Friday, July 13, 2018

CAROLINE’S ANNUAL RED WINE REVIEW 2018

CAROLINE’S ANNUAL RED WINE REVIEW 2018

Diarise now, Thursday 26th July 

CAROLINE’S ANNUAL RED WINE REVIEW at The Table Bay Hotel, V&A Waterfront.  

Meet the top sixty South African red winemakers and taste their best red wine. 

Tickets available @ R300 at Computicket only as of now. Time: 17h00 - 21h00


Caroline’s Annual Red Wine Review is one of the most important events on the South African wine calendar.
It is a showcase of a maximum of 60 wineries that have consistently achieved the highest accolades in all the top competitive platforms. Each of the selected wineries is invited to show just one wine for tasting by the guests. This must be their flagship red wine, and it will be shown by the winemaker personally. One can engage with them in an organised yet informal atmosphere in the ballroom of The Table Bay Hotel, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town.
Time: 17h00 until 21h00. Arrive anytime (latest 19h30), and get your programme and crystal tasting glass at the entrance.
Tickets @ R300 are available exclusively at Computicket. Numbers strictly  limited to 400 guests. Bookings OPEN Monday 25th June.
WINERIES WINE YEAR WINEMAKER
Anthonij Rupert Cabernet Franc 2012 Dawie Botha
Beaumont Mourvedre 2014 Sebastian Beaumont
Beeslaar Pinotage 2016 Abrie Beeslaar
Bellingham Bernard Series SMV ( Rhone Blend ) 2015 Richard Duckitt
Boekenhoutskloof Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2015 Gottfried Mocke
Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak Pinot Noir 2016 Chris Albrecht
Cape Chamonix Pinot Noir Reserve 2016 Thinus Neethling
Catherine Marshall Peter’s Vision ( Bordeaux Blend ) 2015 Catherine Marshall
Cederberg Five Generations Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 David Nieuwoudt
Constantia Glen Five ( Bordeaux Blend ) 2013 Justin Van Wyk
Creation The Art of Creation Pinot Noir 2016 Jean Claude Martin
Dalla Cia Dalla Cia Giorgio ( Bordeaux Blend ) 2015 Giorgio Dalla Cia
David & Nadia Elpidios ( Rhone Blend ) 2016 David Sadie
De Trafford Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 David Trafford
Delaire Graff Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 Morne Vrey
Eagles’ Nest Eagles’ Nest Shiraz 2015 Duran Cornhill
Ernie Els Signature ( Bordeaux Blend ) 2013 Louis Strydom
Ghost Corner Pinot Noir 2016 Alex Nel
Grangehurst Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 Jeremy Walker
Groot Constantia Gouverneurs Reserve ( Bordeaux Blend ) 2015 Boela Gerber
Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir 2017 Emul Ross
Hartenberg Estate The Stork Shiraz 2014 Patrick Ngamane
Iona Solace Syrah 2015 Werner Muller
Jordan Cobblers Hill ( Bordeaux Blend ) 2015 Sjaak Nelson
Kaapzicht Steytler Pinotage 2015 Danie Steytler
Kanonkop Paul Sauer ( Bordeaux Blend ) 2015 Abrie Beeslaar
Keermont Estate Reserve 2013 Alex Starey
Ken Forrester Three Halves ( Rhone Blend ) 2011 Shawn Mathyse
Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 RJ Botha
La Motte Pierneef Syrah-Viognier 2016 Johan Hurter
Laibach Claypot Merlot 2015 Francois Van Zyl
Lanzerac Pionier Pinotage 2015 Wynand Lategan
Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 Christo Le Riche
Leeu Passant Dry Red Wine 2016 Andrea Mullineux
Lourensford Chrysalis 2015 Hannes Nel
Luddite Luddite Shiraz 2014 Alice Verburg
Moreson Môreson MKM Pinotage 2015 Clayton Reabow
Morgenster Estate Reserve ( Bordeaux Blend ) 2011 Henry Kotze
Nederburg Two Centuries Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 Samuel Viljoen
Neil Ellis Wines Web Ellis (Red Blend) 2012 Warren Ellis
Nico van der Merwe Wines Nicolas van der Merwe Syrah 2015 Nico van der Merw3e
Oak Valley Groenlandberg Pinot Noir 2017 Quentin Gobregts
Paul Cluver Seven Flags Pinot Noir 2016 Andries Burger
Raats Family Cabernet Franc 2015 Bruwer Raats
Radford Dale Syrah Edouard Labeye
Remhoogte Sir Thomas Cullinan ( Bordeaux Blend ) 2014 Chris Boustred
Reyneke Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 Rudiger Gretschel
Richard Kershaw Elgin Clonal Selection Syrah 2016 Richard Kershaw
Rijk’s Cellar Pinotage-Syrah 2014 Pierre Wahl
Rupert & Rothschild Baron Edmond ( Bordeaux Blend ) 2014 Yvonne Lester
Rustenberg Peter Barlow Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 Randolph Christians
Saronsberg Full Circle ( Rhone Blend ) 2016 Dewaldt Heyns
Savage Wines Red Blend tbc Duncan Savage
Saxenburg Estate Private Collection Shiraz 2015 Edwin Grace
Shannon Mount Bullet Merlot 2015 James Downes
Sijnn Free Reign 1st Edition NV Charla Haasbroek
Simonsig The Garland Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 Debbie Thompson
Stark-Condé Three Pines Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 Rudger van Wyk
Thelema Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 Rudi Schultz
Tokara Directors Reserve ( Bordeaux Blend ) 2014 Stuart Botha
Trizanne Signature Wines Reserve Syrah 2017 Trizanne Barnard
Uva Mira The Mira Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 Christiaan Coetzee
Vilafonté Series M ( Bordeaux Blend ) 2015 Chris de Vries
Warwick Estate Cabernet Franc 2015 Nic van Aarde
Posted by MENU at 11:51 am 0 comments

The Grape Escape Wine Festival


Wine Concepts have decided to add to their successful line-up of annual events by exploring a different selection of wines. They are incredibly excited to invite you to escape the norm and join their first exclusive The Grape Escape Wine Festival at The Vineyard Hotel in August.

Guests will be treated to a fine selection of diverse and enticing wines from Chenin Blanc along with captivating Rhone varieties such as Viognier, Grenache Blanc,
Gamay Noir, Mouvedre, Rousanne, Clairette Blanche, Carignan, Syrah and others! This innaugural festival will give wine lovers the opportunity to taste the best offering of these varieties and blends from 40 of the country’s top producers.Delicioussnacks will be served with the wine through the course of the evening.

All the showcased wines will be available for purchase at discounted prices from Wine Concepts on the evening.

Venue:           The Vineyard Hotel, Colinton Road, Newlands,
Date:               Friday 17th August 2018
Time:              17.00 – 20.00
Cost:               R200.00 per person – includes entrance, wine glass and light snacks


The Vineyard Hotel is offering a special of a 2 course dinner in Square Restaurant, bed & Full English breakfast for Single – R1 665; Double – R2 210


Only 200 tickets are available and these can conveniently be purchased via www.webtickets.co.za, or at any of the Wine Concepts branches.

Telephone Newlands at(021) 671 9030 or Kloof Street at (021) 426-4401

Email: admin@wineconcepts.co.za or at the door on the evening subject to availability

http://www.wineconcepts.co.za


Posted by MENU at 11:28 am 0 comments

Thursday, July 12, 2018

This Week's MENU. Den Anker, ExtraBlatt, Bao Down, Gibson's, Blue Cheese, Bacon and Broccoli Pasta, Saronsberg Viognier


 This cock sparrow and his hen have been trying to get at a fruit bowl on our window sill and have been a deep fascination
for the predator instinct of our cat, Rory. We are not unsure that they are having fun baiting him

You could say that this is the perfect winter weather. Beautiful, mild sunny days, about 20ºC at midday, interspersed with enough rainy days to encourage us to enjoy lovely comfort food in front of the fire, celebrating the filling reservoirs and the new life in the garden. The dams are still not full enough for us to relax our cautious use of water, but the improvement is encouraging. Life treats us well, but there are many who share our corner of Africa but cannot share in the same delights. Winter often brings hardship, flooded homes, severe discomfort. So, while we enjoy the many benefits we have earned, we should always be aware of the other side of life and help where we can to make things better. Politicians have made promises for many years while they have made very comfortable lives for themselves. Fulfilling the promises and improving the lives of their constituents would make many more people happy to live here. We all need to strive to make this country better for everyone who lives here
We’ve come to the end of this year’s Iberian escapade stories. If you’d like to catch up on them, you can see them here

"The Perfect Share" offering at Den Anker    
Den Anker in the V&A Waterfront has a winter special which runs until the end of September, which you might like to try. They invited us to sample it this week. A nice touch is that R10 from each meal is donated to the Elundini School in Dunoon


Waking up early on Winter mornings is difficult; you want to sleep longer, but you have to address the day. We like a lie-in at least once a week and we realised that we could then go out and have someone else cook us breakfast. Café ExtraBlatt in Main Road, Green Point was our choice this week


A new restaurant in Cape Town, called Bao Down, sounded as though it is just what we love, so we booked a table for four on Sunday; they have a special menu each Sunday. You don't choose the food, they do and they change it every week. Bao Down chef Graham Oldfield has worked for Liam Tomlin at the Chefs Warehouse as Head Chef and absolutely loves the clear flavours of Chinese, Japanese and Korean food. He has opened the restaurant with Philippa, his wife, who was a caterer, at 3 Vredehoek Road, just behind the Gardens Centre, above town. It is around the corner from Marika's


Another media invitation this week to taste a winter special in the V&A Waterfront, this time at Gibson’s. Since we were last there, they have moved downstairs to a waterfront position, with lots of space and roll-out roof covering in case of inclement weather

What’s on the MENU this week. Blue Cheese, Bacon and Broccoli Pasta     An easy pasta dish with lots of flavour. You can use the pasta of your choice: penne, or shells, macaroni or fusilli. It even works on spaghetti. But make sure you use good Italian pasta. Try not to overcook the broccoli or it will go a nasty grey. It, too, should be a bit al dente. If you leave off the bacon, it will be suitable for vegetarians. The pasta we used was fusillata, the pasta which is supposed to hold the most sauce


200g pasta - 250g small broccoli florets - 2 Tbsp olive oil – 6 pieces of streaky bacon cut into 3 cm slices - a good handful of lightly chopped walnuts – 1 clove of garlic, sliced thin - 100g creamy blue cheese, gorgonzola, dolcelatte, nothing too strong, cut into small cubes - zest of one lemon – juice of half a lemon – freshly ground black pepper

Cook the pasta in well salted water until al dente; Heat 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil in a deep frying pan and fry the bacon till crisp; remove and keep aside. Add the walnuts to the pan and fry gently for one minute; add them to the bacon. When the pasta is nearly ready, steam the broccoli for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the oil to the pan and fry the garlic for a few seconds till soft. Do not discard the pasta water. Take the pasta out with a slotted spoon and stir it into the oil with the broccoli, the bacon, the walnuts and the lemon zest. Then add the blue cheese. Moisten the dish with a tablespoon or two of the pasta water to create a sauce, and stir until the cheese begins to melt and coats the pasta. Squeeze over the juice of half a lemon and serve immediately. Serves 4

This is a fairly robust dish because of the blue cheese, which can have a slightly metallic note. We think that a Viognier, unwooded or very lightly wooded, makes the perfect companion wine. Its notes of peaches, citrus and slight sweetness are the perfect foil. We had it with Saronsberg’s excellent Viognier. It’s a dry white wine with a slight fruity sweetness, which is exactly what this dish called out for, and its fresh acidity cleans the palate. It is our Wine of the Week

MENU’s Wine of the Week. Saronsberg Viognier from Tulbagh, made by skilled winemaker Dewaldt Heyns, has hints of fynbos flora, peaches, apricots, honey and summer grass on the nose, rich on the palate with white peaches, limes and lemons with some caramel hints from the toasted wood and great fresh acidity to cut through complex dishes. 
It’s a dry wine with a slight fruity sweetness. 40% wild yeast fermentation and the new wine is evenly divided for maturation between 1st, 2nd and 3rd fill barrels, adding structure. No malolactic fermentation is allowed, to keep it fresh

12th July 2018

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2018
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

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. This electronic journal has been sent to you because you have personally subscribed to it or because someone you know has asked us to send it to you or forwarded it to you themselves. Addresses given to us will not be divulged to any person or organisation. We collect them only for our own promotional purposes. If you wish to be added to our mailing list, please click here to send us a message and if you wish to be removed from our mailing list
Posted by MENU at 11:45 pm 0 comments

MENU's Wine of the Week. Saronsberg Viognier 2015

made by skilled winemaker Dewaldt Heyns, has hints of fynbos, peaches, apricots, honey and summer grass on the nose, rich on the palate with white peaches, limes and lemons with some caramel hints from the toasted wood and great fresh acidity to cut through complex dishes

It’s a dry wine with a slight fruity sweetness. 40% wild yeast fermentation and the new wine is evenly divided for maturation between 1st, 2nd and 3rd fill barrels, adding structure. No malolactic fermentation is allowed, to keep it fresh

 Online prices are between about R130 to R150 or speak to your favourite wine merchant

Posted by MENU at 9:26 pm 0 comments

What’s on the MENU this week. Blue Cheese, Bacon and Broccoli Pasta

An easy pasta dish with lots of flavour. You can use the pasta of your choice: penne, or shells, macaroni or fusilli. It even works on spaghetti. But make sure you use good Italian pasta. Try not to overcook the broccoli or it will go a nasty grey. It, too, should be a bit al dente. If you leave off the bacon, it will be suitable for vegetarians. The pasta we used was fusillata, the pasta which is supposed to hold the most sauce 
200g pasta - 250g small broccoli florets - 2 Tbsp olive oil – 6 pieces of streaky bacon cut into 3 cm slices - a good handful of lightly chopped walnuts – 1 clove of garlic, sliced thin - 100g creamy blue cheese, gorgonzola, dolce latte, nothing too strong, cut into small cubes - zest of one lemon – juice of half a lemon – freshly ground black pepper

Cook the pasta in well salted water until al dente; Heat the olive oil in a deep frying pan and fry the bacon till crisp; remove and keep aside. Add the walnuts to the pan and fry gently for one minute; add them to the bacon. When the pasta is nearly ready, steam the broccoli for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the oil to the pan and fry the garlic for a few seconds till soft. Do not discard the pasta water. Take the pasta out with a slotted spoon and stir it into the oil with the broccoli, the bacon, the walnuts and the lemon zest. Then add the blue cheese. Moisten the dish with a tablespoon or two of the pasta water, and stir until the cheese begins to melt. Squeeze over the juice of half a lemon and serve immediately. Serves 4

This is a fairly robust dish because of the blue cheese, which can have a slightly metallic note. We think that a Viognier, unwooded or very lightly wooded, makes the perfect companion wine. Its notes of peaches, citrus and slight sweetness are the perfect foil. We had it with Saronsberg’s excellent Viognier. It’s a dry wine with a slight fruity sweetness, which is exactly what this dish called out for, and its fresh acidity cleans the palate. It is our Wine of the Week
Posted by MENU at 9:19 pm 0 comments

Burger special at Gibson's, V&A Waterfront

Another media invitation this week to taste a winter special in the V&A Waterfront, this time at Gibson’s. Since we were last there, they have moved downstairs to a waterfront position, with lots of space and a roll out roof covering over the deck in case of inclement weather

We were there to try the lunchtime special
It was a lovely day, so we chose to sit outside. Sadly, the sun did not reach us. We arrived just after 12, so a little early. The tables filled up with  diners, many of whom were parents with offspring, who are still enjoying school holidays
Inside the restaurant
You can see the new covering structure over the deck
The food menu on the wall. It also comes in a folder to the table. Did you know that Gibson’s has over 120 different milkshakes on offer, even some adult ones with alcohol? Sadly none are dairy free, so we didn't imbibe
A good selection of real beers, including two under their own label
We went for the Gibson's craft ale
On Special, you can choose any regular 200g burger at the normal menu price and get a small(!er) 160g one of the same description, for just R20. (NB it must be the same description) Do not assume it is going to be slider size. It was plenty big enough to almost defeat Lynne. You can choose to accompany it with any of the starches, which are a choice from baked potato, triple fried potato chips, or sweet potato fries. Or just a salad. Lynne chose the baked potato with sour cream and butter.
Together we agreed that the Governor Deluxe would fulfill all our requirements for the perfect burger. A pure beef burger in a sesame bun, topped with smoky barbecue sauce, lettuce, tomato, sticky fried onions - very delicious - cheddar cheese, bacon, guacamole, cucumber and a sweet mustard sauce. And those crisp fries were really good
Filled with goodness
You can hardly see the difference in the sizes
Jennifer, our friendly waitress
It is school holidays and we saw several parents taking teens out for lunch at Gibson’s and ordering milkshakes, so John asked if he could photograph some before they went to the table. L to R: A Vanilla Flake, An Oreo Mint, a Chocolate Brownie and a Cinnamon Doughnut. There were 4 very happy lads. And they had burgers afterwards
We finished with a pot of green tea with lemon for Lynne
And a very good double espresso for John with great crema
Posted by MENU at 5:03 pm 0 comments
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