Thursday, August 28, 2014

The Young Wine Awards at GrandWest

Several people were a bit scathing at our attendance of these awards and we don’t understand why. We see it as a chance, not only to see where the young wines made this year are heading, improving etc., but as an opportunity to meet some of the young winemakers involved, while they are still at the beginning of their careers. Not all wine is going to be vintage and some of these are lovely and fresh and we did taste wines with aging potential. This was held at Grand West Casino last Friday night – there are not many places in Cape Town that can do a stand up wine tasting and a sit down dinner for nearly 360 people - and it was quite a glittering occasion.
All the wines in the competition are available for tasting on the evening. This competition is the oldest wine competition in the country and has been taking place for 122 years - it is also the oldest wine show in the world. There is a dazzling array of silver cups and trophies awarded
Waiting in the foyer for dinner to begin. Grand West can look quite sophisticated
We take our seats in the huge banquet hall
Getting to know our neighbours on our table. The young man on Lynne’s right is Aldert Nieuwoudt, who has just left Montague winery to join Haskell, where he will work as assistant winemaker under Rianie Strydom
A band played
Lynne meeting the man on her left. He is Andre Bruwer of Bon Courage in Robertson and was there to receive two awards with his son, Pieter, who is the financial person on Bon Courage
Bennie Howard was Master of Ceremonies for the evening. He is the Vice President of the South African National Wine Show who hold this competition
The sparkling array of silverware!
Lynne with Kalinka Lombard of WineStyle
Kalinka with Shanté Hutton Editor of Wine.co.za
Back details on evening wear is the ‘in’ thing this year
The programme and the menu
First course was a very good smoked Beef carpaccio served with a coronation sauce and some rocket. The Poppadum was a bit odd as it didn’t add anything to the dish.
The opening speech was made by Johan Ehlers of sponsors Agri-Expo
And the award goes to... Some of these trophies did need three winemakers to carry them. This is the team from Perdeberg receiving the John McDonald Trophy for their Sauvignon Blanc
Andre Bruwer collects a trophy for Bon Courage
The team from KWV collects a trophy
You might need more than two hands
The main course was a beef fillet with spinach and mushroom ragout with a rich chardonnay cream on rather undercooked potato gratin. Some fillets were nice and pink and tender, others not so much.
Love’s young dream
Anel Grobler and her fiancé Jan Loubser looking very glam. They are soon off to Las Vegas to get married
Gaaitjie won AGAIN! Celebrations for Izelle van Blerk, winemaker of the Mentors wines
 To see the 2014 SA YOUNG WINE CHAMPION TROPHIES http://www.youngwineshow.co.za/
And I think ...
A lovely couple - Susan Liebenberg and her husband
Chairperson Charles Hopkins announces the winner for the General Smuts Trophy which went to Boland Cellars for their Chenin Blanc
And there were loud and joyous celebrations and a glitter fall
Table decorations were the most beautiful King Proteas
A happy quartet
Dessert was a plate of chocolate desserts. The chocolate tart was good and the pistachio truffle very rich. Coffee and carriages followed a few dances
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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2014

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