WineCape

For sure Soddball! Treeburst155 will be the tournament manager. He will keep us updated with points standings, AAR (via participants if they so wish) as well as all other tourney related issues. The tourney would be more or less an ongoing CM community event that will eventually end in a worthy winner. Kind regards Charl Theron

Here's my and Treeburst155 (Mike Meinecke's) offer: We are both going to sponsor a Combat Mission Invitational Tourney, it will run over a 7-8 month period (even longer), all at a leisurely PBEM pace, considering that some of the Invitational participants might go away for holidays, work related etc. Yes, we know that most of you have a life outside this forum, and some don't! First and foremost, the Invitational will be a FUN tourney, but obviously serious too as participants will compete for the prizes we will put up. Ahhh….The prizes: I will forward to the winner6 bottles of the best wine that South Africa has produced the LAST DECADE. Period. All from my cellar. I'll post some pictures with a background of the wines here later …. <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Treeburst155 will sponsor a US$50.00 cash bonus prize, not necessarily for the winner! My wine value will amount to roughly $220.00, postage included (again, currency being US, not Zimbabwean! )<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> The invitees: We will invite 20 people, and only 20 people. Who? Well, all I can say at the moment is that these participants, well… they will be our "Stars" in the Invitational. "Big" names, "small" names, grogs, non-grogs, historians, brilliant pbem players, so-so pbem players, even confessed addicts of CMBO - in short, from all walks of the forum. --->And yes, the Peng thread will nominate among themselves their "ambassador" to participate in the Invitational. There, I said it….. "PENG", hehe. When will the Invitational start? First half in July 2001. Keep an eye on your e-mail box for the invite! Those invited that reply with a "yes", will be posted here as we sign them up. PS: There are many people in the CM community here who DESERVE an invitation to the tournament but the unfortunate fact is we can only handle TWENTY players. Sincerely Charl Theron Proprietor, Stellenbosch Wine Export Centre, South Africa

Another piece of advice (it's not *that* clear in the program's release notes): PBEM Helper can handle 3 saving formats... (a).pbm -- this is PBEM Helper's native saving format (if both opponents uses the program) and are to be opened, and not saved when you receive this game file format as an attachment in your E-mail program; (.txt -- best way to handle this file format when received via an attachment in your e-mail program is to go into PBEM Helper and set an "additional working directory" in the "OPTIONS" menu, which automatically creates the sudirectory PBEM\CMBO in your My Documents Folder. Save the .txt file here. PBEM Helper then moves the file automatically to the CMBO\PBEM directory (where CM is stored) when launched and updates the relevant game file status from "WAIT" to "PLAY"; ©.zip -- ditto as (, but obviously EXTRACT the .zip game file in My Documents\PBEM\CMBO instead of saving it there. The last 2 file formats is mostly used when your oppenent insists on NOT using any pbem tool, but you want to still want get the benefit of PBEM Helper's easy file/pbem management capabilities.

Wines that are going to the winner of Tourney II below. I'll give some background on the wines later here @ this thread ... The Morgenhof Premiere Selection 1997: Vergelegen Cabernet Sauvignon 1998: Hazendal Shiraz-Cab 1998: Longridge Merlot 1998: Fredericksburg Classique 1998: And a white wine, the Baroness Nadine Chardonnay 1998: Treeburst155 will keep us updated on Tourney II here. Sincerely Charl Theron

Marcus Bloess' email again: mike8@lycos.com Treeburst, I have not approached him yet. Will you?

Hello Treeburst155 + Tourney #2 participants, I am afraid that I cannot participate for the 2 reasons stated on page #3 (I think!) of this thread. The 3rd reason that I cannot participate is as follows; I will also sponsor Tourney #2 for 6 bottles of South African Wine + postage -- 6 different wines than the ones in Tourney #1. On one request Treeburst155..... My place will be ceded to Marcus Bloess ([emai]mike8@lycos.com), my very 1st PBEM oppenent and a gentleman in the truest sense of the word, not to mention an excellent CM tactician! That is, if he is willing. If not, then anyone can take my place for tourney #2. StugIII/Chuckles, that'll give you guys some better odds now that I'm not there, hehe... Sincerely, Charl Theron PS: I'll post the wines/description soon.

The first Prize - six bottles of red wine, postage included - plus Treeburst155's $50.00 will go to the winner. For some background on the wines, see Treeburst155's post here, 'bout 8 posts down. The Baron Edmond 1998 vintage of Rupert & Rothschild… Here's 2 of the Le Bonheur Cabernet Sauvignon 1997 with their SA Veritas Award stickers on the bottle (the Cab. is on the left, their Prima (a "Bordeaux" Blend) on the right… The Bellevue Pinotage (in fact this pic is the estate's top blend "Tumara", but the label is the same, only coloured dark/light blue …. The Haute Cabriere Pinot Noir (Sort of…. ) And the classy Vergelegen Merlot 1998 …. Sorry, no picture of the Linton Park Shiraz 1999 yet. Sincerely [b/Charl Theron

Now if only a BTS admin guy can delete the first faulty pic post above and all will look spiffy. Say Treeburst155, possible to give us some background on the parameters the participants has set so far in their battles of this tourney? Sincerely Charl Theron

Bit rustic, so here we try again! The Baron Edmond 1998 vintage of Rupert & Rothschild… Here's 2 of the Le Bonheur Cabernet Sauvignon 1997 with their SA Veritas Award stickers on the bottle (the Cab. is on the left, their Prima (a "Bordeaux" Blend) on the right… The Bellevue Pinotage (in fact this pic is the estate's top blend "Tumara", but the label is the same, only coloured dark/light blue …. The Haute Cabriere Pinot Noir (Sort of…. ) And the classy Vergelegen Merlot 1998 …. Sorry, no picture of the Linton Park Shiraz 1999 yet.

Now lets see if I can post some images of the wine prizes of this Tourney: The Baron Edmond 1998 vintage of Rupert & Rothschild… Here's 2 of the Le Bonheur Cabernet Sauvignon 1997 with their SA Veritas Award stickers on the bottle (the Cab. is on the left, their Prima (a "Bordeaux" Blend) on the right… The Haute Cabriere Pinot Noir (Sort of…. ) And the classy Vergelegen Merlot 1998 …. ]http://www.winetodaysa.com/winemail/Images/labels/010406.gif' alt='010406.gif'> Sorry, no picture of the Linton Park Shiraz 1999 yet.

Treeburst155, Let me know when the 2nd Tourney starts. It might be that I have to give it a miss. 2 Reasons: I'm playing 19 PBEM oppenents @ the moment, with 15 games not even 1/3 way through.(STUGIII + chuckle here are 2 of those!) Secondly, even if most of my games do finish early enough, I doubt at the moment if I can be committed to another serious of battles. I'm about to officiate (in next 2 months)some soccer matches in the Confederation of African Football League (the CAF Cup), with most of the matches that I'm involved in being played outside South Africa. This will entail stretches of 4-6 days that I will be away from home/work. But lets see first. It might be that I just can make it for the 2nd tourney. Hopefully StuGIII and chuckle here can surrender/hoist the white flag early, hehe. That'll make 2 down, 17 to go! Ben, where is your next move sire! Mooove itttt! And yes, for those who wondered, I am using PBEM HELPER for the above 19 matches, otherwise I'll go insane! Sincerely Charl Theron PS: I'll see if I can find some scanned images/labels of the wines I intend to send. Will post them here.

Treeburst155's prize money as well as my wine (+ postage) will be the 1st prize of this tourney. Don't worry KiwiJoe, I'll send it to New Zealand *if* you win. You can't just drink "Cloudy Bay" Sauvignon Blanc all your life. Need to experiment with your taste-buds sir. That way your girlfriend/wife/<-- sheep joke could be filled in here can enjoy the prize WITH you. Sincerely Charl Theron

Right, here's the good South African vino I recommend for the winner and intend to send, with some background information on each wine. One bottle each from the main cultivars produced here in South Africa will be send to the eventual winner, postage pre-paid by me. This means a delivery time of 10 weeks via surface mail from South Africa to Europe/USA or the rest of the world. I will fully insure the package. I'll leave out my wine tasting description of each wine so as not to influence the winner when he receives the wine after the tournament! [iMHWO = in my humble wine opinion] 1 x 750ml Cape Blend -- Rupert & Rothschild "Baron Edmond" 1998, Simondium-Paarl -- Yes, it *is* South African! Rupert & Rothschild is a partnership in wine production between Baron Edmond de Rothschild and Anthonijj Rupert on the historic French Huguenot farm "Fredericksburg", situated near the Franschoek valley (25km from Stellenbosch), the farm being established in 1690. (Sidenote: The Rupert family is, apart from the Oppenheimers, probably the most well accomplished family in South Africa. And no, it was not their money that swayed me to include this tipple, but more the fact that the winemaker was my alma mater in the '80's -- and it IS a damn fine wine!) --> This Cape Blend consist of 60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. Alc. = 13,5%. The wine spend 24 months in 100% new French wood (of course, what else! ), with long term aging potential. Can be drunk now, but will improve up to 2010. IMHWO, outstanding! 1 x 750ml Cabernet Sauvignon -- Le Bonheur 1997, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch -- Le Bonheur is one of the most consistent Cab. producer in South Africa. The 1997 garnered the highest accolade for a bottled wine here, the annual "Veritas Double Gold" (only 1,8% of 2000+ wines entered received this award last year), as well as a Silver Medal @ the 2000 International Wine Show Challenge, London. --> Small French oak barrel matured (225L) for 18 months, 60% new, the rest 2nd fill. Alc. = 12,5%. Can be drunk now, but will reward a further 4-5 years. IMHWO, excellent! 1 x 750ml Pinotage -- Bellevue 1999, Stellenbosch -- Produced from the first commercial vineyard plantings of Pinotage in the world in 1953. This grapes was then used to *bottle* the world's first Pinotage, the Lanzerac 1959. South African Young Wine Show Champion in 1999. -->50/50 American and French wood matured, of which 50% of each new barrels. Alc. = 13,8%. Very accessible now, can be laid down for 4-5 years. IMHWO, excellent. A good example of a well made, typical (with regard to flavour associations, that is) Pinotage. 1 x 750ml Shiraz -- Linton Park "Summer Hill, Slangrivier" 1999, Wellington -- Listed now on the Concorde's wine list - when they *do* get off the ground! - as well as British Airways First Class and the South African Blue Train. This the estate's flagship, from a single vineyard selection called "Summer Hill". ["Slangrivier" = Snake river] -->Year oaked in 70%-30% French/American oak barrels respectively, all 2nd fill. Alc. = 12,5%. Give another year or two before opening. Will last 6-7 years. IMHWO, very good! 1 x 750ml Merlot -- Vergelegen 1998, Helderberg, Somerset West -- The most gifted winemaker (in theory + practice) in South Africa, Andre van Rensburg, resides at this Anglo-American owned wine farm. And this in my not so a humble wine opinion! Voted with 4 other Merlots the best Merlot in South Africa's WINE Magazine (out of 93 tasted). Silver Medal @ IWSC, London 2000. -->Has 9% Cabernet Sauvignon to stiffen the upholstery. Spend 17 months in 50% new French cooperage (Sylvain and Vicard). Alc. = a whopping 13,8%. IMHWO, excellent to outstanding! 1 x 750ml Pinot Noir -- Haute Cabriere 1998, Franschoek -- From the Cabriere estate, situated in the valley of Franschoek. Renowned for their Methode Cap Classique bubblies. Drank this last night with my wife. Not bad at all, very sumptuous and enjoyable now. Will go well with the any mushroom dish, duck, game birds, pate, sweetbreads, turkey, even venison. Again, all IMHWO. --> Just drink this up and enjoy. No need for the pedigree. Trust me on this one. Sincerely Charl Theron Stellenbosch, South Africa PS: With thanks to Treeburst155 for putting this tourney idea forward and his gracious sponsoring of the prize monies. May the best man be enriched in wine and CM tactics!

Jeesh, I guess I am to late. Could offer 6 bottles of wine though to the winner, postage included! How about that Treeburst, in addition to your price? Let me know and I will post the 6 bottles of South African red wine I intend to send here. Sincerely Charl Theron

**bumpity-bump!**

Not anymore Colonel! Have a look here Abbot. PBEM Helper (by Fuerte, latest version 1.0.135) has cleaned the one "frozen" bug. (that was introduced due to a spiffy new feature called file sequence numbering that works quite well now in CMBO) PBEM Helper can be found here - 2,4MB in size and only works in Windows format, no Macintosh I am using it against 19 opponents at the moment, and must say that without it life would be hell! Sincerely Charl Theron PS: my opponents now love this utility after I recommend it before the start of each pbem game!

Hi Clinton Welcome aboard. If you are going to be serious about pbem'ing after you have decided what mods to include, don't forget the PBEM Helper tool! Snapshot here. Kind regards and many hours of enjoyment on the enigma called Combat Mission.

There were a few more replies in this thread, but I suppose the server/forum crash a few days ago wiped that off. In any case, with Madmatt as well as CMBO players requesting info etc. on PBEM Helper, here is the snapshot - again! Gotta love this utility guys. It's timesaving and and makes pbem'ing as easy as cutting butter with a hot knife.

Again, a self-serving, respectful *bump/question* for Madmatt, if he has the time. Sincerely Charl Theron

*Bump* Madmatt, if you have not contacted Fuerte (Harri Pesonen @ fuerte@sci.fi ) yet, or he you, of PBEM Helper fame, just follow the links/contacts above. Sincerely Charl Theron PS: MadMatt, any possibillity of reviving the original WineCape Mega-Thread so that Charles/Steve - you too! - can receive some South African wine if/when the above thread reages 10 pages? Thanks in advance.

A respectful *bump*.

Mike, have a look here for a snapshot. Sadly there was 8 useful responses to that particular thread, seems only the first 2 survived. The PBEM Helper can be downloaded here.

For those who do want to scan the Mega-Thread wish list, click here. Here *was* BTS' official response to the above thread.

Here I was, already sourcing the 6 bottles of South African wine that Charles/Steve will receive as soon as the features' wish-list reaches page 10 (already on page 8, so bloody close! And with some excellent contributions therein to boot) Tell me Madmatt, this is not true. You have locked it? Request to Madmatt: Any chance of resurrecting it? I know the server was down, but Steve/Charles will be very peed-off. Them wine was the driving force of their creativity! Regards Charl Theron

Excellent, as good as Fuerte's PBEM Helper program! When can we download, as the link was not active when I tried it. Hopefully very soon. Charles/Steve, take note of this! Sincerely Charl Theron