Friday, September 08, 2023

Cape Winemakers Guild Auction Showcase

The long queue of enthusiasts wanting to taste the wines

The crush inside
The venue was somewhat smaller than might have been ideal

Cellarmaster Sjaak Nelson and Gary Jordan with the Jordan Sofia Bordeaux blend

Samantha O'Keefe, Lismore showing her Chardonnay and Shiraz

Emul Ross of Hamilton Russell with Hannes Storm, Storm Wines
Hannes showed his Vrede Chardonnay 2021 and Ignis Pinot noir 2021

John Loubser and Tanya Reynolds, Silverthorn pouring his Big Dog MCC

Rianie Strydom, Strydom Family wines with her Daniele Chenin blanc 2021 and Game Changer Cabernet Franc Merlot 2018

Reenen Borman showed Boschkloof Conclusion Cabernet Merlot 2020 and Epilogue Syrah 2021

Pieter Ferreira, COO of Graham Beck, pouring two 2014 Blancs de blanc

Annemie Adriaanse and Mark enjoyed the evening

David Finlayson, Edgebaston had his Inkunzi Tempranillo 2018 and GS Cabernet sauvignon 2020 for tasting

Bruwer Raats, Raats Family Wines showed two of his signature wines -
The Fountain Terroir Specific Chenin blanc 2022 and Stella Nova Cabernet franc 2019

Nadia Sadie of David & Nadia shows their 2021 and 2022 Veiling Chenin blanc

David Trafford had his De Trafford Glenrosa Syrah 2021 and Cabernet sauvignon 2019

Bartho Eksteen pous his Vloekskoot 2022 wooded Sauvignon blanc to a fan


and his Fluister Pinot noir 2022

Andries Burger had the Paul Cluver Wagon Trail Chardonnay 2022 and Estate Pinot noir 2022 to show

Dewaldt Heyns who was recently appointed GM of newly French-owned Villiera
showed his Family Wines Weathered Hands 2021 Chenin blanc and Shiraz Reserve 2021 

sowing his Chenin to Heidi Kritzinger of Kanonkop

Sommelier extraordinaire Jean Vincent Ridon having fun

Donovan Rall pouring his White Blend 2022 for Heidi Kritzinger

He also showed his Noa Syrah 2021

Duncan Savage showed Savage White, a blend of Sauvignon with 31% Semillon
and Auction Syrah 2021

Spencer Fondaumiere, Chairman of the South African Sommelier Association with Erika Obermeyer

Frans Smit showed his Spier Frans K Smit CWG Special Edition 2019,
a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot
and Red 2017 (Merlot, Cabernet franc and Malbec)

Adi Badenhorst had his 2012 Kalmoesfontein Dassieskop Chenin

Father and Daughter winemakers Carel and Margaux Nel of Boplaas


Carel showed his 2021 Daniel's Legacy red blend and Boplaas Cape Tawny Colheita 2007

Retired CWG member Jeremy Walker of Grangehurst with Christo le Riche
who showed 2011 and 2020 Le Riche Reserve Cabernets

Husband and wife CWG members Rianie and Louis Strydom
Rianie has been appointed Cellarmaster at Cavalli Estate
and Louis is Cellarmaster at Ernie Els wines
He showed the Ernie Els Signature Cabernet Merlot 2017 and CWG 2020, a blend of Cabernet sauvignon, Shiraz and Cinsault


A Selection of autographed wines for sale in the Silent Auction


All proceeds of this silent auction and the on line Protégé Auction which is now live on line
will go towards the excellent Protégé programme. Click on this link

All our stories can be seen in the Blog Archive near the top of the column on the right

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Wednesday, September 06, 2023

40th Blaauwklippen Blending Awards

 
New leaves on the oaks which surround the Blaauwklippen manor house


Into the new restaurant where we would meet the five teams who were finalists this year


Two long tables with magnums of the winning wine which would be opened and served with lunch
It is always a competition to see if any of the teams recognize their own blend
The winners are announced after lunch

The judges this year
L to R: Bussel Retief, one of the four cousins from Van Loveren, winemaker and wine teacher Clive Torr,
Blaauwklippen Wine maker Nerina Cloete, Marius Lategan and broadcaster Guy McDonald
Guy would be acting as Master of Ceremonies at the lunch

Nerina and her sister Nanette de Hart, Blaauwklippen
Brand Home & Destination Manager,
who handles the organisation of the competition

A glass of Blaauwklippen 1682 Cap Classique, the only Blaauwklippen wine still made from Zinfandel

Finding a seat, admiring the art and most importantly talking to the five finalist teams
It usually is four, but two teams had the same blend

The new 2023 Chardonnay. Nerina said there was a gap in the range for a premium wooded white wine,
the first they have produced since 1993
It is a different clone from the earlier Chardonnay which really didn't suit their terroir

Seats taken, things are about to commence

Butterscotch wood, ripe peach and apricot and hazelnuts on the nose
Full on the palate, with ripe loquats, peach, caramel and Seville orange

Guy McDonald gets things started

Nerina told us that this year, rather than make a ripe and ready blend,
she wanted to make the competition a bit challenging
and she specified that competing teams needed to blend a red wine to age for 40 years
 Contestants were sent four bottles of wine to blend, but of three cultivars
A 2022 Merlot which was whole berry fermented
Petite Verdot which was the last grape picked, whole berry fermented and in barrel for 16 months
Shiraz from the same block, but picked separately and fermented in French oak casks
One bottle of 100% whole berry ferment and 1 bottle of 50% whole bunch, 3 weeks ferment
- there was a big enough difference to make a blend
All entries had to make a 75ml blend

Our starter of Mozzarella filled crisp arancini balls served on a rich mushroom sauce
They went very well with the new Chardonnay

John's starter was some hot, deep fried  Saganki Haloumi cheese batons, with lemon and pink peppercorns

Time to meet the contestants
The Doktors van der Merwe, friends Analisa and Melissa have the youngest wine club, just two months old
They are from Stellenbosch. Both academics, one of them is the only female PhD in Agriscience
Their love of wine and food is their passion, taking them on a sensual journey

Esther Smit of the Kempton Park Wine Circle, established in 2005, it has 35 members
She said they taste wine by the box in the East Rand but they dont drink boxed wine!
They have restaurant meetings with an eight bottle tasting then a three-course dinner, until the wine runs out
They can spend R20, to R30,000 per meeting and they dont do repeat tastings, there is too much good wine out there

Jan Willem Lotz, who is a radio presenter; he and his sister Merlani form the wine club Merlotz
They are from the Western Cape

Johan Fourie of the Tygerberg Wine Tasting Guild  which started in Gauteng; then they moved to Bellville in 1989
They started the club to learn about wine
They would buy a bottle of wine to taste and learn all about it
Over the years they have visited almost all the farms in the Western Cape

Danie Nel of the Venterhootsenmarkram club
His dad wanted to teach the kids about wine, to create memories and togetherness
The club is 33 years old and has 12 members scattered around the country and overseas; the youngest is 18
Now they get together with Zoom meetings or visits

A glass of the blend from the as yet unrevealed winner
Wood notes first; it is very dark in colour and we were looking for the violets usually found in Petit Verdot
They were there, with cherry from the Merlot and spice from the Shiraz
Full on the palate with dark berry fruit, with big fruit acids to the fore and grippy chalky tannins,
lots of dark oak, so indeed a wine built to last
Plenty of fruit with morello cherry, raspberry, mulberry and licorice with a hint of allspice and pepper. And long flavours

Time for lunch. A shared mixed salad with croutons

The main course was lamb shank braised in wine, served on a bed of rosemary mashed potato

Guy building tension about naming the winners

Nerina with the Trophy

and the winners were The Dokters van der Merwe, Analise and Melissa

Clive Torr spoke about the winning blend and said how much he enjoyed the Petit Verdot element
It was 59% Shiraz, 27% Merlot and 14% Petite Verdot
In second place was Kempton Park Wine Circle,
Third was the Tygerberg Wine Tasting Guild
and joint fourth with the same blend were Merlotz and the Venterhootsenmarkram club

Dessert was a Crème Brulée topped with fruit.

All the participants lined up for a photograph

All our stories can be seen in the Blog Archive near the top of the column on the right

If you do not wish to receive e-mails from us, please email menucape@gmail.com with the word 'UNSUBSCRIBE' in your email

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