Three course lunch at Devonvale Golf Club for R130

Devonvale in the Bottelary Hills is a golf club, it has a lodge, a restaurant and it also has its own wines. We received an invitation from the owners the Provoyeurs to come and visit and taste the wines and have their very good value three course lunch for R130 (till September).  So we set out last Saturday as we were already going to Hartenberg for the Shiraz and Charcuterie festival

The Entrance to Devonvale announces the lunch in the Chez Shiraz restaurant. We think this is good value. A remarkable price now-a-days when you can pay this just for a main course at other restaurants.

The entrance to Devonvale Lodge

and the entrance to the restaurant

From the restaurant upstairs, you can watch the golfers practicing their putting while they wait for their round to start.

Their interesting wine list, which has three of their own wines to drink with lunch under the Provoyeur label. We had  glasses of the good Simonsig Chenin Blanc with our starters and a glass of the Shiraz for Lynne and the Pinotage for John with our main courses.

That day’s menu. It does change.

You can also eat off the normal a la Carte menu. We liked the look of the breakfast section.

The chef’s version of a spinach roulade was leaves of spinach wrapped around fried peppers and onions. Not quite what we know as a roulade.

and the chicken ‘terrine’ was a little free form and the chicken pieces came with mushrooms in a creamy sauce

The kingklip with a beurre blanc sauce was superb. Such fresh fish and not cooked to rubber, so even John liked it.

The good Beef sirloin was nicely smoky from searing on a chargrill with a good jus, nicely pink and it came with small roast potatoes with their skins on.

A small banana tart with vanilla ice-cream had rather leathery pastry but tasted very good

The duo of chocolate with a berry sauce. The smaller triangular piece was a good rich chocolate. The larger piece showed more evidence of cocoa powder

Book before you go, this Sunday might be popular

And you can park your golf cart near the entrance

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2014

Old Mutual Trophy public tasting at the CTICC

At last a chance to taste the winning wines (and several others) that we have heard about over the last few weeks. The judges are right, South African wine continues to improve and reach higher and higher standards. There were some knockout examples. At a large tasting like this we aim to taste as many trophy wines as possible and then fit in others. We find that this competition really does seem to drive quality, progress and innovation in the industry.

The fairly controversial wine that won the Trophy for the Best Shiraz and the best red wine overall Mount Sutherland Syrah from the Sneeuwberg mountains was very interesting. We didn’t find it to be an in your face fruit bomb, it is much more restrained, elegant and tight with some tannins but you can see the potential and why it scored 96 points. Saronsberg also scored 96 points and a gold medal for their elegant and structured Provenance Shiraz 2012 and this is ready to be enjoyed now.

The Chardonnays we tasted were exemplary, especially Trophy winner and best white wine on Show Mulderbosch 2013, Richness and freshness is what winemaker Adam Mason says he want – he has got it Museum Class trophy winner Chamonix Reserve 2008 really charmed us with it crisp acidity holding onto the lovely layers of golden fruit. And gold medallist Iona 2013 might just have to be put into our cellar soon. The Discovery of the Show Baleia Bay is there already.

We could cover pages with recommendations for many, many more of these wines. Ifyou see a wine with one of these awards and you can afford it buy a bottle to try and then buy some more if you like it. One you won’t be able to find is the KWV 1930 LBV Muscadel which won a gold medal in the museum class. What an extraordinary wine and how fortunate we were to get some in our glass, so thick and syrupy, so balsamic and yet still a joy to taste. Why do we ignore, neglect and not appreciate our superb sweet wines? They are one of the best jewels in our wine varietals

A good crowd gathers at the beginning of the evening

De Kranz makes excellent ports and they bear many awards, including this year’s Tony Mossop Old Mutual Trophy for the best Cape Port for their Cape Vintage Reserve 2011. The 2010 was the last of this style of wine to carry (legally) the appellation Port. After that, descriptions like Cape Vintage Reserve, Late Bottled Vintage etc. may be used, as long as we don't say "Port", even though the palate tells you that  that's what they are!

Boets Nel looking deservedly proud of the Trophy

Boets Nel chatting to Christian Eedes, Publisher and editor of Wine Magazine on line

Elsie Pells, Cape Wine Master, on the Bon Courage stand

Abrie Beeslaar’s lovely ladies with his 2012 Pinotage

Brendan Butler, winemaker at Nitida, having fun tasting - for a change

Winemaker Werner Muller with the superb Iona 96 point Gold Medal Chardonnay

Kyle Zulch, winemaker with Daniël de Waal at Super Single Vineyards. Their Mount Sutherland Shiraz won two trophies: Best Red wine Overall and Best Shiraz

Zia du Toit from Ormonde and their Ondine 2013 Sauvignon Blanc and Mark Norrish of Ultra Liquors with his Secret Cellar sauvignon blanc and also the trophy winning best MCC, the Table Bay Blanc de Blanc NV

Ollo Parker of Altydgedacht and his lovely ladies with their trophy for the superbly floral Weisser Riesling 2013

Tariro Masayiti and Hildegard Witbooi of Springfontein with their 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon. Incidentally, several of the Nederburg award winning wines this year were made by Tariro when he was white wine maker there.

John enjoying a taste of the De Wetshof MCC with Marketing Manager Bennie Stipp. We are very fond of this wine

The Convention Centre on a crisp, still winter’s evening

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2014