Judging Paella at the annual Du Toitskloof Muratie Wines Cook-Off

Can you cook a good Paella? What would you put in it? Once a year Muratie and Du Toitskloof have a cook off competition and we are delighted to be invited to help judge. This year it was Du Toitskloof's turn to host the challenge. It was not the usual lamb challenge (although it did make a small appearance) but Paella. We hear that a lot of research goes into these challenges and certainly the paellas produced were very different. And of course it is chance to drink lovely wines from both farms. They lay on transport for us from Cape Town

The rather macabre floating trophy, a mounted wildebeest skull and horns

Muratie's table with lots of the correct Paella ingredients and their famed huge brie topped with strawberries which goes on the braai, melts and we all dip in with good bread as the starter. And yes those are lamb ribs going in the paella. Bones and all!

Chicken getting a good caramelisation in the pan

Kim Melck busy at the fire

The cook off is held on the lawn in front of the winery and Melissa's. It is always a good place to stop off on your way home

A glass of Lady Alice MCC to begin the day?

Du Toits Kloof also had their Sparkling Brut on offer with a new season strawberry in each glass.

A lovely sunny day always helps

Their starter treat was biltong and droewors

It's called looking the part. Broadcaster Jon Meinking in his Spanish uniform, beret and Spanish flag got us into the mood. Olé!

"Voguing"

Mussels at the ready

Adding wine to the pan

Getting hot turning over the food

PRO Emile Joubert also amused with his T shirt

Muratie had a refreshing drink on offer: a Chuck Norris, made with Muratie Port and Indian tonic

The girls from Muratie trying to tempt us with the Chuck Norris cocktail

The essential base to any paella is the Sofrito: onions, garlic, peppers and tomatoes cooked in olive oil

Browning the lamb ribs in oil and butter

Heavenly Muratie starter, melting Brie topped with strawberries

A marquee had been put up for shade or in case it rained

Time to add the rice. The sofrito looked a bit dry but they had a solution

Du Toits Kloof then added a very unusual paella ingredient, a sweet and sour onion sauce

Muratie's paella just after the rice was added

Journalist and author Myrna Robbins watches while Kim Melck adds the chorizo sausage and gives the final stir before letting it cook, very correct. This is how to achieve a crust on the bottom

Time to sit down and chat to Pete Goffe Wood, head judge. Tutt! someone smoking at a wine event, not done

Rice is done, now time to add the rest of the ingredients. Du Toitskloof topped with beautiful king prawns and lemon

Muratie added more chorizo

And this was their fully loaded paella, also topped with prawns, green beans and lemon

Bernard Kotze, Marketing manager of Du Toitskloof, reminded us this was the 5th year of the cook off

and explains how the judging will work

Du Toitskloof MD Marius Louw

Bernard Kotze with the chefs: Kim Melck of Muratie and Muller Coetzee tell us what's in their Paellas

Du Toitskloof then told us about theirs

Head Judge Chef Pete Goffe Wood

Kim looking happy and a little roasted from the fire

Red plate was Du Toitskloof, black plate Muratie. Backed by some good wines to drink with the dishes. For Lynne the Muratie had the best flavour and it had a good crust, but the prawns were not good and lamb bones a bit sharp. The crayfish and the prawns on the mostly seafood paella from Du Toitskloof were excellent, but she didn't enjoy the sweet and sour onion taste. In the end, it came down to which one she wanted more of

Señor Jon Meinking

Du Toitskloof Chairman Johan de Wet and Cellarmaster Shawn Thomson

Kim with the rather grisly trophy, ready to hand it over to the winners

Who were Du Toitskloof, by just one vote... So a very fair and even competition

The competitors! The next challenge in 2017 will be held at Muratie

Time for a little dessert. The éclairs were superb, melt in the mouth choux pastry. The very crisp and very sweet koeksisters were demolished

Tiny lemon meringue tarts, perfectly balanced lemon curd, soft marshmallow meringue and buttery flaky pastry. The chef who made these is talented

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2016

A vertical tasting at Constantia Glen

The small range of wines from Constantia Glen is named by numbers, except the Sauvignon Blanc (which could be called One!). The numbers denote the sum of the parts. Two is a white Bordeaux blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, 3 is a red Bordeaux blend of 3 varietals: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc; and Five, another Bordeaux blend with all 5 Bordeaux varietals. They are classy wines, winning awards and scoring very highly in Platter and with other wine commentators. And, it must be said, the farm has some of the best views in the Cape. We were invited to a vertical tasting there, followed by a casual lunch. We were not disappointed

The tasting room had been commandeered for the function and customers were accommodated in the restaurant area. We were grateful as it was a typical spring day, blustery, sunny, chilly, even drizzle at one point

Sales Manager Gus Allen welcomed us

He told us the wines are evolving. The vineyard was only established in 2000 by the owners the Waibel family who recognised it's potential. It is winemaker Justin van Wyk's 9th vintage, with Megan van der Merwe joining him as Assistant winemaker for the last two vintages. The farm manager Etienne Southey has been there for four years

We drank the new 2016 Sauvignon Blanc on arrival, which has not yet been released. This was its first showing to the media. It was bottled in July. Grassy green with light pyrazines on the nose, it is crisp, lively, full of gooseberry and lime, with good elegance and needs time to settle

These were the wines we were to taste

Justin van Wyk took us through the tasting. The first planting of vines followed the horrendous December 1999 forest fires which affected the farm badly, as it swept over the Constantia Nek and took away everything in its path. The Bishops boarding house boys came to help fight the fire and Justin was among them, he was then in Grade 8. Now he makes the wines, having earned his degree in wine. Planting took place in 2000 and 2001 with one varietal in 2002. Very little Sauvignon Blanc was planted then, but soon they saw how well it produced in Constantia so, in 2005/6, many vines were re-grafted with it. It does well in the teeth of the cold South Easter at the height of the farm. It is a Bordeaux varietal focused farm and only grows those varietals. 75% of which are red. Because the farm is so high up the mountain, they get 2 hours more sunlight than the rest of Constantia

We began with 2011 Three. Classic perfume of violets, cassis and vanilla on the nose, so attractive and enticing. Soft chalky tannins, warm spicy alcohols, a good fruit driven wine, cassis, plums, soft but full, this will last for several years. Next the2012 Three. It has a similar nose, just more integrated. Cherries and berries on the palate, less Cabernet visible, not as soft and yielding with lots of tannins to hold it together. A cool year with late picking. 2013 Three has cherries again, with wood smoke whiffs. Sweet and sour cherries, very chalky tannins and then it opens up to cherry sweets, nice length, good minerality but needs time. (60% Merlot)

Assistant winemaker Megan van der Merwe and farm manager Etienne Southey

Then on to the Five. 2010 is dark with plum edges, Intense fruit with coffee on the nose. Gorgeous fruit and some umami on the palate, soft sweet ripe berries and cherries layered with tense tannins and choc coffee wood and a long end. 2011 Cassis, incense oak and pine nuts. Velvet chalky tannins, soft berry fruit with length. It keeps opening up showing more intensity and fruit and lots of elegance. Lynne's top scoring wine at 18.5. 2012 has jasmine, honey suckle, incense wood and hints of marjoram on the nose. Warm alcohols, soft chalky tannins cassis, morello cherries, less wood than 2011 and a little greenness. Still to come

Then for the white Bordeaux Blend, Two. 2013 has the classic oily mutton fat typical with semillon, olive richness, perfume of melon and white grapes. A round mouth of elderflower, honeysuckle, sweet fruit with lime acidity and warm alcohol, and a long finish. No oak visible. A begging for food wine. 2014 Grapey Hanepoot nose with some herbs. Its fizzy, spritzy almost Muscat d Alexandria spicy with good acidity and sweet white grape fruit. 2015 has a tighter nose, with lees, herbs, sweet fruit and incense hints. It is ethereal, more elegant. Similar on the palate with the Muscat spicy notes, nice mutton fat feel, but little Sauvignon Blanc character. Honey botrytis notes too. So popular it is already sold out! Our favourite too

A view looking in

Lunch was platters: hams, cheese olives and bread, for which they are famous.

The smoked salmon platter was very popular

as was the biltong and droëwors platter. We shared them all

All slipped down very easily with the Constantia Glen wines

The terrace with its superb mountain views. A great tasting

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Lunch at Aubergine with a vertical tasting of Elgin Ridge wine

What use is having a wine farm if you cannot make a bubbly on it? says Marion Smith at a vertical tasting of Elgin Ridge wines which was followed by lunch at Aubergine Restaurant

Owner Brian Smith began the tasting telling us about the wines and their Elgin farm. They sold their successful IT business in London and moved to South Africa. In 2007 they bought this bare mountainside farm in Elgin and began to plant vines. They have Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and some Chardonnay which is used in their Rosé 2011 MCC, called MV which is mainly (73%) Pinot Noir

The 20 hectare farm has 7 hectares under vine and 10 are pasture; they are farming organically with ECOCERT certification. They also have cattle. Recently appointed winemaker, Kosie van der Merwe, has now planted 900 Semillon vines to add to Sauvignon Blanc and may put it into barrel so that they can make a white Bordeaux blend

We tasted seven Sauvignons Blanc: 2013 has herbal fynbos, green on the nose and palate with racy acidity. The 2014 is a bit more golden fruit than 2013 but still has the racy acidity. The 2015 has lots of green pyrazines with grassy notes and intense acidity and warm alcohol. The older 2012 is complex with a very different nose. It’s more golden, more integrated, grassy and a little perfumed. Crisp acidity still holds the wine together. The 2011 has structure and softer acidity. It is vegetal and full. There is no Semillon on this one. Niels Verburg helped make the 2010; it has fruit, perfume, elegance and depth, but has lost much of the grape acidity. Finally we tasted the 2009, made by Andrew Gunn of Iona and Jean Smuts of Boekenhoutskloof. Perfumed, grassy, grapey. A tingle on the tongue, refreshing, sherbety, with  pyrazines crisp and dry

Then we tasted the MCC. This 2011 vintage is a blend of 83% Pinot Noir and 17% Chardonnay. The wine is matured for two years in old French barrels, where it is naturally fermented. It spends 2 years on the lees being stirred, then a second ferment in bottle and another 3 years on the lees. It does not receive a dosage. It is partridge eye pink. Sweet pinot fruit predominates and there is a leesy character. It sells for R500 a bottle. Marion says she drinks a lot of it

Media listening intently during the tasting. Cabernet franc will come soon; they are making it in collaboration with another farm. It will be bought in and is not organic

The lunch menu

Another memorable starter from chef Harald Bresselschmidt. (Lynne cannot forget two other dishes he made when at Grande Roche, a mushroom soup and an apple strudel ice cream). The kingklip (line caught) was perfectly and gently cured, as you would gravadlax, then cooked sous vide. It looked raw, but was soft and yielding and had a texture rather like crab meat. It had an attractive pearlescence, so pretty, and the passion fruit dressing could not have been a better foil to the rich fish. It was accompanied by sautéed strips of abalone and served with spears of just blanched new season asparagus, dressed with garden herbs and flowers. Special mention must also be made of the rocket pesto, hot and peppery served with the bread. This course was served with the crisp 282 2015 Sauvignon Blanc, which had a good mouth feel, with warm alcohol

The main course was a duck breast people raved about. Crisp skin after rendering down all the fat, but served pink and tender, very flavourful with a sour morello cherry reduction, allspice, a red cabbage gel, baby corn and mushrooms and spinach. This was a good match for the 282 2013 Pinot Noir with its cherry fruit and slight bitterness from dark wood

Chef Harald had us all fooled with his menu description of the last course. We thought we were in for a cheese course as it was titled Gonedsa Belegen which is a matured (belegen) South African gouda style cheese. In fact, it was a tiny creamy cheese tart with superbly crisp buttery pastry, served with a pawpaw and apple ice cream with hints of rosemary; delectable. Sadly the wine served, the Late 96, a very oxidised 1996 Sauvignon blanc, was rather late

Chef Harald with Nicolette Waterford, owner of Waterford Communications who handled the Public Relations for the event

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