Tracy van Maaren trade tasting at Auslese

Tracy van Maaren represents a small range of wine farms and, once a year, we are treated to a very good tasting of their wines. This year, again, it was held at Auslese, the function venue in Gardens owned by Chef Harald Bresselschmidt of Aubergine restaurant. He creates a food pairing for each of the wines on show.

RJ Botha from Kleine Zalze started off our evening with a taste of their Mèthode Cap Classique 2010 bubbly

paired with Poached Kingklip with an oyster and lime vinaigrette

Then their Family Reserve Sauvignon Blanc

paired with some Duck ham with cabbage salad

The two Silverthorn MCC’s were paired well. Here presented by Karen Loubser

The Genie with tibbouleh with a seed tuile biscuit

and The Jewel Box with sweetbreads, white vegetables in a champagne sauce

Gavin Bruwer from Raats was presenting B Vintners, a division of Raats wines and they had a very, very interesting wine, Haarlem to Hope, a blend of Chenin, Semillon and a small amount of Muscat de Alexandrie. Lynne couldn’t detect the Muscat at all, but found that the addition of Semillon add

ed huge depth and elegance to the rich crisp Chenin. She liked it very much

This was paired with crisp deep fried Arancini rice balls

Their Chardonnay was paired with a potato parfait. Lots of white food, lots of starches

A good seafood bisque went with Vriesenhof’s excellent Chardonnay

Richard Kershaw’s complex and layered Chardonnay

went with a bouncy fish terrine with a saffron vinaigrette.

Catherine Marshall had her 2014 Elgin Sauvignon Blanc, so crisp and exciting. A good pairing was the tuna ceviche on a goat cheese coulis

And Harald's match of the veal with pomegranate sauce did highlight the fruit in Cathy’s excellent, sophisticated Pinot Noir. Best red wine of the evening for us

Chef Harald in conversation with Mark Herd of Sunset Beach Wine and Deli

Sean Skibbe of South Hill wines in Elgin, enjoying the evening

A lovely rabbit confit on barley, with dragon fruit, to go with Bruwer Raats Family Old Vines Chenin Blanc 2013

And some Kudu fillet to pair with the 2012 Cabernet Franc

Complex layers of cherries and berries and toasted wood

Which one shall we try?

A juicy plate of lamb kebabs with Maitake mushrooms

to go with the Eagles Nest 2012 Shiraz

A pressed terrine of yellow peppers and tamarillo tomatoes

 The peppers are full of chrome and it rather fought with the Eagles Nest 2014 Viognier

The team from the Pot Luck Club

Chef Rudi Liebenberg of the Mount Nelson

Slices of Springbok Carpaccio to go with the Vriesenhof 2013 Pinot Noir

Nicky Claasens of Vriesenhof was presenting their wines

Cathy Marston of WSET with Mariette Kershaw of Kershaw wines

Alison Adams-Witbooi

After the power outage or, as our government terms it, "Load Shedding". The tasting went on with no one paying any attention. Just in pitch darkness - the photograph illuminated by flash

John Loubser of Silverthorn wines

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015