Classic Wine 2012 Port and Pinotage Top 6 Awards Dinner

Classic Wine 2012 Top 6 Pinotage and Top 6 Port Awards held in Catharinas Restaurant on Steenberg wine estate in Constantia on the 21^st of June.
The Top 6 Pinotage wines were
4½ Stars:
Rijk's Reserve Pinotage 2008
Rijk's Private Cellar Pinotage 2007
Meerendal heritage Block 2010
4 Stars:
Cloof Pinotage 2009
Swartland Bush Vine Pinotage 2010
Rijk's Private Cellar Pinotage 2008 
The top 6 South African Ports (all 4 stars) were
Boplaas Cape Tawny Reserve 2007
De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve 2008
Boplaas  Cape Vintage Reserve 2006
Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve 2009
Boplaas Cape Vintage 2009
Bredell's Limited Release Cape Vintage Reserve 2001

The menu, which Classic Wine ordered for the evening. The food was accompanied by the top six pinotages and the ports were made available for the dessert.

We sat at the table in the middle with other media people.

Catharina’s is a very comfortably appointed restaurant and is warmed by the fire. Bennie Howard of Meerendal seen talking to Pierre Wahl, Rijk's winemaker

A delicious tiny portion of mixed mushroom risotto with truffle oil

John’s alternative risotto, sans mushrooms but with bacon and spinach, which they were very kind to rustle up.

Dominic Ntsele, Publisher of Classic Wine, explaining how it all works

Venison ‘Pie’ topped with crisp pastry and served with grilled vegetables and a bubble and squeak cake

A very fine Amarula malva pudding indeed, with crème anglaise and a heavy cream wedge

 All these photographs are ©John Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus cc, 2012