Friday, August 16, 2013

Bottling the first wine from The Vineyard at Klein Constantia

The Vineyard's F&B Manager Matt Dietchmann helping Klein Constantia winemaker Matthew Day fill the first bottles
The first bottles reach the guests below the bottling area
Matthew Day with Michael Bampfield Duggan and the first bottles off the line
The Vineyard GM Roy Davies with Neil Pendock, Inga Rix, Francois Malan, Norman McFarlane, Kevin Arnold and Ebbie McFarlane
Roy Davies with the first bottle
Matthew Day ensuring that the bottles are accurately positioned on the corking machine
Mike Bampfield Duggan, Wendy Masters and Inga Rix dipping the bottle necks in wax
A Vin de Constance mural in the cellar
Matthew Day and Roy Davies helping The Vineyard's owner Kitty Petousis dip a bottle
Neil Pendock, Norman McFarlane and Kevin Arnold
After the bottling, off to the vineyard to prune the vines, with a little Kaapse Vonkel to provide motivation
Waterford GM and cellarmaster Kevin Arnold tells the amateurs how to prune
and gives a demonstration
while Kitty supervises
Angela Lloyd and Ebbie McFarlane admiring nasturtiums and Swiss chard planted in an old pallet
After all the "hard" work, a delicious lunch
Roy Davies pours a glass for Myrna Robins
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Mint at the Taj a la carte Menu

© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2013

Taj Friday Menu


Schultz Brothers wines dinner at Aubergine

Roland Peens of the Wine Cellar with Christian Eedes
Getting to know each other, drinking Hartenberg chardonnay and Sutherland sauvignon blanc . Joanne Gibson talks to Rudi Schultz
Chef/owner of Aubergine Harald Bresselschmidt talks to Lynne about flu
The menu
Canapés of tiny warm Fishcakes and Aubergine and goats cheese pralines.
and more of Quail Eggs Benedict
Tables all set for the dinner and the wine tasting
Two ladies with Roland Peens
We introduce ourselves to our table companions
Harald welcomes us to the event
Carl Schultz of Hartenberg tells us about his wines
Our first course of a delicious creamy mussel broth, packed with flavor which matched the 2012 Kleinood Viognier perfectly
The next course was a Game fish tataki with wasabi mayonnaise, a daikon and cucumber roll with wakame seaweed and a ginger dressing. Paired with the gentle Hartenberg 2010 Riesling
One of the best wines of the evening, Hartenberg’s Gravel Hill Shiraz
There were two main courses to go with four red wines.  First a veal brisket with morel mushrooms, redcurrant sauce and a savoy cabbage parcel filled with meat to match the flinty and intensely fruity 2005 Hartenberg Gravel Hill Shiraz which is drinking absolutely perfectly at the moment and the Kleinood 2008 Tamboerskloof Shiraz which is soft and full of fruit and spice.
Rudi Schultz of Thelema and Sutherland tells us about his wines
And his brother Werner the Thelema viticulturalist tells us some family history and how he got involved.
Three of the brothers:  Gunter, Carl  and Werner. In the background is Nils Hecksher, General Manager of Winchester Mansions hotel in Sea Point.
John struck up a good friendship with the sommelier, Khuselo Mputa
After a nice pause and a prize giving, we had the second main of Braised lamb shank with waterblommetjes and pumpkin couscous cakes.  This was served with Thelema’s sultry and spicy 2005 Shiraz and Rudi Shultz Syrah 2009, also intense and full of deep dark fruit.
Lucky numbers meant winning some wine or a meal at Aubergine.
Journalist Joanne Gibson won a bottle of Gravel Hill
The four Schultz brothers together: Rudi, Werner, Gunter and Carl
taking photos of the event
A surprise birthday plate for Lynne with a slice of iced seed cake.
Dessert was a goats milk cheesecake with kumquats and a crisp three cheese pirogen with a Riesling poached pear which had a delicious syrupy sauce.  Paired with the Thelema 2009 NLH Riesling and the Hartenberg 2012 Occasional Riesling
And then there were plates of wickedly wonderful friandise to go with coffee
The four Schultz sons with their parents.  You can see where they got their good looks
Proud parents Mrs and Mr Schultz senior
 © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2013