Guests gathering in the
foyer before dinner
There are many very
different interpretations to semi formal dress in Cape Town
The large banqueting hall was just large enough to accommodate the large guest list
We begin to take our seats
Mike and Renée Bampfield-Duggan of
Wine Concepts
The very brief menu
The first white wine was
Slanghoek Cellar’s 2012 Chenin Blanc
Melody Botha, CEO of
Breedekloof Wine & Tourism, tells us
why the dinner is being held and what the proceedings will be
The first round, of four
wines per course, to pair with dinner is poured
We are introduced to
Personal chef Neill Anthony who has perfected his skills over the past 10 years
in London in the kitchens of Gordon Ramsay at Royal Hospital Road, Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley, Alyn Williams at The Groucho Club and Les Trois Garçons.
Monika Elias and Graham Howe
Lauren Cohen of Corporate
Image PR agency with Tobey du Toit.
Duimpie Bayly introduced
the area and the wines
Our first course was a
salmon trout tartare on a crisp flaky pastry disc with fennel and dill and an
olive oil mousseline. The wine which matched this course the best for us was the
very interesting De Hageveld 2011 from Deetlefs Estate - a blend of 75%
Semillon, 17% Chardonnay, 8% Sauvignon
Blanc which stood up the saltiness of the dish
Elsie Pels CWM introduces
the next flight of wines
Higgo Jacobs, sommelier at Catharina's at Steenberg, watched the
pouring of the first four red wines to match the second course
Cathy and Kevin Marston
Guests listening to
information about the wine
Maryna Strachan, editor of Wine Extra, tells us about the next flight
Goudini Shiraz 2011;
Waboomsrivier Arboras 2010 and Groot Eiland Shriaz/Pinotage 2011
We listened and we tasted
Our second course was a
play on Pap en Vleis and was more of an amuse in size than a main course. It
consisted of a small square of smooth parmesan polenta, thin slices of dried
salted pork belly and some tomato and onion relish.
Dr Winnie Bowman tells Lisa Boshoff and Higgo Jacobs how she got involved
and then she talked to us all about the wines she tasted on the
panel and those we would be served
Melody Botha, CEO of
Breedekloof Wine & Tourism
A lovely surprise was the
presence of Tsogo Sun group sommelier Miguel Chan, who had flown
down from Johannesburg specially for the function.
A duo of springbok with
roast potatoes, tender green beans, flaked almonds and strangely red chilli
slices on a puree and a jus was the main course. A small loin fillet rather dry (but then they
were feeding 150 people) was accompanied
by a haché of slow cooked springbok formed into a round cake.
Pouring out one wine so the glasses are ready for the next
Ina Smith, Manager of the Chenin Blanc Association, tells us about the dessert
wines to come
Some of the wines we tasted
Maggie Mostert of Batonage
The chefs ‘plate’ the dessert
Maggie Mostert and Hennie Coetzee of Batonage
Christian and Jane Eedes chatting to Dr Winnie Bowman
Tasting the dessert wines while waiting for dessert to be served
CWM Alan Mullins, who always has a smile
Lauren Cohen, Tobey du Toit and Sommelier Miguel Chan
Dessert was described as
Broken Milk Tart with passion fruit, but what arrived was a coupe dish with a
sweet custard, a passion fruit mousse and fresh passion fruit pulp. It was supported by the excellent Badsberg Badlese 2009, a natural sweet made from
Chenin Blanc
© John &
Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2013
