Thursday, May 30, 2019

New developments at Beau Constantia

An invitation to visit Beau Constantia last Monday evening to learn about new developments there was gratefully accepted. Darkness is falling at 6 pm in Cape Town at the moment, but John's camera still finds enough light to show another Constantia farm along the valley
This is neighbour farm Constantia Glen, where the wines of Beau Constantia have been made by winemaker Justin van Wyk
We entered through the Beau Constantia tasting room. The function was beneath it at the Chef's Warehouse Restaurant 
Welcomed with a glass of Beau Constantia Pas de Nom MCC Bubbly
We could also enjoy glasses of the other Beau Constantia Wines. We certainly enjoyed the Aiden very much,
it is a satisfying and complex full of berry fruit blend of 49% Shiraz, 20% Petit Verdot, 18% Malbec and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon

being poured in precise measures
Early birds, we chat to Tasting Room Manager Johann Olivier
who is leaving this week to take up a new job at Diemersfontein wine estate in Wellington
Chef Patron of Chef's Warehouse at Beau Constantia, Ivor Jones
produced some really excellent canapés later on in the evening
His staff ably served the 80 invited guests
Some kale for one of the canapés 
The guests begin to arrive. The restaurant does convert very well into a function venue
A guitarist who played good jazz and popular music
Not sure the amp was needed, sometimes it is difficult to hear conversation above loud music in an enclosed space like this
Pierre du Preez, owner of Beau Constantia, welcomed us and told us about some of the changes happening
and thanked winemaker Justin van Wyk for the work he has done for Beau Constantia over the years
He said a fond farewell to Wine Tasting General Manager Johann Olivier
Constantia Glen CEO Horst Prader, listening to the announcements
and Pierre du Preez announced that Megan van der Merwe is now their winemaker
She was previously Assistant Winemaker with Justin van Wyk and made her first vintage of Beau Constantia this harvest
Johann made a short speech of thanks and talked about how much he had enjoyed his time at Beau Constantia
The new Tasting Room Manageress will take over this week
Listening intently
And then Megan made her speech and told us how excited she was to be making the wines for the farm
After the announcements, the canapés started to circulate
This was our favourite dish. Seared tender strips of venison, topped with a chicken liver parfait, crisp croutons,
truffle oil and some beads of a balsamic fruit vinegar with a nice acid bite which completed a rich dish
Crisp breadcrumbed fried squares of belly of lamb on a smooth as silk celeriac purée,
a mustard sauce and topped with crisp kale
Flakes of dried bonito on top of a seared Tuna Tataki
Johann, Megan, and owners Pierre and Cecily du Preez
Canapés coming thick and fast please a happy owner
Roasted cauliflower topped with a parmesan cream, raisins and toasted pine nuts - rather Sicilian in style
Yellowtail sashimi in a Vietnamese Nuoc Cham, sauce topped with Shiso leaves and other fresh green herbs. Superb
We did not need supper after this tour de force. Chef Ivor Jones is very talented indeed
We were here for Lynne’s Birthday last year and may well repeat the process this year. This is the sort of food we love to eat
and, in a corner, some cheese platters with a selection of breads and crackers

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Middelvlei celebrates a century of wine-making

In 1919 two brothers, Tinnie and Niels Momberg, bought Middelvlei, just outside Stellenbosch, and moved their families onto the farm and now, 100 years later, they are celebrating their centenary and nearly ten generations of Momberg family farmers. We were invited to join them, to taste some of their wines, older and new vintages, and to experience their 'egte Boerebraai' (real farmers' barbecue). Middelvlei is in the beautiful Devon Valley in Stellenbosch. It was a very special day of great wines, good food and superb hospitality
Inside the tasting room
One of the two family homes. The family and the farm have a long history - you can read about it on their web site. One interesting fact is how they are connected. One of the original founding brothers, Oom Niels, had a granddaughter who married into the Retief family who own Van Loveren in Robertson
Our welcome drink was the Middelvlei 2018 Unoaked Chardonnay, already the recipient of several wine awards,
a typical Chardonnay, crisp and dry with flavours of citrus and peach, some minerality and very enjoyable
Tinnie Momberg, Father Stiljan (Quiet Jan) Momberg and Ben Momberg. Tinnie is the Winemaker/Viticulturist
and Ben does, as he says, everything else, looking after sales here and abroad and building the brand
Together, they have blended modern winemaking and viticultural techniques with tried-and-tested methods
Ben's wife, Jeanneret, with her great skills, handles the marketing
The wonderful "organ" of wines we were to taste:
From an aged but still alive 1978 Pinotage to the brand new releases of the 2018 vintage
L to R Pinotage. The 1994 Middelvlei Pinotage had cherry and dark toasted incense wood on the nose, lovely cherry berry fruit with some fresher morello cherry notes on the end with chalky tannins. The 1989 Pinotage with brick edges had bruléed fruit, caramel and dark cassis berry fruit. Clean and soft berry fruit on the palate belies the rather cooked nose, a surprise. 1978 Pinotage had violets, cassis and mulberries on the beautiful, fruit driven nose, and is still elegant. Brick edges. Soft fruit, ready velvet tannins; it did slowly fade in the glass, but was impressive for its age. We also tasted the impressive 2011 Pinotage which had incense wood, plums, elderberry and maraschino cherry on the nose, soft sweet fruit nicely rounded plum and maraschino cherry on the palate 18/20 for us. The 2017 Middelvlei Pinotage has steely hints, wood and plums on the nose. Sweet plum fruit with licorice and salt on the palate and is already soft and "sappig". This is a food wine and we predict that it will age beautifully
Next three Shirazes. Middelvlei 2017 Shiraz was our favourite wine of the tasting and is our Wine of the Week. Rich cherry, raspberry, strawberry fruit, like a summer pudding, with some spice and black pepper on the nose. Rounded and deep on the palate, full of cherry, berry, summer pudding or fruit jelly flavours initially, then the kick of alcohol gives almost Romtopf complexity. Delicious. It finishes with some cumin and cinnamon spice. 1991 Shiraz has brick edges, spice and wood. Cherries Jubilee fruit. On the palate, crisp, clean red berry fruit, but aged quickly in the glass. 1989 Shiraz, Rich with cherry, raspberry fruit and pepper and cumin on the nose. Nice fruit initially, then went shy for a little, then revived. Think this is in a resting stage. It has everything - fruit, acid, wood, alcohol to last. Is this a sleeper? Would love to see this in another 10 years
Next three were Cabernet Sauvignons: Middelvlei 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon has linear cassis fruit and French oak, a superb nose; so perfumed it is almost wearable. On the palate, cassis in all its glory, tannins are grippy but the fruit overcomes and lasts. We rate this highly. The 1989 Cabernet has a rich complex note with berry fruit, green cassis leaves, smoke and wood. Lovely clean Cabernet fruit, fresh young cassis and violets, such potential still. The 2017 Cabernet has pretty cassis leaf and berry on the nose, vanilla (American) oak and violets. Cassis on the palate too; freshness of youth with potential, long flavours and soft chalky tannins. A Stellenbosch farm where Cabernet shines and thrives
Jeanneret Momberg gets us seated for the tasting
 Jeanneret is married to Ben and is responsible for the national and international sales and marketing
The brothers pour the wines we are to taste
The two tasting sheets
The oldest wine of the tasting, the 1978 Pinotage
This bottle of the 1978 was for the German market
Just an indication of the wines left in our glasses at the end of the tasting. We don't ever drink it all; in fact, it would not be possible to do so without becoming very inebriated. Most wine journalists have learned to taste and spit. However, we could keep the best wines to enjoy with lunch!
Pinkie Tukwayo cooks the Braaivleis over the open coals
Lamb chops done to perfection and chicken kebabs. all basted to keep them moist
The grid on top holds the Braai brood - bread filled with cheese, tomato and other flavours, which melts as it toasts
Typical potjies that go on the fire. Stews can be cooked or bread baked in them
A joyous Happy Birthday from a staff member with a wonderful voice;
in perfect timing and pitch, although completely unaccompanied. Sadly, we did not catch her name
and to celebrate that 100th birthday, some Tradition Brut MCC from Villiera
A view of the fields and vineyards in the distance
A traditional start to any Braai, pot baked bread with butter, jam and snoek paté
And that glass of bubbly, which helped to re-enliven the palates after the intense tasting
The current wines with their new labels:
2017 Pinotage Merlot, 2018 Free Run Pinotage, 2017 Shiraz, 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon,
2017 Momberg Red - a blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Pinotage, 14% Shiraz
Soon to be released are the Momberg Wood Fermented Chenin and the 2018 Momberg Pinotage
Chatting while we wait for the lunch to arrive are Maryka and Clifford Roberts on the left and PRO Pippa Pringle, Greg Landman and Tienie Momberg. At the end of the table beyond Lynne are Jeff Gradwell and journalist 
The Boerebraai main course food arrives. A mixed salad; light as air pumpkin fritters, dusted with cinnamon sugar; potato salad and grilled lamb chops, moist and succulent, flavourful from the good marinade and with nice crisp fat. The Boerebraai meal, which is served for lunch Monday to Sunday costs R225 per person. Besides tasting the wines, you can also do a Food and Wine pairing and have a wine blending experience on the farm Click this link for details
Marinated chicken kebabs
and excellent Boerewors (Farmer's sausage) in their own gravy. There are vegetarian options available too
Those braai breads, filled with cheese that is oozing out
Dessert was a real Malva pudding, soft sponge, soaked in syrup, crisp on the edges and topped with a vanilla ice cream. So many get Malva wrong and serve dry cake, this was excellent. What a great meal. We have to return with overseas friends in the summer. Thank you all at Middelvlei
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