Fleur du Cap launches Unfiltered Chenin blanc and Pinotage

Fleur du Cap launched their new unfiltered 2014 Chenin Blanc and 2014 Pinotage at an exciting new venue in Oranjezicht on the 14th. It was a little hard to find using the GPS on our phones but thanks to helpful locals we did find our way to the historic Platteklip Wash House where centuries of servants and slaves came to do their masters' washing. It is managed by the Parks Board. A great place for weddings, and other medium sized functions if you have a PR or wedding budget

Wine was being served on the terrace under the trees and some good canapés circulated. Everyone was delighted to hear Chef Craig Cormack was doing the food, as he never disappoints

Sommelier Higgo Jacobs, cellarmaster Wim Truter and André Morgenthal of WOSA, chatting

Wim Truter opened proceedings and told us about the wine and the new labels

We also tasted the newly released 2015 Sauvignon Blanc

Chenin blanc and Chardonnay

Eco seating under the trees

Wim Truter introduced Kristen Basson, who makes the red wines

Media listening

PR consultant Gudrun Clark makes the final arrangements as it is time to move inside for lunch at the long table

Nadia Anthony, Junior brand manager, Fleur du Cap, with Chef Craig Cormack

Lots of chat as we taste the unfiltered Chenin Blanc. It is grassy and tropical and leesy and very refreshing with a touch of minerality

Warm bread rolls

The menu

The local poached trout was in a gentle broth with fresh peas, boiled potatoes & cooked and blanched waterblommetjies

Chef tells us about the food and the pairing with the wines

The main course of tender loin of kudu in an unusual but delicious Cape gooseberry sauce, fried gnudi dumplings, and seasonal vegetables to pair with the unfiltered Pinotage

Winemaker Pieter Badenhorst

Served with dessert: Fleur du Cap's sensational 2011 Noble Late Harvest, honey sweet but supported by good acidity

Dessert was a selection of mini bites of classic cape puddings: a malva pudding, a koosuster, a cheesecake, a wonderful semi freddo and a Queen of Puddings

The Fleur du Cap team with the Pinotage

© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015

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Akasha Mountain Retreat - The beauty of nature

When Chris and his wife Elana arrived we followed them through the outskirts of Heidelberg and then up the dirt road for approximately 12 kilometres, climbing all the time. It's a good road and you don't need a 4x4 . We came to the top of the hill and the countryside opened up before us. The hills slope down steeply towards the Duiwenhoks Dam and then climb again beyond it towards the far Langeberg mountains. You can see no houses, no people, only nature.

The garden is full of birds who come to feed on the ripe mulberries and later there will be figs and other delicacies for them. The Mouse birds play on the lawn, rolling around in fights for the females

The early morning mist

And the early light on the dam is like a mirror

Lynne woke very early on our first morning, peeped through the curtain and found two of these klipspringers grazing on the grass in front of our window. She quickly roused John who fetched his camera. They did not seem to be bothered by us watching, but did move on quickly

After those ripe mulberries?

Chris arrived at about 11 and took us on a small veld walk to see the local plants and birds

The wild flowers are in bloom in October

There is this interesting 'kraal', possibly a shelter or ceremonial site on the farm; there are two interconnecting circles and the stones are covered in lichen which must mean that they have been here many years.

Lynne took close-up photographs of the many tiny flowers in the veld

You can sit amongst the proteas 

and watch the sugar birds feeding

A Pagoda Mimetes attracts lots of birds

We sat down on the ground and watched for a while amongst the Pagodas and the pincushion proteas

Singing sugarbird

Far away on the top of the hill you can see cattle grazing under the trees

It is the end of the season for these Waboom trees, which the birds love

The river below the dam

Lynne spotted this baby kingfisher on a branch overhanging the river. It didn't seem frightened at all, just interested in us. It looked like it has just fledged. We identified it as the Malachite Kingfisher

It rained heavily that night and this is the misty sunset, warning of the wet day to come

It is a beautiful sunset

© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015

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