The 2024 Platter's Guide to South African wine was launched at Andrea and Chris Mullineux's Roundstone Farm
near Riebeek Kasteel
The farm is just off the road to Riebeek Kasteel, just before the mountain pass
We parked between vineyards and were taken by bus to the cellar
Tastings here are by appointment only
A marquee had been set up to shelter us from the warm Swartland sun
Some canapés were served to keep us happy, these were Tomato Bruschetta topped with basil
Mini cones made of filo pastry filled with cheese and topped with chopped avocado
We were served Mullineux Old Vines White,
a great blend of mostly Chenin with Clairette Blanche, Grenache Blanc, Viognier, Semillon Gris and Verdelho
It's complex, full and full of ripe peach, apple, pear, with good acid balance
The scrolls are awarded to only the top scoring Five Star wines and the overall top performers
The marquee was soon filled with the excited and expectant chatter of many winemakers and other guests
Getting our front seats in time. Luckily there was a cool breeze blowing; it was a rather hot day
The view over the Swartland from the cellar Not only wine is grown here; this is an important wheat growing area and it is harvest time
Nearly time to start the Awards ceremony
To all see all the Platter's Five Star winners, see the link at the bottom of this article
Pinotage producers Sebastian Beaumont of Beaumont and Beyers Truter of Beyerskloof
Beyers was awarded Five Stars and Best in Category for his Faith Pinotage blend
and also for his superb Cabernet, Beyerskloof Eerste Ry 2019, one of the very best wines we tasted
Sebastian's New Baby won top honours in White blends, Other category and it too is delicious
Platter's wine co-ordinator Amanda Ferreira
A welcome from hosts Andrea and Chris Mullineux
Jolize van Wyk, Marketing Manager, Mullineux & Leeu
Talented Andrea made these hanging wreaths from local fynbos as well as the crowns awarded to the top performers
Platter's editor, Philip van Zyl begins the awards ceremony
Esh Naidoo, managing director, Diners Club South Africa gave the opening speech and presented the scrolls
Then Philip showed us the new 2024 edition and revealed the new colour, always kept secret until the last minute
It will be available in early December. John and Lynne had a silly bet on this year's colour,
John chose green and Lynne purple!
We have at least one copy of every Platter's guide published since the original in 1980
The 2024 Platter's Wine Guide
Fairview cellarmaster Anthony de Jager and Platter's tasting panel member Meryl Weaver CWM Anthony won top honours for the Shiraz/Syrah based Red blend with his Fairview Cyril Back 2020
After the awards, the food came out in abundance. Small deep fried fish bites with tartar sauce
And a tray full of delights
Spicy and crisp sausage rolls disappeared quickly
A selection including beetroot topped with sour cream and nuts, delicious spicy sausage rolls and Moroccan spiced rolls
Lamb inside a roti then deep fried
Salmon crudo on a pancake topped with a cream and an orange segment
The tender and delicious barbecued Belly of Pork also disappeared very quickly
Mini pies
Following the awards, we could now taste the top winning wines
Andrea opened the cellar door and we were let loose
There were some exceptional wines, as expected and all are worthy winners
Just one mouthful reveals the wine, and the tasting has to be quick before the two bottles run out
Lynne did manage to taste all of the wines. There was a spittoon for each. First, the white wines ....
... and then the reds. And then the sweet wines and spirits which were in the tasting room
Sebastian Beaumont, Andrea Mullinex and Eben Sadie
Michael Bampfield Duggan of Wine Concepts with American wine writer Don Winkler, Editor of the i-winereview
Selfie. Crowned Malu Lambert and Andrea Mullineux
Sebastian Beaumont and Matthew Copeland
Matthew won top honours in the Cape Bordeaux Red Blends with his Vondeling Philosophie 2019, another triumph
The top wines in their categories and the full list of Five Star wines are Here All our stories can be seen in the Blog Archive near the top of the column on the right
If you do not wish to receive e-mails from us, please email menucape@gmail.com with the word 'UNSUBSCRIBE' in your email
No comments:
Post a Comment