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Monday, March 18, 2013

Inaugural dinner of the RE:CM 10 Year Old Wine Awards

The elegant White Lady of Constantia, the Cellars Hohenort Hotel

A very welcoming glass of Villiera 2003 Monro Brut MCC

Lynne chats to Christian Eedes, the organiser of the Ten Year Old Wine competition, and to Maggie Mostert and Hennie Coetzee, Batonage bloggers

Cape Talk Radio talk show host and wine enthusiast John Maytham talks to photographer Danie Nel

Guests gather on the lawns before dinner

A miniature version of caprese mousse on a wafer thin crisp

Tiny hot melt in the mouth cheese choux pastry gougères

Minute hot shrimp spring rolls with a hot chilli dip

Winner Marc Kent of Boekenhoutskloof wines

The dinner was held in the Conservatory. Here we are taking our seats

Wine judge, writer and journalist Angela Lloyd chatting to Remhoogte owner Murray Boustred before dinner

The very interesting menu where Executive Chef Peter Tempelhoff paired the food with three winning wines .

The Amuse of West Coast Lobster topped with crispy leeks on a sweetcorn and roast garlic espuma having the warm Bisque added to each dish. This was served with the Villiera 2007 Monro Brut MCC

RE:CM guest Vanessa Hofmeyr choosing from the great bread selection

Next to the bread was a tiny glass containing a pretty fairy garden of miniature vegetables and pea shoots on a sesame seed soil, covering a green base which tasted like a puree of peas and avocado. This was inspired as well as delicious and may well be copied at our house soon

The speeches begin. Piet Viljoen, executive chairman of RE:CM with Christian Eedes, head judge and organiser of the competition

Piet Viljoen tells us about his company and their reasons for getting involved with the 10 Year Old Wine Awards. Seated at the table is one of the three judges, Nkulu Mkhwanazi, wine educator and entrepreneur

Guests listen intently

Christian Eedes talks about the wine entries

First award is presented by Christian and Piet Viljoen to Marc Kent of Boekenhoutskloof for his 2003 Syrah

Next award goes to Riana Hall of Rudera wines for their 2003 Syrah

Murray Boustred, owner of Remhoogte wines collects his award for the Remhoogte Estate Wine 2003 Bordeaux Blend

Another of the 3 judges, Jörg Pfützner, internationally trained and certified sommelier

First course of Springbok Tataki (Japanese: pounded meat) served with a quenelle of fig and almond pesto, celeriac remoulade, shiraz gel, almond crumble and the item that went best with the Boekenhoutskloof 2003 Syrah – a honey roasted fig. It was like a firecracker.

A deft hand pours the wine – they have superb staff, so friendly and professional and so well trained

Second course was a gloriously pink beetroot risotto topped with a fresh mushroom fricassee, cêpe puree, fresh baby peas and surrounded by a parsley and pecorino sauce. Another great food and wine pairing

Pouring the Rudera Syrah for the second course

We sat opposite Edo Heyns of Winelands Magazine. He is soon to be its Editor

He does not eat meat, so his third course lamb was substituted with kabeljou

Perfectly cooked and very tender Lamb loin and soft braised shank of lamb served with an unusual Artichoke leaf dauphinoise, smoked aubergine puree, rather pungent black olive jam and a tomato fondu and topped with a broccoli spear

It was served with the 2003 Remhoogte Estate Wine

Dessert was a tiny bowl of molecular gastronomy magic. A snowball, soft meringue-like outer around a harder core of ice cream sitting on a nectarine and plum compote and sprinkled with chocolate candy. A poem of a dessert

Then spiked handmade chocolates and good coffee saw us to our carriages

Special thanks to Arthur Muzengeza, the Green House excellent Sommelier, for keeping our table so well supplied with wine and more wine, exchanging wines when necessary, and for holding the bottle patiently while we photographed them being poured

Launch of the 2013 Stellenbosch Hills & Freddy Hirsch Droëwors Challenge

The chamber laid out for us with meat packs, spices and those industrial machines like mincers and sausage skin fillers

First a word from Stellenbosch Hills cellarmaster PG Slabbert, who gave us details of the wine we were tasting and then some details of the competition

One kilo of beef 80% lean meat and 20 % body fat with three different spice mixtures to add

Freddie Hirsch PR manager takes us through the competition details and give us background on the company

Julia Strydom, Product Manager, takes us through the process of making sausages and what goes into them

The two Stellenbosch Hills wines we tasted: their woody and full White Reserve, full of limes and grapefruit notes from the 70% Chardonnay with mutton fat notes from the 20% Semillon added and a little needed sweetness from the 10% Viognier. Their 1707 Reserve Red 2010 is a blend of Shiraz, Cabernet, Merlot and Petit Verdot and is just about to be launched onto the market at about R100 a bottle

The class listens intently as we learn how to make the wors

Different kinds of fat to use and bits not to use. Sausage skin soaking in water and spice packs and some extra spices we could use

Wine matched with spices: Nutmeg, allspice, coriander, cumin, fennel, chilli flakes, black pepper and cloves

Official photographer for the day, Danie Nel

Journalist Norman McFarlane gets excited about his photograph

They pulled a fast one on us, to teach us that you have to be sure what kind of meat you are buying and eating. These were all actually beef.

Lynne asks for gets an explanation from the lovely Elize who so ably guided us through our mistakes and successes that morning

Glamour shots of Brett Garner and CWM Winnie Bowman

Elize explains about fats and the additions on the table that can be added to the wors. Yes, wine can be an addition...

We get to choose our own

Fashion rebel Melvin Minnaar adopts his own traditional butcher look

Nicolette Waterford, the PR consultant who invited us to the event, Anél Grobler of Spit or Swallow Blog and Ishay Govender-Ypma of GY Lifestyle Concepts having fun and looking glam despite everything...

Francois Naude has now joined Freddie Hirsch as sales manager

Glands must be cut out as they add off flavours

The class was very well behaved and paid attention to the teacher all morning.

Lynne gets to use the industrial mincer and pushes her meat and fat through

Mel adding wine to his wors. Rather a lot of wine.....

The Freddie Hirsch retail shop in Voortrekker Road Maitland where you buy all the necessary items