The
annual Thelema & Sutherland Boland Braai
Held at the Thelema manor house every year, the Webb family and their team entertain the wine trade, sommeliers hoteliers, restaurateurs and some media friends. It is informal and friendly and one of our favourite events each year, but the scary thing is it seems only a few weeks ago since we were at last year's braai. All the Thelema & Sutherland wines are there for tasting and Gyles Webb gave us a guided tasting of older Sutherland white wines in the spacious lounge.
All the Thelema and Sutherland wines
lined up for us to taste
Cheese platters to nibble on
Dips and sauces for when the boerewors
rolls come off the braai
The fires were manned by Gyles Webb
and all the meat was so well cooked. Juicy sausage and perfect rare rump steak
that had been marinated in his secret sauce
Everyone relaxing and chatting on the
lawn while enjoying the wines
Children are also invited and they had
a wonderful party and played on the slide and with the farm dogs
Oh those rump steaks, which apparently
come from Checkers in Stellenbosch
The sausage comes from their new
butcher and was very well flavoured and delicious
It is an art getting the coals
ready. They use wingerd stokkies - old dead
vines
Master winemaker and braaier Gyles
Webb
Hot work and a hard task stirring the coals
Wine trade discussions!
The jacaranda at the bottom of the
garden is a picture at this time of the year
Michelle van Staden manages the marketing
for Thelema
Martine Newman, another of their great friendly staff
Thomas Webb was kept busy all evening
serving the wines
Gyles cutting the steak for sandwiches
Perfectly done!
Barbara Webb comes to collect and serve
it
On with the sausage which takes less
time and crisping up the fat on a steak
Winemaker Rudi Schultz, supervising
It is a lovely moist, spicy rendition
of boerewors
Everyone making up filled rolls with
steak, sausages, fried onions and lots of different salsas and accoutrements
The supervised slide was very popular
as was the children's drinks table
After our supper we moved inside for
the tasting of the older Sutherland white wines from their vinoteque collection
This is the line up: 2011 and 2010 Chardonnays; VR 2010 and 2009
Viognier Roussane blend and 2010 & 2009 Rieslings All had kept extremely well, we loved the
Chardonnays which do so improve with some age but are still crisp and fresh
with some lovely lush rich citrus and yellow fruit flavours. The Viognier Roussane blends which are fermented
in old barrels have lots of perfume on the nose and the 2010 lively and refreshing and a great
wine with food. The Rieslings are for
the fans of this grape with some terpenes and good sugar acid balances
Pouring out the wines for tasting in
comfort
The sunset lights up the high
mountains so beautifully
Christian Eedes with his daughter
Michelle lights the night lights and
handed out glow stick bracelets and necklaces to all of the children - and some
of the adults. Lynne went home in her
halo
Some of the wine trade enjoying the
evening air before heading home. Thanks for a lovely evening Thelema and
Sutherland, you always make us welcome and we almost feel we are part of a larger
family
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015
