Thursday, November 24, 2022

Bolzano in the Boland - an Italian Celebration at Diemersfontein

on Saturday 12th November, to launch The Clockmaker Old Vine Chenin blanc was open to the public
and was very well subscribed

As we were staying at Diemersfontein, we had early breakfast in the restaurant
and chose a table near the window, as always, so we could admire the view

Help yourself to coffee and tea and we had a full English breakfast

Staff setting up the entrance to the Festival

The wines on ice - a warm day was expected

Some Italian food producers had been invited to sell their wares
We love the cheese, freshly made, from Puglia in Parklands in Cape Town
so a Burrata was bought for our supper when we got home
It would be served with tomatoes, basil, avocado, green olive oil and balsamic vinegar and a crusty loaf

A stand selling some excellent charcuterie

with samples of their salamis

and spicy chorizo

They have good olive tapenade too

The Italian School stand had books for sale

and an old friend, Michela Sfiligoi, was on the Wine Hive stand with some good local and imported Italian wines
We enjoyed a bottle of her Nomoya Vermentino, made in the Voor Paardeberg area, with our lunch
It is zingy, zesty and crisp with lovely layers of warm summer golden fruit

Suddenly, people started streaming in

We had a tasting of Diemersfontein wines in the tasting room
with well-versed staff member, Okuhle Sikade

The 2022 Sauvignon blanc spent four months on the lees
It is both tropical and green in equal measure on the nose,
sweeter on entry than expected, then green and crisp with long flavours; a food wine

The 2022 Chenin blanc is shy at first, with perfume and ripe fruit appearing
Round on the palate, crisp and zingy but not too much so

It’s a good tasting room and there are also lots of seats and tables outside on the deck
We tasted the Ovation Spumante; 100% Sauvignon blanc made in the Prosecco style and rather good, if you are a fan
with a similar nose to the Ovation SB, semi-sweet with some herbal notes, initial crisp bubbles
Might be good with food

The 2022 Ovation Sauvignon blanc is a classic warm country Sauvignon, with guava, passion fruit, and quite zesty at first
Needs a bit of time; long flavours appear on the end

We also tasted the Harlequin, a blend of 72% Shiraz and 28% Pinotage
The Pinotage speaks first with sour plums and mocca wood,
then sweet plums appear with dark licorice wood and chalky tannins on the finish

The 2021 Carpe Diem Malbec Reserve and the Shiraz, both of which we enjoyed with dinner the previous night

Tasting out on the deck under sun umbrellas

Included in the ticket price, you could taste five wines including the Clockmaker Chenin blanc

Our favourite wine of the day was the Thokozani 2021 Cabernet Franc,
which has lovely rich vanilla oak and a hint of fresh herbs like sage on the nose
Very good fruit in layers, tight tannins, some chalk
Blackberry, cassis and sweet elderberry fruit enchant

Shibisi Maruatona and Attilio Dalpiaz with Italian Consul Emanuele Pollio and Piero Zanardi

Full tables all day

Wine and food being served and some salami!

The restaurant menu of the day had some popular Italian pasta specialties

Or you could order a grilled Italian sausage with Polenta from a food stand

Served with fried onions, it was very popular

David Sonnenberg, the owner of Diemersfontein, welcomed people to the festival

He told the story of The Clockmaker and introduced his wife Sue, the Italian Consul and Piero Zanardi,
who all made short speeches

Then it was time for some wonderful Italian opera arias from Zizipo Ponzo and Luvo Maranti

Lunch time was looming
and we enjoyed sharing a bottle of Nomoya Vermentino with Christine Rudman while we had some lunch

Sue and David Sonnenberg relaxing with one of their sweet dogs

The Restaurant does small Tapas plates, so we ordered the excellent and perfectly cooked tender Salt and Pepper squid

A large steamed Char Sui Bao in a green coriander sauce, it was full of shredded pork

Others at our table had the Moules with pasta

We had the smoked salmon with three sauces, topped with crisp chips and some steamed pork dumplings

It was a truly wonderful celebration
Thank you to all at Diemersfontein for your hard work and attention to detail. We loved it

At 2pm, we were invited to a tasting of Italian wines which are being promoted by Roberto Bottega of Vinotria

A line up of six bottles

A map of the different Italian wine areas, some of which we have visited

Introducing the first wines was Pedro Estrada Belli who works with Roberto
Pedro also runs Belbon Hills, a company exporting South African wines into Italy,
in partnership with Afriwines International

We were to taste three whites and three reds and began with a Zenato 2020 Pinot Grigio from the Venezia area
Notes of the classic amaro almonds which grow so well in the area, clean, green with good quince fruit, very aromatic
Lovely mouthfeel, good acidity, loquat, white peach, pear. quite a quick finish

The second white was Sella & Mosca Cala Reale, a Vermentino from Sardinia
Mushroom, truffle, citrus, apricot on the nose
Light but with robust acidity, cling peach and nectarine and salinity on the end
Needs to stay chilled

The third was La Tunella from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region
2021 Sauvignon Blanc. Classic cat’s pee and elderflower with herbal notes
Warm and zesty, but very light in weight

The first red was Banfi – Chianti DOCG 2020 Sangiovese from Tuscany
Rich red berries and cranberries. Lots of incense wood and pencil shavings
Dark cherry, mulberry and pomegranate fruit with long very tight tannins. Needs more acidity to support
A blend of 70% Sangiovese, 15% Malvasia and 15% Canaiolo

The Feudi di San Gregorio – Primitivo di Manduria
Campania Aglianico 2020 is dark, black in colour with red rim, completely opaque
Cherries, amaretto, cassis, perfume and incense wood with pencil shavings make this quite a classy wine
Richness, with good berry fruit zingy acidity and mouth gripping tannins show it can age too. 16/20

Finally, the 2020 Enrico Serafino – Barbera d’Asti Sup. Cruva Barbera from Piedmont area
has wildness on the nose aromatic wood and fruit melded together
Rhubarb, cassis leaves and berries and vanilla custard astound the nose
Warmth and wildness on the palate with sweet and sour berry fruit, puckering tannins
but the flavours point you to food immediately. 17/20

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