Now this is what you’d call a good party! Held the day before Cape Wine
2018 began, the Chenin Blanc Association held their party on "the
Beach" at the Grand Cafe next to the V&A Waterfront. We were invited
to join the party, play and taste some of the best Chenins in the land. We were
instructed to wear suitable beach attire and, in the grey and damp week leading
up to the party, we wondered what woollen attire would be suitable (long johns
with a snorkel were mentioned). But the Cape climate played ball and we had marvellous
sunny and warm weather
Welcomed by a marimba band to get us into
the mood. It worked.
Malu Lambert and Jan Sleet chatting
A friend with Ina Smith, Manager of
the Chenin Blanc Association, which organised the great event
What would they do without this wonderful
woman who tirelessly promotes this versatile grape
A visiting foreign wine delegate tasting at Anthonij Rupert Wines' table
Ken Forrester, Chairman of the SA Chenin
Blanc Association, welcomes us all
David and Nicholas Trafford chat to a
guest
Hannelize Mouton of Diemersfontein
Karen Steytler of Kaapzicht in conversation with Fleur du Cap winemaker Pieter Badenhorst
Alastair
Rimmer, Cellarmaster at Kleine Zalze, tastes a Ken Forrester wine from a huge bottle
Some of Ken Forrester’s’ lovely Chenin
Blancs, including the amazingly fresh 2007
Higgo Jacobs starts off the first Wine Olympics.
The teams had to answer a series of questions about Chenin blanc and then
participate in a competition to see who could sabrage a bottle of Ken Forrester’s
Sparklehorse sparkling Chenin and send the decapitated top of the bottle
through a hoop
Guy McDonald of Magic Radio was the MC and tried to
keep the contestants under control
Pieter du Toit of Cederberg, aka King
Neptune, was judge and jury of this hilarious competition
Attie Louw of Opstal, Sebastian Beaumont and Chris Boustred of Remhoogte
trying to get their answers straight
You can see it in their faces; they don't
have a clue about the question. Not many of them did!
We got one right! Celebration. Sommeliers
Neil Grant, Kim McBride and a British colleague; Winemakers Attie Louw, Sebastian Beaumont
Kimi Blackadder, Fiona McDonald, Martin Moran MW with those hoops that had to be rolled
Siobhan Thompson & Maryna Calow of
WOSA, with Thea van der Merwe of Jordan,
taking a well deserved breather before
Cape Wine begins
Guy MacDonald gives instructions about how
the obstacle course is to be approached
Alastair Rimmer, Danie Steytler, Siobhan
Thompson, Maryna Calow
Lynne enjoying the sun and the very funny
entertainment
Next time we suggest flaming hoops for
the dogs - oops, contestants to leap through
Pieter du Toit, aka King Neptune, watches
the action
Judge Spencer Fondaumiere checking the answers! Sebastian has a
problem with that answer...
The line up of warm wines for each team to
"Find the Chenin"
Even the staff were amused
Such a laugh! Lynne with Jeff Grier and Lucille Botha
Chris Boustred gets tips from Sebastian
Beaumont on finding the seam for Sabrage ...
... and sends that cork flying through
the hoop
David Clarke succeeds too
A tandem attempt by Kim McBride and Chris Boustred. They got a previous question wrong and had to go again. The ringed cork came from Chris, but it missed the ring
The teams having fun
MC Guy MacDonald with those really tricky questions about Chenin Blanc
Kimberly McBride, Manager at Salut Wines, Manchester serves us some of the Sabraged bubbles
Chris Boustred with their Remhoogte Chenins
The not-so-younger-generation; Graham Knox and Francois Naude having fun
Jeff Grier makes a very short speech while Anel Grobler listens in the background
Chris Boustred chatting to Jean Daneel. It was a very convivial occassion, very social with rather a lot of chenin consumed rather than tasted. Some of us had a rather tender time next day
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2018
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