Thursday, November 08, 2018

This Week’s MENU. Robertson Wine on the River, Overnight and Wine tasting at Bushmanspad, Robertson wine estates, Twelve Apostles' sushi, Wade Bales Constantia White, 2019 Platter's SA Wine Guide, Allan Mullins auction appeal, Thelema Petit Verdot, Alternative Christmas Pud

A walk in the country
We ended last week in Robertson and we’ll end this one there too, but more about that next week. We had a wonderful three days in that hospitable valley and came home to busy wine and dining activity in Cape Town. It has been a bit hectic. We’ll give you a small taste of one of those events here, the launch of the 2019 Platter wine guide, but the main story about that will be published next week. And we have a very special appeal.. An on line auction is being held for our friend Allan Mullins, to help with his huge medical expenses. Please click on the link below and look at the wonderful items being auctioned. It ends on the 11th, so you’ll need to hurry.
We admit that we had been warned about the weather all week long, before we ventured to Robertson for the last day of Wine on The River, one of our favourite wine festivals. And boy, was it hot! At midday, it reached 42 degrees. Everyone was having a great time. First, we called in at the Robertson Wine Valley desk to get our media passes from Beatrix; also glasses, some vouchers, a lovely bottle of De Wetshof Finesse Chardonnay to drink with our lunch and some more of the very useful necklace wine glass holders, which allow us to control cameras and notebooks and keep our wine glasses hanging safely on our chests. You can see the heat in the photos…
We had an invitation from Aldert Nieuwoudt, Cellarmaster at Bushmanspad, to stay at their cottages and taste their wines. We were able to stay for two nights and could then go to Wine on the River and also visit some wine farms in the area that we have not been to before, including Bushmanspad. The farm is nestled up against the Langeberg Mountains on the R60 between Ashton and Swellendam. It is owned by Dutchman Menno Schaafsma, who had the vision to build the five self catering guest cottages high on a ridge with spectacular views of the farm and the countryside beyond. There is a trail on the farm near the dam and the kloof which shows evidence of where Bushman travelled over the mountain to trade or hunt in the valley…
Robertson is full of some really kind and hospitable people in the wine industry, as we found on our most recent stay there. Although we had previously met the owners of Kleinhoekkloof, Theunis de Jongh, his wife Ronelle and daughter Danielle, who makes the wine with her father, we had never visited them on the farm and what a delightful visit it turned out to be…
We began our third day in Robertson at Springfield, where we tasted some of the new vintages in the tasting room, specifically the Life from Stone and Special Cuvée Sauvignons Blanc, and could not resist buying six of each. These wonderful wines are distinctly different from each other, change during the year and vie for first position. Abrie Bruwer's daughter Jenna gave us an informative cellar tour…
The Twelve Apostles Hotel at Oudekraal now has a sushi menu and we were invited to have lunch and enjoy some of the sushi last week. It is in the lovely, summery Café Grill restaurant on the second floor…
Beautiful late afternoon light on the vines at Wade Bales’ Cellar in Constantia. Wade is a wine merchant (or, in French, a Negociant). We were there for the launch of a wine commissioned by and made especially for Wade; the first in his pioneering Wade Bales Regional Series: The Constantia White, a blend of 67% Sauvignon Blanc and 33% Semillon - as Wade says, the two hero varietals of the region. This is the outcome of a collaboration combining the talents of seven of Constantia’s top wine farms. Each winemaker selected a component of Sauvignon Blanc and/or Semillon from their best vineyards, tanks and barrels. All seven then participated in the rigorous tasting and blending process, hand crafting the best wine that represents Constantia…
The 2019 Platter Wine Guide by Diners Club was released this week at the Table Bay Hotel. Here, Publisher Jean-Pierre Rossouw holds up the new guide in its colour called Amphora, a mutable peachy pink that seems to change colour according to the light in which you view it. The On Line version is also available for purchase…

Our friend, Cape Wine Master Allan Mullins has had a huge impact on the South African wine scene, especially in his capacity as Wine Selector for Woolworths. He has done this despite having to live with a severe disability since he broke his spine in a diving accident at the age of 23. He has been in a wheelchair since then. He celebrated his 70th birthday last month. Living with such a severe disability presents severe medical challenges, especially as one reaches an advanced age, and this becomes very expensive. A group of Allan’s friends and family has put together an On Line auction of Special Vintage Wines, Unique Experiences, Art and Accommodation to boost his Medical Fund. The success of the auction rests on getting the word out to as many people as possible, so please go to the auction website in order to participate at auction.allanmullins.co.za


On the MENU this week. Alternative Christmas pudding     Lynne has not cooked much this week; we have been away and out so much, so she hopes you won’t mind a repeat recipe from the past. Christmas is looming faster than we can credit and we are already planning our meal. Lynne made a couple of her famous Christmas puddings earlier this year, as we are rather traditional and love them on Christmas Day, after our evening meal. But not everyone likes them and this is a possible substitute more suited to our hot summer weather. You could substitute whisky or brandy for the rum if you prefer…

is one of the highest scoring Wines of the Year in the just released 2019 Platter SA Wine Guide. An unusual varietal that we believe has never before won 5 stars, we have enjoyed it many times in a wine from the same wine Estate, blended with Cabernet Sauvignon. Read on…

8th November 2018


© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2018
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