A
Glittering Evening at the Veritas Awards
This
huge wine awards ceremony is held once a year and this year was again at the
Cape Town International Convention Centre. Several hundred guests pack the
banqueting hall and Black tie formal wear gives us a chance to gussy up in our
finery for a change.
Taking our seats
Chairman Bennie Howard opened proceedings.
290 farms entered and there were 1763 wines entered. 57 double gold, 157 gold, 473
silver and 662 bronze medals were awarded . You will find the full results on
www.veritas.co.za
We have to compliment them on the food,
for a change. For the last few years it has been extremely disappointing, nay
shocking, on occasion. This year they employed three great chefs and they
produced good food. David Higgs, late of The Saxon Hotel in Johannesburg, flew
down to Cape Town to do the starter of beautifully orange cured local trout
with humus, sunflower seed pesto and salted almonds, pickled cucumber,
sunflower sprouts and crisp shards of radish.
CTICC Executive chef Warwick Thomas
produced the main course of tender seared lamb loin steaks and wonderful slow
roasted lamb shoulder, with bone marrow on a slightly sticky pumpkin risotto,
topped with peas, tomato and mange tout. He has extensive experience in high
volume banqueting and conferencing, having headed up the cuisine offerings at
various 5 star establishments in South Africa. Keep it up, this is what the
convention centre needs to show visiting delegates - how good our food in Cape
Town can be. Wines served through the evening were wines entered into the
competition and varied from table to table. There was a table where you could
help yourself and there was also two brandy tables serving the brandy winners
A very well dressed journalist Sandile
Mkhwanazi of Wynland Magazine with another glamorous guest from our table
Chef Bertus Basson did the dessert course
and it was entitled "Puddings at my Mothers Table" and consisted of a
selection of dessert served family style to each table so you could help
yourself. This was vanilla ice cream
A fridge tart
Jelly and cream, a warm baked pear
pudding - our favourite, served with the good real vanilla custard
After the awards and music by Elvis
Blue, the disco started and that got people up dancing
Final course was rather boring cheese
platters and some friandise which didn't arrive at our table. Lynne had a
winning brandy - her favourite Laborie Alambic and then it was time to go
The younger folk danced till late. It
looks as if some people don't understand Black Tie Formal wear
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015
No comments:
Post a Comment