Thelema's Sutherland 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Petit Verdot

A wine we tasted at the Thelema Sutherland trade tasting that so impressed us and indeed many others in the trade who were attending, including some top sommeliers

Not only is this wine a steal at the price, but its perfumed, enticing nose, full of violets and fruit, makes one want to dive into this silky soft wine with its nice kick of warmth, spicy dark fruit and long, long length. It will be on quite a few wine lists, we suspect

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2016

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On the MENU this week: Spaghetti with Oil and Garlic (Aglio et Olio)

OK, we are great advocates of Banting; we know some of you are too. We have been doing it for nearly two years now , not intensely with our limitations when eating out at catered events and really feel the benefits, if not the weight loss. But sometimes you watch the Food channel and find a great Italian chef doing pasta and it is too tempting not to try. So last night, for the first time in two years, Lynne cooked a pasta dish. It is the easiest and quickest dish to make and it can be straight from your larder. Preferably use thin spaghetti if possible, but it is not essential. Quantities are for two

Spaghetti with Oil and Garlic (Aglio et Olio)

Really good Extra Virgin Olive oil, at least a 1/3rd of a cup or more - 2 or 3 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced - 1 t finely chopped red chilli or chilli flakes -Spaghettini or Angel hair pasta - Flaked salt - freshly ground black pepper - 2 T chopped parsley or oregano - 35 to 40 g finely grated Parmesan or Grana Padano cheese

Boil a pot of really salty water - it should taste like sea water. In an frying pan, cover the base with a good layer of good green olive oil (at least a 1/3 of a cup, and put it on a low heat. Add the garlic and the chilli and cook gently until the garlic is just beginning to take on some colour. Do not let it brown, it will be bitter. At the same time add the pasta to the water and cook until it is al dente. Just before it is ready, take a 1/3rd of a cup of the pasta water and add it to the garlic and chilli oil. Stir rapidly till it begins to emulsify, this is the sauce. Drain the pasta and put it into the oil and stir. Add a little more pasta water if you have no sauce. Add seasoning and stir in the parsley. Transfer to bowls for serving and add the cheese just before you eat. It is that simple. Enjoy with a healthy salad of mixed vegetables

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2016

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Elgin Shiraz Tweet up

Just a quick mention of another good tasting of some of Elgin's Shirazes this week. Lynne often struggles to recognise Shiraz, with its many varied taste profiles coming from all over our winelands, often terroir related, but sometimes because the makers just have no clue of what they are doing

The Elgin wines we tasted do not fall into this trap; they are all, in their own way, identifiably Shiraz, even though some have a definite European profile and others more of the warm southern hemisphere in the bottle. We tasted eleven, starting with four older wines from 2011 and 12, then four from 2013 and the final three from 2014 and 15. The Sutherland Syrah (2011) always stands out, we have bought various vintages again and again. One to watch is Moya Meaker 2012, made by a Frenchman, Damien Landouar. Richard Kershaw's Clonal 2013 Syrah is outstanding, very Rhône style, if expensive, and we loved the Almenkerk Syrah 2013 with its potential to cellar. Iona never fails to impress and the Solace 2014 scored well as did South Hills 2015. So if you want to drink good Shiraz, look to Elgin. You can follow us on Twitter at @mainingmenu

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2016

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New winemaker at Benguela Cove is Johann Fourie

Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate has appointed renowned winemaker Johann Fourie as its head winemaker. Johann, formerly head winemaker at KWV, was Diner’s Club Winemaker of the Year in 2015

And that’s just the South African brief – Fourie will also be lending his expertise to and spending considerable time at the owner Penny Streeter OBE’s UK property in West Sussex: Manning’s Heath Golf Club & Wine Estate, where the focus is on the production of patrician sparkling wine

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2016

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Thelema and Sutherland Trade wine tasting at Auslese

Thelema, situated on the slopes of the Simonsberg at the top of the Helshoogte Pass, is one of our premium wine farms and its wines have a great reputation. They also make wines in cooler Elgin, marketed as Sutherland wines, and these are also excellent. We went to taste these wines, some of them new season releases, last week at Auslese in the Gardens where chef owner Harald Bresselschmidt delighted John with his food pairings

Auslese is a function venue you may hire from Chef Harald Bresselschmidt. It is in Hope Street in the Gardens

Thelema’s MCC Brut 2013 gets us off to a good start

Pardon Taguzu, Sommelier of Aubergine Restaurant and Auslese, tries some of the Brut with Ralph Reynolds

Mark Herd of Sunset Beach wines chats about the Thelema White wines. We liked their crisp and zingy Verdelho 2015, probably profuse in the future of the Cape with global warming. Ed's Reserve Chardonnay 2014 always awakens interest with this interesting 'muscat' clone of chardonnay which give is perfume, litchi and zestiness

Paired with these white wines was a seafood paella

Many of the top sommeliers were at this tasting

Another pairing for the white wines was this Potato parfait and goats cheese. We found it went well with the Sutherland 2013 Viognier/Roussanne. A southern wine for summer, filled with apricots, orange blossom and warm citrus. The Sutherland Chardonnay 2014 deserves to end up on several wine lists. Fresh citrus flavours with toasty oak and a long fresh finish makes it a great food wine

This was the most popular pairing of the tasting, everyone was raving about how well the Rieslings, the Semillon 2013 Late Harvest and the 2013 Vin de Hel Muscat Late Harvest went with these spicy Thai fish cakes. The delicate off-dry rose petal Muscat de Frontignan is full of litchi and the Semillon has thick honey, apricots, ripe figs and cream; made for the gods

The Sutherland white wines

Time to move to the reds

The Thelema reds were paired with this lamb stuffed ravioli. All are good, but of special note is The Mint 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon. Such an elegant, elevated wine, full of cassis and plums with dark After Eight mint chocolate on the end. The 2012 Rabelais has a perfumed nose from the Petite Verdot and is soft and sweet with some spice and with warmth on the end. A food wine

To another table to taste the Sutherland reds, which were paired with this classic Quail coq au vin; unusual with orange beetroot which added a lot to the flavour

Winemaker Rudi Schultz was busy on this popular table showcasing the Sutherland reds. We often buy the Sutherland Shiraz and think the 2011 is worth laying down for a while. Then we found a gem and we were not the only ones, it was the most talked about wine at the tasting: Sutherland Cabernet Sauvignon Petit Verdot 2011. Perfumed with violets from the Petit Verdot, it is silky soft on the palate, then comes a nice kick of warm spice, dark fruits and lots and lots of length. Some is on order! The Pinot Noir is packed with cherries

Two well known Waterfront Sommeliers: Tatiana Marcetteau of The Cape Grace and Luvo Ntezo from The One and Only

Michelle van Eeden, Sales Manager, laughing at something John said

Francois Rautenbach of Singita gets some of that 2014 Riesling

Chef/Owner Harald Bresselschmidt in his kitchen with his chefs

The charming Cabernet Sauvignon/Petite Verdot is our wine of the Week in MENU

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2016

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