The Top 10 Sauvignon awards at Cassia Restaurant on Nitida farm in Durbanville

Cathy Marston and Mark Norrish

Lynne with Myrna Robins and David Biggs

Music by students from the UCT Music School

The tables were beautifully laid with the first flight of tasting wines

 Cassia Chef Proprietor Warren Swaffield prepared a different dish for each flight of wines and they matched the food extremely well. The four flights were divided into:

1.    Those tasting of tropical and yellow fruit. This was served with a tender rolled chicken fillet filled with olive and feta and served with an avocado salsa. Winners in this category were: Simonsig Sunbird 2012; Neethlingshof Single Vineyard 2012; Clos Malvern2011 and Du Toit’s Kloof 2012

2.    Flinty and Mineral. Served with Prosciutto parcel with goats cheese and fresh asparagus drizzled with fresh tomato dressing. One Winner in this category: Lomond Pincushion 2011

3.    Blackcurrant leaf, Elderberry and Oak influence served with grilled Norwegian salmon on a petit pois risotto. Winners in this category were: De Morgenzon DMZ 2012 and Diemersdal MM Louw 2011

4.     Spicy and Herbaceous served with Thai marinated fish cakes with a minted lime sorbet. Winners in this category were: Driehoek 2012; Virgin Earth Pepper Tree 2012 and Groote Post 2012 

Nick and Peter Pentz of Groote Post - The Old Man's Sparkle and The Old Man himself

The people responsible for the Top 10 Sauvignons

Someone had a lot of washing up to do

Photographs © John Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2012

Media launch of Okamai restaurant at Glenwood Estate, Franschhoek

Evening on the N1 motorway heading to Franschhoek, Stellenbosch mountains in the distance

The newly renovated restaurant building on Glenwood farm

Abigail Donnelly and her colleague Katherine in the Glenwood foyer enjoying a welcoming glass of Morena MCC pink bubbles

The fireplace wall in the new restaurant

Glenwood’s wine ready for tasting at dinner

General Manager and Winemaker DP Burger

Master Chef Kiyomasu Deon Sensei and his assistant preparing our Bento boxes

Getting acquainted while we wait for proceedings to begin

Co-owner Nikki de Havilland giving the welcoming speech

GM and winemaker, DP Burger takes his turn introducing the wines

Traditional hot towels to start the evening

Master Chef Kiyomasu Deon Sensei explains our Bento box and how to eat it

Miso soup with Wakame seaweed started the dinner

Abigail learning how to shlurp the soup politely

It was delicious

The contents of the bento box were, from bottom left: Seared tuna sashimi, eel rice, udon noodle, umaki tuna rolls, chicken shu mai dumplings, deep fried tempura prawns and soya sauce for dipping

Our two waitresses for the evening

Dessert was an egg pancake with cream and chocolate drizzled over it

Owner Alastair Wood ends the evening with a speech

Glenwood owners Alastair Wood and Nikki de Havilland with Master Chef Kiyomasu Deon Sensei

Nikki de Havilland and Alastair Wood

The long road home with our great bus driver who is aptly named Shiraz

Photographs © John Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus cc 2012

Lunch at Groote Post, near Darling

A drift of spring daisies just inside the farm entrance

Golden and yellow heads on the hillside just before the winery

The wine cellar with two painters balancing on the roof – sprucing up for Spring

Enjoying the great wines In the tasting room

The front view of the manor house restaurant c 1704

The side entrance and gable

A superb collection of old kitchen equipment

The manageress asking us where we would like to sit.

The inside dining room

The walled terrace outside with the pergola, which will soon be covered in vine leaves

A beautiful sash window

The menu, which changes every day

Lynne’s roasted camembert and tomato tart with melt in the mouth pastry R58

Her second light starter of really excellent lean Springbok Carpaccio, with salad leaves, avocado and slices of good pretzel bread. This carpaccio is obtainable from the Darling butcher and is more like a good bresaola than a raw Carpaccio. Its flavour is very concentrated and the texture superb. All this needed was a light sprinkling of balsamic and olive oil. R58

The wines available on the farm, with cellar door prices at the table

John’s lunch, Mascarpone chicken with bean and bacon casserole R120

They have a really good collection of cycads on the farm

Photographs © John Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2012