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Thursday, May 30, 2013

Old Mutual Trophy Wine Awards lunch at the Mount Nelson

Juli Huisamen, Cathy Marston and Kalinka Lombard, together with lots of winemakers at the start of the Awards lunch

A gentle piano, award nominated Method Cap Classique bubbly to drink and lots of chat and conjecture as to what the day will bring

Michael Fridjhon tells us briefly about this years awards

Followed by David O'Brien of Old Mutual, the main sponsor of the event

A line-up of some of the entered wines for us to taste with our lunch

Organiser par excellence of the events, Outsorceress Janice Fridjhon

David O'Brien of Old Mutual gives his opening speech

Our starter of excellent quality home-smoked Salmon and dill gravadlax with herbs, sweetcorn and cauliflower relish

The long line of trophies and behind them the certificates ready to be awarded.

Main course was beef sirloin in a mushroom and tongue jus, with just blanched carrots, an excellent Jerusalem artichoke puree and a pave of finely sliced potatoes and slow cooked beef cheeks

Alex Mason Gordon and Taryn Thomas, two more of the excellent organisers whose attention to detail is so superb.

Michael Fridjhon with Mrs Anthea Eedes presenting the Harold Eedes Trophy for the best Chenin Blanc. It went to Rijk's

Paul Cluver Junior, winner of many Trophies presenting this year’s Riesling trophy...

... to Sjaak Nelson of Jordan, who won several awards this year, for their museum class entry

David O'Brien of Old Mutual seeing who won the Trophy he is about to present

Michael ?? of Riedel Glass presenting that special trophy to Thys Louw of Diemersdal for the best Bordeaux style Blend., their 2010.

Dessert is a melange of chocolate flavours and textures with a good ice cream, a macaroon and crisp crumbs

A pensive Christian Eedes

The winner of the ultimate trophy, the Fairbairn trophy for the most successful producer went to José Condé of Stark Condé, who also won the trophy for the Best Shiraz and the American Express for the best Cabernet Sauvignon

Erika Obermeyer, winemaker from Graham Beck with Journalist Melvin Minnaar. Erika won a Gold Medal for The Bowed Head Sauvignon Blanc.

Sjaak Nelson and Gary Jordan of Jordan wines delighted with their three trophies: Best wooded blend for the Outlier; The Riesling trophy and Museum Class overall for the 2009 Riesling

David Biggs with Gail Alswang

Photographer Sean Benjamin lines up all the winners for the official photograph

All the proud Trophy winners

Mr Fridjohn, after a job well done

Gold Medal winner Alan Mullins who won with Johan Meyer for Woolworths Sur Lie Chenin Blanc. Alan is tasting some of the many wines we had available for lunch.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Bottelary Winemakers' Langtafel Lunch at Mooiplaas

The offering from Kaapzicht. They have just bottled the 2013 Chenin and don’t have the labels yet but wanted us to taste it. It is fresh and fruity with an elderflower floral nose and will improve and improve. In the middle is the much awarded Steytler Pinotage showing just where Pinotage should be with deeply concentrated pure fruit flavours with some warmth from the alcohol. And on the right their beautiful ice wine. We don’t get ice in the Cape so Danie Steytler freezes the grapes in liquid nitrogen over a weekend and then presses the frozen grapes on Monday. It contains a residual sugar of 240ad is full of honey and fruit with a good ratio of sugar to acid balance

The display of Mooiplaas wines in the tasting room

Hartenberg’s offering of 2010 Riesling Honeysuckle floral nose, clean sweetness and depth on the palate with a dry finish. Made as a food wine and it so worked with the snoek quenelles as it wiped the palate clean of any cream or sugar. The surprising late harvest Riesling was much drier than expected. It has an RS of only 58.6 and good acid finish but the honey is there underpinning it. The Cabernet is a classic expression of the grape – distilled cassis and gentle wood and years to go.

Mooiplaas Pinotage is full of rhubarb, black cherries and is quite meaty with sweet fruit, hot alcohol with an herbal wood end with notes of cinnamon and turmeric. It was not a good match for the snoek which flattened the wine and made it taste a bit metallic and the wine is too good for that. This wine has years to go but is drinking very well right now.

The Platter 4 star Mooiplaas Cabernet 2005 is faultless and ready now. It is full of cassis and liquorice. Both Cabernets and the Steytler went so well with the main course of oxtail pot pie and voting for them at lunch made them equal winners.

Tielman Roos, Mooiplaas viticulturalist tells the guests about the Bottelary, its terroir and then about Mooiplaas and what it has to offer

Tamsin (Tammy) Jaftha winemaker at Hartenberg on the left with her colleague who runs the Hartenberg tasting room.

The very long table seated 48 for lunch and took up the centre of both rooms

The menu for the lunch showing which wines were paired with which course

Plating up for 48 people in the busy but small kitchen

Our chef for the day Dirk Roos checking that everyone is happy

Louis Roos, Mooiplaas winemaker talks about their wine...

.. while we wait for the starter and some wine to be poured

We are introduced to all the staff who have helped with the meal and some who will serve us

Journalist Norman McFarlane, making notes, and his wife Eppie

Danie Steytler, winemaker at Kaapzicht, which is the next door farm, tells us about his wines

First course: Fresh Tomato soup with smoked paprika and basil oil. Served with both the Kaapzicht and Mooiplaas chenin blancs and went well with both

Tammy Jaftha, winemaker at Hartenberg, tells us about their wines

Cape Malay snoek quenelles with cape gooseberry compote. The snoek was flaked and cold and mixed with some oat bran for texture. Its perfect match was the Hartenberg Riesling.

The main course was a slow roasted deboned oxtail infused with cinnamon, garlic and herbs with a pastry lid. It came with truffle bulgar wheat, roasted baby fennel and tomatoes. All the wines served with this dish sang, loudly. The Mooiplaas Cabernet 2005; Hartenberg Cabernet 08 and the Kaapzicht Steytler

Dessert was a heavenly light pastry case filled with a passion fruit cream and topped with fresh raspberries and cream and it was beautiful with Kaapzicht’s Chenin Blanc Ice Wine.