End-of-summer fun at Muratie Harvest Festival, Stellenbosch

This is one we never like to miss. Held in the gardens at Muratie you can drink their wines accompanied by lovely simple but satisfying food and enjoy the live music with lots of your friends

A warm welcome from Michelle Stewart who markets Muratie’s wines

And an old (young!) friend, Robbie Wallace, who is studying wine at Elsenburg and helping out on Muratie for the day, brings us our lunch hamper. His parents, Nicky and Paul, make the Black Dog Malbec at Wallovale in Elgin among their many other activities in making and marketing wine

It was filled with ripe cheeses, grapes from the vineyard, fresh figs, wonderful sourdough bread and butter

Queuing for lunch. There were huge beef hamburgers with all the fixings and chips - John had one of those

You could have spring rolls and samoosas with a dipping sauce

Lots of fun for the children, grape stomping

And the adults. Very messy, sticky business

And a bit backbreaking, which is why we now have powered grape presses

In the historic cellar with those spider webs which are national monuments

The rustic tasting room

We had a lovely table under the trees

Michelle doing the rounds of the media and her guests, who buy the wine for their shops and restaurants.  She had magnums of the Laurens Campher red and white wines

Lunch

You could have a port wine and tonic cooler. They were very popular and one of the crew had to rush off to buy more tonic. Muratie has plenty of Port

And the music was cool dude great. Rather reminiscent of Cream and Eric Clapton

and thirsty work for the musos

Lynne's lunch was a smoked salmon and cream cheese open sandwich. Totally what she wanted

John’s burger and fries

We so enjoyed lunch with, first, a glass of the Lady Alice MCC Cap Classique and then the very satisfying Laurens Campher White blend of 46% Chenin Blanc, 27% Sauvignon Blanc, 19% Verdelho and 8% Viognier, which is great with food

The friendly faces behind the wine counter, Robbie Wallace, Marissa Groenewald and a friend

A lovely, lazy Saturday wine festival

Lots of Lady Alice MCC cooling

The band played on

Michelle and Jean-Mari Strauss with more wine, red this time

The superb view of Table Mountain from Muratie

Thank you all for a lovely relaxed festival with great wine and good, simple food

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus

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Pairing biltong and Pinotage at L'Avenir

The Biltong and Pinotage Festival will take place at L'Avenir near Stellenbosch on the 16th and 17th of April this year and will be the best opportunity in the year to taste some of the most impressive SA Pinotages, all paired with Joubert and Monty's biltong. Get your tickets soon. The festival starts at 11h00 on both days. Tickets @ R150 pp includes a branded wine glass and a pairing card for the Pinotage and Biltong tastings. Bookings at www.plankton.mobi and selected Joubert and Monty outlets

We were invited, with other members of the industry, to taste a selection of these wonderful wines and pair them with the different flavours of biltong. 

This tasting was held in L'Avenir's brand new conference venue, The Single Block Rooftop. Each table was prepared with wine glasses and pots of all the different flavours of biltong, droëwors and salami: 1. Original Secret Recipe, 2. Droëwors, 3. Spicy BBQ, 4. Irresistible Chilli, 5. Sweet Red Pepper, 6. Smokey Sweet Chilli, 7. Lemon & Herb 8. Original Salami 9. Pepperoni Salami. We knew we would not need much supper that evening

Mr Pinotage, Beyers Truter, was there to guide us through the wine tasting. We were on our own with the pairings of the meat and had to fill our preferences onto a form

Ryan Bredenkamp, the new F & B manager at L’Avenir Wine Estate, telling us about the new venue we were in and about the coming festival

Our tasting table.

But first a glass of the Perdeberg Rosé bubble

Beyers nosing a Pinotage sparkling rosé

The Pinotages get poured and we start the hard task of pairing biltong et al with them. A very difficult exercise, as most of the wines were pretty special on their own and took some tasting

Maryke and Clifford Roberts busy concentrating and comparing notes. In the background Beyers and Cobie van Oordt, who organised the tasting

These are the wines we had to pair

Winery	Pairing Wine
Rijks	Rijk’s Touch of Oak Pinotage 2013
Kaapzicht Estate	Kaapzicht Pinotage 2012
Anura Vineyards	Anura Pinotage-Syrah 2013
Flagstone Wines	Flagstone Truth Tree Pinotage 2014
Altydgedacht	Altydgedacht Pinotage 2014
Remhoogte Wine Estate	Remhoogte Bushvine Pinotage 2013
Tulbagh Winery	Tulbagh Pinotage Rose 2015
Badsberg Wine Cellar	Badsberg Red Jerepigo 2014
L’Avenir Vineyards	L’Avenir Brut Rose MCC 2012
Chamonix	Greywacke Pinotage 2014
Boland Cellar	Cappupino Ccinotage 2014
Diemersfontein Wines	Diemersfontein Pinotage 2014
Beyerskloof Wines	Beyerskloof Chenin/Pinotage 2015
Rhebokskloof Wine Estate	Rhebokskloof Vineyard Selection Pinotage 2014
Diemersdal Wine Estate	Diemersdal Pinotage 2015
Lanzerac Wine Estate	Lanzerac Pinotage 2013
Mellasat Vineyards	Mellasat White Pinotage 2015
Perdeberg Winery	Perdeberg Sparkling Rosé 2015

The rewards afterwards were some cakes, pies, sandwiches and éclairs and, of course, the left over biltong

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Lunch at The Food Barn with international visitors

We are always surprised how few Capetonians know about this superb restaurant in Noordhoek. Franck Dangereux is a classically trained French chef, who helped to put La Colombe on the map in the years before he opened his own restaurant. Franck married a local girl and settled here. He has trained many of our top chefs, all of whom speak of him with great respect. Go and try his food for yourself, you will not regret it

We spent a day out with a group of friends who are visiting from Australia, The Netherlands and the UK. First, we took them to Buitenverwachting, where winemaker Hermann Kirschbaum took us on a tour of the cellar, which is in full production at the moment. He showed us the fermenting grapes, soaking on the skins

and showed us the thickness of the top layer of grapes, and the intensely purple colour of this batch of cabernet. We then had a tasting of their wines in the tasting room courtyard

The Food Barn menu. You can order the set menu for the whole table, paired with wines, but we decided just to order à la Carte

A starter of a perfect Steak tartare for a real aficionado

Crisp mild Karoo cheese beignets with a cherry sauce and salad were much enjoyed

The home smoked salmon atop fresh asparagus in a gratinated artichoke and white truffle cream blew two of us away. Lynne's plate returned to the kitchen wiped clean and she intends to go back for more soon

So crisp; flash fried baby squid on a cauliflower brandade, with a cauliflower and saffron pickle, squid ink aioli and curry oil delighted those who had it

Four of us chose the Sorbet as a palate refresher. It was watermelon with a kick of alcohol...  

and then on to the mains

The Karoo Rack of Lamb was tender and came with a small apple, nut and turmeric tart tatin, a mild curry jus and coriander yogurt raita

Tongue is not something everyone enjoys; Lynne loves it and will order it from any menu on which she sees it. This meltingly tender meat came topped with a rich crisp trotter fritter, concasse tomato, a cornichon, parsley and caper sauce as well as a white wine and mustard jus, all of which complemented each other

Steak was the order of the day for four people; fillet for two and sirloin for the other two. It came with a raclette and potato croquette, shallot and syrah jus, tarragon cream drops and wilted spinach

The bill

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This week's MENU - Blaauwklippen Gin & Zin, Keermont, Waterford, Oak Valley, Hemel en Aarde, Restless River, Bientang's Cave, Creation, Domaine des Dieux, Keftedes

A flurry of Antarctic terns

 In this week’s MENU:

 Blaauwklippen Gin and Zin    

 Keermont Open Day

 Waterford wines are worth tasting

 We return to the Pool Room for lunch

 Restless River

 To Bientang’s Cave for lunch

 Another visit to Creation

 Domaine des Dieux

 Food Fact: Americano coffee

 Wine of the week: Restless River chardonnay

 This week’s recipe: Greek Meatballs or keftedes

 Coming events

To get the whole story with photographs, please click on the paragraph title, which will lead you there. At the end of each story, click on RETURN TO MENU to come back to MENU.

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. Read on.....

Keermont Open Day     

This was a great chance to taste Keermont wines, some older vintages and some just being released. The farm is high up in the hills above Stellenbosch and they have vineyards on both sides of the valley between the Stellenbosch and Helderberg mountains, facing each other. Read on.....

Waterford wines are worth tasting     

On the way back down the mountain from Keermont and De Trafford, you come to Waterford and, as we had a friend from Australia with us, we went in for their superb tasting. Read on.....

Heading away for a short break     We took our Dutch visitors to Hemel and Aarde for a short break from Sunday to Tuesday and have lots to report. We started with a lovely lunch at the Pool Room on Oak Valley wine farm, visited a new farm for us Restless River which was right behind where we were staying, had lunch on the rocks at Bientang’s Cave in Hermanus, braaied, and then, on the way back visited one of their favourites, Creation, and another new farm (although the wines are well known to us) Domaine des Dieux. Here are some stories with words and pictures:

We return to the Pool Room for lunch. 

We stopped off for a proper lunch at the Pool Room on Oak Valley Estate this time, on our way to a stay in the Hemel en Aarde Valley. It certainly was worthwhile  Read on.....

Restless River     

We love staying in the Hemel and Aarde Valley and on this visit we decided to try out some new farms. Restless River is right behind where we normally stay - in fact we could walk there, so it was a great find. Read on.....

To Bientang’s Cave for lunch and a view of the Ocean 

This is where you want to lunch in Whale season; they will swim almost up to the rocks in front. We didn’t see any in Hermanus this time, although there are lots on the Atlantic seaboard at the moment as they return from the Antarctic with their newly born calves and head north  Read on.....

Another visit to Creation to buy some wine. 

Our Dutch friends love Creation's wines, so we took them for another visit to replenish their cellar   Read on.....

Domaine des Dieux (the Land of the Gods) 

has marvellous MCC wines and some others to sample at their tasting room in the Hemel and Aarde which we know from tasting outside the valley at festivals, award ceremonies and restaurants. We went exploring to find another as yet undiscovered venue. Read on.....

We are doing our best for the economy     We have had or are still to have no less than 9 different friends: families or singles visiting us from overseas this year and we are not only working, but taking them around our wonderful Cape to as many good restaurants,wine festivals and farms as we can while they are here. Sometimes the organisation is hectic, but they are loving it and so are we. A case in point is yesterday when we took 1 Australian, 2 Dutch and 2 UK friends for a short Peninsula tour starting with a tasting and cellar tour at Buitenverwachting, a marvellous lunch at The Food Barn in Noordhoek, a quick trip to the penguins at Boulders, a long stay in an horrendous traffic jam in Fish Hoek and then, having dropped most of them off at the Vineyard Hotel, were joined by another friend for the 20/20 cricket at Newlands. Such a pity SA lost, but it was close. So was getting to the Cricket with the awful traffic. Whew. We will show you pictures of the marvellous lunch at the Food Barn next week, as time has run out for John to process them

FOOD FACT: An Americano coffee is a double espresso topped up with hot water. IT DOES NOT COME WITH MILK. That is a Latté, South Africa. Pleeeze - get the message. We are tired of being asked if we want milk with our Americanos. We don't. That is why we are ordering them

Wine of the Week: It is a white wine this week and it is the Restless River chardonnay, which earned a 4½ Star rating in the 2016 Platter. It has lovely citrus elegance with an undertone of nuts and subtle vanilla and a mineral backbone. Quite delicious. It is made in limited quantities, but you may find it at Wine Concepts

Recipe of the Week is Greek Meatballs or keftedes. These make an ideal meze or, if rolled into small 2 cm balls, an easy canapé

¼ cup breadcrumbs - ¼ cup milk - 500g beef mince - ½ T extra virgin Olive oil - 2 T grated onion - 1 T chopped fresh mint - ½ T chopped fresh oregano - 2 good pinches of cinnamon - ½ t cumin - 1 finely chopped garlic clove - 1 egg - salt - freshly ground black pepper - 1 round of feta cheese, broken up into small crumbs - a good squeeze of lemon juice

Soak the breadcrumbs in milk and allow to soften, then drain off the milk and squeeze them dry. Put mince, oil, softened breadcrumbs, onion, oregano, mint, cinnamon, garlic, egg, salt and pepper, feta cheese and lemon juice. Mix well together. Fry a small piece to check the seasoning, adjust if necessary. Roll into small meatballs and fry gently in some cooking oil. Serve with Tzatziki on Pita bread or as a meze snack

Here is a list of coming events up to the end of the second week in March. There may be more, but we will add them as we receive them. Muratie on Saturday and Stellenbosch Vineyards on Sunday for the Stellenbosch Pizza and Wine Festival. Oh, and at the Starlight Concert at Vergelegen on Saturday evening. We hope to see many of you. Another busy but fun weekend....

Until Sunday, 13th March          Woordfees Picnic Concerts at Neethlingshof Wine Estate. Bring picnic blankets and chairs to laze on the lawns of the historic Neethlingshof grounds, whilst enjoying an exciting line-up of top vocal talent. Gates will open an hour before each event and the music will start at 18h30. All sales will be cashless, only debit, credit or the Woordfees cash card may be used. As Neethlingshof wines will be on sale, guests are not permitted to bring their own alcohol. Tickets can be purchased through www.computicket.co.za or at any Computicket outlet. Tickets are also available for purchase at the Erfurthuis, Ryneveld Street, 37 – Monday to Friday 9:00 – 17:00. Alternatively tickets will be available from the farm on the evening.

Friday, 11th March 18:30 Tamboerynman – Koos van der Merwe sing Bob Dylan 70min | R100 | R120 at the door.

Saturday, 12th March 18:30 Die Heuwels Fantasties 70min | R100 | R120 at the door.

Sunday, 13th March 18:30 Bra Tete, The US Jazz Band  100min | R100| R120 at the door.

Neethlingshof is part of Cape Legends, a collection of award-winning wines from several boutique estates in and around the Cape Winelands.  For more information about Neethlingshof and its wines, visit www.neethlingshof.co.za, call 021 883 8988 or make contact on www.facebook.com/neethlingshof (or via Twitter @NeethlingshofW).

Saturday, 12th March, 11h00 to 14h00  Wine Concepts Second exclusive Chenin Blanc & Pinotage Celebration in the parking area at the Newlands Store. This “Local is Lekker” festival gives wine lovers the opportunity to taste a selection of dynamic latest release Chenin Blanc’s and prestigious current vintage Pinotage’s from 20 of the country’s top producers. This year we hope to include a bubbly and dessert wine or two to savour in the line-up as well. All the showcased wines will be available for purchase at special prices from Wine Concepts on the day. Cost: R50.00 per person – includes wine glass and tasting of over 40 wines. Tickets can be purchased at the door on the day. Telephone Newlands at 021 671 9030. Email: admin@wineconcepts.co.za

Saturday, 12th & Sunday, 13th March Stellenbosch Vineyards Pizza & Wine Festival. Sunny days and balmy nights, delicious pizza and great wine - the perfect combinations for a good time in the winelands. Enjoy a selection of superb wines paired with mouth-watering pizzas and live music. Or take a break from the pizza and wine, and indulge in the oyster and bubbly bar set under the thatched area in the middle of the Welmoed pond. A first of its kind in the Stellenbosch winelands, the festival will take place on the picturesque Welmoed Farm, home of Stellenbosch Vineyards, offering fun-filled activities for the kids as well as a variety of pizzas creatively prepared to tantalise your taste buds. Tickets cost R120 per person which includes entry, a tasting glass, tasting coupons and the live entertainment. Additional coupons can be purchased on the day. Book directly via www.webtickets.co.za

Saturday, 12th March      Muratie Harvest Festival. The Melck family will once again be hosting their Annual Harvest Festival at Muratie Estate in Stellenbosch on 2016. The festival, which takes place under the ancient oaks that guard this historic wine estate, is a celebratory family event featuring good food, fine wine, great company, live music and lots of fun stomping the newly harvested grapes. The day will begin at 11h30. Entrance will be R50.00 per person. A selection of delicious meals and cold drinks will be on sale and Muratie’s full range of wines will be available for purchase, by the glass or by the bottle. Rijk Melck will be giving a talk on the extraordinary characters from the farm’s colourful past, after whom the Muratie wines are named. This talk will take place at 12h00 and all are welcome. After lunch, guests will be able to relax and enjoy a memorable afternoon of live music performed by the popular Kitchen Jammin Blues Band. Festival-goers must please book their tickets in advance to avoid disappointment. For further information contact Jean-Mari Strauss at Muratie on 021 865 2330 or taste@muratie.co.za.

Sunday, 13th March         The Backsberg Centenary Picnic Concert Series continues with a performance by Valiant Swart Band. Come and enjoy your Sunday afternoon by relaxing on the lawns with a glass of wine whilst listening to some great SA music. Tickets are R120 from www.webtickets.co.za and R150 at the gate. Students pay R60 and there is no charge for children under the age of 12. Delicious food and snack boxes will be available on the day. Snack boxes can be pre-ordered at restaurant@backsberg.co.za at a cost of R160 for two persons. Gates to Backsberg Estate Cellars open at 15h00.

10th March 2016

PS If a word or name is in bold type and underlined, click on it for more information

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.

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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.

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