This is the time of the year when many wine, beer and spirit trade tastings take place
and we enjoy tasting the new products, vintages and, usually, something new
The Raath Trade tasting took place at the Winchester Mansions in Sea Point; a good venue for this
As we arrived we met Springbok front row forward Stephen Kitshoff, a key member of the famous "Bomb Squad"
He was there to promote the Bomb Squad beers, produced by the Nuy Valley Saggy Stone brewery
Lynne enjoyed the Pilsner. It's hoppy, slightly sweet flavours cleanse the palate
(especially after a rather hot chilli canapé)
We would buy this. Their IPA is up there with the best available from good Cape Town brewers
John Loubser was showing the new vintages of the Silverthorn Cap Classiques from his Bonnievale vineyards
He had released the Jewel Box that week - 70% Chardonnay 30% Pinot Noir,
it spends 55 months on the lees and is from the 2019 vintage
Clean and crisp with a hint of cherry and good rich lees,
which shows that it's worth aging these wines before releasing them
Canapés of rare beef topped with pea shoots and chopped spinach
The Genie Rosé is 100% Shiraz
Full of berry fruit in layers on the nose and palate, juicy and crisp with mulberry and raspberry with long flavours
John certainly knows how to produce the best quality Cap Classiques
We always like to start a tasting with a crisp and elegant bubbly
and John was positioned correctly at the door to the tasting
And he is very popular in the trade. You will find is wines at many of the top restaurants and wine merchants
Another canapé - a gentle Malay curry
Lynne chatted to the Beaumonts, and tasted their 2023 unwooded Chenin with lots of caramel and ripe fruit
The 2024 Chenin was a new release and has freshness, is beautifully perfumed with jasmine and pear flavour
which repeats on the palate with a hint of cherry and lime
The 2023 Hope Marguerite, our favourite, was initially shy but it's young
It becomes a big wine when it opens up and announces "I'm back" with its superb full, rich, juicy and sophisticated palate
A major food wine
Dane Raath chatting to his trade customers
Bouchard Finlayson winemaker Chris Albrecht with Sebastian Beaumont
The Beaumont New Baby has golden fruit on the nose and is sophisticated and complex
Apples, cooked pears and plum with some oak. Food calls for this wine
Chris Albrecht and Barend Erasmus, his assistant winemaker. They had all their excellent wines for tasting
The venue's lights were adding quite a lot of sparkle to the bottles...
Good to see Marthinus Ferreira, chef patron of the Jordan Restaurant with his PA, Lee Simmabarie
Gerard Holden of Holden Manz where we tasted their Semillon. Perfumed with white fruit and lots of oak
Dirk Human, winemaker at Black Oystercatcher was showcasing his Cap Classique Brut Rosé 2018,
made, unusually, from Merlot. It has spent 5 years on the lees, which adds complexity
David van Velden of Overgaauw gave us his 2023 Estate Reserve Sauvignon Blanc to taste
Clean and crisp with some green pepper notes, ripe fruit and some black current hints
On the palate, complex and different, lots of oak and some sophistication. Can age well
His Merlot is one of our favourites. The 2022 full bodied, rich with deep dark fruit
A dive-in nose with silky dark fruit on the palate layered and in perfect balance of ripeness and acidity
The 2020 Merlot has richness, is attractive, well made and complex
Silky soft with deep dark fruit in layers, very enjoyable, A wine for food
Illimis owner/winemaker Lucinda Heyns
explaining her excellent Cinsault, Grenache noir and Chenin blanc to Barend Erasmus
Wikus Pretorius of La Petit Ferme had some impressive wines
A lightly oaked 2023 Chardonnay with crisp lime, lemon and peach with wood just supporting
The 2023 Viognier goes into old chardonnay barrels and is left on the lees
It's rather French in style, shy at first, crisp then full on the palate. Oak notes then ripe peach & complex
Their Grenache noir rosé has a lovely fruity zing
The Shiraz has good berry fruit with white pepper on the nose,
dark berries, cherry, chocolate and coffee on the enjoyable palate
The 2021 Cabernet is classic Cabernet on the nose; full and satisfying and enticing you to taste
Long flavours of spiky cassis and berry fruit with dark licorice and oak
Rynie Oosthuizen, Kleinood winemaker
His Viognier is peaches and cream, superb
The 2022 Grenache Blanc has really good fruit on nose and palate, zingy with red berry and peach flavours
The 2022 Mourvedre is what we look for in this varietal
Richness of fruit on nose and palate, lovely deep dark berry fruit with pomegranate and mulberry
Pierre Wahl, Cellarmaster at Survivor Wines
The 2021 Chenin got top marks from us. It's a big wine, made in big barrels, with ripe golden fruit on the nose
The palate follows the nose; so ripe, so delicious. Wood is the structure surrounding the golden fruit. Wow
The 2022 Survivor Chardonnay has golden peach on the nose - very sophisticated, and French in style
It is rounded on the palate with rich deep flavours of cooked apple and peach and good wood
A Tarte Tatin accompaniment for sure
Avondale winemaker Corné Marais. An impressive selection to taste
The 2016 Blanc de Blanc Cap Classique spent 16 months on the lees which shows as butterscotch which softens,
then a zing of crisp lime and a good mousse
The 2020 Anima, a long time favourite, has beautiful velvety roundness of fruit, made half in barrel and half in Amphora
Apple, butterscotch and lime on the lovely palate
The 2019 five way blend, Cyclus,
made from Roussanne, Chenin, Viognier, Chardonnay and Semillon is a wine Lynne says she could drink every day
So integrated, but you do taste all the various components
And it livens the palate so much that you want to eat immediately. A restaurant wine list essential
The enjoyable Rosé, Camissa, is made from 50% Grenache, 35% Mourvedre and, unusually,
15% red Muscat de Frontignan grapes which were added in this vintage to improve the wine and indeed it does
Qvevri Red 2022 is a blend of Grenache (50%), Syrah (26%) and Mourvèdre (24%) grapes
that is made in the unique clay Qvevri vessels
It's an earthy wines with rich dark berry fruit that encompasses your palate
and leads you straight to needing to be fed - NOW!
Samsara Syrah 2016 was made in 600 litre barrels
Spicy, with lovely dark berry fruit, attractive nose
Then mulberry cherry fruit soft and so approachable on the palate. Delicious
La Luna 2016 Bordeaux Blend is a classic
Jayne Beaumont showing her wines
The 2022 Electrique has classic peach on the nose, very sophisticated
Sweet golden fruit; so enjoyable, another great food wine. One second fill barrel is all she made
Sebastian Beaumont
Mini burgers to enjoy
Very happy to catch up with Nils and Sabine Hecksher
When we first met Nils, he was General Manager of the hotel in its former guise as the Winchester Mansions
Stephen Kitshoff and his beer
Marthinus Ferreira and his Jordan Restaurant team, with Kathy Raath and Stephen Kitshoff
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
The Doolhof Bloedklip Malbec with smoke and umami and dark berries on the nose
