Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Lunch at Oak Valley's The Melting Pot

After our visit to the Hemel and Aarde,
we booked to have lunch at The Melting Pot on Oak Valley Wine Estate on our way home
It was such a successful visit that, as we were going to be in Elgin for the Open Garden's weekend,
we immediately made another reservation
As they are now on the list as one of the Eat Out best restaurants to visit in the winelands,
we wanted to show you the delightful food we enjoyed
You may sit around the pool, but not dive in...

Chef Patron John van Zyl

We so enjoyed the two Oak Valley Chardonnays that we paired with the first meal
Beneath the Clouds is golden on the nose, with lots of stone fruit on the nose and palate,
with zingy acidity; a lovely full, satisfying wine
The 2022 Groenberg Chardonnay is elegant, very French in style,
crisp with long flavours of lemon and lime with a helping of chalk, so special

Followed by their two exceptional Pinot Noirs
The 2022 Sound of Silence has a hint of woodsmoke
with lovely raspberry and cherry fruit which follows through on the rich palate with layers of berry fruit and warmth
The Groenberg 2021 Pinot is elegant with strawberry and raspberry fruit
Some chalky tannins on the palate, good red berry and black cherry fruit, length and depth

The food is served tapas style and the portions are generous, certainly enough for two to share
The plump and juicy mussels float on a large slice of sourdough bread
in a cream, fennel and white wine sauce, topped with a shredded fennel salad

On the second visit we had a bottle of The Fountain of Youth Sauvignon Blanc,
a wine we often have at home which goes so well with this sort of food

This is the delicious and generous mezze board with plenty to dip and share
Great farm olives, hummus, aubergine salad, labneh and tabbouleh, served with soft pita breads

This we had to repeat - the best chicken liver pâté we have eaten in a long time,
topped with butter and served with a dark onion relish
Perfection. It comes with bread to share.

And really divine pork potstickers in a spicy and warm chilli sauce
We made two converts of our guests who now cannot wait to try these Chinese dumplings again

You will need to make a reservation; the restaurant is becoming very popular.  https://www.themeltingpotct.com/menus

The first receipt; the second was paid for by our companion
And yes, we did order two portions of the potstickers



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A Hermanus, Hemel en Aarde Weekend

We took a family friend to Hermanus while we were staying in the Hemel and Aarde;
it really should be on all tourists' agendas
It is such a great place to visit and if you are lucky, as we were,
you might spot some whales breaching and flapping their tails in the air


After a short walk in the town, we headed for the sea front. It was a little blowy, but the fresh sea air is such a tonic



Where to have lunch?
We have our favourite places and this time it was to Bientang's Cave
which does really good seafood, and is just above the rocks, close to the sea


On the menu was something which can be a risk, as it is sometimes made from yesterday's left overs
This Seafood Potjie was as fresh as a daisy, in a superbly rich, creamy tomato, saffron and Pernod tasting sauce,
with prawns peeled and whole, mussels, tender calamari and good pieces of fresh fish
Served with rice and a wedge of lemon, it persuaded Dutch guests at the next table to order it
and they enjoyed it as much as we did


A large portion of fresh hake in batter served with crisp chips, lemon and a dipping sauce was also much enjoyed


The Hamburger topped with bacon was also perfect for someone not wanting to eat fish or seafood

You can also do some bird watching from your table, there are many seabirds on the rocks
We delighted in watching these Black Oystercatchers





John managed to catch one feeding its chick hidden in the rocks

The splash in the water as a huge whale lands just after breaching

Then it was time to venture over into the hills to spend two nights in our favourite cottage in the Hemel en Aarde
The road from Hermanus is not open, as it was nearly washed away in the huge October storms
so we travelled on the very well-graded dirt road from Karwyderskraal
The view from Newton Johnson wine estate shows the route the road takes

Luckily, the flood did not reach the cottage we stay in and the views are always so relaxing and rewarding

The cottage has three double bedrooms and three bathrooms,
a large living room, kitchen, internal wood-burning stove and externa1 braai and shower and a dipping pool
You too can book it on AirBnB

We could see the damage on the mountains caused by the storm which caused so many washaways or moraines
There was a downpour of more than 300ml in less than one hour

Sunshine flowers in the garden


We went for a walk around the property and saw the damage caused by the flood
The river had overflowed and taken out the ponds on the grounds, which now have to be remade


Taking with it most of the water and half the land


All the waterlilies and waterblomme are stranded on the mud
We hope that the spring will start running again and the river can be put back within its banks

Such destruction in just less than an hour

Happy moments over the weekend had us watching the exciting final of the Rugby World Cup
and seeing our South African Springboks win the Webb Ellis trophy

and the joy on the faces of the players and our President, although we are not sure why he was there...

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Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Caroline's White Wine Review 2023

Perhaps the best way to gauge the direction in which South African white wine is heading is to attend a tasting like this
and, from the quality of the wines chosen by Wine Merchant Caroline Rillema as her choices of the year,
we are going onward and upward
All the wines in the tasting are excellent

It was held at The View conference centre in the Waterfront

Of course, one always starts with the Cap Classique bubbles... the best way to liven the palate for an epic tasting
L'Ormarins Private Cuvée 2015 hit the spot with crispness, fullness and elegance

Bon Courage Jacque Bruére classic dry Blanc de Blanc with the many awards this wine has won
It is amazingly fresh and zesty for a 2012

Danielle Jacobs, Cap Classique Winemaker at Boschendal
showing their premium Jean le Long, which shows quite a lot of wood

2023 Genevieve is a new release Blanc de Blanc made by Melissa Genevieve Nelson in the Bot Rivier area
It is different, golden, layered, perfect if you have the gout anglaise

And from Graham Beck in Robertson, their superb top of the range 2018 Cuvée Clive
Lovely and crisp, with a good prickle and long-lasting flavours

Kobus van der Merwe and Nicholas Dewing, KWV winemakers with Laborie 2017 Blanc de Blancs
One which we buy when we can. This wine is deservedly winning lots of awards this year
Marvelous bready nose, a great mousse, crisp, extra dry with layers of lime and lemon flavours

Le Lude was showing their Prestige Rosé Cap Classique
It has lovely raspberry notes and is crisp with great elegance

Winemaker Nathan Valentine with Villiera's Flagship Cap Classique Monro Brut 2016
 A lovely nose, so right, age showing with length and depth and long flavours of lime and lemon

Winemakers Rudi Schultz of Thelema and Alexander Grier of Villiera

And then on to taste the Chardonnays
A small concern - many are going back to using too much new oak
and so we don't seem to have learned anything from ABC. Others are sublime

Boschendal 2020 Elgin Chardonnay 

Capensis Silene 2021 Chardonnay from Stellenbosch grapes

Glenn Martin with Creation 2022 Art of Chardonnay from the Hemel and Aarde
Top of the class, so well made

David Finlayson's Camino Africana Shale Terraces Stellenbosch Chardonnay

Winemaker Anthony Sanvido with De Morgenzon Reserve Chardonnay 2019

Another excellent Chardonnay from De Wetshof in Robertson, their flagship Bateleur,
what we want from a very special Chardonnay for special occasions
Layers and layers of complexity and great fruit

Groot Constantia 2015 Chardonnay

Emul Ross with Hamilton Russell Chardonnay 2022

Winemaker Patrick Ngamane with Hartenberg's The Eleanor Chardonnay 2020

Kershaw Elgin Chardonnay 2020 presented by Sarah du Plessis
French in style and difficult not to covet, Richard Kershaw makes very good wine

Adele Botha with Lismore Estate Reserve Chardonnay 2021

Warren Ellis presented his Neil Ellis Whitehall Chardonnay 2021
Vanilla perfume on the nose, crisp and clean, full of lime and lemon fruit
with some tannin and chalk to keep it in trim, superb

Oak Valley in Elgin's 2020 Tabula Rasa

Paul Cluver Flagship Chardonnay, 2021 Seven Flags, so well crafted, so lasting

Rustenberg 2022 Chardonnay from Stellenbosch

Pierre Wahl's Survivor Chardonnay from Overhex near Worcester

Luke O'Cuinnegan of Vergelegen with Rudi Schultz

Tokara winemaker Mia du Plessis with her excellent Stellenbosch Chardonnay 2022

The Uva Mira 2022 Chardonnay 

And on to one of the best - crisp, green and layered Sauvignon Blancs, Strandveld Pofadderbos 2022, also in our cellar

Old Road Wine Company winemaker Ryan Puttick and Danielle Jacobs of Boschendal
with his Grand-mère Semillon 2018 from the 1936 La Colline vineyard
Very French in style, crisp, full, fat and long. Love this style, the best wine for food

Jean Smit, winemaker at Damascene Vineyards in Elgin
with his 2021 Semillon, which was one of the most impressive wines of the tasting
From special aged vineyards it is perfumed with vanilla. round the silky, crisp layered palate with lime and enjoyment

Tayla Kimdell, Stark-Condé winemaker, with their Monkstone Chenin Blanc 2022
We only had time for one chenin and are so glad it was this one
It circles on the palate; crisp, clean, with limes and loquats, a food wine

Then to the White Blends, a category where we are finding such impressive wines
We started at the much talked about and enjoyed Rall 2022 White,
an unusual blend of Chenin, Verdelho and Viognier from the Swartland
Very French in style, crisp, dry and elegant; just sensational on the palate
Not quite what most would expect from this hot and dry area, but Donovan knows how to handle his grapes

Donovan Rall with Matthew Copeland of Vondeling and Sarah du Plessis. They are both quite tall...

Winemaker Matthew Copeland with his Vondeling Babiana 2022, another wine we buy
A blend of Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Grenache Blanc and Roussanne
showing how well Southern Rhône grapes adapt to our climate
A lovely mouthful of richness and enjoyment

Suzette Jansen van Rensburg showed Lemberg's Hungarian grape, Hárslevelü 2021, the most unusual grape on show
It is challenging, and intriguing, something new, perfumed with depth and long flavours of melon, spice and ginger

Mullineux Old Vines White from the Swartland certainly got our attention
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

Alex Starey and Nicole Kilian with Keermont Terrasse 2020
A blend of six varietals grown high up in the Stellenbosch mountains
Chenin, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc with dashes of Roussanne, Marsanne, and Viognier
Perfumed, full bodied with the support of some tannins and chalk, well made; this will go the distance

Jess Nunes and Karen Visser with David and Nadia Sadie's Aristargos 2022
A wonderful fruit salad blend of Chenin, Clairette, Semillon, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Verdelho,
Viognier, Marsanne & Colombard from the Swartland
Definitely worth bottling!

The boss - Caroline Rillema at the end of another 
very successful evening

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