Sunday, February 12, 2023

Top Italian Wines Road Show 2023

We received an invitation from distributor Gambero Rosso to a tasting of Italian Wines;
they were looking for South African negociants and buyers
We accepted promptly
We do not have many chances to taste Italian wines here, unless we invest in them ourselves
It was a learning experience too, as styles change quickly overseas
and this sort of tasting keeps us up to date on the current trends

It was held at The Lookout, a large conference/event venue at the edge of the V&A Waterfront precinct
which has convenient parking across the road

Gambero Rosso last visited South Africa in 2016
 They host 40 events around the world each year to promote the Italian wines they support
46000 wines were tasted and 27000 reviewed this year by 70 people for their comprehensive guide
The reviewers spend six months travelling through the Italian wine areas. Their top award is called I Tre Bicchieri

Where to start; there were many different brands from different Italian areas
with different wines from the grape varietals grown in each
and, from North to South, there are huge temperature and terroir differences

Attendance at the event was by invitation only and it was well attended

We decided to start with the sparkling wines which, in Italy, are mostly Prosecco
These were from an area Lynne is familiar with, as she used to ski in there
and sampled the cool climate wines of the Veneto and the Alto Adige regions

A card like this was on each table

and, indeed, the Proseccos from those two regions were crisper than those from other areas

Andrea Foulkes of Dish Food and Social had laid on lots of wonderful Italian style cheeses and

delicious aubergine fritters

A huge platter of perfectly rare cold roast beef with tomatoes, rocket, mushrooms and Parmigiana

We were rather impressed with these Collalto wines from Veneto
The Proseccos had depth, lasting crispness and clean finishes
We (and many others) particularly enjoyed the Violetta Extra Dry Rosé Vino Spumante
and hope that this range does find an importer
We then went on to taste many more wines from different areas, far too many to describe,
but all were interesting and several were enjoyable
Italian wines are usually 'built' to go with food, so they change their personality when accompanied by something to eat

There is a terrace outside with views of the sea and Table Mountain

Taking a break. We were there from 2.30 to 6.30

Doppio Giorgio - Chef Restaurateur Giorgio Nava and Veteran winemaker Giorgio Dalla Cia
So good to see them both looking so fit and well 

Le Monde wines, we enjoyed tasting these well-made wines

which are imported by South African Kristian Formenti, who has a Danish mother and an Italian father

We had booked to take part in a guided tasting of these 12 wines, 1 to 12 left to right

We particularly enjoyed No.3 Tenuta Il Palagion Baci sulla Bocca 2021
(charmingly translates to Kisses on the Mouth), a Vermentino from Tuscany which we scored 17.5/20,

No.8 Coppi Gioia del Colle Primitivo Senatore 2017 from Puglia (18/20)

No. 9 Masciarelli Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Villa Gemma Ris, 2017 (17.5/20)

and No. 12, the last wine of the tasting;
full of richness, spice and sweet complexity with prunes, raisins and plums, Christmas notes
Teuta Sant'Antonio Amarone della Valpolicella Campo dei Gigli 2017 from Veneto. (18/20)

In the guided tasting room,

Cape Wine Master Winnie Bowman chaired the session;
 the wines were introduced to us by Marco Sabellici (on the right)
one of the Senior Editors of the Gambero Rosso Italian Wine Guide - which is rather like our Platter Guide
He was supported by one of his colleagues

Now there is a clever idea, provided to all tasters
A small neck pack and a disposable spittoon, so essential when one is tasting this quantity of wine

After the guided tastings, there was an awards ceremony for the Top Italian Restaurants in the Cape,
 something Gambero Rosso promotes with its wine shows

The presentation was made by Gambero Rosso Director Luigi Salerno,
accompanied by Italian Consul Emanuele Pollio 

David and Sue Sonnenberg of Diemersfontein in Wellington were attending the tasting and the awards ceremony

Giorgio Nava receiving his prize for his 95 at Parks in Wynberg, judged the best Italian restaurant in Cape Town 2023

The certificate

The top Italian Restaurants in Cape Town - 95 at Parks, Scala Pasta/Bar, Osteria Tarantino, Lievito and Pizza Connection
We know Giorgio and 95 at Parks, but now need to try the others, with which we are not familiar

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Posted by MENU at 6:09 pm 0 comments

Wednesday, February 01, 2023

In MENU This Week, Elgin Chardonnay Colloquium, South Peninsula day, Beach Bar - Hout Bay, Kirstenbosch opera concert

The photograph in this week’s MENU cover shows a book, "Dark Continent My Black Arse", by Sihle Khumalo. It was quite by accident that Lynne was reading it when we were hit by “load-shedding, exactly 16 years ago to the day. And here we are, still bothered by electricity shortages. The only difference is that is has become worse. Mr Khumalo wrote an interesting article in the Sunday Times last year, aimed at those who blame the country’s post-democracy challenges on the paler skinned population. See it here

On a lighter note, this is the first MENU of the year, with stories of some of our “holiday” activities and, very importantly, a wonderful wine tasting. We look forward to many more and, so far, have one in the bag for next week

Elgin Chardonnay Colloquium

We were very excited when we were invited to attend the Elgin Chardonnay Colloquium. It had not been held since 2019 because of the Covid hiatus. Elgin's cool climate and excellent soils produce some of the best South African Chardonnays in several different styles, some of which we were to taste in the four flights. They were kind enough to lay on transport from Pinelands for us, a place at which we could safely leave our car. It was an early start, the bus leaving at 8 am. Read on…

A Day in the South Peninsula

We had been rather housebound for the Christmas and New Year period, during which Cape Town fills up with lovely tourists, but the roads and restaurants are so busy that locals just wait for the 'season' to ameliorate. Schools started again, the roads calmed down and we decided to take a lovely tour of our favourite summer places which we love to visit. Read on…

Lunch at The Beach Bar, Hout Bay

Lynne had read good reviews for The Beach Bar in Hout Bay. It's next to the beach car park, opposite the Chapman's Peak Hotel. So we invited a friend who lives locally, booked a table and went for lunch on a beautiful breezy day. The wind made us choose to sit inside. We were impressed by the wide variety of ages and apparent incomes eating there. Read on…

Cape Town Opera concert in Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

We made a resolution this year to go to more music events. We both love music and have quite eclectic tastes. So, when we heard that Cape Town Opera was giving a Sunday concert of opera choruses at Kirstenbosch, supported by the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Brandon Phillips, we bought tickets immediately. It is such a lovely venue. You pack a picnic supper and some wine, get there for 4 pm, take a rug and some small low backed chairs and walk to the concert area, where the lawns slope down to the stage, and find your favourite place. Read on…



All the stories we have published can be seen in the Blog Archive near the top of the column on the right

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A Day in the South Peninsula

We had been rather housebound for the Christmas and New Year period,
during which Cape Town fills up with lovely tourists,
but the roads and restaurants are so busy that locals just wait for the 'season' to ameliorate
Schools started again, the roads calmed down and we decided to take a lovely tour
of our favourite summer places which we love to visit

We stopped for a sight of Muizenberg from Boyes Drive
It bought back so many childhood memories of days she spent on the sands as a small child
A little further along the drive, a view of St James and Kalk Bay, where we were headed for lunch
Lots more childhood memories of swimming in these waters,
which are a bit warmer than the sea on the other side of the mountain


Two women with ice cream cones, window shopping in Kalk Bay
There are so many fascinating shops that we explored. Lynne splashed out at Quagga, the famous Rare bookshop
and bought an art book she had been looking for for years

A man and his wife, stopped on the seaside path, pointing at something of interest

The harbour wall at Kalk Bay, viewed from outside

Wonderful curios, local and from other African countries

The fishing boats were coming in and this is one of the only places you can buy freshly caught fish
These long monsters are Snoek (Thyrsites atun), a long, thin species of snake mackerel

Three freshly caught yellowtail (seriola lalandi) for sale on the quayside
One of John's favourite fishes but too large for us. It is advisable to eat yellowtail on the same day it is caught

Two freshly caught red snapper fish (Lutjanus agennes) one of which became our supper
We had it cleaned and the head removed. Not an easy fish to cook as it is very bony but the flavour was good
Lynne cooked it stuffed with lemon and thyme and roasted briefly in foil

A boy with a sandy back in a blue bathing costume

A man photographing his wife and child on the harbour wall

Listening to a fisherman describing the catch

A man standing on the pier, holding a fishing rod in hope of a catch
New housing developments are being built on the coast across the bay

A charter fishing boat discharging clients

A green and white fishing boat with green water and a blue sky

We headed for our favourite fresh fish restaurant, Kalkies
You need to wait for a table as it is very popular and then queue to place your order; only cash is accepted
It is a friendly place and we shared a table outside

Lynne opted for Hake, Calamari and Chips. Far too large a portion for her, so half of this was supper too
 The fish is so fresh, pearly and flaky

A woman working on a water colour painting of people in Kalk Bay harbour
She is a professional from Johannesburg and very quick at sketching
We shared a table with her and her friend while we had lunch

We then drove through the gap to the other coast at Noordhoek
and decided we needed a wine tasting at Cape Point wine estate, as we had not tasted their wines for a long while

A stone pine (pinus pinea) by the dam. You can order their picnics to eat on the lawn

Looking from the restaurant at Cape Point Vineyards toward Noordhoek beach

The wine tasting menu. We did the full R80 tasting, sharing each wine
and we bought a case of Sauvignon Blanc which was on special offer

A quick stop to photograph the stupendous Noordhoek beach with Kommetjie in the distance;
more childhood memories of that smaller bay. Many people take their horses onto this beach to enjoy a long ride

White foam as the blue water of Hout Bay hits the rocks below Chapman's Peak

Heat mist coming into Hout Bay from the cold Atlantic, masking the Sentinel mountain at the entrance to the bay

Looking across the bay to the beach and hillside houses

and a stop for a nostalgic look at Llandudno and its beach, where Lynne’s family lived from the late 1940s to the 1970s
A wonderful place in those years. She was one of the first pupils, briefly, at the primary school here

and another beautiful place to stop and gaze at the beauty of our coastline, our mountains and where we live
The sea mist was coming in to the warm land and by the time we got to Camps Bay it was right in
We are so grateful for the privilege of living in this wonderful place

All the stories we have published 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


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