Platter launches the 2016 Platter Guide to South African Wines

Invitations to this launch are always hard to get, but fantastically rewarding when you are invited. You can taste all the just awarded 5 star wines and chat to their winemakers informally, as you and they taste all the wines. There were some surprising results as usual and some expected winners. 8 000 wines tasted this year. 83 wines, three brandies and one husk spirit rated 5 Stars (wines scoring 95 or more out of 100, so rated superlative). Best White wine of the year went to Warwick for their 2014 The White Lady Chardonnay. Best Red wine to Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines 2013 Iron Syrah; they also won the award for the best Dessert wine with their Olerasay NV Straw Wine. They also received 5 stars for the 2013 Straw Wine and their 2014 Granite Chenin Blanc, our favourite of the bunch and therefore took Winery of the year, a tour de force. The red ink entries are back to everyone's delight - they denote 4½ Star and 5 star status.

The launch was held at the Mount Nelson in the large ballroom

Journalist Greg Landman of Country Life enjoying a chat with wine retailer Caroline Rillema and Niall O'Regan, sales manager of Rijks Wines

Platter launches 2016 Guide; Sean de Kock, Platter's software engineer, Linda Harding Potgieter, Social Media consultant and Platter editor Philip van Zyl at the registration desk

Fiona McDonald is one of the experienced tasters for Platter

JP Rossouw, the publisher, gets things started

Lots of wine makers waiting with bated breath; have they cracked the five star level?

The precious scrolls await their recipients

And the colour this year is Sea breeze blue

Best White wine 2015 was awarded to Warwick for The White Lady and the family was here to accept it. Mike Ratcliffe, his daughter and Norma Ratcliffe, his mother and doyenne of Warwick

Danie Steytler accepts two well deserved five star awards for Kaapzicht: for The 1947 Chenin Blanc and the Steytler Vision 2012 red blend. This should make Danie senior feel much better. He has been very ill for a while

Miles Mossop accepts two for his own wines: the Saskia white blend and the 2014 Kika, a superb NLH dessert wine. The wines are named after his children.

Spier had four five star wines: 2011 CWG Auction Reserve Frans K. Smit, 2013 Gables Pinotage, Gables Sauvignon Blanc . Creative Block 2 white blend. Accepting here are winemaker Johan Jordaan & cellarmaster Frans Smit

The Mullineuxs with their clean sweep of five awards, Best Red wine and winery of the year

Chris and Andrea Mullineux expressing delight at the awards

Now it is time for the best part of the evening for us. Tasting all the five star wines. Francois Haasbroek of Blackwater Wines enjoying the tasting

Louis van der Riet of De Krans with his wife. He received five stars for their 2013 Cape Vintage Reserve port

A happy Norma Ratcliffe

Brad Paton of Buitenverwachting, (five stars for their excellent 2014 Chardonnay) and Richard Kershaw (five stars for his 2013 Clonal Selections Elgin Syrah) with their wives

Smoked beef wrapped around cream cheese

Duncan Savage took five stars for his CWG Auction Reserve 2013 Follow the Line red blend of Cinsaut, Grenache and Syrah and the Cape Point CWG Auction Reserve 2014 White blend. Seen here with Ariane Beaumont Rossouw

Duncan with his father and assistant winemaker Riandri Visser

More canapés. Onion tarts we think, didn't taste. We are avoiding anything with pastry or bread where possible

The room starts to thin out once most people have tasted the wines they wanted to experience

Last chance?

Beef kebabs

Small turnovers

A very happy pair from Boplaas and The Fledge. Margaux Nel and Leon Coetzee were awarded five stars for their Boplaas Heritage Reserve White muscadel 2012, the Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2012 and their Potstill 20 year Reserve Brandy

© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015

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The five star wines for 2016 are (courtesy of and copyright to the Platter website):

Cabernet Franc

1. Chamonix 2013

Cabernet Sauvignon

1. Delaire Graff Laurence Graff Reserve 2012
2. Guardian Peak Lapa 2013
3. Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection 2012

Cinsaut

1. AA Badenhorst Ramnasgras 2014

Grenache Noir

1. David & Nadia Sadie 2014

Pinotage

1. Beeslaar 2013
2. Rijk's Reserve 2011
3. Spier 21 Gables 2013
4. Windmeul Reserve 2014

Pinot Noir

1. Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak 2013
2. Newton Johnson Family Vineyards 2014

Shiraz/Syrah

1. Bellingham Bernard Series Basket Press Syrah 2013
2. Eagles' Nest Shiraz 2012
3. Leeuwenkuil Heritage Syrah 2013
4. Mullineux Iron Syrah 2013
5. Reyneke Syrah 2013
6. Richard Kershaw Clonal Selections Elgin Syrah 2013

Red Blends

1. AA Badenhorst Red 2013
2. Delaire Graff Botmaskop 2013
3. Ernie Els CWG Auction Reserve 2013
4. Fleur du Cap Laszlo 2012
5. Haskell IV 2010
6. Kaapzicht Steytler Vision 2012
7. Luddite Saboteur 2012
8. Meerlust Rubicon 2010
9. Miles Mossop Max 2012
10. Mulderbosch Faithful Hound 2013
11. Mvemve Raats MR de Compostella 2013
12. Nico van der Merwe Mas Nicolas Cape 2013
13. Savage Wines CWG Auction Reserve Follow the Line 2013
14. Spier CWG Auction Reserve Frans K Smit 2011
15. The Winery of Good Hope Radford Dale Black Rock 2013
16. Vondeling Erica 2012
17. Vuurberg Reserve 2012

Chardonnay

1. Buitenverwachting 2014
2. Dorrance Cuvée Anaïs 2014
3. GlenWood Grand Duc 2013
4. Graham Beck Lonehill 2014
5. Haskell Anvil 2014
6. MVH Signature 2014
7. Newton Johnson Family Vineyards 2014
8. Paul Cluver Seven Flags 2014
9. Sterhuis Barrel Selection 2013
10. Sumaridge 2013
11. Warwick The White Lady Chardonnay 2014

Chenin Blanc

1. Botanica Mary Delany 2014
2. David & Nadia Sadie Hoë-Steen 2014
3. Eenzaamheid 2013
4. Kaapzicht The 1947 2014
5. Keermont Riverside 2014
6. Ken Forrester Old Vine Reserve 2014
7. Mullineux Granite 2014

Roussanne

1. Bellingham Bernard Series Whole Bunch 2015

Sauvignon Blanc

1. Cederberg David Nieuwoudt Ghost Corner 2014
2. Nederburg The Young Airhawk 2014
3. Neil Ellis Groenekloof 2015
4. Spier 21 Gables 2014

Semillon

1. Constantia Uitsig 2014
2. Mullineux CWG Auction Reserve The Gris 2014

Viognier

1. The Foundry 2014

White Blends

1. Bloemendal Kanonberg 2014
2. Cape Point CWG Auction Reserve White 2014
3. Constantia Glen Two 2014
4. Constantia Uitsig Natura Vista 2014
5. David & Nadia Sadie Aristargos 2014
6. Mullineux White Blend 2014
7. Newton Johnson Resonance 2014
8. Nitida Coronata Integration 2014
9. Oak Valley Mountain Reserve White Blend 2011
10. Sadie ‘T Voetpad 2014
11. Spier Creative Block 2 2014
12. Waterkloof Circle of Life White 2013

Méthode Cap Classique

1. Anura Brut 2011
2. Cederberg Blanc de Blancs Brut 2010

Dessert Wine, Unfortified

1. Miles Mossop Kika Noble Late Harvest 2014
2. Nederburg Winemaster's Reserve Noble Late Harvest 2014
3. Klein Constantia Vin de Constance Natural Sweet 2011
4. Mullineux Olerasay Straw Wine NV

Dessert Wine, Fortified

1. La Couronne Muscadel NV
2. Boplaas Heritage Reserve White Muscadel 2012

Port-Style

1. Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve 2012
2. De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve 2013

Brandy/Husk Spirit

1. Dalla Cia 10 Year Old Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot Husk Spirit
2. KWV 10 Year Old Vintage
3. KWV Nexus
4. Van Ryn 15 Year Fine Cask Reserve

Wines & Winery of the Year are:

White Wine of the Year

Warwick The White Lady Chardonnay 2014

Dessert Wine of the Year

Mullineux Olerasay Straw Wine NV

Red Wine of the Year

Mullineux Iron Syrah 2013

Winery of the Year

Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines

Publication notes for Platter’s by Diners Club

• Published by: John Platter SA Wineguide (Pty) Ltd
• Publisher: Jean-Pierre Rossouw
• Editor: Philip van Zyl
• Tasters for 2016: Angela Lloyd; Master of Wine Cathy van Zyl; Cape Wine Masters Winnie Bowman, Greg de Bruyn, Tim James, Christine Rudman and Meryl Weaver; David Biggs, Joanne Gibson, Higgo Jacobs, Cathy Marston, Fiona McDonald, Ingrid Motteux, Gregory Mutambe, Jörg Pfützner & Dave Swingler.

Lunch at Benguela on Main, Somerset West

Benguela Cove winery is on the hillside overlooking Walker Bay, on the road between Bot River and Hermanus. Owner Penny Streeter OBE has now opened a fine dining restaurant nearer to Cape Town on Main Road and Coronation in Somerset West. We experienced the great food and newly released wines there on Friday

They have taken a large corner house and it now has beautiful modern and elegant interiors with comfortable chairs. There is a small deck on the side.

Banting is so hard when faced with fresh home-made bread such as this and a good flavoured butter

Sommelier Denis Garret, who hails from France, was on hand to show us the wines

We chose from the current menu, The chef changes it frequently

Lynne's Amuse was very clever. Baby mushrooms with fresh fennel and amasi (thick sour milk) The combination of mushroom with fennel is a revelation and a lovely palate cleanser

John was pickled red cabbage with pear and broccoli in amasi. Chef Jean Delport is certainly very talented and the food not only tasted wonderful, but was beautifully presented. We think Somerset West is going to love this restaurant, as will people visiting from other places

Lynne's starter of light as air, rich Chicken liver parfait. This dish always separates the men from the boys, as it is not easy to make. We had a very bad sour and metallic one recently. Lynne ordered it specifically to see how it would perform. A huge success. It was accompanied by an onion crisp, squares of a wine jelly, clever smoked raisins, which added another dimension, and a thick, sticky, fruity preserve (dates and raisins) with some dots of fromage blanc. It came with a warm slice of toasted brioche

John's rather small starter of Norwegian salmon gravadlax, folded into buckwheat blinis with crème fraiche and topped with fish roe, was great but you don’t want to share any of this. We drank the new Matilda’s Secret 2015 with this, which needs more time as it has just been bottled. We then tasted the 2014, which is full of the perfume of elderflowers and cool, crisp and layered on the palate with muscat and elderflower notes, but nice and dry. We hope they keep serving the 2014 for a while. The Matilda’s Secret range is made for Benguela Cove by Johan Fourie at the KWV

Time for the main courses, so time to taste the Benguela Cove 2014 Pinot Noir. It has a pretty floral nose with roses, incense and violets, with some cola and mulberry on the palate. It is very young and needs more time, so it is not really ready to drink now, but will be in time. We also tasted the 2014 Chardonnay, which was made by Kevin Grant. Its rich marmalade nose has layers of lemon, nectarine and English gooseberries. A great food wine. Lynne drank this with her fish main course

John drank the 2014 Shiraz which is rich and spicy with vanilla, cherries and cinnamon, the soft rich flavours of the wine was the perfect pairing for his extremely tender Kroon duck in a Five Spice sauce. It was done two ways, confit leg and crisp skinned, grilled breast on a medley of carrot, with roasted potatoes, bok choy and an Asian duck jus. It looks like a 1960 Jackson Pollock Action painting

Offer Lynne crab and she will take it. Always. Her main was almost two dishes. Crisp aromatic soft shell crab, with crisp shitake mushroom slivers and soft mushrooms beneath, with wilted spring onion strands (difficult to cut or eat) with a monk fish 'fillet' coated in intense mushroom dust. We learned the fish had been confit and then, with the dust applied, it was fried till nearly crisp on the outside and tender and moist within. It had great flavour. The dish was anointed with a good onion cream, lightly pickled. A touch of acid always offsets rich flavours so well

We had two side orders: pommes frites with good aioli (not the right potatoes for chips sadly, for while they looked crisp on the outside, the centre was watery) and tender stem broccoli with black sesame on a purée of Romanesco and a miso & ponzu sauce. All good flavours

Our urbane, attentive and interesting waiter Jack Black

We passed up on dessert and had a cheese board. All local cheeses except for the Danish Blue. This came with melba toast. We followed this with two good strong double espressos

Lynne talking to the waiter about the food

A collection of Benguela Cove wines above the bar

Making coffee

They don’t need a pianist as it’s a player piano - flip a switch and it plays itself.

A cheese and meat platter being prepared for other guests

It is an open kitchen, nice and quiet and a hive of activity

Chef Jean Delport at the computer with the owner’s son, Adam Streeter, who manages the restaurant

There is a function room upstairs which is available for hire

Another view of it

The vinoteque

Thank you Chef for a lovely meal. We hope to bring you lots of new customers

© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015

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