In this week’s MENU:
Dinner with Bertus Basson on Vondeling
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.
Riscura White Hot Awards
The awards are for the best white Bordeaux blend in South Africa. This
is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. The ceremony was held at Tjing
Tjing Torii in town and we were able to taste all of the winners. They are all,
without exception, great wines. The top wine, the Mulderbosch Faithful Hound
made by Adam Mason, is multi-layered, elegant and a clear winner. The prices
vary a lot, but most are still available and all are ready for drinking now.
They are scored out of 100, which is a method of scoring used overseas and
here, but which we ourselves don't use, preferring the one we were trained to use,
which is out of 20. Here is the list of winners, with some photographs.
Glorious Spring Flowers everywhere We
heard that the spring flowers up the West Coast were magnificent and we had one
day free last week, so we packed a picnic and off we went. If you get a chance
to go on a sunny day (the flowers do not open if it is cloudy, so don't waste a
trip), GO. It is absolutely superb. You do need to go right into the Postberg
Nature Reserve to see them and you will be rewarded. Every spare inch of ground
without bush is covered in flower carpets. We were told that there is free
entrance to the park between the 9th and 14th of September. We also took the
road to Darling, but that was rather disappointing. Perhaps those flowers will
come out later in the season. Some of our photographs.....
Blaauwklippen Blending Competition Each year Blaauwklippen invites wine clubs to enter this competition and each year they select the varietals which will constitute a blend which they want the clubs to make. There are now
clubs in five countries that enter and this year they were required to make a
blend which is made to last, from the five classic Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet
Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Bottles of wine are
sent to all the participating clubs and they must come up with their own blend.
We were invited to see the awards being presented last Friday on the farm, to
taste the winning wine and to enjoy a really
great lunch prepared by visiting Chef Craig Cormack. See what happened.....
Dinner with Bertus Basson on Vondeling
Craig Cormack has worked closely with Chef Bertus Basson and we thought
you might like to know that Chef Bertus is doing three great Sunday lunches on
Vondeling wine farm in the Voor Paardeberg area, which is only an hour from
town. There are apparently still some places open and the dates are Sunday 20th
September, 8th November and 20th December. We certainly plan to be at one of
these and would recommend you book soon. The cost is only R245 per person and
we know the food and wine will be worth the visit. If you can't make the Big
Sunday lunches, Vondeling are also having a Summer Family and Wine festival on
31st October. Contact Vondeling directly at 021 869 8595 or info@
vondelingwines.co.za
Seductive Sauvignons We
love this festival held every year by Mike Bampfield Duggan and his talented
Wine Concepts team at the Vineyard hotel. Where else can you taste through some
of the best Sauvignons, white and red this country has to offer? There were
also a couple of MCC bubblies made from Sauvignon and it was a great evening,
with some small taster dishes served throughout the evening while you walked
around sampling the wines. A pity if you missed it. Their next superb festival
will be the Champagne Festival later in the year. Check the Wine Concepts
website for current tastings. See more.....
Uva Mira & Guardian Peak Our wine club outing this month was a drive right to the top of the
Annandale Road near Stellenbosch, to the heady heights and wonderful views of
Uva Mira to taste some of their wines after which we headed a little way down
the hill to Guardian Peak for a really nice relaxing and good value lunch. More about which here....
Feeling at home at the Waterford trade
day Waterford Estate is one of the most
elegant wine farms in the Cape. It is owned jointly by Jeremy Ord and his
partner, Cellarmaster Kevin Arnold. To quote from their web site: “The winery
was designed by architect Alex Walker and created from quarried local bedrock,
stones from the vineyard and timber grown on the estate. It was styled along
the engaging terracotta design of the classic Bordeaux chateaux of France”. The
centre piece of the magnificent courtyard is the Waterford fountain which
features on their wine label. It is a very welcoming place and we love to
visit. The tasting room is more like a huge comfortable lounge in a luxury
country hotel, especially when you can collapse into the soft sofas by the roaring
fireplace on a chilly Spring day, with a glass of the Kevin Arnold Shiraz in
your hand. This week, they held their trade open day with lots and lots of
different ways to taste their wines. We loved it. Read on.....
Chasing the canapés
Suddenly, we are finding that most functions are being held mid morning
or early evening at cocktail time. Obviously, the cost of lunches and dinners
has outstripped the budgets. While there are great exceptions, it can mean a
rather unsatisfying event for us, as you literally have to chase servers as the
canapés zoom past one, often at head height. This can be quite amusing but, if you are having to taste a lot of wine
and need something to help soak up the alcohol, it is rather infuriating and
unsatisfying. Training of staff about serving canapés is badly needed, and so
is their fair distribution across a room. We vote for a spread on an accessible
table in a corner of the room.
And some of the canapés can be minimal, in size and
quantity. Sometimes, a bowl of soup might be a better option! It means that we
have to go somewhere nearby to eat something afterwards, because driving on an
empty stomach after alcohol is not going to happen and cooking at 9 o’clock is
not an option. Yes, if we could be better organised and had more time, we could
go home to a meal cooked earlier but, at this time of year, we have no spare
time. Thank heavens for good fish and chips or our excellent local Chinese. And,
no, we don't do convenience food.
The Nederburg Auction We
will be at the Auction this weekend and hope to give you a write up about it
next week. However, the next week is going to be so incredibly busy with Cape
Wine and functions organised around it that we do not know how or when we are
going to find the time to produce MENU. But, somehow, we will. You can look
forward to a bumper edition. Yesterday we visited Montagu, to experience a
representative sample of Klein Karoo wines with lunch, more about which next
week. Thankfully, we were taken there and back by bus.
Sorry, but there is no recipe this week. Lynne insists on researching, cooking and
fine tuning all the recipes first to ensure that they work and, this week, we
have not cooked anything at home other than breakfast.
Coming Events:
SEPTEMBER
Friday, 11th and Saturday 12th September The Nederburg
Auction at Nederburg, Paarl. Once a year, over two days in September,
Nederburg winery in Paarl becomes the highlight and focal point of the fine
wine business, providing an appropriate backdrop for a prestigious showcase of
South Africa’s best wines, culture and wine personalities. This event is the
Nederburg Auction, the oldest auction in the New World of wine and a tribute to
the endeavours of South African winemakers since 1975 to improve their wines. More here...
Saturday, 12th September The second annual Wellington Fork
& Cork wine festival at Kleinevalleij Estate,
presented by Wellington and the Mutual & Federal Agri Wellington Wine
Route. The festival promises to tickle the taste buds providing its patrons
with the best local food, wine, art and entertainment the Valley of the
Wagonmakers has to offer. Guests can look forward to a fresh produce and
lifestyle market as well as a brand new wine theatre with five uniquely
entertaining productions and great prizes to be won during each session. The
festival also provides a supervised kids area where the young ones can romp
around in the fresh Boland air. From 12h00 music lovers can enjoy music by the
eight piece swing rock band, Swingsetters and from 15h00 the Bootleggers,
a six piece blues and jazz band will set the mood for the rest of the
day. The five wine theatres at Festa Restaurant on Kleinevalleij Estate
include: The People’s Chenin, Mighty Blends (Rooi Reuse), Sedgwicks and Andy
Watts, Pinotage and Personalities, Wellington Quest for the Best Top 10. During
the day’s festivities several lucky draws will take place with fantastic prizes
to be won. Prizes include hampers from the lifestyle market, wines from
the valley, restaurant vouchers, accommodation, Zipline vouchers, tickets to
the Tuin van Digtersfees and many more. Come and celebrate Wellington’s feat
and experience why it was announced Western Cape Kwêla Dorp van die Jaar by sampling the best this Boland town
has to offer. Tickets are available at Computicket at R150 per person and
include a glass, free tasting and entry to the wine theatres. Children
under the age of 17 enter for free. Festivities start at 10h00 and will
continue till 18h00 – thereafter the party moves to the adjacent Festa. For
more information and the full programme contact tel 021 864 1378, e-mail info@wellington.co.za or visit www.wellington.co.za/forkcork
Sunday, 13th September The
PIWOSA ‘Wine Car Boot’ Fair. PIWOSA, Premium
Independent Wineries of South Africa, comprising thirteen of South Africa’s top
independent, boutique wine producers, will be hosting a day of fine wine and
epic entertainment at Journey’s End Estate in Sir Lowry’s Pass. Tickets at R150
per head, including 12 tasting tokens, a branded glass and all entertainment,
are available via Quicket at https://www.quicket.co.za/events/9699-piwosa-wine-car-boot/
Tuesday, 15th to Thursday, 17th September Cape Wine Premier Wine Show,
Cape Town International Convention Centre. Cape Wine is South Africa's premier
wine show, and the southern hemisphere's largest. But, despite its size and
popularity, it's really about the intimate details and little-known secrets of
our wines and the people behind them. Join trade visitors and journalists from
around the world and take advantage of the ideal opportunity to get up close
and personal with South Africa’s wines and winemakers. http://www.capewine2015.com/image/register.png
Thursday, 17th September From 7pm - 1am BeOnBree. The Pebbles Project in conjunction with Cape Wine 2015 and
generously sponsored by JF Hillebrand South Africa invite you to join us and
#BeOnBree for the last night of Cape Wine. The annual ‘last night of the show’
and fundraising party will be held at La Parada on Bree Street, Cape Town.
Tickets cost R600 per person and include, as usual, the entertainment
and lots of food, drink and dancing. Book tickets on www.pebblesproject.co.za
Saturday, 19th September Celebrate
your Heritage with Lanzerac and The Giggling Gourmet. Treat your taste buds as Lanzerac Hotel’s Executive Chef,
Stephen Fraser and world-renowned foodie, Jenny Morris (aka The Giggling
Gourmet) whip up a feast of gastronomic proportions. The cost is R595 per
person and includes a three-course lunch; welcome drinks and canapés, wines
served with the meal, the live entertainment, as well as a goodie bag. For all
bookings and enquiries contact Zelda Furstenburg at Lanzerac Wine Estate on winesales@lanzerac.co.za or 021 886 5641.
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
10th 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
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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,
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