Inaugural dinner of the RE:CM 10 Year Old Wine Awards

The elegant White Lady of Constantia, the Cellars Hohenort Hotel

A very welcoming glass of Villiera 2003 Monro Brut MCC

Lynne chats to Christian Eedes, the organiser of the Ten Year Old Wine competition, and to Maggie Mostert and Hennie Coetzee, Batonage bloggers

Cape Talk Radio talk show host and wine enthusiast John Maytham talks to photographer Danie Nel

Guests gather on the lawns before dinner

A miniature version of caprese mousse on a wafer thin crisp

Tiny hot melt in the mouth cheese choux pastry gougères

Minute hot shrimp spring rolls with a hot chilli dip

Winner Marc Kent of Boekenhoutskloof wines

The dinner was held in the Conservatory. Here we are taking our seats

Wine judge, writer and journalist Angela Lloyd chatting to Remhoogte owner Murray Boustred before dinner

The very interesting menu where Executive Chef Peter Tempelhoff paired the food with three winning wines .

The Amuse of West Coast Lobster topped with crispy leeks on a sweetcorn and roast garlic espuma having the warm Bisque added to each dish. This was served with the Villiera 2007 Monro Brut MCC

RE:CM guest Vanessa Hofmeyr choosing from the great bread selection

Next to the bread was a tiny glass containing a pretty fairy garden of miniature vegetables and pea shoots on a sesame seed soil, covering a green base which tasted like a puree of peas and avocado. This was inspired as well as delicious and may well be copied at our house soon

The speeches begin. Piet Viljoen, executive chairman of RE:CM with Christian Eedes, head judge and organiser of the competition

Piet Viljoen  tells us about his company and their reasons for getting involved with the 10 Year Old Wine Awards. Seated at the table is one of the three judges, Nkulu Mkhwanazi, wine educator and entrepreneur

Guests listen intently

Christian Eedes talks about the wine entries

First award is presented by Christian and Piet Viljoen to Marc Kent of Boekenhoutskloof for his 2003 Syrah

Next award goes to Riana Hall of Rudera wines for their 2003 Syrah

Murray Boustred, owner of Remhoogte wines collects his award for the Remhoogte Estate Wine 2003 Bordeaux Blend

Another of the 3 judges, Jörg Pfützner, internationally trained and certified sommelier

First course of Springbok Tataki (Japanese: pounded meat) served with a quenelle of fig and almond pesto, celeriac remoulade, shiraz gel, almond crumble and the item that went best with the Boekenhoutskloof 2003 Syrah – a honey roasted fig. It was like a firecracker.

A deft hand pours the wine – they have superb staff, so friendly and professional and so well trained

Second course was a gloriously pink beetroot risotto topped with a fresh mushroom fricassee, cêpe puree, fresh baby peas and surrounded by a parsley and pecorino sauce. Another great food and wine pairing

Pouring the Rudera Syrah for the second course

We sat opposite Edo Heyns of Winelands Magazine. He is soon to be its Editor

He does not eat meat, so his third course lamb was substituted with kabeljou

Perfectly cooked and very tender Lamb loin and soft braised shank of lamb served with an unusual Artichoke leaf dauphinoise, smoked aubergine puree, rather pungent black olive jam and a tomato fondu and topped with a broccoli spear

It was served with the 2003 Remhoogte Estate Wine

Dessert was a tiny bowl of molecular gastronomy magic.  A snowball, soft meringue-like outer around a harder core of ice cream sitting on a nectarine and plum compote and sprinkled with chocolate candy.  A poem of a dessert

Then spiked handmade chocolates and good coffee saw us to our carriages

Special thanks to Arthur Muzengeza, the Green House excellent Sommelier, for keeping our table so well supplied with wine and more wine, exchanging wines when necessary, and for holding the bottle patiently while we photographed them being poured

 © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2013