The 41st anniversary Blaauwklippen blending competition lunch

The awards ceremony of the annual Blaauwklippen Blending Competition
was held in the main restaurant at Blaauwklippen
Present were the top three wine clubs, the judges, and the media

The floating trophy

A lovely warm spring day was made even better by a glass of the Blaauwklippen Brut Rosé

The friendly staff were in attendance as usual and made the day special

The room is filled with art and objects for sale

We were able to see the winning blend, which is presented in a magnum
We would be able to drink it with lunch. It's always fun to see if any of the top three clubs recognise their own blend

The winning blend, Number 41
Yes, the competition has been going for all those years
The command to the blenders was "Make a Bordeaux blend built to last" and they were supplied with 5 full bottles:
a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Merlot, a Cabernet Franc, a Petit Verdot and a Malbec
All five varietals had to be used to make, in the team's estimation, the best blend

The long table for lunch

Master of Ceremonies Guy McDonald

The menu

Winemaker Narina Cloete

2023 Blaauwklippen Chardonnay, just released 

It is quite crisp with lime, stone fruit and subtle wood

The food was served family style so we could all help ourselves and each other by passing plates

The Caprese Salad

Mediterranean cauliflower and broccoli roasted in olive oil

Arancini rice balls filled with butternut and mozarella

Chicken Limone served on a bed of spaghetti
This was our favourite dish, lots of flavour, a good creamy lemon sauce and tender chicken

Bolognaise stuffed ravioli in a rich tomato sauce

Melanzane, layers of eggplant topped with mozarella with  a tomato sauce

The three finalists spoke about their wine clubs and their history and how they made their blend

Oliver Wright of Team Vat from Gauteng

Christa Grobler of Sophie's Choice in the Western Cape

Raymond van der Westhuizen of Dorstige Dertigs in the Western Cape told us a lot about his wine club.

Nanette De Hart, Brand Home & Destination Manager at Blaauwklippen with the trophy

Guy spoke about  the different components and how many entries there were this year
It is a very popular competition

Dorstige Dertigs representatives Francois van Rooyen and Raymond van der Westhuizen were this year's winners

with Narina Cloete 

Joined by Guy McDonald and two of the judges, Clive Torr and Alastair Rimmer, winemaker at De Morgenzon

Rich coffee and cream liqueur Tiramisu for dessert

It was delicious

As we were leaving, we took a look at the ruin of the lovely historic manor house,
tragically destroyed in a recent fire. It is being rebuilt

We were told that it will be restored to this condition (taken last year)

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