Spring is in the
air and the dragonflies emerge
We write about
our experiences in MENU, not only to entertain you, but to encourage you to
visit the places and events that we do. We know you will enjoy them and we try
to make each write up as graphic as we can, so you get a good picture of what
is on offer at each place, restaurant, wine farm, festival we visit. To get the whole story with photographs, please click on “Read
on.....” at the end of each paragraph, which will lead you to the
related blog, with pictures and more words. At the end of each blog, click on RETURN TO MENU
to come back to the blog version of MENU.
To have two
really good meals cooked
by excellent chefs in one week is a terrific experience; to have them both
paired with great wines is even better.
In the Pink - the launch of Rosé Rocks Competition
We've been told that this is the first ever competition for rosé wines
in South Africa and it is hoped that it will raise the profile of the rosé
wines that we can produce so well. Rosé wines have (sadly) been viewed in the
past as wines only suitable for giving to your girlfriend or mother on
Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day. And, usually, they are seen as sweet and
characterless. We think they are worth much more than that. Overseas,
especially in the South of France, these easy drinking, fruity wines are
enormously popular with food, especially at lunches, often in the summer. They
are normally lower in alcohol and you can share a meal of fish, seafood and
meat without having to order more than one bottle of wine, as most rosés pair
excellently with all dishes. A few years ago, many farms upped their game and
produced some really good rosé wines - we used to sell lots - but many have now
disappeared. The supermarkets are selling too many characterless rather sweet wines,
with one or two excellent exceptions. Do we blame their buyers or the
uninformed public for excluding those dryer, more elegant rosés from their
shelves? Perhaps this competition will bring the good rosés to the fore again.
What is a rosé wine? Officially it is made from the
first free run juice of a red wine, bled off to increase the concentration of
the juice used to make the red wine. To quote Wikipedia, rosé is "wine
that incorporates some of the colour from the grape skins, but not enough to
qualify it as a red wine". Very pale pink wines can be known as Blanc de
Noir (white from red). It has all the nuances and flavours of its red grape,
just few tannins and no wood. It can be made from a blend of white and red
wines, illegal in France but not in South Africa. You might like to know that
in the UK, they spend ₤1.8 million on rosé wines each year, so this could be a
great market for our Rosés.
We were invited to lunch at Equus restaurant at
Cavalli wine estate on Thursday to hear about the competition.
The Top 10 Chenin Blanc Awards at Cape
Grace We have said this before and no doubt will
again. Chenin Blanc is the grape that defines the South African wine industry.
We grow more of it than any other grape. It can be grown all over our winelands
as it is not terroir specific and can produce many different styles, very well.
We have vineyards of great age and elegance that continue to produce superb
wine, Astoundingly, all the winners in this competition come from vineyards
that are at least 25 year old, and many are 40 years or more. It is our best
hope of overseas attention and respect. We are producing some absolutely
amazing Chenins, at all price levels. And some are very affordable. In fact at
the prices quoted below, all would sell in the UK for around or below ₤10 yet
their international competitors would sell for much, much, more.
This week, we were at The Cape Grace Hotel to attend
the award ceremony of the Standard Bank Top 10 Chenin Blancs for 1915. Read more, with photos, here
The Top 10 Pinotage Awards at the KWV
We were not able to attend this function because it was held at the same
time as the Top 10 Chenin, and we had already accepted our Chenin invitation
when the Pinotage invitation arrived. We do wish that all the PR people would
consult each other so that there would be fewer clashes like this. Kanonkop and
Rijk’s Cellars from Tulbagh made history by becoming the first producers to
notch up ten Absa Top 10 Pinotage Awards each. Read on....
Nederburg Classic concert We
love classical music and opera and, sadly, our busy life does not allow us
enough time to go to as many concerts and recitals as we would love. So, when
we were invited to an early evening recital at Nederburg on Sunday, we jumped
at the opportunity to hear the Esperanza Trio play some excellent chamber music
in the Manor House. The concert finished at 7 and was followed by a simple
supper of soup and canapés, accompanied by some good Nederburg wines, all of
which are included in the price. There are three more concerts in the series
for which you can book: www. concerts@distell.co.za or from
Webtickets. They are held on the last Sunday of each month, except for the last
which will be on Saturday 21st November and will be the Picnic concert. Read on to see where we were.....
A cool tour to Elgin Most of the tours we
conduct go, by the clients' choice, to the most well-known (to foreign
visitors) areas, such as Stellenbosch. As most of our readers know, we go there
very often. Stellenbosch, in itself, can be seen as a generic term because it
is a large area with many very different terroirs. While it has a huge number
of wonderful wine producers, it is quite close to home and therefore
convenient. It also claims a massive share of the South African wine industry
limelight and some other areas get lost in its shadow.
Which is why we really enjoy taking visitors to some of those
other areas. Recently, we had the opportunity to take a party of American and
South African wine enthusiasts to Elgin. We started at Paul Cluver.
Cellarmaster Andries Burger had to be in Johannesburg, but he put us into the
very capable hands of their Sales manager, Shaun McVey, who showed us the
cellar and their wines with great enthusiasm and knowledge of his subject. Read on…..
This Week’s Recipe: Flavoured Croutons It is still soup weather, although spring is showing us its lovely face
now and then. Lynne has made a huge pot of pea, lentil, vegetable and ham hock
soup for tonight and we will have some croutons to accompany this for texture.
You can buy croutons quite easily in supermarkets nowadays, but just a few for
the price of two whole loaves of bread. It is incredibly easy to make them
yourself and they can be stored in a lock-seal container for quite a long time.
A perfect way to use up stale bread, but you can, if pushed, use fresh bread
too. White, brown or rye, whichever kind of bread you like, all can be turned
into croutons. Save the ends of your hard cheeses and use them grated on top.
Or just use parmesan or your favourite....
4 slices of bread - canola or olive oil,
you can also use a flavoured oil, like chilli, herb, garlic or even truffle -
salt - pepper - a seasoning, barbeque or herb salt mix - fresh chopped garlic -
fresh chopped herbs - grated cheese - cayenne pepper for a hit of heat
Heat your oven to 200 ⁰C. Cut the bread into cubes
about 2 to 3 cm square. Spread these on a lined baking tray and sprinkle them
lightly with oil. Season and sprinkle over any of the above flavours you like,
NOT all at once though. You could match them to the dish you are serving. Cover
with a fine grating of cheese and pop into the oven until they are nice and
golden brown. Turn them once if the bases need colour. Turn off the oven, leave
the door ajar and let them cool and crisp there.
You can also turn these into flavoured breadcrumbs for
coating fish or meat or for sprinkling onto dishes to add texture.
Coming Events:
SEPTEMBER
Wednesday, 2nd September from 17h00 to 19h00 De Trafford
will host an informal vertical tasting of Cape Winemakers Guild wines at
the cellar, going back to the maiden vintage. They plan to have a few
bottles of selected vintages for sale so you may leave with something special
in hand. There is no charge, but space is limited, so please confirm attendance
by email to info@detrafford.co.za
Thursday, 3rd September at 18h00 for 18h30 Alto Meet The Winemaker Dinner.
Indulge in a three-course food and wine pairing L)inner with Winemaker Bertho
van der Westhuizen at Alto Wine Estate. Dinner in the cellar. R395 per person
(Limited Seating). For booking, please contact 021 881 8884 or info@alto.co.za
Thursday, 3rd September Nobu Cape Town’s Wine & Dine
2015 Series. Conjuring Up a Magical Feast with Hartenberg Estate priced at R495 per person. To reserve your table at Nobu Cape
Town, call 021 431 4511 or mail to restaurant.reservations@oneandonlycapetown.com
Friday 4th September 17h00 to 20h00 Wine Concepts Seductive Sauvignons Festival at The Vineyard Hotel. This popular annual festival gives wine
lovers the opportunity to taste a selection of flirtatious latest release
Sauvignon Blanc’s and captivating current vintage Cabernet Sauvignons from over
40 of the country’s top producers. This year we will be including Bubblies,
Rosé’s and Dessert wines and there may even be an older vintage or two to
savour in the line-up. Tempting and delicious finger snacks will be served with
the wine throughout the evening. All the showcased wines will be available for
purchase at special prices from Wine Concepts on the evening. Venue: The Vineyard Hotel,
Colinton Road, Newlands, Cost: R170.00 per person – includes wine
glass and light snacks Early Bird tickets @ R160.00. There is Ample Parking at
the venue. The Vineyard Hotel is offering a special of a 2 course dinner in
Square Restaurant, bed & breakfast for Single R1255; Double R1910. Tickets
can conveniently be purchased via www.webtickets.co.za, or at any of the Wine Concepts branches. Telephone
Newlands at 021 671 9030 or Kloof Street at 021 426 4401. Email: admin@wineconcepts.co.za or at the door on the evening subject to availability http://www.wineconcepts.co.za
Saturday 5th September The seventh Waterblommetjie
Festival presented by Windmeul Cellar and Rhebokskloof Estate in Paarl
takes place on with waterblommetjie dishes and wine pairing as one of its main
themes. Waterblommetjies (Cape pondweed), like other plants, grow more slowly
in colder winter weather and bloom in the middle of August. The dams in which
the waterblommetjies grow are about 1 meter deep to make the picking process
easier. For more information and the full programs, windmeul@iafrica.com or 021 869 8100 (Windmeul) and info@rhebokskloof.co.za or 021 869 8386 (Rhebokskloof)
Saturday, 5th September Waverley Hills Green
Fair. The day will start out with a farm walk to raise funds for
CANSA; the market will open shortly after walk commences. There will be live
entertainment, great stalls that are local/sustainable/green minded, plus 5
food and wine pods that will have fynbos infused foods paired with Waverley
Hills organic wine, some speaker sessions (tbc) and a kiddies zone.
Registration at 9am. Start time 9.30 am fro Waverley Hills Cellar. Wear GREEN to show your support. Funds raised will go towards CANSA.
Participation fee R30. R10 for children under 10. Adult supervision is
required. info@waverleyhills.co.za www.waverleyhills.co.za
Saturday, 5th and Sunday, 6th September from 10am to 4pm The annual
Bot River Spring Weekend. Beaumont and its
neighbouring wineries will once again open their cellar doors. The Beaumont
family invites you to celebrate the budding vines, the arrival of new vintages
and delicious food with family and friends. This year they also welcome the
refreshed Beaumont wine label — a sincere expression of their rich heritage,
traditions and passion for the vines, the land and their life as a farm family.
They will celebrate with heart and soul, chenins and blends, sweet and savoury,
walks and talks and warming hospitality. For a full list of what they offer on
this weekend and to book your table for lunch, a bed in their cottage or a
guided tour please visit www.beaumont.co.za/news-event/ or call 028 284
9194.
Wednesday, 9th September Blu
Bird Exclusive Winemaker dinner at Bistro Michel,
Blubird Shopping Centre, Cor Atholl-Oaklands Road & Fort Street,
Johannesburg. Tyrell Myburgh will lead guests through the wines produced
by Joostenberg. Seats are limited to 30 only to ensure a social evening
centered around good food and wine. To book, please contact Corlien
on corlien@wineconcepts.co.za or 011 440 5498. Seats are limited
and will be allocated on a first reply basis
Learn about wine and cooking We receive a lot of enquiries from
people who want to learn more about wine. Cathy Marston
and The Cape Wine Academy both run wine
education courses, some very serious and others more geared to fun. You can see
details of Cathy’s WSET and other courses here and here and the CWA courses here. Karen Glanfield has taken
over the UnWined
wine appreciation courses from Cathy. See the details here
The Hurst Campus, an accredited school for people who want to become
professional chefs, has a variety of courses. See the details here
In addition to his
Sense
of Taste Culinary Arts School, Chef Peter Ayub runs a
four module course for keen home cooks at his Maitland complex. Details
here
Nadège Lepoittevin-Dasse has French cooking classes in Noordhoek
and conducts cooking tours to Normandy. You can see
more details here
Emma Freddi runs
the Enrica Rocca cooking courses at her
home in Constantia
Nicolette van
Niekerk runs baking courses at La Petite Patisserie in Montague
Gardens
George Jardine will
be running a series of winter cooking courses and other activities at Jordan. Details here
2nd September 2015
PS If a word or name is in bold type and underlined,
click on it for more information
Phones: +27 21 439 3169 / 083 229 1172 / 083 656
4169
Postal address: 60 Arthurs Rd, Sea Point 8005
Our Adamastor
& Bacchus© tailor-made Wine, Food and Photo tours take
small groups (up to 6) to specialist wine producers who make the best of South
Africa’s wines. Have fun while you learn more about wine and how it is made!
Tours can be conducted in English, German, Norwegian and standard or Dutch-flavoured
Afrikaans.
If you like the photographs you see in our publications,
please look at our Adamastor
Photo website for our
rate card and samples from our portfolio
We apologise if MENU caused
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at that time, (s)he’s intruding on your valuable personal time.
Recommendations
of products and outside events are not solicited or
charged for, and are made at the authors’ pleasure. All photographs, recipes and text used in these
newsletters and our blogs are © John & Lynne Ford,
Adamastor & Bacchus. Our restaurant reviews are usually
unsolicited. We prefer to pay for our meals and not be paid in any way by
anyone. Whether we are invited or go independently, we don’t feel bad if we say
we didn’t like it. Honesty is indeed our best policy. While every effort is
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