And
so begins the Gin Revolution
There
is suddenly a huge renaissance for gin in South Africa. Not only are gin bars
springing up everywhere, but new gins are appearing some from large alcohol
producers and from small artisanal producers. Respected wine farms are also
producing their own interesting gins. We have been involved a little bit in
sourcing botanicals and aromatics for some of the producers and we love good
gin. So we were very excited to be invited to taste three new gins last week, produced
on Blaauwklippen Estate. The gins were presented at the annual Zinfandel lunch,
held this year at La Mouette Restaurant, where a superb lunch was paired with
Blaauwklippen Zinfandel wines and the gins
All the usual media suspects gathering on the
porch to chat to Rolf Zeitvogel, talented GM, Winemaker and Distiller at Blaauwklippen
A welcome glass of Diva, their Zinfandel MCC, the
first in South Africa, full of lively spirited cranberry flavours
Rolf chatting with journalists Fiona MacDonald
(Whiskey Magazine) and Greg Landman (Country Life magazine)
Winnie Bowman CWM with PR agent Nicolette Waterford
La Mouette staff busy at work
The canapés looked like they had come from a fairy
garden!
And the signature canapé at La Mouette, the small,
lighter than air cheese croquettes with a truffle aioli
Clifford and Maryke Roberts with Samarie Smith of Media
24
Fairy story canapés
Rolf with Greg Mutambe, Sommelier of the 12
Apostles Hotel
Time to start lunch
Rolf announces the new Hand Crafted Premium Gins’
flavours: One is a citrus infusion; one is 100% Juniper Berry and the third has
African Botanicals. The Citrus is refined, with lemon zest whiffs on the nose
and adds a lovely warm and spicy lemon note to any gin. The Juniper has intense
juniper berry flavours and aromas and is quite hot and concentrated. The
African Botanicals are intriguing and interesting, adding lots of different
local herbs and green flavours, even a note of buchu
Nicolette Waterford listening intently
Time for lunch. The bread selection, all made in
the kitchen, is really adventurous and enjoyable
Greg Mutambe studying the menu and the food and
wine pairings
With the starter, we sampled the newly released
2015 White Zinfandel. First released in 2008, this one is a teenager, full of
perfumed fruit and savoury notes on the nose, cranberries, crisp, light, but a
red wine if you close your eyes, with warm alcohol and long wild flavours
Served with the white Zinfandel were crisp salt
and pepper prawns dusted with togarashi peppers on slices of soft celeriac with
chimichurri, pickled cucumber, a chipotle mayonnaise for some zing and strange
carbonised onion
A vegetarian dish for those who don't eat seafood
Journalists Greg Landman and Neil Pendock
The second course, served with the 2014 Diva MCC (leesy, yeasty with good limes & lemons, lovely and lean with an
exciting crisp mousse), was a small summer Caesar salad topped with a quail egg,
parmesan flakes, crispy pancetta and Worcester sauce caviar
The main course of such tender and flavourful
gemsbok (oryx) loin, served with onion spaghetti in a good jus. Tasty as they were,
the dish didn't really need the house cured bresaola or the bolognese, which
detracted; it was complete on its own.
This was served with an incredibly powerful wine
at the peak of its performance, the 2009 Zinfandel Reserve red. Incense from
expensive oak and spice on the nose and as smooth as silk on the palate with a
lovely tingle on the tongue. Cassis, cranberries, mulberries and allspice all
combine into a perfect fruit melange. So good and perfect for the Gemsbok. If
you are lucky enough to have some, drink now
The new gins are served for us to taste. You could
have them neat, with ice or with a local tonic, Fitch & Leedes, said to be
less sweet than Schweppes. This was the Juniper. Around the room, everyone had
their favourites, none predominated
To accompany the three gins, this dish was very
cleverly concocted by the kitchen: A tonic jelly, a lemon sorbet, lemon curd
and meringue. It was like a scientific experiment, so many different flavours
and textures: sticky, powdery, chilly, crisp and flaky with a hint of cucumber
below. And it did indeed go well as a foil with all the gins
Then with the main dessert, the Blaauwklippen
Zinfandel Grappa Reserve, as Rolf says, a VIP mampoer, aged in used French oak brandy
barrels for 3 years. It did slightly resemble a brandy with caramel smoke,
apricot and some herbal notes. And a beautiful bottle
An unsugared coffee granita, almond sponge crumbs,
a crisp sliver of dehydrated chocolate and an amaretto gel (not enough amaretto,
kitchen!) topped with Mascarpone ice cream. The chocolate was extraordinarily
delicious
The lovely table decor
A happy & contented Mark Norrish of Ultra
liquors
We could choose a bottle
each to take home. John chose the Botanical and Lynne the Citrus. We are
enjoying them very much
©
John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus
