Wednesday, June 28, 2017

This Week's MENU. MENU's Scandinavian Road Trip on a Shoestring. Part 1: North Holland and Germany

Poppies and Dutch windmills, ancient and modern, North Holland



The road to Scandinavia is littered with good intentions. We have been on it for 2½ weeks and this, other than a series of Facebook, Linked in and Twitter posts and photographs published on Instagram, is the first issue of MENU since before we left home. As we write this, we are in Denmark having driven from Holland through Germany, Denmark and Sweden to Norway and we are now en route to Schipol and home at the end of the week. We’ll have more in the next issue

We decided, while we are still fit and able, to travel more. For the last two years it was Lynne’s turn to show John places she loved which he had not visited: Greece and Turkey and then Hong Kong. John worked in Oslo in Norway in the late 1960’s while he trained to be a photographer, so this year we decided to go north – no wine farms, probably no restaurants as we heard it was very, very expensive (it is!) but a great trip to plan. We don’t like organised tours and the thought of a bus trip is a complete anathema. So the plan was to fly to Schipol in Holland, hire a car, and drive to Scandinavia, through Holland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway – and back
MENU's Scandinavian Odyssey 2. Germany     
We left Holland at 9 am and drove across the huge Ijsselmeerdijk to Friesland and then crossed the border into Germany. Our first stop would be Hamburg. The German autobahns are legendary – well they were; it seems that all over the north they are rebuilding them and widening them. What we imagined would be a lovely day’s drive was hell. Two lanes squeezed onto the oncoming side, so tight that we really feared for the car’s sides


MENU's Wine of the Week; Du Toitskloof Chenin Blanc 2017     in a box. Not entirely Tongue-in-Cheek. 
 When we travel, we mitigate the high prices of wine in other countries by packing a 3 litre box of quaffable wine in each suitcase. Gentle acidity; apple and tropical fruit flavours. Perfect for a sundowner: here on the stoep of a Swedish wooden cabin in Varberg
23rd May 2017
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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2017
PS If a word or name is in bold type and underlined, click on it for more information
Phones: +27 21 439 3169 / 083 229 1172 / 083 656 4169
Postal address: 60 Arthurs Rd, Sea Point 8005
If you like the photographs you see in our publications, please look at our Adamastor Photo website for our rate card and samples from our portfolio
Recommendations of products and outside events are not solicited or charged for, and are made at the authors’ pleasure. All photographs, recipes and text used in these newsletters and our blogs are © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus. Our restaurant reviews are usually unsolicited. We prefer to pay for our meals and not be paid in any way by anyone. Whether we are invited or go independently, we don’t feel bad if we say we didn’t like it. Honesty is indeed our best policy. While every effort is made to avoid mistakes, we are human and they do creep in occasionally, for which we apologise. This electronic journal has been sent to you because you have personally subscribed to it or because someone you know has asked us to send it to you or forwarded it to you themselves. Addresses given to us will not be divulged to any person or organisation. We collect them only for our own promotional purposes. If you wish to be added to our mailing list, please click here to send us a message and if you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please click here to send us a message.
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Posted by MENU at 6:59 pm 0 comments

This Week's MENU. Chenin Showcase, Japanese Whisky, Scandinavia on a Shoestring continued, Denmark & Sweden

Looking across the Øresund strait past Kronborg Castle in Helsingør, Denmark, to Helsingborg in Sweden
Our story of our road trip to Scandinavia on a shoestring continues this week while we also celebrate wonderful libations, domestic and exotic; our first domestic stories since our return from the far north

 This week, we have two stories which will show you the places we visited in Denmark and Sweden en route to our ultimate destination, Oslo in Norway. We have also posted numerous photographs on Instagram as well at https://www.instagram.com/fordjohnduncan/ We’d love it if you click on the heart symbol to “like” pictures that appeal to you
This year’s Chenin Blanc Showcase     
The Chenin Blanc Growers Association held their annual Showcase last week at the Cape Grace Hotel. It was a chance for the media and the wine trade to taste new releases and some older wines as well. Standard Bank is the generous sponsor. Read on....
Learning about Japanese Whisky     
An invitation last week to taste some Japanese whiskies at Kyoto Gardens Sushi restaurant delighted us. We were intrigued the last time we tasted some of these whiskies, so it was a welcome opportunity to learn more about them
Our road trip to Scandinavia on a shoestring continues
Lovely Denmark, going north     
We left Flensburg and drove North and East towards Copenhagen over the 18 Km long Storebælt (the Great Belt) bridge which links Eastern (Sjælland or Zealand) and Western (Odense) Denmark. Denmark does marvellous bridges....
And further north through Sweden     
We took the car ferry from Helsingør in Denmark) across the Øresund to Helsingborg in Sweden. The other shore doesn't seem that far. It is, in fact only a 4 Km gap, but it is one of the world's busiest international ferry routes with more than 70 departures from each harbour per day. The adventure continues
This week's recipe is one Lynne used a while ago with an adaptation using a good sweet dessert Chenin Blanc. A recipe similar to this recently won an award by the Chenin Blanc Association. Lynne's does not use raw egg.
Tiramisu with a Noble Late Harvest Chenin Blanc & Orange
1 packet boudoir (finger) biscuits – Juice of 4 oranges – 50 ml Noble Late Harvest Chenin blanc – 200 ml whipping cream – 1 x 250 ml tub of mascarpone cheese– 1 T grappa - 150g sugar, vanilla if possible or add 1 t of vanilla extract – juice and pulp of 4 granadillas (passion fruit)
Mix the orange juice with the Chenin Blanc and dip the finger biscuits into it. Make one layer with half the biscuits in the bottom of a pretty dessert dish. Lightly whip the cream till it has soft peaks, then whip in the grappa. Beat the mascarpone with the vanilla sugar then fold in the cream and spread a layer over the biscuits, then follow half the granadilla pulp. Make another layer of dipped biscuits and finish by pouring over the rest of the juice and topping off with the rest of the cream topped with granadilla pulp. Cover with cling film and keep in the fridge overnight until you are ready to serve. Serve with the rest of the NLH Chenin Blanc, chilled
Wine of the Week: The 1947 Chenin Blanc 2015 from Kaapzicht      
The photograph shows the 2013 vintage from our cellar. The 2015 is in a, perhaps, more appropriate Burgundy shaped bottle
The vines for this exceptional Chenin were planted in 1947, hence the name. Wood and fruit are in perfect balance. As we said of the 2013 "It has a nice richness, sweet fruit balanced beneath the acidity and some slight charred wood notes on the end". If anything the 2015 is a step up from that. There is lovely, gentle citrus fruit but the wood is softer and beautifully integrated; the wine has a lovely freshness which should not be lost as the wine ages. As we said in our story about the Chenin blanc Showcase, it was the wine that there was the most buzz about in the room and many people, winemakers as well, said it was their favourite. It is ours. So elegant, so layered and just how good Chenin should be. Do yourself a favour and put a case away for a few years. It will reward you







28th June 2017
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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2017
PS If a word or name is in bold type and underlined, click on it for more information
Phones: +27 21 439 3169 / 083 229 1172 / 083 656 4169
Postal address: 60 Arthurs Rd, Sea Point 8005
If you like the photographs you see in our publications, please look at our Adamastor Photo website for our rate card and samples from our portfolio
Recommendations of products and outside events are not solicited or charged for, and are made at the authors’ pleasure. All photographs, recipes and text used in these newsletters and our blogs are © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus. Our restaurant reviews are usually unsolicited. We prefer to pay for our meals and not be paid in any way by anyone. Whether we are invited or go independently, we don’t feel bad if we say we didn’t like it. Honesty is indeed our best policy. While every effort is made to avoid mistakes, we are human and they do creep in occasionally, for which we apologise. This electronic journal has been sent to you because you have personally subscribed to it or because someone you know has asked us to send it to you or forwarded it to you themselves. Addresses given to us will not be divulged to any person or organisation. We collect them only for our own promotional purposes. If you wish to be added to our mailing list, please click here to send us a message and if you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please click here to send us a message.

Posted by MENU at 11:22 am 0 comments

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

MENU's Wine of the Week: The 1947 Chenin Blanc 2015 from Kaapzicht

The photograph shows the 2013 vintage from our cellar. The 2015 is in a, perhaps, more appropriate Burgundy shaped bottle
The vines for this exceptional Chenin were planted in 1947, hence the name. Wood and fruit are in perfect balance. As we said of the 2013 "It has a nice richness, sweet fruit balanced beneath the acidity and some slight charred wood notes on the end". If anything the 2015 is a step up from that. There is lovely, gentle citrus fruit but the wood is softer and beautifully integrated; the wine has a lovely freshness which should not be lost as the wine ages. 

As we said in our story about the Chenin blanc Showcase, it was the wine that there was the most buzz about in the room and many people, winemakers as well, said it was their favourite. It is ours. So elegant, so layered and just how good Chenin should be. Do yourself a favour and put a case away for a few years. It will reward you
Posted by MENU at 11:57 pm 0 comments

This week's MENU recipe: Tiramisu with a Noble Late Harvest Chenin Blanc & Orange

This week's recipe is one Lynne used a while ago with an adaptation using a good sweet dessert Chenin Blanc. A recipe similar to this recently won an award by the Chenin Blanc Association. Lynne's does not use raw egg.
Tiramisu with a Noble Late Harvest Chenin Blanc & Orange
1 packet boudoir (finger) biscuits – Juice of 4 oranges – 50 ml Noble Late Harvest Chenin blanc – 200 ml whipping cream – 1 x 250 ml tub of mascarpone cheese– 1 T grappa - 150g sugar, vanilla if possible or add 1 t of vanilla extract – juice and pulp of 4 granadillas (passion fruit)
Mix the orange juice with the Chenin Blanc and dip the finger biscuits into it. Make one layer with half the biscuits in the bottom of a pretty dessert dish. Lightly whip the cream till it has soft peaks, then whip in the grappa. Beat the mascarpone with the vanilla sugar then fold in the cream and spread a layer over the biscuits, then follow half the granadilla pulp. Make another layer of dipped biscuits and finish by pouring over the rest of the juice and topping off with the rest of the cream topped with granadilla pulp. Cover with cling film and keep in the fridge overnight until you are ready to serve. Serve with the rest of the NLH Chenin Blanc, chilled

Posted by MENU at 11:56 pm 0 comments

Chenin blanc Showcase at the Cape Grace

The Chenin Blanc Growers Association held their annual Showcase last week at the Cape Grace Hotel. It was a chance for the media and the wine trade to taste new releases and some older wines as well. Standard Bank is the generous sponsor
Sommelier Brian Braite Nhlanhla Mahlangu pours us a glass of Perdeberg’s great Mèthode Cap Classique which was one of the welcome MCC Chenins.. We also had the much talked and appreciated about Huis von Chevallerie Filia Chenin Blanc MCC 2014
The wines were divided into several different categories like Fresh and Fruity, Unwooded, Wooded, Dessert and a vintage selection. On this table we thought the Tierhoek and the Painted Wolf showed particularly well although, as a selection, most were very, very good indeed
Sebastian Beaumont, standing in for the Chenin Blanc Association President Ken Forrester who was overseas, made the opening speech and introduced us to the wines
Hey cobbler stick to your last! Marketing Manager for Kleine Zalze, Anthony van Schalkwyk doing clever snaps with his phone
Christa von la Chevallerie. We loved her Filia Chenin Blanc MCC 2014
A rapt audience waiting for the tasting to begin
Winemakers to the left, winemakers to the right. With a few media and restaurateurs thrown in. From the right: photographer Danie Nel, Pierre Wahl - his Rijks Reserve Chenin Blanc 2013 (excellent as always) was on the vintage table, although it is his current release. We also enjoy and buy the Remhoogte Honeybunch Chenin Blanc 2016 which Chris Boustred was showing. Next to him is Danie Steytler of Kaapzicht, who made the old bush vine wine 1947. It was the wine that there was the most buzz about in the room and many people, winemakers as well, said it was their favourite. It is ours. So elegant so layered and just how good Chenin should be
Three, no four, gorgeous blondes. Lisa Gehring of Vrede en Lust, Siobhan Thompson & Maryna Calow of WOSA
The fourth, Ina Smith, the miracle worker who runs the Chenin Blanc Association and arranges these showcases
Another great selection, entitled Rich and Ripe: Ken Forrester’s top priced Dirty Little Secret could be tasted alongside Botanica, Cederberg, Winery of Good Hope and the Bernard Series Old Vines Chenin from Bellingham. We particularly loved the Carl Everson from Opstal
Cape Grace's Head Sommelier Marvin Gwese joking with Sebastian Beaumont
The Cape Grace came up with some very good canapés and small dishes to enjoy while we tasted all the wines
And a splendid dessert table for the end. A tower of Macarons
and other decadent desserts
Zakkie Bester with his Bester Chenin Blanc
What a nice tribute from Boplaas to Ina! It really was a superb tasting. Chenin is growing in stature and reputation, here and overseas. The Association markets it as a brand so well. It is South African sunshine in a glass
Posted by MENU at 11:08 pm 0 comments

Japanese Whisky tasting at Kyoto Garden

An invitation last week to taste some Japanese whiskies at Kyoto Gardens Sushi restaurant delighted us. We were intrigued the last time we tasted some of these whiskies, so it was a welcome opportunity to learn more about them
This is the line up: The Chita, Nikka Miyagkyo, Nikka Rare Old Super, The Yamazaki Single Malt 12 year old, The Taketsuru Pure Malt and the Hakushu Single Malt.
Our tasting guide was Whisky expert Hector MacBeth. A local lad with good Scottish ancestry
The Japanese have been making whisky seriously since 1924, when the first commercial distillery was opened. It can resemble good Scotch, sometimes Irish and even sometimes bourbon. Each has its own unique identity. These were all very enjoyable and pushed our perceptions somewhat. Lynne would never have identified her favourite of the group as a whisky but she really liked it
We had arranged an Uber to take us there and back home afterwards. The portions were suitably tiny, just about three mouthfuls of each in special tasting glasses. Enough to get to know the nose and the flavours and some left over to which to add a little pure water, which completely changes the character. It softens them so much, we preferred it neat. It seems the Japanese are fanatical about the water
The Chita is a column still whisky, made from maize. Vanilla and soft peaches and banana on the nose, lovely full caramel banana on the palate. Hot at first and long. The Nikka Miyagikyo is made in a continuous still from malted barley. Smoky ginger and lime with minerality first on the nose. Then red berry perfume, raspberries and cherries predominate. And they are there on the palate, a cherry blossom whisky ! It is long with some pine nuts on the end. Lynne absolutely loved it, as did several others
Hector showed us how to nose and taste these whiskies, never stick your nose in and sniff hard. Just let it waft. You then take a sip, hold it on the top of your tongue for 10 seconds, put it under your tongue for 10 seconds and then bring it back to the top. By then you will have the full flavour profile and enjoyment. The Nikka Super is a blend of two whiskies: a malt and a grain whisky. It has a floral brandy nose, caramel toffee with light smoke on both the nose and palate with some apricots. Wood whiff on the end. It is very smooth and integrated with a hint of salty bacon
Then SA's most sought after Japanese whisky. It costs in the region of R3000 a bottle and the last consignment sol out in 8 hours. It's the Yamazaki 12 year old. Strong vanilla, minerality and wood on the nose with a hint of caramel oranges. Thick cream and sweet vanilla on the palate with spice, caramel, basil and thyme. It finishes with white chocolate and more basil. Very unusual and rich.
Other media at the tasting were tweeting. Then the last two. Taketsuru is the Grandpa of Japanese whisky. It's a blend of the best malts. The ocean, kelp and salt with some perfume of vanilla on the nose. Sour/sweet on the tongue, rich oak wood and warm spice, turning almost savoury, with limes and nuts and some peat. Very long flavours..
The final one was the Hakushu Distillers Reserve. Peaty socks, mossy, herbal and citrus apricots on the unusual nose. Light honey and peat, warm and spicy on the back palate. Very interesting. Good wood and length
We enjoyed the tasting so much that we booked to stay and have the winter special, which we had sampled before we went to Europe
Just as good as before
The PR comped us a delicious bottle of Chamonix Chardonnay to go with dinner

Posted by MENU at 10:03 pm 0 comments
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