The
week started well with a great tasting of the brands represented by John
Collins. It is a small but perfectly formed list of some of our top wine farms
and brands: Diemersfontein, Jordan, Kleinood, Newton Johnson, Thelema Sutherland,
Springfield, Keet Wines and, newly added to the stable, Le Lude MCC from
Franschhoek
Nikki
Booth, owner of Ottimo Cibo, does the catering in her beautiful Italianate
house in Bishopscourt. We believe that she and her husband Advocate William
Booth have now sold the house and we all await with bated breath to see what Nikki
will do next
Ottimo Cibo has beautiful gardens
Le Lude showed this Magnum of Brut Rosé non vintage MCC with nice berry fruit from the 65% Pinot Noir showing beautifully
Grilled goats cheese topped with preserved green figs
Winemaker Paul Gerber of Le Lude with Anne Ferreira. Peter “Bubbles” Ferreira has consulted for Le Lude and Anne manages their PR
Tiny crustless quiches with an
embedded sweet caramelised mini tomato
Michelle van Eeden from
Thelema/Sutherland pours out a tasting for a member of the trade. The 2012
Viognier/Rousanne really impressed, lots of apricots and orange blossom, very
complex and such a good food wine
Marvellous well spiced chicken sausage
rolls
Marketing manager Dian Joubert and winemaker Francois
Roode on the Diemersfontein stand. We loved their Carpe Diem 2014 Chenin and
2014 Viognier and the Thokozani 2014 Rose. The 2013 Carpe Diem Pinotage is our
favourite; full of rich vanillins, plums and blueberries
Jessica Saurwein and Spicer de Villiers on
the Kleinood table. The 2014 Viognier is smoky, with a lush mouth and lots of peaches. Lynne liked the pretty 2015 Katharien Syrah Rosé and their two Syrahs always deliver impressive fruit and elegance. This year, they have 2011 Syrah
and the top of the range John Spicer 2009 Syrah.
Morsels of delicious rare duck which
went so well with the Newton Johnson Walker Bay 2013 Pinot Noir, full of roses
and violets on the nose and sweet berries, with a good acid balance on the
palate
Fishy balls with lemon mayo. These
went well with the superb Newton Johnson 2014 Chardonnay, a full tingle on the
tongue of beautiful citrus fruit and gentle wood
Lots of tasters from restaurants,
hotels and the wine trade attend, with a few media like us
Lots of food came non-stop from the
kitchen
The Springfield whites never disappoint. Both the crisp and exciting 2015 Special Cuvée and Life From Stone Sauvignons Blanc are ready for drinking, the 2011 Méthode Ancienne Chardonnay is rich and full, and we loved the exciting Miss Lucy 2015 white blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Pinot Gris, which we think might become a prize winning classic. If only SA would drink more white blends they would get this excitement. The Red Stumpnose fish on the label is known as Miss Lucy by the Southern Cape fishermen
Wine merchant Caroline Rillema with Gary Jordan. Jordan's
newly released "The Real McCoy" 2014 Riesling is indeed that. It blew
Lynne away with its concentrated, layered fruit, great balance and crisp acidity. The newly released 2014 Nine Yards Chardonnay is, as expected, a cracker of a
wine with elegance, golden fruit, crisp, rich and sophisticated
Tiny parmesan biscuits topped with blue
cheese cream
Small cups of tomato soup topped with
cheese
Tiny pies with a tomato sauce
Chris Keet entertaining the trade with his newly released 2011 First Verse (the third vintage), a red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec & Petit Verdot, all in harmony and balance, all promising a long life. It was the second time in a week that Lynne had tasted it and it confirmed her choice. This is her birthday wine for 2015 - which means that John has given her a case of this for her birthday on the 14th. Expensive, yes, but he will share it with her over the years. We recommend that you buy some to keep if you cellar your wine. It will drink well now, but it is sure to improve for many years. We have a selection of wines made by Chris over the last 20 years, and the oldest are still magnificent
Neil and Sue Proudfoot of Wine Concepts
in Kloof Street with their daughter
John Collins with his colleague Marcha
Cooke
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015
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