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Thursday, December 14, 2017

This Week's MENU. Overture, Giulio's, Waterford, Christmas starter, Rosés

The water lilies in our fish pond are thriving, fed by the fertiliser provided by the fish

2017 has been a very hectic and busy year, full of great events and experiences. some superb wine and food as well as an interesting and fun north European road trip, most of which we have enjoyed very much. Not all has been roses, but everything we do teaches us something more. Next week’s MENU will be the last of the year and will probably be a compact edition with a recipe and another wine suggestion. And then we will close for a holiday until mid January.....

Birthday lunch at Overture

To celebrate John's recent birthday we were taken to Overture by our friend Angela, who was visiting from London. We wrote a week or so ago that both John’s SD card on his camera was corrupted and the photos on Lynne's phone also disappeared, so we had no photographs - technology! Angela has now sent us her pictures, we so wanted to tell you about our excellent lunch

Overture is on Hidden Valley wine estate, high up in the Helderberg mountains in Stellenbosch. You turn up the Annandale Road and follow the signs after Peter Falke Wines. The views of the Cape are sensational. The restaurant has a large terrace with see-through screens if the wind is blowing or the weather is inclement. In the winter you can eat inside. It is run by renowned award winning top 10 chef Bertus Basson, who is very talented

Giulio’s for Dinner

We went to Giulio’s on the corner of Loop and Riebeek Street for breakfast several months ago and told you how good it was in our article then. He serves breakfast and also lunches, as well as his baking. We were informed that he is now going to be open for dinner every Friday and Saturday night from now on and we were invited to the media preview of some of the food he will be serving. The invitation was for 6.30 pm and we were told it would be over by 8.30. Not a chance! Media, especially the young and inexperienced bloggers are often late and many guests arrived more than an hour late. There were many dishes to try so the evening did turn into a very joyous and fun event

A Grand Finale to the year at Waterford Wine Estate

How could we resist an invitation from Mark le Roux, Waterford's wine maker, to come, with other media members, to a tasting on the farm of recent releases and some of his special selections from the Waterford cellar. We were also to do a short vineyard visit which would be followed by lunch. And they organised a pick up from everyone's home, so no problems with drinking and driving. Thank you Waterford

Starters for Christmas dinner Usually the main course at Christmas is big, like a turkey or a roast and is accompanied by many vegetables, stuffing, gravy and roast potatoes. Even if you are being South African and doing it on the braai, you can expect to be super full after the main event as most people do 'go to town'. So starters need to be something light and luxurious and delicious.

These recipes are two of our all time summer favourites and would be perfect for a hot summer day.

Ajo Blanco - White Gazpacho

225g whole blanched almonds - 750 ml iced water - 75g stale white bread, crusts removed, soak in cold water - 3 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste with 1 level teaspoon of sea salt - 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil - 3 Tablespoons dry sherry vinegar - 200g white seedless grapes, preferable muscatel, cut in half - sea salt and white pepper - Balsamic reduction

If you can only find raw almonds with their skins on, start with 250g and soak them in boiling water until the water is cold. Then sip off the shells and use the skinned nuts. In a food processor grind the almonds as fine as you can, they should stick to the wall of the machine. Turn off the machine and loosen the nuts, then add 5 Tablespoons of iced water and blitz until the almond paste is fluid enough to turn back on itself. Squeeze the water out of the bread and add it to the almonds, along with the garlic, combine till smooth. Add the olive oil and then the rest of the iced water until you have the consistency of single cream. Add the vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. You need a nice balance of almond, garlic and sherry. Chill for at least an hour or longer. Just before serving, check the seasoning again. Ladle into bowls and distribute the grapes evenly. Dot with a little olive oil and the balsamic reduction.

If you are doing a non-traditional Christmas, how about another refreshing cold soup as a starter? Tomatoes and peppers are in season and really good at the moment

Tomato and yellow pepper cold soup

500g very ripe tomatoes, core removed – 1 sliced yellow pepper, seeds removed - half a red chilli, seeds removed – 1 peeled clove of garlic – juice of one large orange - 1 t sherry vinegar – 1 sesame hamburger bun – sea salt – freshly ground black pepper

Put everything in your liquidiser and blend till smooth. Put in the fridge till the next day then adjust the seasoning. Add just a little sugar if it is too tart. Serve chilled with sliced peppadews, black olives, torn basil leaves and a few toasted flaked almonds. You can add crushed ice at the last minute as well if you want it colder and less thick. Serves 4

Our wine pairing suggestion for the starter is some of the best and most interesting rosé wines of the week which we have recommended this year

MENU’s Wines of the Week – Rosés

Summer is with us and so is the holiday season. We'll all be eating and drinking special meals and the variety will probably be almost infinite, so we've chosen a few of our favourite Rosés to go with that delicious festive food, Rosés being the most versatile of wines

Buitenverwachting Blanc de Noir - Summer has arrived with this wine. Well, if you are not convinced, all you have to do is open a bottle and you will feel the sun on your face. It is so reminiscent of the rosés of Southern France. A Merlot led blend of noble varieties, it is full to bursting with strawberries, raspberries, a good bite of juicy white peach and sunshine. So good with food. If you tasted this blind you might think it was a serious red, but its light, fruity floral nose and beautiful lipstick pink will convince you otherwise. Makro is advertising it at R49, a real bargain

L'Avenir Glen Rosé - This sophisticated Pinotage rosé really impressed us. From the first mouthful, you get perfumed raspberries and mulberries. It is seductively silky on the palate, the soft juiciness has a background of structural chalky tannin to support it and the wine develops in layers on the tongue. It took us right to the South of France, imagining what it might be like with a Salade Niçoise or a rich fish soup. A food wine of note. We also have to mention the special bottle which has the punt carved out to look like a protea and a glass Vinolok stopper. At the luxury end, R200 from the farm, but they also have entry level Rosé de Pinotage at R65

Bartho Eksteen Wijnskool Blom Rosé –This palest of pale rosé wines is made from Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah and a dash of Viognier. Bartho took a risk. He says the grapes were producing such beautiful juice this year that he blended the juice first and then made the wine. It's a risk, and very hard to repeat. The wine was so pale that he had to add a dash of red to give it some colour and it still very pale. It has produced a delicate wine, with a floral perfume of rose geranium on the nose and the palate. If you close your eyes, it smells and tastes like a gentle Rhône red wine, but it is so pale. Pure gorgeousness, how all rosé's should be. We cannot wait for summer holiday lunches on the deck. R98 a bottle from the farm

Newton Johnson Felicité Rosé – We’re always looking for something easy to drink with our lunch choices, which are always varied. What better than Newton Johnson's Felicité Rosé, made from Shiraz? Fresh pomegranate and cherry aromas with a touch of spice. Crunchy palate, delightful fruit sweetness, and juicy acidity to finish, such a good wine to share over a Sunday lunch. Expect to pay about R65

14th December 2017

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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. This electronic journal has been sent to you because you have personally subscribed to it or because someone you know has asked us to send it to you or forwarded it to you themselves. Addresses given to us will not be divulged to any person or organisation. We collect them only for our own promotional purposes. If you wish to be added to our mailing list, please click here to send us a message and if you wish to be removed from our mailing list, please click here to send us a message.

On the MENU this Week. Starters for Christmas dinner

Usually the main course at Christmas is big, like a turkey or a roast and is accompanied by many vegetables, stuffing, gravy and roast potatoes. Even if you are being South African and doing it on the braai, you can expect to be super full after the main event as most people do 'go to town'. So starters need to be something light and luxurious and delicious.

This recipe is one of our all time summer favourites and would be perfect for a hot summer day.

Ajo Blanco - White Gazpacho

If you can only find raw almonds with their skins on, start with 250g and soak them in boiling water until the water is cold. Then sip off the shells and use the skinned nuts. In a food processor griand the almonds as fine as you can, they should stick to the wall of the machine. Turn off the machine and loosen the nuts, then add 5 Tablespoons of iced water and blitz until the almond paste is fluid enough to turn back on itself. Squeeze the water out of the bread and add it to the almonds, along with the garlic, combine till smooth. Add the olive oil and then the rest of the iced water until you have the consistency of single cream. Add the vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. You need a nice balance of almond, garlic and sherry. Chill for at least an hour or longer. Just before serving check te seasoning again. Ladle into bowls and distribute the grapes evenly. Dot with a little olive oil and the balsamic reduction.

If you are doing a non-traditional Christmas, how about a refreshing cold soup as a starter? Tomatoes and peppers are in season and really good at the moment

Tomato and yellow pepper cold soup

Our wine pairing suggestion for the starter is some of the best and most interesting rosé wines of the week which we have recommended this year (See our wine suggestion here)

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A visit to Waterford; vineyard tour, tasting and lunch

A Grand Finale to the year

How could we resist an invitation from Mark le Roux, Waterford's wine maker, to come, with other media members, to a tasting on the farm, of recent releases and some of his special selections from the Waterford cellar. We were also to do a short vineyard visit which would be followed by lunch. And they organised a pick up from everyone's home, so no problems with drinking and driving. Thank you Waterford

It is high summer, the weather is fantastic and Waterford is a green oasis They recycle all the water on the farm so they have enough to irrigate the gardens of lavender and citrus. Waterford Estate is in the Blaauwklippen Valley in Stellenbosch. They have 120 hectare, half of which is plated with vines, the other half is not, as they want to preserve and maintain the natural flora and fauna. You can explore yourself on their Porcupine Trail Wine Walk for R350 per person which includes a light lunch and a wine tasting.

The entrance with a welcoming hound and their iconic water fountain in the courtyard. All the Table Mountain sandstone on the building was taken from the land surrounding the farm. There was lots of it when they had to clear the vineyards when they began the building

A great way to start the day was a glass of Waterford’s 2009 MCC bubbly, clean and crisp, its 100% Chardonnay, a Blanc de Blanc. An amazing seven years on the lees and another year under cork, but still amazingly fresh

We had an early start, so a quick brunch of ham and cheese croissants was very welcome

Kevin Arnold who started the farm in 1997 from scratch with partner Jeremy Ord. Kevin is the managing partner and Cellarmaster

He welcomed us in the Tasting room

Then it was time for the vineyard adventure. We climbed on the estates Land Rover - you too can book to do this tour. https://www.waterfordestate.co.za/

And others, younger and more nimble, climbed into the lug boxes on the tractor train

The team: Assistant wine maker Jamie Luckhoff, wine maker Mark le Roux, viticulturist Dawie van Schalkwyk

Off we go with the old girl in the front seat! Requires no climbing or clambering

Enjoying the bumpy ride through the vineyards are Fiona McDonald, Guy McDonald (no relation) and Lucille Botha

First top was high up on the mountain side in their special vineyard planted in 1988 which grows the Waterford Estate Single Vineyard Chardonnay

Mark told us all about the vineyard, the terroir and the plantings

It is an unusual clone of Chardonnay

Then it was time to taste it. Lovely to do this in the vineyard

Waterford Estate Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2015. The wine is crisp and lean, with good minerality and only a minute whiff of wood on the nose. It has a lovely silky mouth feel, with mixed citrus on a clean cool palate. Very French in style with restraint and minerality. They give it only 9 months in time in French oak wood, mostly older barrels, with 24% new. 12.6% alcohol. A thirst quenching delight and a great food wine.

Mark talking about his wine making, he prefers older barrels, and short exposure to wood and he tries to keep the alcohols low

We moved to a different vineyard and tasted the 2015 Grenache Noir. The colour is pale, like a Pinot, but the similarity ends there. This wine is full of vanilla and spice on the nose, cooked prunes and plums with just a little cherry. On the palate silky with spice and vanilla, then loads of warm fruit, red and black cherries and some typical Grenache wildness with long flavours and dark wood on the end with pencil shaving. Yum. And so nice to have the proper glasses for each wine

Mark talking about the Grenache vines and the wine

The berries are all pea sized at the moment, healthy and abundant. Looks like it’s going to be a good harvest. They have not had to drop berries or strip leaves

They had done a 'rip out' in the vineyard to see how the roots and soil are coping with the drought. The vines are not stressed; they put down long roots and find water. This showed us the different layers of the rock-topped soil, clay, chalk and finally rock at the base

Back to the farm and lunch was set out in the courtyard

But first a tasting of the wines. The first flight was from the Library Collection and we began with the 2015 Grenache Blanc

It is perfumed with sweet floral notes, then herbal and spicy. Full on the palate at first delicate then as it warms up the flavours of sweet citrus and grapefruit, white cherries, melon and lime on the end. A complete aromatic fruit salad. Probably go with smoked fish and possibly also with dessert

Our helpful pourers concentrating hard. Next came an oddity, an ancient Chenin, non vintage. Made in 2001 by a French intern, this is from one barrel of naturally fermented Chenin that lay forgotten until 2006. They have twice taken out some 50 bottles (37.5 litres) of the wine and bottled it, topping up the barrel with more Chenin, so almost a solera system going. There is some oxidation, but it’s not unfriendly or sherried; it has the perfume of yellow roses! Golden fruits, on the palate, loquats, peaches, mango, it is interesting. They plan to keep this going..

The first line-up. The red wine was the 2015 Cabernet Franc with 12.5% alcohol, it has wood wild red berries, vanilla and rose and yes, some wet tea leaves that Mark suggested we would find. Sweet red berries, cassis, tay berries, and a little morello cherry. Wild earthiness, dark wood and some sweet salty liquorice 'drop' on the end. A food wine

Mark taking us through the next three wines, which come from the Waterford range. All the grapes are bought in from other vineyards where they have long term relationships. We began with the 2017 Sauvignon Blanc from Elgin. Green and tropical notes on the nose of green pepper pyrazines and mango. The wine is crisp and slightly spritzy at entry with a touch of peachy sweetness, Kept on the gross lees for 6 months it is very satisfying. Then the 2016 Pinot Noir from James Downes at Shannon Vineyards in Elgin, a single vineyard wine. Spicy with wood smoke and vanilla and a red berry mix. The elegance on the palate belies the massive nose, Raspberries and soft cherry flavours, long, warm, with an end of toasted wood, soft chalky tannins and minerality . Very good indeed.

The last wines are all signature wines from Waterford. The Shiraz and Cabernet account for 75% of their local sales and dominate the market. First the 2014 Kevin Arnold Shiraz which Kevin says saved the farm. Spicy nose, with fenugreek, black pepper, clove and turmeric with a few green leaf notes. Juicy first, then full bodied, bold fruit, a big attractive wine, full of mulberries and cherries and delicious to drink. Then the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon with violets, incense French oak, roses cassis and mulberries, a very delicate and softly attractive nose. Soft sweet berry fruit with soft chalky tannins, some green cassis eaves, a food wine that says Feed Me NOW. One of the best South African Cabernets we have tasted. So buy some. They believe that the valley needs to upsell Cabernet, no longer the place for good value they are going to showcase them in the coming year. The style of the wines has changed a lot over the years; less wood is used and older wood, so wines are softer sweeter, more integrated. (Note: we have not mentioned fruit acid once)

Then the 2016 Grenache. Light in colour, bruléed fruit on the nose with wood. warm sweet fruit on the palate, needs time.

The final wine was the 2012 Jem, the name by which owner Jeremy Ord is affectionately known to family and friends. Elegant with good French oak, it has an intriguing nose, spice perfume, cassis leaves, vanilla, lactic, violets, red and black cherries, this is a blend of 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Shiraz, 11% Merlot, 6% Mourvedre, 14% Cabernet franc, 4% Petit Verdot, 3% Barbera, 2% Sangiovese. "Wow" said Lynne when she tasted it. Solid dark berry fruit, grippy chalky tannins, build to last and it is still got years. A silky mouth feel and dark toasted wood on the end. Kevin says they aim for 16 to 17000 bottles a year if they can. There was no 2008 Jem, a difficult vintage for them, as it is all about quality. He says he learned a lot from both Antinori and Mondavi. "It is all about quality, length, texture and finish and they are there". Mark says it is not about identifying varietals, but the whole wine

Time to repair to the courtyard and get some lunch

Laid out on the buffet for us to help ourselves

There were tarragon chicken breasts in a cream sauce

A tomato and broccoli salad with cream cheese

Roast potatoes

... and a mixture of raw old variety tomatoes with red onion and sprouts

And plenty of wine to go with the food. The Pinot Noir went very well with this food, so did the Chardonnay

Then a quick tour of the tank and barrel cellar

We saw the new porcelain tank in which Mark makes the Cabernet, as well as his egg fermenter and a glass ended barrel so they can watch fermentation

We had a sample of the wine from the egg

And went into the cool barrel cellar

Which is rather impressive

lose

And then it was time to board our shuttle buses to go home after a really wonderful day and a great end to a very busy media season. Thank you all at Waterford and Emil Joubert for arranging it

John liked this. But he lost his Water.....

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