Tuning the Vine, an evening wine tasting ramble through Cape Town's Inner City Wine Route

We started our week last Wednesday at Tuning the Vine. This is the second time this very successful event has been held in Cape Town and there will be another on the 9th of December. You book, there are 3 starter locations in town, you get an arm band, a glass to keep and you walk from venue to vent to taste wine all over the city.  To book http://www.quicket.co.za/events/11656-innercitywineroute/#/schedules Cheaper on early bird tickets.

We took the bus and so checked in at the Youngblood Art Gallery, with our web tickets

Catching up with Jacques Wentzel of Black Elephant wines

What shall we taste next?

There was a lively buzz in every one of the locations we visited. We did try to get to them all but didn't quite succeed. Too much good wine to taste at each place!

Wine was also on sale to take home. It was a young and vibey crowd with informed staff from the farms pouring the wines

"What are we tasting young man?" On the Jordan stand

Our next venue was a bit of a surprise. Next time.....

Then to Heritage Square to visit Jean-Vincent Ridon at Signal Hill Winery. A bit of a tight fit in the small shop. But we heard from him yesterday that he sold a lot of wine. And some of John Platter’s new book, as they held the signing there

..enjoying all the belles filles!

Just a brief stop here to taste the wines outside House of Machines

And chat to some old friends over a glass of L'Ormarins MCC

An oasis of calm inside

Time for a restorative coffee?

Lynne with her new adopted son, Hebert Banhire. He likes our lifestyle

You meet lots of people you know on the walk from place to place as people follow different routes. 
Shane Mullis, Sharon & Megan Parnell of Domaine des Dieux and a friend

A familiar friendly face at Tjing Tjing

Now this is serious work

Ah! Another of our favourites. Dieter Odendaal showing Creation wines

Girls having fun

And another favourite, Bevan Newton Johnson, with two of their great wines

This was the place to be, especially if you wanted to chat up Sebastian and taste his great Beaumont offerings

Upstairs under the roof is the bar for serious drinking

And some fresh air although it was a bit spoilt by smokers. Will someone please tell them it is JUST NOT DONE at wine events? You seriously piss people off

The Taj had thought of everything, including food for the hungry

We called in at Neil Pendock's Wine Gallery and saw Shelley

And then went to Twankey’s Bar for some lovely Genevieve MCC with Melissa Nelsen

and some Montpellier Brut with their new winemaker, Harold Versveld

Montpellier Brut and Brut Rosé MCC

Leaving Twankey’s to walk up Wale Street to Bocca

which seemed to be where everyone was heading

We were very lucky and were shown to a table upstairs almost immediately

But the wait for pizzas was long as there were so many hungry merry people ordering!

The pizza chefs coped very well. One every 4 minutes apparently

It is a long time since we ate pizza. Johns was Avo and Bacon with feta

Lynne went for the seafood option. And then it was time to Uber home

© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015

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This week's recipe: Courgette chips

We love to use "in season" vegetables and at the moment courgettes are looking superb. These are not main courses but make wonderful accompaniments to any dish

Courgette chips

Top and tail some larger courgettes and slice in half lengthways (about 14 or 15 cm long). Allow about 4 or 5 per person. Put some foil on a large ovenproof tray and heat the oven to 180 ⁰C. Sprinkle some extra virgin olive oil and some dried herbs and seasoning over the courgettes and make sure they are well covered. Lay the courgettes cut side down on the foil and cook for about 20 minutes. When you turn them over they should be quite soft but browning slightly. Put them back into the oven until they are nice and crisp on the edges. You will find they shrink quite a bit, but the flavours concentrate so well. Serve as you would chips

© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015

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This week's MENU - Stellenbosch Hills at 70, Tasting at DeMorgenzon and Jordan, Overnight at Radisson Blu, Courgette chips

Malachite kingfisher (Alcedo cristata)

In this week’s MENU:

 Stellenbosch Hills celebrates its 70th anniversary

 Wine tasting at De Morgenzon

 Lunch at George Jardine's Bakery

 The Radisson Blu, Granger Bay, V&A Waterfront

 This week’s recipe: Courgette chips

If you have missed and wish to catch up on a previous issue of MENU for any reason, please go to Main Ingredient. The second page of the site has links to previous issues of MENU.

To get the whole story with photographs, here and in our blog, please click on “Read on.....” at the end of each paragraph, which will lead you to the related blog, with pictures and more words. At the end of each blog, click on RETURN TO MENU to come back to the blog version of MENU.

The weather is playing "4 seasons in one day" fun as is usual in the Cape at this time of the year. We hear there are extreme heat waves in the rest of the country, we have lit several fires in the last week or so and had some refreshing rain and then some balmy days. Our sunsets are superb. We have been able to get more organised at home as the media circus is winding down for the year and we are enjoying time at home to plan the next few months. But there are still some great events coming up for you to book. Do check our Coming events list below.

Stellenbosch Hills celebrates 70 years of winemaking heritage     It is really rewarding to watch a winery raise its game. We have been enjoying events held by Stellenbosch Hills for the last few years and watching their wines take their place in a very competitive market. This 70th celebration was held last week at the Cape Grace hotel with a lovely lunch accompanied by their wines and we are impressed at how well they are drinking and how well they went with the food.

The event was also the launch of La Serena, an unusual blend of Muscat de Hambourg and Pot Still Brandy. This mellow sweet liqueur would make a great gift for someone for Christmas. Read on

DeMorgenzon for the Oenophiles     Our wine club likes jaunts into the country and this Saturday we all met at DeMorgenzon for a tasting of their multi award winning wines on the farm that plays classical music to their vines. Richard in the tasting room was expecting us and we had a very lively tasting inside of some of their excellent wines. Read on

Off up the hill for lunch at Jordan Bakery     We then drove next door to Jordan where one of our members had arranged for us to have a great wine tasting on the terrace and then a lovely informal lunch on the deck below. See the pictures here

Summer festival at Jordan     Jordan are holding their annual Summer Festival on the Sunday, 29th November and it will benefit a good cause. Enjoy wine tasting, boules, croquet, vineyard & cellar tours, CWG wine tasting* and live music while savouring gourmet food from the Bakery at Jordan. *R200pp for CWG Tasting.

Picnic snacks and treats will be available for purchase from the Bakery and can be enjoyed under the trees or on the lawns of Jordan Wine Estate. Don’t forget your picnic blanket and umbrella. A silent auction and raffle on the day will include prizes, such as a night’s accommodation for 2 guests in the newly opened Jordan Luxury Suites; tour & tasting vouchers and exclusive offerings of wine.

PLEASE BRING: Dog and cat food, old blankets and pet accessories, which will be donated with a portion of the entrance fee to Animal Welfare Society in Stellenbosch, The Border Collie Rescue Association and PETS. Booking essential: info@jordanwines.com / 021 881 3441 R100pp – early bird or R120pp – at the gate

A night to remember at the Radisson     We had great delight in telling people we were going to drinks, dinner and to spend the night at a 5 star hotel right on the ocean - just 5 k from our home! We were invited to the Radisson Blu which is next to the V&A waterfront last Saturday for the night followed by breakfast and really enjoyed the very comfortable stay with lots of food and wine. Read on

This week's recipe     We love to use "in season" vegetables and at the moment courgettes are looking superb. This is not a main course, but makes a wonderful accompaniment to any dish.

Courgette chips

Top and tail some larger courgettes (about 14 or 15 cm long) and slice in half lengthways. Allow about 4 or 5 per person. Put some foil on a large ovenproof tray and heat the oven to 180⁰C. Sprinkle some extra virgin olive oil and some dried herbs and seasoning over the courgettes and make sure they are well covered. Lay the courgettes cut side down on the foil and cook for about 20 minutes. When you turn them over they should be quite soft but browning slightly. Put them back into the oven until they are nice and crisp on the edges . You will find they shrink quite a bit but the flavours concentrate so well. Serve as you would chips

Coming Events:

NOVEMBER

Until end November   Franschhoek Art in Clay For more information and accommodation bookings, please call 021 876 2861 or visit www.franschhoek.org.za

Saturday, 14th & Sunday, 15th November  Bosman Release Celebration on the Bosman family estate, Lelienfontein in Wellington. The day begins at 11h00 and ends at 16h00. The tasting journey is open from 12h00 to 15h00 in the cellar. This event marks the release of new vintages from their Fairtrade De Bos Handpicked Vineyards and signature Bosman Family Vineyards wines. Exclusive releases for Bosman Family Wine Club Members will also be launched on the day including a Weisser Riesling, a Pinot Gris and, for the first time in South Africa, a Nero d’Avola. A festive food market will be set up on the lawns. Live music. Trained crèche staff will look after smaller children. Wine maker theatre sessions can be booked on a first come first serve basis during 12h00 to 15h00. Tickets at R150 per person include access to both days, a wine glass and a R50 voucher redeemable with your first purchase of six bottles of wine on the day. Children under 12 enter free of charge. Food sold at R50 per station. Space is limited, so book now at http://bosmanwines.com/tickets/ to secure your place. For more information please contact Neil Büchner at neil@bosmanwines.com or call 021 873 3170

Click here for details of more exciting events

Learn about wine and cooking We receive a lot of enquiries from people who want to learn more about wine. Cathy Marston and The Cape Wine Academy both run wine education courses, some very serious and others more geared to fun. You can see details of Cathy’s WSET and other courses here and here and the CWA courses here. Karen Glanfield has taken over the UnWined wine appreciation courses from Cathy. See the details here

The Hurst Campus, an accredited school for people who want to become professional chefs, has a variety of courses. See the details here

In addition to his Sense of Taste Culinary Arts School, Chef Peter Ayub runs a four module course for keen home cooks at his Maitland complex. Details here

Nadège Lepoittevin-Dasse has French cooking classes in Noordhoek and conducts cooking tours to Normandy. You can see more details here

Emma Freddi runs the Enrica Rocca cooking courses at her home in Constantia

Nicolette van Niekerk runs baking courses at La Petite Patisserie in Montague Gardens

George Jardine will be running a series of winter cooking courses and other activities at Jordan. Details here

We write about our experiences in MENU, not only to entertain you, but to encourage you to visit the places and events that we do. We know you will enjoy them and we try to make each write up as graphic as we can, so you get a good picture of what is on offer at each place, restaurant, wine farm, festival we visit.

12th November 2015

PS If a word or name is in bold type and underlined, click on it for more information

Phones: +27 21 439 3169 / 083 229 1172 / 083 656 4169

Postal address: 60 Arthurs Rd, Sea Point 8005

Our Adamastor & Bacchus© tailor-made Wine, Food and Photo tours take small groups (up to 6) to specialist wine producers who make the best of South Africa’s wines. Have fun while you learn more about wine and how it is made! Tours can be conducted in English, German, Norwegian and standard or Dutch-flavoured Afrikaans.

If you like the photographs you see in our publications, please look at our Adamastor Photo website for our rate card and samples from our portfolio

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Recommendations of products and outside events are not solicited or charged for, and are made at the authors’ pleasure. All photographs, recipes and text used in these newsletters and our blogs are © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus. Our restaurant reviews are usually unsolicited. We prefer to pay for our meals and not be paid in any way by anyone. Whether we are invited or go independently, we don’t feel bad if we say we didn’t like it. Honesty is indeed our best policy. While every effort is made to avoid mistakes, we are human and they do creep in occasionally, for which we apologise. Our Avast! ^® Anti-Virus software is updated at least daily and our system is scanned continually for viruses.

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Lunch at George Jardine's Bakery, Jordan Wine Estate, Stellenbosch

After our tasting at DeMorgenzon, we drove next door to Jordan, where one of our members had arranged for us to have a great wine tasting on the terrace and then a lovely informal lunch on the deck below

Inside the bakery. They sell amazing fresh bread and pies and pastries with lots of other condiments and jams

Choices, choices

A long table had been set up for our wine tasting. They do charge for the wine tasting. Our club bank account paid for that. You do need to book for the tastings if you have a large group and for the lunch

We tasted through a selection of Jordan wines

We had our lunch down on the deck under the trees and took up two tables

Jordan has some of the best views in the winelands, even on a hazy day

Friends from Noordhoek had also picked this day to visit

It is a very popular place and there is lots of room on the lawns to picnic as well

Our platters of meat, cheese, bread, tapenade and salad, We ordered Jordan's The Outlier Sauvignon Blanc and the Rosé on our table and the other table did the same

The platters were topped with pickled onion and caper berries

and also included some great quiches with lots of flavour

We also had some of the best salted caramel and chocolate ganache tarts with our coffee. The bill with wine came to R330 per couple

© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015

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