that would eventually become one of the most popular chains of fashion boutiques in the world: its name was Zara. The store was located just across the street from the most renowned department stores in La Coruña and Ortega soon became famous for always choosing the best spots for his new shops. His stores attracted many clients who were thrilled to buy high quality clothes at very reasonable prices. The result was a spectacular growth of Ortega’s business: by 1989 there were almost one hundred Zara stores in the whole country. The success was so great, that Ortega almost didn’t even need to advertize at all.

As his popularity continued to grow, Amancio Ortega decided to found Inditex, the holding company for Zara and other brands. Over a quarter of a century later (the company was founded in 1985), Inditex now has over 92,000 employees and it includes famous brands like Zara, Zara Home, Stradivarius, Pull and Bear and more. His goal was to bring new designs from the runway to the stores in only a matter of weeks and also to continue to keep the products affordable. His factories being located in Spain, Ortega managed to save shipping costs and also offer jobs to people in his country.

In 2001 Inditex went public and Ortega retained 59.29% of the company, which soon turned him into one of the wealthiest people on Earth. This however didn’t also turn the billionaire into a flashy rich person. He continued to keep his very low profile and stay away from the prying media. There are very few photos of Amancio Ortega available for the public eye.

He doesn’t dress very formally, as he prefers jeans and t-shirts to suites and ties. He now lives with his second wife in an apartment building in A Coruña and he never gives interviews. The media shy billionaire announced his imminent retirement from Inditex and said that his place will be taken by the company’s current vice president and CEO, Pablo Isla. This will push Ortega even further away from the media attention, making him one of the most modest rich men we’ve ever seen.