Friday, June 17, 2016

This week's MENU – Vinexpo, Hong Kong to Hanoi, Constantia at Ellerman, Bouchard Finlayson, Grand Constance, Burgundy Celebration

Old and new craft in the harbour on Cheung Chau Island, Hong Kong
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.
VinExpo on Day One      And then it was time to pack away the holiday clothes and get to work. Vinexpo started on Tuesday 24th May and ran for three days. We were there to find out what we could about the Chinese market. It is still pretty inscrutable. The Chinese people, especially the young upwardly mobile are interested but know very little about wine. The fashion for buying trophy wines has passed they tell us, no longer are the bottles of top international wines displayed on their mantle shelves, never to be drunk. They fear fake wines, preferring to buy from people they know. Importing is easy, selling is not. Did you know that China grows lots of grapes but only 10% of them are wine grapes. And wine grapes are grown almost all over this vast country. They even have their own varietals.
The Formal Tastings and Seminars we attended over the 3 days     One of the main reasons for going to VinExpo is to taste different wine, wines we cannot often taste in South Africa. So we attend as many as we can squeeze into the short period, between press conferences and visiting stands
The evenings in Hong Kong     We confess, we are a little in love with Hong Kong. And the evening light is so charming. And there is so much to do
MENU goes East continued - From Hong Kong to Hanoi      Up bright and early for our flight to Hanoi on Jetstar - Qantas's budget airline, where the flight sounds cheap but you pay for everything, including your luggage and any food or drink (including water) on the plane
Constantia goes to Ellerman House     When we had our wine and food shop Main Ingredient at the bottom of Kloof Road we often had the chef and the sommeliers from Ellerman House visit us. We were invited to come and see the fantastic wine cellar but somehow never managed to get there. Finally last Monday we go to see it when we attended Constantia's trade wine tasting there. What a splendid place for a wine tasting and what great wines they produce in the valley and on the hills of Constantia. Ellerman House is a ultra luxury boutique Hotel on Kloof Road in Bantry Bay.
An Experience at Bouchard Finlayson in the Hemel and Aarde Valley     We don't often go to the winelands at night, especially if it means driving in the home going traffic on the N1 or 2 and then driving home afterwards. But if one of our favourite and well respected wine farms offers transport we will consider it very seriously. Which is why last Wednesday saw us on the road to the Hemel and Aarde for a tasting of Bouchard Finalyson's wines on the farm. Yes, it was a long trip, but yes it was worth it.
A Taste of Grand Constance     The history of the famous Constantia wines goes back to the 18th century. Groot Constantia is 331 years old and they have purchase order from Napoleon when the Cloete family owned the farm and from customers as far back as the 1800's when this most sought after wine was sold to enthusiasts like King Phillipe, and Jane Austen. We were invited to Groot Constantia this week to taste their recreation called Grand Constance.
Tasting Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs at Wine Concepts Celebration at the Vineyard Hotel      What an opportunity to taste some of the best the Cape has to offer at this well attended wine tasting last Friday evening.
Wine of the week Edgebaston 2014 Chardonnay       David Finlayson makes the sort of Chardonnay we love to drink. We bought and drank lots and lots of his Honey Shale Chardonnay last year and were sad when it ran out. Tasting his Chardonnay at the Vineyard on Friday was, for Lynne, a treat. It was the best she tasted all evening and so she bought a case. It is full of golden yellow fruit and butter, with layers and layers of complexity, minerality, sunshine and good citrus tongue tingling bite. It is lightly wooded but has a supporting role in the background. 4.5 star in Platter. Do try it. R105 at Wine Concepts
This week’s recipe     Kale is all the rage      We don't know why it has become so fashionable. It is packed full of vitamins and minerals, but then so are many green vegetables. Lynne decided we ought to give it another try as our previous encounter was not good; the kale we ate was like eating glass. She was speaking on the phone to our friend in Holland when it occurred to her that kale there is one of their winter national dishes. So this is the recipe this week. It does require a smoked sausage like Rookworst but, if you don’t eat pork, you could try one of those kosher Garlic sausages. Recommendation: The flavour of kale is much improved by frost, which is wont get here in South Africa. So put yours in the freezer the night before you want to cook this. This is real winter rib sticking food. Could you make this with sweet potato if you are Banting, Perhaps try?
Boerenkool Met Worst (Kale with sausage)
500 g fresh kale - 4 large peeled potatoes - 50g fatty bacon or pancetta - oil - butter salt - freshly ground black pepper - 1t white wine vinegar - 1 t Dijon or sweet honey mustard - 1 Rookworst
Make sure the kale is well washed. Drain well than chop very finely with a sharp knife, removing any thick centre cores. Put into some salted boiling water, preferably in a pressure cooker and boil. It will take about 10 minutes in the pressure cooker, 20 minutes in a covered pot. Chop the bacon very small and fry in some oil and butter till crisp. Drain but reserve some of the liquid. At the same time boil the potatoes until soft. Peel and mash with the butter. Stir in the kale, the vinegar, the mustard and the bacon It is said that this is much better the following day. You cook the sausage in boiling water then slice and serve on top of the warm Kale and potato mix. Optional extras are fried onion and garlic.
Events for you to enjoy in June
Friday, 17th to Sunday, 19th June. Grootvadersbosch Conservancy and Gondwana Alive present Silver Mountain Music. Inspired by the silvery glow of the Langeberg, Silver Mountain Music is a celebration of music and nature in the Grootvadersbosch Valley. The natural beauty of the area is coupled with a rich cultural heritage and genuine rural hospitality. In addition to multiple concerts, the weekend will include activities that showcase local cuisine and natural attractions including, a guided dairy tour, milk tasting, guided forest walks, mountain biking and trail running. The weekend is a perfect long weekend winter break and the event should not be missed. Tickets are limited so book here to enjoy this unique musical celebration.
Saturday, 18th and Sunday, 19th June. Father’s Day Gourmet Treats at The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa. This year, dads celebrating their special day have the option of a delectable ‘Gents’ Tea by the Sea’ Buffet fit for a king on Saturday 18 or Sunday 19 June, or the perfect Father’s Day Buffet Lunch with live music on Sunday 19 June- both served with our trademark hospitality! Gents’ ‘Tea by the Sea’ Buffet R 275 per person. Father’s Day Lunch R 425 per adult, R 215 per child u/12 yrs. Book here
Sunday, 19th June. Dornier Bodega Father’s Day Lunch Menu. A 3 course set lunch menu with each dish optionally paired with Dornier wines. R 350 for food & R 125 for wine pairing. Click here to see the menu. Seating for Father's Day Lunch is limited. Contact Bodega Restaurant at 021 880 0557 or bodega@dornier.co.za to ensure your reservation.
Sunday, 19th June, 12h00 to 14h00. Escape to Grande Provence this Father’s Day. Grande Provence Heritage Wine Estate, Franschhoek. Surprise your dad with a culinary escape to Grande Provence for a Father’s Day luncheon in the heart of the Franschhoek winelands or make a weekend of it if you really want to spoil him. With the Grande Provence Winter Heartland Offer, the whole family can enjoy a stay at the Owner’s Cottage or hideaway in the secluded La Provençale Villa in the Vineyards at special winter rates. The cost of the Father’s Day lunch is R395 per person. Booking is essential, e-mail restaurant@grandeprovence.co.za or call 021 876 8600. For more information on the Heartland Offer visit www.grandeprovence.co.za or e-mail ownerscottage@grandeprovence.co.za
Sunday, 19th June, 12h00 to 15h00. Add some sparkle to Father’s Day at The House of J.C. Le Roux, Stellenbosch. Treat your dad to an uplifting taste experience and Father’s Day lunch at the world-class sparkling wine destination in the Stellenbosch Winelands. With its welcoming al fresco deck and stylish interiors, Le Venue offers a relaxing atmosphere with a Father’s Day luncheon buffet that is sure to delight all the senses. Be sure to book for one of the famous J.C. Le Roux tastings when making your Father’s Day lunch reservation. From the classic Méthode Cap Classique offerings to the popular Vivante bubblies, your dad is sure to find his favourite. Booking for the Father’s Day lunch and tasting is essential. Call the LeVenue restaurant on 021 865 8200. The lunch costs R235 served from 12h00 to 15h00. For more information, visit www.jcleroux.co.zawww.facebook.com/HouseofJCLeRoux, @HouseofJCLeRoux on Instagram and join the conversation on Twitter @JCLeRoux
Sunday, 19th June, A special day for Fathers at Lakeside Lodge & Spa. Every year we get the opportunity to honour our fathers and this year is no exception at Lakeside Lodge & Spa, a short drive out from Sedgefield on the Garden Route. A hearty winter set menu is planned at the lodge’s on-site restaurant, Benguela Brasserie & Restaurant, on Sunday, 19 June 2016. The restaurant encompasses panoramic views of the Swartvlei Lagoon, which are simply breath-taking, even in winter. Guests have the option of a two course lunch for R350.00 per person or the three courses for R395.00 per person. Benguela Cove wine from the Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate in Walker Bay, Hermanus is also available to pair and complement your meal. Bookings are essential. To secure your Father’s Day reservations, please contact 044 343 1844 or book online. Bookings are subject to availability.  For more information, please email info@lakesidelodge.co.za or visit their website. Also visit their Facebook page, follow them on Twitter and Instagram.
Sunday, 19th June. Father's Day at The Pool Room, Oak Valley Estate, Elgin. 2 Course Meal R280, 3 Course Meal R360. Bookings are essential. 021 859 4111, Send an email to: poolroom@oak-valley.co.za
Sunday, 19th June. A winter warmer Father’s Day at Webersburg. Historic Cape Dutch homestead and boutique winery in Stellenbosch, Webersburg, has a great lunch menu lined up for dads this Father’s Day - a three course set menu for lunch consisting of excellent cuts of meat accompanied by warming winter dishes. Take your dad and the family out for lunch and experience the 1693 elegant homestead submerged in history. The Webersburg SugarBosch Bistro log fire will also be blazing to keep guests warm and comfortable. The three course set menu costs R380 per person. Lunch is served from 12h00 to 15h00 on Sunday. To reserve your Father’s Day lunch or accommodation contact 021 881 3636 or email Webersburg at admin@webersburg.co.za. For more information on exciting specials and upcoming events please visit their website, Facebook page, or follow them on Twitter and Instagram @Webersburg.
Tuesday, 21st June. Cellar tour at 18h30, Tasting Starts 19h00. 3 Course Food & Wine Pairing with Cellar Master Charles Hopkins at De Grendel Restaurant, Plattekloof Road, Panorama, Cape Town. All bookings must be sent to Christelle@degrendel.co.za or call 082 325 1304. Cost R550.00 per person
Thursday, 23rd June, 18h00 – 20h00 Bubbly, tea and tapas with Saltare & Dandelion at Palma. A unique combination of flavours: Saltare MCC and wines paired with the handmade, loose-leaf teas of Dandelion and served with Palma’s signature tapas at Palma, 213 Bree Street, Cape Town. Cost: R200 per person (includes wine and tea servings and tapas; welcome to stay afterwards for a meal from Palma’s menu). Bookings: Send an email to carla@saltare.co.za or call 083 280 2557
Thursday, 23rd June.  Tasting Time at Caroline's Fine Wine Cellar, Cape Town. BOEKENHOUTSKLOOF.  Hear all about this amazingly successful brand directly from MARC KENT, partner, cellarmaster and inspiration behind it all. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet Marc in person!  Taste Semillon, two vintages of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah 2005,  the rare Journeyman 2005, Noble Late Harvest  plus the new Stellenbosch Cabernet  Sauvignon and Callie Louw’s Porseleinberg Syrah from the company’s Swartland holding.  R300 p/p. For bookings: please click here or mail Lyzette on carowine@mweb.co.za. To buy wine online, visit www.carolineswine.com
Saturday 25th June. Beaumont Barrel Lunch. A celebration of new vineyards in old soils. Weather permitting, we will meet at 11:30 with a glass of our freshest Chenin to help get the day rolling. We will then take a walk to our newest Chenin vineyard where Sebastian will do a short demonstration on how we develop and shape these young vines. Following this we will wander up to the cellar for a long lazy lunch amongst our barrels. Menu @  R410 per person. To book contact info@beaumont.co.za. Beaumont Wines, Compagnes Drift Farm, Bot River, Western Cape

Wednesday, 29th June. A relaxed tasting event to showcase some of the fantastic (and fantastic value) wines that Raka has on offer at Southey’s Bistro & Wine Boutique, 196 Main Road, Somerset West. The meal will take the form of 8 tasting dishes – certainly enough to constitute a hearty meal!! Please note that there is limited space available, so please book ASAP. For bookings email: info@southeysbistro.co.za or call: 021 851 6060





16th June 2016
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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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Thursday, June 16, 2016

This week's MENU recipe: Boerenkool Met Worst (Kale with sausage)

Kale is all the rage. We don't know why it has become so fashionable. It is packed full of vitamins and minerals, but then so are many green vegetables. Lynne decided we ought to give it another try as our previous encounter was not good; the kale we ate was like eating glass. She was speaking on the phone to our friend in Holland when it occurred to her that kale there is one of their winter national dishes. So this is the recipe this week. It does require a smoked sausage like Rookworst but, if you don’t eat pork, you could try one of those kosher Garlic sausages. Recommendation: The flavour of kale is much improved by frost, which it won’t get here in South Africa. So put yours in the freezer the night before you want to cook this. This is real winter rib sticking food. Could you make this with sweet potato if you are Banting, Perhaps try?
500 g fresh kale - 4 large peeled potatoes - 50g fatty bacon or pancetta - oil - butter -  salt - freshly ground black pepper - 1t white wine vinegar - 1 t Dijon or sweet honey mustard - 1 Rookworst
Make sure the kale is well washed. Drain well, then chop very finely with a sharp knife, removing any thick centre cores. Put into some salted boiling water, preferably in a pressure cooker and boil. It will take about 10 minutes in the pressure cooker, 20 minutes in a covered pot. Chop the bacon very small and fry in some oil and butter till crisp. Drain but reserve some of the liquid. At the same time boil the potatoes until soft. Mash with the butter. Stir in the kale, the vinegar, the mustard and the bacon.  It is said that this is much better the following day. You cook the sausage for a few minutes in boiling water then slice and serve on top of the warm Kale and potato mix. Optional extras are fried onion and garlic 
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2016

MENU's Wine of the week. Edgebaston 2014 Chardonnay

David Finlayson makes the sort of Chardonnay we love to drink. 
We bought and drank lots and lots of his Honey Shale Chardonnay last year and were sad when it ran out. Tasting his Chardonnay at the Vineyard on Friday was, for Lynne, a treat. It was the best she tasted all evening and so she bought a case. It is full of golden yellow fruit and butter, with layers and layers of complexity, minerality, sunshine and a good citrus tongue-tingling bite. It is lightly wooded but has a supporting role in the background. 4.5 star in Platter. Do try it. R105 at Wine Concepts
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2016

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Wine Concepts Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Celebration at the Vineyard Hotel

Each year, Wine concepts hosts a few spectacular Varietal wine tastings at The Vineyard Hotel in Newlands. Bringing some light to the depth of winter, is their tasting of Burgundy style mostly South African wines. What an opportunity to taste some of the best the Cape has to offer at this well attended wine tasting last Friday evening

Tarryn Vincent and Chloe Canderle showing Burgundies from the Reciprocal Trading range
Carol and James Downes of Shannon Vineyards
Jackie Rabe pours a glass of Strandveld Pinot noir for Thelema & Sutherland winemaker Rudi Schultz
and Michelle Stewart gives René Bampfield Duggan a taste of Yardstick Chardonnay
Charmain Delgado always has a winning smile and a glass of DeWetshof
Hennie Coetzee enjoys a glass with Ataraxia owner Kevin Grant and a friend
Nathalie and Joris van Almenkerk with their award winning Pinot
Buitenverwachting showed their excellent wines and this pretty model farm
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2016

Lunch with Grand Constance at Groot Constantia

The history of the famous Constantia wines goes back to the 18th century. Groot Constantia is 331 years old and they have a purchase order from Napoleon, when the Cloete family owned the farm, and from customers as far back as the 1800s when this most sought after wine was sold to enthusiasts like King Louis Philippe and Jane Austen. We visited Groot Constantia last week to taste their recreation of the great Constantia sweet wine, Grand Constance
Setting up lanterns for an evening function in the Manor House
The wine in its elegant wooden box. It is sealed, as it would have been in the past, with Post office red sealing wax
It was a damp and cool winter’s day, so the open fire was well appreciated
A long table had been set up for lunch
Winemaker Boela Gerber sharing a joke with Broadcaster Guy MacDonald and Dr Winnie Bowman CWM and enjoying a glass of this sweet and complex wine. It is made from both white and red Muscat de Frontignan grapes, partially air dried, usually classified Natural Sweet but, sometimes, it has a little botrytis
It has a wonderful rich amber colour
The specially made bottles have a roundel in the glass which bears the word Constantia. Shards containing this mark have been found in a Delaware ship wrecked in 1774, in the foundations of a building in Germany and in very old bottles from Namur in Belgium. It contains 375ml, the historic bottle was 340ml. Boela started the move to recreate the wine 15 years ago. Was it fortified or not? No one knows. They didn't know about malolactic fermentation back then. He has tasted a 1790 and an 1821, so he knew where to take the wine
The Chef from Jonkershuis, who prepared the lunch
Canapés were substantial. Goats cheese on brioche fingers and a rich chicken liver parfait on the same brioche. There were jars of chutneys and pickles and an almond and honey praline to add to these
The fresh goat's cheese
The lunch menu
Then we were asked to assist the chef in preparing the gnudi (ricotta dumplings)
We had to swirl one in a wine glass with some flour to coat it
Swirling away. Why isn’t it wine?
At last it was time for some Gouverneur’s Reserve white, an elegant wooded blend which was barrel fermented and aged for one year, made from 76% Semillon with Sauvignon Blanc, crisp and fresh with notes of orange peel, smoke, limes and lemons. It went perfectly with the Gnudi
Jean Naude, Marketing Manager for Groot Constantia, tells us about lunch while Di Brown tweets
Boela tells us about the Grand Constance and how they recreated it. We all make notes. They sent old wines to California and Geisenheim to be analysed. They leave the grapes on the vines for 6 weeks after ripening. The whole grapes are then dried until they have shrivelled to raisins. The wine is fermented on the raisins for a week and is left for 2 years to slowly continue natural fermentation in 3rd, 4th and 5th fill barrels
It has consistently won awards here and overseas and is recognised from a quality point of view
Light cheese dumplings on a butternut emulsion with toasted pecan nuts, crisp fried sage leaves, sage butter and wilted spinach , topped off with slivers of parmesan cheese. Lots of different textures, definitely one to try at home
Jean Naude shows us pictures of the ancient Constantia bottle seals and emblems found around the world
the bottles found near Namur
and old bottles of Grand Constance
Time for the main course of Deconstructed Kudu Wellington accompanied by a strip of crisp puff pastry, porcini and red wine sauce, cauliflower mash, roasted winter vegetables ... 
... parmentier potatoes and beetroot. This was served with the well oaked Gouverneur’s Reserve Red made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. Its richness rode well with the kudu, winter vegetables and wine sauce
Dessert was a chocolate plate to astound. A warm and richly oozing Chocolate fondant with a salted caramel ice cream, a sliver of dark chocolate and orange terrine, richer than most could manage, and a gluten free chocolate cake, light as air. Of course this went well with the splendid Grand Constance! And a double espresso
A mating pair of Hadeda ibis on the ancient vineyard wall as we departed
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2016