This annual event, held to showcase the wines of Breedekloof
to the media and tour operators, was held this year in the banqueting area of
the Cullinan Hotel in town, near the Convention Centre. We were welcomed with
glasses of two bubblies from the area. There are four judges who taste all the
wines submitted to them and then, working with Personal Chef Neill Anthony,
they formulate a menu paired with the wines.
Melody Botha, CEO Breedekloof Wine & Tourism tells
us about the area and the farms
Lots of media, travel professionals and Breedekloof
people attended. The media were instructed to come dressed semi-formally and
indeed we did. There were some lovely cocktail dresses and smart suits.
Personal Chef Neill Anthony explains what we are about
to eat and why the pairings were made. The menu was put together last winter
and many people commented that perhaps some of the dishes were more suited to
cold weather than warm mid-summer.
Convening Judge Duimpie Bayly tells us about the other
Judges: Fiona MacDonald, Winnie Bowman CWM and Elsie Pells CWM, the wines and
the trust that has been formed to aid young people from the area.
The menu
We started with a very hot and spicy tomato soup which
had very crisp acidity and this was such a huge flavour that it rather
overwhelmed all the wines we were tasting, which were the Merwida Sauvignon Blanc
2013, the Goudini 2013 Sauvignon Blanc and our favourite, Opstal's 2013
Sixpence, a delicate white blend of Sauvignon and Semillon.
We are afraid that the fish course was not universally liked.
Fillets of Angelfish had been soused in vinegar and steeped in fennel; it
had turned the fish texture to something approaching wet blotting paper. The
avocado mousse on the side had rather a lot of cayenne pepper added which
completely wiped out several palates. The wines served with this course were
all good. Goudini Chenin 2013; Botha Chenin 2013; and Slanghoek Chardonnay
2013, Lynne especially liked the Botha and her notes for this article include
the word BUY! It is a classic chenin, grassy tropical nose and tasting of
guavas and lemon sherbet and is very refreshing and delicious. Sad to say, on
looking up its price on their web site, she discovered that it is completely sold
out. Deservedly so.
The main course resembled pulled pork; strands of slowly
braised pork neck, with all the fat rendered out, but still very rich, served
with a rather sweet caramelised apple purée and bay mushrooms.
As a side dish, we had halved baby potatoes in a grainy mustard cream sauce. This was the dish
most thought would be better served in winter, but it did taste good.
Strangely it
was served with another two white wines and then two reds. The Goudini 2013
Chardonnay, full of smoky, leesy limes, was crisp, full, fruity and lengthy. Then
came the wine of the evening, the Platter five star Carl Everson 2012 Chenin from Opstal, which everyone wanted to taste, as it has been sold out from the
farm for a while. Bottles were held back especially for this tasting. This is a
beautifully integrated wine, a great expression of South African Chardonnay, and it was a great match for the pork and apple, echoing the dish's
flavours. Deetleef’s Family Red 2011, full of umami and red berries and
Bergsig’s Cabernet Sauvignon, which is full of savoury and herbal notes with
mulberries and pure cassis, both nicely countered the richness of this dish.
Dessert was rather quirky and some people were puzzled about how to eat this. We each received a paper bag containing four mini sugar-dusted
doughnuts and then a plate of thick cream in a lot of vanilla surrounded by biscuit
crumbs, in which to dip them.
Fingers were our order of the day, not knives and
forks. We had the treat of tasting four good dessert wines with this rather
simple dessert and felt they deserved something more complex. They were
arranged so that the wines got sweeter and more complex as we went through
them. Bergsig’s semi sweet, elegant honey and floral 2013 Riesling (RS 22),
Slanghoek’s Crème de Chenin 2013 Special Late Harvest (RS 85, full of spiced
honey with Hanepoot grapes and apricots), Badsberg Badslese 2012 (Platter 5 star,
RS 120, full of honey, cigar box, cinnamon and ginger on the nose and thick
honey and limes with a little touch of Campari herbs on the palate). And
finally De Ankerman, a Nectar de Provision made in a similar way to Pineau de
Charante - Sweet merlot grape juice fortified by brandy. RS 201, Heady and thick
with honey and fruit. And it is a steal selling at approx. R45 a bottle.
We found a huge improvement in the wines we tasted
this year to those tasted at last years dinner. This area is heading fast
towards making very drinkable wines and their prices are still very
competitive. And there are some real gems in there. Go and explore and taste. It
is also an extremely beautiful area to visit.
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2014
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