L'Avenir relaunch

This well known Stellenbosch farm with good French Connections has been rather silent over the past year or two and, last Thursday night, they threw an excellent party on the lawns of the farm to relaunch them back into the midst of the vibrant SA wine industry. The party was opened by Antoine Leccia the CEO of Advini Wine Group in France, who are part owners of L’Avenir. The wines were served at stations around the garden and each wine was matched with two dishes, one of French origin and one of South African origin. Not all of the matches worked, some of the food being a little misunderstood by our local chefs (please don’t roast rabbit dry! Casserole it) but some of the matches and the dishes were divine. We particularly raved about the Steak au Poivre versus the Championship Boerewors served with the Classic Reserve Pinotage. This wine is epic, a Pinotage Lynne, (pathologically not a Pinotage fan) would drink anytime of the day or night, could she get her hands on it. And we do have a little. If only all of it could be made this way. It is silky soft and full of deep dark fruit and not one hint of any metallic or rusty flavours or any sweaty leather

Warmly welcomed by Rebekka Swiegers with a glass of their MCC Pinotage Brut rosé bubbly

The menu with the two pairings for each wine

Chatting at one of the wine and food stations

The Far and Near Pinotage Rosé stand

An unidentified canapé

Beetroot cured salmon ...

...or Pork terrine with the Rosé

The salmon on bread topped with avocado

Antoine Leccia, the CEO of Advini Wine Group, tells us about the links with the farm and what they are trying to achieve for the future

A rapt audience sips some bubbly

Andre Morgenthal of WOSA

Tables to sit at with food and wine

L’Avenir’s tasting room

Snails wrapped in filo pastry and fried crisp, was not too kind to the snails

Deep fried pumpkin fritters

Prawns for the Cape Malay prawn curry. We were given prawns and rice but someone forgot to put on the curry sauce

Cooking the curry sauce over a gas flame. It did exist

Springbok loin on a bed of cauliflower puree, also missing its Pinotage jus and Pinotage Jelly

Roasted rabbit

A classic Tarte Tatin, which John missed tasting as he left it too late. It was delicious

Slivers of an absolutely decadent chocolate tart

Checkers' Championship Boerewors. This man really knew how to cook this superb sausage

Cooking in almost complete darkness, he produced moist and perfectly cooked Boerewors. The French were ecstatic about it, as were we

It was served with roosterbrood – bread cooked on the braai coals

The best dish of all: Steak au Poivre. Steak in a cream and brandy pepper sauce. Tender beyond belief which, as there was no cutlery, it needed to be

This was also cooked by the best sausage braaier in the world. We must know his name

A farewell hug for Lynne and Sonja Delport from Barend Barnard, National Sales Manager. It really was a lovely party

© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2014

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Anniversary dinner at the Fords

Our table had to be extended so that 10 could be seated around it

A baked gammon with peaches. See this week’s recipe

Orzo (rice shaped pasta) with a Thai basil pesto and mini tomatoes from our vertical drainpipe garden

Smoked chicken, fresh figs and gorgonzola salad

Calamari steak strips in a chilli, ginger and garlic Asian sauce with tamarind, fish sauce, and palm sugar

Marinated Asian prawns and crayfish with a mango and basil coulis and a mango salsa Thanks to Chef Raymond Blanc for the crayfish recipe

We also served a potato salad with chives and celery, seaweed and we started with ciabatta rolls and chicken liver paté

© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2014

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Kleine Zalze launches MCC at Ottimo Cibo in Bishopscourt

The Booths’ lovely home in Bishopscourt is also the venue for their unique private restaurant, Ottimo Cibo, and the many functions catered by talented chef Nikki Booth. Although we had a sneak peak at it the previous night, it was lovely to taste this wine again at the official launch. There was a great gathering of media from around the country and we had some lovely food to compliment this elegant wine

Kleine Zalze’s new Methode Cap Classique bubbly, made from 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir was launched at this media event. It is delicious with just the right amount of elegance and crisp acidity = a great celebration wine. It had three years on its lees

Despite a four hour power cut by Eskom as we arrived, Nikki Booth and her kitchen managed to put out a lovely selection of canapés, cold and warm

Lovely crisp fishcakes, topped with tartar sauce

Wynand van Schalkwyk, Marketing manager of Kleine Zalze, tells us about the MCC

Kobus Basson, owner of Kleine Zalze, tells us why they decided to launch this now and a bit of history about the farm and the grapes and the harvest

This was a very popular media event and very well attended on a lovely summer’s day

Parasols were needed and used

Kathryn Henderson, Editor of Classic Wine, and Monica Elias, Editor and publisher of Wine Tourism South Africa, interrupted in mid-Tweet

Morning mist on the mountains made the atmosphere a little muggy, but it soon cleared

There was a huge spread laid out for us in the dining room

Seared tuna

An unusual salad of meatballs, beetroot, goats cheese, topped with potato crisps and olives

Fresh asparagus, toasted pine nuts and cream cheese

Parma ham, salami and melon

Roasted vegetables, chick peas, artichokes

Prawns, avocado, sunblush tomatoes and baby corn salad

Delicious Veal Tonnata

Smoked salmon and cucumber ribbons with a creamy sauce

Lovely mushroom salad

We tuck in to the spread

PRO Ian Manley, Event organiser Julie Killias and Aubrey Ngcungama, SA favourite Come Dine With Me contestant

Two journalists from Gauteng enjoying our sunshine instead of their rain

Enjoying the lovely lunch and sipping copious quantities of the Kleine Zalze MCC on the terrace

A wicket moist chocolate cake with hazelnuts

Another amazing confection topped with fresh figs and nuts

Millionaires chocolate and nut topped fudge and something new and novel, Turkish delight spring rolls

A rich polenta cake drizzled with lemon icing

Wicket and stunningly good Pavlova

And we ended with the perfect cheese platter

The creator of all this wonderful food, chef Nikki Booth

© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2014

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