The awards ceremony
was held on Saturday night at an apparently glittering dinner at La Residence.
We only made the Brunch list on Sunday where we were allowed to interview both
the winners. Jacques Erasmus of Spier entered his Creative
Block 2 2014 dry white blend and won Winemaker of the Year and JD Pretorius entered the Steenberg
Merlot 2012 and won Young Winemaker of the year. We know them both well so it
was great to talk to them both about their wines and about what they are going
to do with their prizes.
Besides the Trophy,
they each won 2 tickets on Delta airlines to San Francisco and five nights
accommodation in Napa Valley. Jacques Erasmus won R50 000 and JD Pretorius won
R25 000. They are planning to enjoy their trips next September/October when
they may be able to take part in a harvest if they can extend their stay. JD
has already spent one season there and looks forward to returning
to re-establish connections and friendships. Both the Winemaker and the Young
Winemaker of the Year qualified with more than one wine – Jacques had two wines
in the finals and JD had three, proving that their winemaking skills are
consistent and worthy of their awards. JD told us he thought he had won with
the 2011 Merlot and was surprised and delighted that it was the 2012 that got
the ultimate prize.
The wine makers of the year. JD Pretorius of Steenberg on the left,
Jacques Erasmus of Spier on the right
Lee-Ann Shepherd, Head of Marketing at Diners Club, tells us about the
awards the previous evening
Jacques and his wife being interviewed by another journalist
Bonita Nuttall of Carte Blanche with JD Pretorius
A new view of the Franschhoek mountains behind La Residence
Bottomless Colmant MCC blanc and rosé to drink. Life is hard
The bar area at the Villas
The brunch table and the seating area in front of the fireplace. This
room opens out onto the terrace and the pool area
The brunch spread was so not
suited to Banting! Lots more dessert items than savoury. We took the tops off
the sandwiches, ate lots of little cheese tarts and finally succumbed to some
of the chocolate cake and a tiny macaroon or two
Roasted vegetables on bruscetta
Cherry delice and flourless chocolate tart with berries
The vineyards
The Pool terrace
The villas in the vineyards. This is where
families with children may stay. No children are allowed at the main Hotel
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment