Friday, March 22, 2013

RE:CM 10 YEAR OLD WINE AWARDS FINALISTS ANNOUNCED



04 March 2013: The RE:CM 10 Year Old Wine Awards today revealed its 10 finalists, in the build-up to the announcement of the three ultimate winners later this month. The finalists, in alphabetical order, include:

Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2003
Chamonix Troika 2003
Kanonkop Paul Sauer 2003
Morgenster 2003
Morgenster Lourens River Valley 2003
Remhoogte Estate Wine 2003
Rudera Syrah 2003
Tokara 2003
Uitkyk Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz 2003
Vilafonté Series C 2003

Now in its inaugural year, the RE:CM 10 Year Old Wine Awards was launched to commemorate the value-based asset management firm’s 10-year anniversary and aims to recognise and award vintage wines which have demonstrated outstanding age-worthiness.

Wine producers were requested to submit their 2003 vintages in February 2013 and in response a total of 73 entries were received from a variety of producing areas, such as Stellenbosch, Swartland, Tulbagh, Franschhoek, Wellington, Bot River, Paarl and Robertson. The finalists were selected by a three person panel, which consisted of chairman, Christian Eedes, respected wine writer and critic, and judges Jörg Pfützner, internationally trained and certified sommelier, and Nkulu Mkhwanazi, wine educator and entrepreneur. The judges conducted a blind tasting and utilised the 20-point/5 Star scoring system in order to determine the 10 finalists and three winners.

Piet Viljoen, executive chairman at RE:CM, says that the quality and quantity of wines received is a positive sign for the inaugural year of the awards. “The awards were established to demonstrate that with patience, extra reward can be achieved. Similar to value investing, our core approach, in order to produce wine of outstanding age-worthiness, discipline and a long-term view are demanded. While many wines can be enjoyed young, there is an acknowledgement that with time, the finest wines can benefit immensely.”

Three winners, of equal standing, were announced at an awards dinner at The Greenhouse Restaurant in Cape Town on the 14th March 2013, where acclaimed chef, Peter Tempelhoff, paired the winning wines with specifically designed dishes. 

RE:CM 10 YEAR OLD WINE AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED

15 March 2013: Results of the RE:CM 10 Year Old Wine Awards were announced last night at a gala dinner held in Cape Town. The three winning wines were Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2003, Remhoogte Estate Wine 2003 and Rudera Syrah 2003.

The winning three 2003 vintage wines were selected from a line-up of 73 local wines and were judged according to their age-worthiness by a three person panel, which consisted of chairman, Christian Eedes, respected wine writer and critic, and judges Jörg Pfützner, internationally trained and certified sommelier, and Nkulu Mkhwanazi, wine educator and entrepreneur.

According to Eedes, 2003 was generally a good year for local reds, noting it could possibly be considered as vintage of the decade and as a result, the expectations of the tasting were exceptionally high. The aim of the tasting was to identify those wines that had really matured with benefit. “Ultimately we were looking to ascertain whether South African wine is age-worthy as opposed to just age-able. We were looking for wines that weren’t just a bit mellower with slightly softer tannins but wines that were starting to show really interesting tertiary character and an extra level of complexity by virtue of having spent 10 years in a bottle and by virtue of pedigree.”

On the night, valued clients, judges and media were treated to a three-course dinner at the award winning Greenhouse Restaurant by acclaimed chef, Peter Tempelhoff, who specially designed courses to pair with each 2013 RE:CM 10 Year Old Wine Award winner. The Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2003 was served with the first course of Springbok tataki, followed by a Beetroot Risotto for the second course, which was paired with Rudera Syrah 2003. The third course, consisting of Lamb Loin and Braised Shank, was paired with Remhoogte Estate Wine 2003.

2013 marks the inaugural year for the RE:CM 10 Year Old Wine Awards, launched to commemorate the value-based asset management firm’s 10-year anniversary. “There is more than a coincidental link between value investing and wine-making in terms of discipline and patience needed in order to deliver the best results,” says Piet Viljoen, executive chairman at RE:CM. 


For further information, please visit www.recmwineawards.co.za

-Ends-

About RE:CM 10 Year Old Wine Awards:
The panel tasting was conducted blind to avoid bias and each wine was judged independently. The commonly-used 20-point/5 Stars scoring system was used to determine a rating for each wine and ratings were awarded on the basis of discussion, involving re-tasting were necessary, with a view  to reaching consensus. All tasting procedures and results were further audited by chartered accountants, PKF International Limited.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Thai cooking lesson at Stir Crazy

The Stir Crazy cooking school with the five fully equipped double work stations
Our teacher for the evening, Noleen van der Westhuizen
You choose your recipe according to your ability and experience
Michael gets chopping. He has lots of prep to do for his rice paper rolls, which include noodles, mango, spring onion, avocado, coriander, mint and basil with a sweet Thai chilli sauce
Each of us made one
You soak the rice paper rounds in hot water, then paint on some sweet chilli sauce, choose your contents and roll up
The class in action. Lynne discussing spices she has just pan roasted with our teacher Noleen
John made stir-fried steak in oyster sauce. He left out the mushrooms, but it still tasted great
Yorke Searra, the chef, trying to blend the Penang curry paste for Lynne – a little difficult with a stick blender that was broken
Noleen tastes one of the sauces a student has made
We enjoyed a glass or two while we cooked. Lynne was so busy she kept forgetting her wine
Stir fried Thai mussels
Carmen makes one of our starters, a great Tom kha Gai (spicy and fragrant chicken in coconut milk) soup
Michelle reading the recipe carefully. Studying it before you start is essential
Twice cooked chicken in its marinade waiting for its first cooking
Then after the second cooking, it is put onto flat noodles for serving
Hard boiled eggs are deep fried....
...for the delicious starter Son-in-Law Eggs in a tamarind sauce
Lynne starts to fry off her chicken while the curry sauce reduces in the wok...
...then the chicken and thinly sliced green beans are added and briefly cooked
And finally we all sit down to a really great meal. See on the table another dish of Thai fish cakes
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2013

Opening of the Vondeling Tasting Room

Matthew Copeland, Vondeling’s winemaker, behind the new tasting room counter with Willie de Waal of Scali and Christian Eedes
Julian Johnsen, his daughter and Fiona McDonald greet M. Albert Roux
The impressive vaulted ceiling in the building
There were stations at which we could taste each wine the estate produces
The first of many marvellous canapés. Goats cheese and caramelised onions
Green gazpacho
Mini caprese salad on croutons
Tomato gazpacho
Pea polenta topped with springbok
Fish samoosas and a sweet chilli dipping sauce
Baby won tons in a sharp sauce
Shareholder and Managing Director of Vondeling, Julian Johnsen, welcomes us all
Journalist Neil Pendock chats to Vondeling’s UK sales representative
It was a large party and many of us preferred the terrace outside in the early evening
Sesame chicken strips
Belly of pork
Beetroot risotto, cream cheese topped with a preserved green fig
Asian  flavoured seared salmon
The busy tasting room counter
Elaine Rousseau of Food Fanatics, the caterer for the event, who produced masses of superb food without let up throughout the evening...
... in an unbelievably small space
Speeches were short and to the point
Winemaker Matthew Copeland tells us about the vertical tasting of 2005 to 2010 vintages of Vondeling’s Babiana White blend
A stunning view of the Voor Paardeberg vineyards and the country beyond, at sunset
This is wheat and wine country
Part owner and investor Anthony Ward tells us why he invested in the farm
M. Albert Roux explained his connection with Vondeling, South Africa and the Cape. M. Roux’s wife is from Zimbabwe and they visit every year
The far hills turn pink and blue as the sun sets
Three well known winemakers: Andre Badenhorst of Doran Vineyards, his son Adi Badenhorst  who is part of the Swartland Revolution and Duimpie Bailey
M. Roux cuts the ribbon to open the tasting centre
Master of Wine Cathy van Zyl and her husband Philip Van Zyl, Editor of the John Platter Guide
Jane Eedes with her delightful daughter
Winemaker Matthew Copeland with the bottles lines up for the Vertical tasting
Time for a chat in front of the Kanonkop mountain
Vondeling’s gleaming tank Cellar – full of newly made wine
Francis Naughton, a very entertaining fellow from Ireland, who also makes wine – Naughton’s Flight
M. Albert Roux and his wife have a quiet moment together
The band who entertained us all evening, with soft, elegant music
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2013