Black Oystercatchers on mussel covered rocks, Yzerfontein, Western Cape West Coast
A quiet week which allowed us to get on with household things, like repainting garden furniture, but brightened by some great food at home, like Lynne’s magnificent cassoulet, enjoyed with friends, and lunch at one of Cape Town’s finest restaurants. Here are our stories
Restaurant Week has evolved into Restaurant Month as so many
good restaurants join. When Lynne checked out the Cape Town entries, she was
excited to see Fyn on the list. Opened in 2018 by Chef Peter Tempelhoff - you
might know him from the Cellars Hohenort in Constantia - it has garnered many
good reviews and recently an international award. We have been keen to go, so
she immediately made a booking. They were running a very good special. We
arrived on a blustery day and, as John drove into the car park across the way,
the concierge Albert told Lynne that they can arrange free parking for guests
there. He then chased John’s car and arranged everything. What service. We knew
then that this was going to be a special day. Read on…
The 2020 Cape Winemakers Guild Auction - online
This year’s Cape Winemakers Guild Auction was held online. We missed the atmosphere of the live auction we have always enjoyed at Spier in Stellenbosch and, like almost everyone involved, had to watch it on our computers. Like last year’s auction, it was conducted by Bonhams, but this time it was from their premises in London, where it was, apparently, attended by a few bidders in the room. There was an unfortunate blip, seemingly from their sound system and we had to wait about 40 minutes while the Bonhams technicians sorted it out. It is a pity they did not have the technology sorted before the event. But it is the first time. Read on…
Stellenbosch Hills White Reserve 2019
We were sent this bottle of Stellenbosch Hills 2019 White Reserve to review this week and we took it with us to a restaurant to try with food. It paired well with spicy pork and rich sauces. Not enough acidity with fish. It is an unusual blend of 70% Chardonnay, 20% Semillon, 10% Viognier. The Chardonnay predominates on the nose then some grey Semillon, there is slight wood smoke as each component wine has had 10 months on French oak, then peaches appear. It is very ripe, rich and full on the palate, Viognier shows first with full on sweet stone fruits, and creamy golden oak. It finishes quite quickly when cold. When it warms up there is a some length and acidity. We look forward to drinking this in summer. R156.95 on the farm
Have a great weekend
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