In
this week’s MENU:
Benguela Cove Winery
Rivendell
This week’s recipe:
A Green Summer soup
Tastings and
Festivals
Learn about wine
and cooking
To get the whole of our story, please click on
“READ
ON.....” at the end of each paragraph, which will
lead you to the related blog, with pictures and more words. At the end of each
blog, click on RETURN
TO MENU to come back to the blog version of MENU.
This week’s Product menu The delicious
truffle flavoured chips we have had recently, at Delaire Graff and other places
prompted us to remind you that we have a good range of truffles and truffle
products such as oil, pastes and truffle salt. An easy way to add wonderful
flavour to savoury dishes. See them here
Thanksgiving We have a surprisingly large number of
American readers, so we wish you all a happy and peaceful Thanksgiving. We all
have a lot to celebrate and be thankful for, including a personal anniversary.
Discovering new
country Sometimes we are asked to visit farms
that are quite far away from Cape Town and we try to include them in an
itinerary which we build to include visits en route. This week we did just that
and, on our way to Riversdale, discovered a new wine route, not that far from
home. Actually, not that new, we have visited Beaumont in Bot River many times
and have driven through the area frequently, on our way to Hermanus and Hemel
en Aarde, but didn’t take much notice until we met Penny Streeter, owner of
Benguela Cove, earlier this year. She invited us to visit, but this was our
first opportunity.
We had been invited to the
Grand Opening of Baleia Bay’s new winery and deli in Riversdale. They laid on a
bus, but we had another commitment at Delaire Graff the next morning, with the
Champagne Festival at The Vineyard in the evening, so we decided to make a
round trip of it and travel up slowly, hence the diversion.
On the Bot River We have wanted to visit two wineries in
this area for a while. Benguela Cove had invited us recently, but we were
already engaged on that date. Also, we had heard that Chef Thomas Sinn (ex
Wembley Square and Blue Danube) had now moved to Rivendell Winery, which is
just across the estuary from there. It
was a short, pleasant diversion off our route up the N2 to Riversdale and we
had allowed ourselves all day. Bot River
has always been included as a ward of Elgin wine area, but suddenly there are
many new wine farms opening up and it is becoming a wine route all on its own.
Benguela Cove
Winery This is the site that Lynne had picked
years ago for the perfect weekend escape cottage when driving past towards
Hermanus and we see that someone is now building a large and impressive house
in the spot we had fantasized about. We don’t have the R2 plus million for a
plot nor do we have the time to build a luxurious escape, we would prefer a
tiny seaside cottage but it is an interesting place to visit. Apparently they
plan to build a hotel in the next year and there are houses going up in the
vineyards and along the lagoon edge. The tasting room has only just been
finished and it is large and modern and has nice views from the lawn in front
of it of the river and lagoon and estuary. They currently only have three wines
for tasting.
Rivendell This is a winery that has a separate
restaurant. They are easy to find. You turn off the N2 towards Hermanus and,
when you get to the Y junctions marked Kleinmond to the right and Hermanus on the
left, you take the left fork and turn into the winery about 100 meters on your
right. Our first visit was to the winery
to taste the wine and we were warmly welcomed by Rachel, who runs the tasting
room. We really liked their 2012
Sauvignon Blanc, asparagus and green on the nose and a full mouth of golden
fruit with some minerality and saltiness. The 20013 needs more time. They have a spicy rosé from Shiraz and a
velvety 4 star Platter Shiraz with delicious tastes of dark fruits and wood. Read on....
Baleia Bay We wrote about these wines when Baleia Bay
Chardonnay appeared from nowhere to win The Discovery of the Year Trophy at the
Old Mutual Trophy awards in May and when they appeared at the Good Food &
Wine show later that month, we tasted and bought some, as well as their very
creditable, but young, Pinot Noir. So we were delighted to receive an
invitation to the Grand Opening of the winery in Riversdale. They were very
intelligent and arranged transport from Cape Town and overnight accommodation for
media.
We were to meet at 5pm at the
farm, which is at Dassiesklip, about 30 Kms south of Riversdale and, following
the instructions, we drove down the good dirt roads but missed the rather shy
farm and ended up in Vermaaklikheid which, literally, translates as
“entertainment”! Yes, it was; certainly a diversion. Turning back, we eventually
arrived at the farm ‘gate’, at the same time as the bus from Cape Town, where
the winemaker /viticulturist Jacques Geldenhuys was waiting for us. Read on.....
Delaire Graff
sees the Sunrise There is a need on Delaire
Graff for their own MCC and, this week, they released it. Named after the 118
carat Delaire Sunrise, the largest square emerald cut yellow diamond in the
world. Morne Vrey has used mainly Chenin Blanc, making this more like a Crémant
de Loire. It is a blend of
Chenin Blanc (58%), Chardonnay (34%) and Cabernet Franc (8%). All the grapes come
from the estate. It is intensely crisp and has quite a crackle on the palate.
Given time, this will be a beautiful wine, but it will only be available at
Delaire. Then it was time for a tasting of some currently available Delaire
wines, followed by lunch on the terrace. It’s a hard life and, yes, the weather,
wine, food and the view were perfect. Read on.....
Wine Concepts Finer
Things in Life Champagne Festival We wouldn’t
miss this annual festival of French Champagnes, held at the Vineyard hotel by
Mike Duggan and his team from Wine Concepts, and nor should you. We changed
into our ‘Ebony & Ivory’ finery (Formal dress suit for John, black &
white evening dress for Lynne) in the health centre of the Vineyard hotel and
then it was time to get to know and love over 44 champagnes from 18 Marques. Read on.....
Wine at the Mill
Wine Festival Nigel Cattermole’s boutique Wine
at the Mill shop is at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock and he had the very
clever idea of taking over the outside area on Sunday for his wine festival. It
was tremendous fun and very well attended. There were lots of wines to taste
for the R175 entrance fee, which also got you a large wine glass. Read On.....
A Green Summer
soup The warm weather is upon us and lunches
with friends need something light. This fresh cold soup is delicious and can be
made very quickly, as little cooking is required. Make sure you use a really
good, well-flavoured stock or the soup will be bland.
1 kg small to
medium courgettes, topped and tailed and halved lengthwise – a drizzle of olive
oil – salt and pepper - 1 T fresh chopped marjoram
2 cups good chicken
or chicken stock – ¾ cup of crumbled feta cheese - ½ cup mint leaves – ½ cup
watercress – 1 T fresh oregano – 1 small garlic clove, crushed – salt and
freshly ground pepper - 500 ml Greek yoghurt or cream – 1 T fresh snipped
chives for decoration
Put the courgettes into an
ovenproof dish, sprinkle over the marjoram, season and drizzle with a little
oil Roast in a 180°C oven until they are
starting to colour at the edges and the flavours are concentrated. Remove and
allow to cool. You can do this the night before.
Blitz the courgettes, stock,
feta, mint, watercress, oregano and garlic together in a blender then stir in
the yoghurt or cream. Season to taste with flaked salt and lots of freshly
ground black pepper, then chill well. Serve topped with the snipped chives or
more watercress leaves. Serves 4.
It is Festival season; we may see you at
one or both of these
Franschhoek’s “The Magic of Bubbles Cap Classique and Champagne festival
will
be held this year on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th November from 12 to 5 pm in
the gardens of the Huguenot Monument. Their theme this year is Parasols and
Panama Hats, very suitable for the usually hot weather. Tickets here There is a reduction
if you pre-book using a MasterCard.
The Cape Town Festival of Beer Yes, we also like beer. John
used to brew at home. and will one day have the time to do so again. Lynne is
British, so it’s a given. And Cape Town is having its annual Beer Festival at Hamilton’s
Rugby Club on Green Point Common from Friday, 28th November to Sunday 30th. Get your tickets now. This is very
popular and gets very crowded, with a huge selection of craft beers, so go
early.
Learn about wine and cooking We receive a lot of enquiries from people who want to learn more
about wine.
Cathy Marston and The Cape Wine Academy both run wine
education courses, some very serious and others more geared to fun. You can see
details of Cathy’s WSET and other courses here
and here and the CWA courses here. Karen Glanfield has taken
over the UnWined
wine appreciation courses from Cathy. See the details here
In addition to the
new Sense
of Taste Culinary Arts School, Chef Peter Ayub runs a
four module course for keen home cooks at his Maitland complex. Details
here
Emma Freddi runs
the Enrica Rocca cooking courses at her
home in Constantia.
Phones: +27 21 439 3169 / 083 229 1172 / 083 656
4169
Postal address: 60 Arthurs Rd, Sea Point 8005
Developing olives at Baleia Bay
In
this week’s MENU:
Benguela Cove Winery
Rivendell
This week’s recipe:
A Green Summer soup
Tastings and
Festivals
Learn about wine
and cooking
To get the whole of our story, please click on
“READ
ON.....” at the end of each paragraph, which will
lead you to the related blog, with pictures and more words. At the end of each
blog, click on RETURN
TO MENU to come back to the blog version of MENU.
This week’s Product menu The delicious
truffle flavoured chips we have had recently, at Delaire Graff and other places
prompted us to remind you that we have a good range of truffles and truffle
products such as oil, pastes and truffle salt. An easy way to add wonderful
flavour to savoury dishes. See them here
Thanksgiving We have a surprisingly large number of
American readers, so we wish you all a happy and peaceful Thanksgiving. We all
have a lot to celebrate and be thankful for, including a personal anniversary.
Discovering new
country Sometimes we are asked to visit farms
that are quite far away from Cape Town and we try to include them in an
itinerary which we build to include visits en route. This week we did just that
and, on our way to Riversdale, discovered a new wine route, not that far from
home. Actually, not that new, we have visited Beaumont in Bot River many times
and have driven through the area frequently, on our way to Hermanus and Hemel
en Aarde, but didn’t take much notice until we met Penny Streeter, owner of
Benguela Cove, earlier this year. She invited us to visit, but this was our
first opportunity.
We had been invited to the
Grand Opening of Baleia Bay’s new winery and deli in Riversdale. They laid on a
bus, but we had another commitment at Delaire Graff the next morning, with the
Champagne Festival at The Vineyard in the evening, so we decided to make a
round trip of it and travel up slowly, hence the diversion.
On the Bot River We have wanted to visit two wineries in
this area for a while. Benguela Cove had invited us recently, but we were
already engaged on that date. Also, we had heard that Chef Thomas Sinn (ex
Wembley Square and Blue Danube) had now moved to Rivendell Winery, which is
just across the estuary from there. It
was a short, pleasant diversion off our route up the N2 to Riversdale and we
had allowed ourselves all day. Bot River
has always been included as a ward of Elgin wine area, but suddenly there are
many new wine farms opening up and it is becoming a wine route all on its own.
Benguela Cove
Winery This is the site that Lynne had picked
years ago for the perfect weekend escape cottage when driving past towards
Hermanus and we see that someone is now building a large and impressive house
in the spot we had fantasized about. We don’t have the R2 plus million for a
plot nor do we have the time to build a luxurious escape, we would prefer a
tiny seaside cottage but it is an interesting place to visit. Apparently they
plan to build a hotel in the next year and there are houses going up in the
vineyards and along the lagoon edge. The tasting room has only just been
finished and it is large and modern and has nice views from the lawn in front
of it of the river and lagoon and estuary. They currently only have three wines
for tasting.
Rivendell This is a winery that has a separate
restaurant. They are easy to find. You turn off the N2 towards Hermanus and,
when you get to the Y junctions marked Kleinmond to the right and Hermanus on the
left, you take the left fork and turn into the winery about 100 meters on your
right. Our first visit was to the winery
to taste the wine and we were warmly welcomed by Rachel, who runs the tasting
room. We really liked their 2012
Sauvignon Blanc, asparagus and green on the nose and a full mouth of golden
fruit with some minerality and saltiness. The 20013 needs more time. They have a spicy rosé from Shiraz and a
velvety 4 star Platter Shiraz with delicious tastes of dark fruits and wood. Read on....
Baleia Bay We wrote about these wines when Baleia Bay
Chardonnay appeared from nowhere to win The Discovery of the Year Trophy at the
Old Mutual Trophy awards in May and when they appeared at the Good Food &
Wine show later that month, we tasted and bought some, as well as their very
creditable, but young, Pinot Noir. So we were delighted to receive an
invitation to the Grand Opening of the winery in Riversdale. They were very
intelligent and arranged transport from Cape Town and overnight accommodation for
media.
We were to meet at 5pm at the
farm, which is at Dassiesklip, about 30 Kms south of Riversdale and, following
the instructions, we drove down the good dirt roads but missed the rather shy
farm and ended up in Vermaaklikheid which, literally, translates as
“entertainment”! Yes, it was; certainly a diversion. Turning back, we eventually
arrived at the farm ‘gate’, at the same time as the bus from Cape Town, where
the winemaker /viticulturist Jacques Geldenhuys was waiting for us. Read on.....
Delaire Graff
sees the Sunrise There is a need on Delaire
Graff for their own MCC and, this week, they released it. Named after the 118
carat Delaire Sunrise, the largest square emerald cut yellow diamond in the
world. Morne Vrey has used mainly Chenin Blanc, making this more like a Crémant
de Loire. It is a blend of
Chenin Blanc (58%), Chardonnay (34%) and Cabernet Franc (8%). All the grapes come
from the estate. It is intensely crisp and has quite a crackle on the palate.
Given time, this will be a beautiful wine, but it will only be available at
Delaire. Then it was time for a tasting of some currently available Delaire
wines, followed by lunch on the terrace. It’s a hard life and, yes, the weather,
wine, food and the view were perfect. Read on.....
Wine Concepts Finer
Things in Life Champagne Festival We wouldn’t
miss this annual festival of French Champagnes, held at the Vineyard hotel by
Mike Duggan and his team from Wine Concepts, and nor should you. We changed
into our ‘Ebony & Ivory’ finery (Formal dress suit for John, black &
white evening dress for Lynne) in the health centre of the Vineyard hotel and
then it was time to get to know and love over 44 champagnes from 18 Marques. Read on.....
Wine at the Mill
Wine Festival Nigel Cattermole’s boutique Wine
at the Mill shop is at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock and he had the very
clever idea of taking over the outside area on Sunday for his wine festival. It
was tremendous fun and very well attended. There were lots of wines to taste
for the R175 entrance fee, which also got you a large wine glass. Read On.....
A Green Summer
soup The warm weather is upon us and lunches
with friends need something light. This fresh cold soup is delicious and can be
made very quickly, as little cooking is required. Make sure you use a really
good, well-flavoured stock or the soup will be bland.
1 kg small to
medium courgettes, topped and tailed and halved lengthwise – a drizzle of olive
oil – salt and pepper - 1 T fresh chopped marjoram
2 cups good chicken
or chicken stock – ¾ cup of crumbled feta cheese - ½ cup mint leaves – ½ cup
watercress – 1 T fresh oregano – 1 small garlic clove, crushed – salt and
freshly ground pepper - 500 ml Greek yoghurt or cream – 1 T fresh snipped
chives for decoration
Put the courgettes into an
ovenproof dish, sprinkle over the marjoram, season and drizzle with a little
oil Roast in a 180°C oven until they are
starting to colour at the edges and the flavours are concentrated. Remove and
allow to cool. You can do this the night before.
Blitz the courgettes, stock,
feta, mint, watercress, oregano and garlic together in a blender then stir in
the yoghurt or cream. Season to taste with flaked salt and lots of freshly
ground black pepper, then chill well. Serve topped with the snipped chives or
more watercress leaves. Serves 4.
It is Festival season; we may see you at
one or both of these
Franschhoek’s “The Magic of Bubbles Cap Classique and Champagne festival
will
be held this year on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th November from 12 to 5 pm in
the gardens of the Huguenot Monument. Their theme this year is Parasols and
Panama Hats, very suitable for the usually hot weather. Tickets here There is a reduction
if you pre-book using a MasterCard.
The Cape Town Festival of Beer Yes, we also like beer. John
used to brew at home. and will one day have the time to do so again. Lynne is
British, so it’s a given. And Cape Town is having its annual Beer Festival at Hamilton’s
Rugby Club on Green Point Common from Friday, 28th November to Sunday 30th. Get your tickets now. This is very
popular and gets very crowded, with a huge selection of craft beers, so go
early.
Learn about wine and cooking We receive a lot of enquiries from people who want to learn more
about wine.
Cathy Marston and The Cape Wine Academy both run wine
education courses, some very serious and others more geared to fun. You can see
details of Cathy’s WSET and other courses here
and here and the CWA courses here. Karen Glanfield has taken
over the UnWined
wine appreciation courses from Cathy. See the details here
In addition to the
new Sense
of Taste Culinary Arts School, Chef Peter Ayub runs a
four module course for keen home cooks at his Maitland complex. Details
here
Emma Freddi runs
the Enrica Rocca cooking courses at her
home in Constantia.
Phones: +27 21 439 3169 / 083 229 1172 / 083 656
4169
Postal address: 60 Arthurs Rd, Sea Point 8005
Our Adamastor
& Bacchus© tailor-made Wine, Food and Photo tours take
small groups (up to 6) to specialist wine producers who make the best of South
Africa’s wines. Have fun while you learn more about wine and how it is made!
Tours can be conducted in English, German, Norwegian and standard or Dutch-flavoured
Afrikaans.
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. Our Avast! ®
Anti-Virus software is updated at least daily and our system is scanned
continually for viruses.
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. We own our
mailing software and keep our mailing list strictly confidential. 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.d and Photo tours take
small groups (up to 6) to specialist wine producers who make the best of South
Africa’s wines. Have fun while you learn more about wine and how it is made!
Tours can be conducted in English, German, Norwegian and standard or Dutch-flavoured
Afrikaans.
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. Our Avast! ®
Anti-Virus software is updated at least daily and our system is scanned
continually for viruses.
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. We own our
mailing software and keep our mailing list strictly confidential. 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.
