John Collins' wine showcase at the Cape Town Club

Another annual event that we look forward to. John Collins represents some excellent wine farms and many of them are releasing their new wines at this time of the year. This tasting was to showcase these wines and to remind the trade of the excellent quality that these farms produce 

The Cape Town Club is in Queen Victoria Street

A selection of the canapés which we were offered

Gary and Kathy Jordan with their wines. We particularly like the 2015 Nine Yards Chardonnay, intense layers of rich golden fruit with great balance, minerality and softly supporting wood. The Real McCoy 2015 Riesling has that good balance of sugar and acidity and unctuousness and no hint of terpenes

Gary chats to customers about the wines

Chris Keet showcasing his 2012 First Verse. It is the five varietal Bordeaux blend that he does so well. Elegant and textured with soft chalky tannins and good supporting wood with layers of sweet fruit, and enough alcohol to make this wine last for decades, as all his wines do

Chef and owner of Aubergine Restaurant and Auslese, Harald Bresselschmidt, with his broken arm. Perhaps he should stay off his bike! Not his drinking or prepping arm, thank heavens. He is with his sommelier, Pardon Taguzu, and Ralph Reynolds

David Sonnenberg shows his Diemersfontein wines and their 10 year old pot still brandy, with sweet prunes, vanilla bonbons and chocolate, to Tatiana Marcetteau of the Cape Grace. We liked the Carpe Diem Viognier 2014 filled with fennel spice and orange. The Carpe Diem Malbec 2014 has meaty umami wildness, bunches of soft sweet fruit and a nice buzz, such a good food wine. And the Shiraz 2015 is also showing well. Elegance from its expensive oak with sweet cherries, spicy pepper and some grippy tannin. The 2014 Merlot has no green stalkiness, being full of soft red berry fruit and spice

Bevan Newton Johnson pouring Lynne a glass of their refined Family Vineyards 2015 Chardonnay. We also liked the excellent green, layered 2016 Sauvignon Blanc. They showed three Pinot Noirs: the Family Vineyards 2015 has a pretty, perfumed nose with roses, soft red fruit on the delicate palate with a note of wood on the end. The Walker Bay is speaking loudest now, with rose geranium and umami on the nose, robust red fruit on the silky complex palate with good forward acids which will soften with time. Needs 5 years. In a good cellar. Ours. We were impressed at how good the second label Felicité Pinot Noir 2015 is and, if you love Pinot but baulk at some of the prices, this is one to look at. We suspect, with the dark wood background, that this might reward with a little age too. The Felicité Chardonnay is also worth a look as it is pumping well above its station. You will find these on many wine lists, try them

Selfie Time for Shirley Muswema with Chris Keet and his First Verse

James Petersen, sommelier, judge and wine retailer with Jeanette Bruwer of Springfield. This is always our first chance to taste and compare their two Sauvignons Blanc, Life from Stone and Special Cuvée. This year Life From Stone takes the lead with its green pyrazine elegance, but it is young. Special Cuvée is hiding, but will emerge soon. The Wild Yeast 2014 Chardonnay is extra special, layered with lees on the end. The Method Ancienne 2012 Chardonnay is absolutely as described in their notes: sweet fruit, full of lime, Cointreau and oranges

Jessica Peens and Gunter Schultz on the Kleinood stand with the Tamboerskloof tongue-tingling Shiraz 2013 - layers of fruit and spice with soft chalky tannins and a long aftertaste. The Viognier still has a lot of wood and dark marmalade flavours. The 2016 Syrah Rosé is full of candy floss

Chris Keet with Admire Koroka from Norman Goodfellows

A nice selection of seared tuna, tender fillet steak and belly pork to assuage our hunger

Small deep fried parcels of minced meat

Happy and smiling. Marcha Cooke with David Brice and Caroline Rillema

Rian du Plessis of Pick n Pay in the V&A Waterfront, relaxing with a glass of Kleinood Viognier

The Somms are having fun. Joseph Dhafana of La Colombe and his friends, who confused everyone by swapping their labels

Bevan Newton Johnson pours a glass of Chardonnay

The ladies of the wine buying trade: Linda Nobrega, Mandi Giddey of Makro, Caroline Rillema, owner of Caroline's Fine Wines and Lydia Nobrega. The Nobrega sisters own and manage the Chapman's Peak Hotel in Hout Bay

Natalie Stanley with Paul Gerber, winemaker at Le Lude, who had his Brut Non Vintage and Rosé Non Vintage on show. Both lends of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and both classic examples of MCCs

It was a very well attended tasting; the room became a little hot during the afternoon/evening

John Collins with Carol Hawkins of Norman Goodfellows

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2016

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Saronsberg wines at La Colombe

You may think we are jaded with all of the many meals we have at good restaurants. But who cannot fail to be excited by an invitation to a restaurant that has featured as one of the top 100 restaurants in the world for the last few years. This was to celebrate Saronsberg's annual release of their six new season wines, which takes place at this time of the year. This year, they decided to treat members of the wine trade and some members of the media to lunch at La Colombe with the wines, paired with several courses. It was a wonderful showcase for their lovely wines. Saronsberg was rated the Red Wine Producer of the Year by the South African Wine Index Awards 2015 and 2016

Nick van Huyssteen, owner of Saronsberg, with Manuel Cabello, sommelier at Ellerman House, and PRO Nicolette Waterford

Journalists Lucille Botha of Landbouweekblad, Fiona MacDonald, Christian Eedes of WineMag.co.za and Graham Howe

Saronsberg Viognier 2015 was without doubt the most popular wine served at the event. People kept calling for more. It goes beautifully with food. It is winemaker Dewaldt Heyns’ passion; he worked a vintage in Condrieu and loves this grape and the elegant style, full of white peaches and lemons with hints of smoke. It was the winner of the International Wine Challenge (IWC) South African Viognier Trophy 2016

Saronsberg MCC Brut 100% Chardonnay with the slightly tropical 2016 Sauvignon Blanc. It is grassy, full of melon and pineapple, clean and crisp, with a flinty end

Winemaker Dewaldt Heyns pouring his MCC for Greg Landman of Country Life

Mark Norrish of Ultra Liquors with journalist Maryna Strachan

Alan Mullins and Rebecca Constable, both of Woolworths wine department

The canapé was served in a beautiful garden. Yes, there is food in there. Look closely, there are four. It was a pastry bark filled with dots of rich and smooth chicken liver pate, tiny cep mushrooms, beef tartare below, pickled onion, sherry gel and a herb emulsion (green). The pickled onion was there only as a note of necessary acidity to fire off the rest of the dish. Superb with the Chardonnay MCC Brut

Two old(er) gals together. Lynne with Chris von Ulmenstein

Master chef Scot Kirton in his kitchen. Eat Out San Pellegrino Chef of the Year, and he took La Colombe to 76th place in the Top 100 Restaurants in the World - 2016

Lynne gets a hug from talented La Colombe sommelier Joseph Dhafana. Read about Josephs incredible journey to wine here

We thought you might like to know that La Colombe has a Winter Special. Valid for LUNCH ONLY (Monday to Thursday) from 4 July 2016 to 31 August 2016 at R350 per person - 3 course menu http://www.lacolombe.co.za/

Dewaldt Heyns tells us about the wines they released and his philosophy of making the best he can from the two different sites they have on Saronsberg, cool mountain vineyards and river valley rocks

A refill of the 100% Chardonnay Brut MCC. This is kept for 3 years on the lees and while sales for the first vintage were slow, they now sell out every years despite upping the quantity. It has a lovely prickle on the palate and the bottle age pays dividends

We began with some sourdough rolls accompanied by one of the best 'butters' we have ever had. They churn their own virgin butter and then mix it with baked bone marrow. To this chef adds some pickled fish to add some necessary acidity. It is topped with some capers, micro herbs and a herb emulsion and an anchovy puree. The fish acted more like anchovy might and was there as an umami flavour with no hint of a fishy smell. A success

Chef serving the canned fish starter that has become a trademark of La Colombe

This time it was filled with fresh seared yellowfin tuna, avocado, shiitake mushrooms in a ponzu dressing. A good blend of freshness, textures and good flavours to complement the good tuna

A huge West Coast oyster flavoured with Kalamansi (a small, tart citrus fruit widely grown in the East, also known as Calamondin), apple and soy. It was a good match for the Sauvignon Blanc that accompanied it

The next course was voted the best of many good courses by most of the people we spoke to; we agree. Some perfectly cooked portions of quail - breast fillet, drumstick, etc, well glazed, crisp on the outside and succulent. Served with a huge scallop seared in miso, a creamy parsnip and corn puree, parsnip crisps, braaied corn kernels, and bok choi . In a hay 'nest' was a caramelised teriyaki sauce to add in small drops to the dish. Served and perfectly matched with the Saronsberg Viognier

So soft steamed Chinese Bao (buns) folded over slices of pork belly, dressed with kimchi, herbs and sesame. Another good course to return for

Then a basalt bomb arrived and when the top was removed, the air was full of smoke. We must admit to feeling a little cheated by this course. The description reads Lamb tongue and sweetbreads. The tongue might have been from a lark it was so small, and tongue is a favourite. Smoked garlic and Jerusalem artichoke accompanied the one small deep fried piece of sweetbread and the dish had quite a sharp sauce. Served with the blockbuster Full Circle red which has flavours of liquorice, dark wood and black fruit

Then to a palate cleanser of Granny Smith apple popsicles smoking on dry ice. Some declined, as they said it would spoil their palates. We disagree, they were refreshing and a good pause.

Saronsberg Seismic Rooi - two previous Saronsberg Bordeaux Blends now combined into one. It will age but is made in the young style. The Seismic name is a nod to the Tulbagh earthquake

Three lunching girls having fun: Nicolette Waterford, Marthelize Brink of Radio Sonder Grense and Malu Lambert

Sommelier Joseph serving the Seismic Rooi

Tender Wagyu beef fillet, rich oxtail, a sweet langoustine tail tasting of the sea, served with peas, broad beans, Romanesco broccoli, spinach puree and mustard with a beurre blanc sauce

Was the next course a dessert or cheese? Some of both, titled 'Three ages of Boerenkaas' (farmers cheese). A cheese ribbon, a puree and an ice cream with onion, rhubarb, walnut and cumin

Wines served with lunch: The spicy and fruity Shiraz, the savoury Mourvedre and the Grenache (our wine of the week) were all great matches for the main courses and for the cheese dessert

Petit Fours: mini muffins stuffed with a blueberry, chocolate and coffee truffles and fudge with popping candy. These were served with good coffee. It was an excellent meal. Thank you Saronsberg for showcasing your wines in this way, it is really appreciated. Good wine should be paired with good food

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2016

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