Monday, December 14, 2020

New beginnings, New dreams, New friendships at Muratie

An invitation to Muratie and, after this hard year, we decided to accept as long as there were the proper protocols in place for social distancing. The invitation said: "Please bring a mask and note that all COVID regulations and precautions will be adhered to. A small attendee list allows for responsible social distancing"
The Itinerary for the day
  • Guests arrive for a 10h30 start outside Ansela van de Caab’s house, dating from 1685, which houses the MOK Art Gallery (an abbreviation for moderne kontemporêr, Afrikaans for modern contemporary).
  • Welcomed with a glass of Lady Alice Pinot Noir Cap Classique and Rijk Melck’s remembrance of the history books and journals of Laurens Campher, Georg Paul Canitz and the like
  • A quick mention about Muratie’s new trail centre, hiking trails, single MTBike tracks etc.
  • Moving to the Farm Kitchen terrace, a classic combination of old-world charm and Bohemian aesthetics
  • Here we indulge in a wine tasting experience, enjoying current and vintage wines, including some award winners, most notably the Ansela van de Caab 2017 which has been honoured with a 2021 Platter 5-Star rating
  • Moving at 11h30 through the luscious gardens, appreciating the panoramic views over the Muratie vineyards, Simonsberg mountain range, Stellenbosch Valley and Table Mountain
  • Arriving at Muratie’s Canvas, a spectacular new functions venue with an exquisite setting, for a lunch time feast prepared by Kim Melck herself, enjoying the musings with Rijk Melck and the Muratie team
There was a large party at a long table on the terrace, but it was not part of the event we were attending
A welcome with the 2016 Muratie Lady Alice Pinot Noir Cap Classique bubbly. It has notes of raspberry and rose on the nose, raspberry, strawberry and tangerine flavours and a good mousse and is dry in style. The notes about the wine say: "As the wife of a senator, Lady Alice Sarah Stanford would rub shoulders with ministers, dine at ‘Tuinhuis’, host balls, officiate at college sports days – and by all accounts every event she attended turned into a dance party. Hers was the life of the English ‘landed gentry’, from hunting and shooting to lawn tennis and fancy dress, so life at Muratie was very festive indeed after she bought it in 1909. This Méthode Cap Classique bubbly made from 100% Pinot Noir is a toast to a lady for whom every day was a celebration"
Rijk Melck chatting with journalist Greg Landman
Desmond Binneman, National Sales & Marketing Manager
We met outside the MOK Art Gallery. Nice to see cornflowers
Rijk told us he was "Pressing the Refresh button" to get things going again after the long lock down, which so badly affected the wine and hospitality industry. He wanted to tell us all what they were up to and show us some of the things they had been doing during lock down 

He told us some of the history of the farm and its previous owners. It is a fascinating story of many different characters who are now remembered and associated with different Muratie wines. He told us that the Melck family had owned the farm in the 1700s, but it was then sold. When Rijk’s father, Ronnie Melck, bought the farm in 1978 it was rustic, rundown and stuffed but saved by the magic of the trees. They have put energy, passion and hard work into making it what it is today. They are Boeremense (farmers), not Trust Fund managers

Winemaker Hattingh de Villiers invited us to join him on the terrace to taste some of these wines
All of which were available at the bar
It was so good to see people of the industry whom we had not seen for months
Hattingh talked us through the wines
Easier to sit and take notes while tasting
The Isabella Chardonnay has a lovely rich nose and palate of citrus and stone fruits with lots of wood
Hattingh's T-shirt refers not only to the famous struggle song, but to the Johanna Dry Rosé wine! The wine notes say: "From a young age, Johanna worked in the vineyards of Muratie, but never without a song on her lips. Now happily retired, she continues to bring beauty to the farm – by arranging the flowers in the manor house and cellar. This lively and fruity, yet dry, rosé celebrates a tenacious woman, overflowing with personality, who embodies the honesty and passion of Muratie and its people"
The 2014 Ronnie Melck Shiraz has expensive oak and spice on its attractive nose. Lots of black cherry and red berry fruit. Soft on the palate at first with some good fruit, chalky tannins, good wood and grape acids to support, which makes this a lasting tribute to Rijks father. From the wine notes: As a direct descendant of Martin Melck (who owned Muratie from 1763 to 1781), Ronnie rekindled a centuries-old love affair and fulfilled a lifelong dream when he bought this gracious old wine farm in 1987, welcoming it back into the Melck fold. Humble, honest and full of integrity, he lived for Muratie and is the only owner whose remains rest here, under the trees on the highest part of the farm. Made in traditional open fermenters and matured for 16 months in 100% French oak (20% new), this wine honours his warm personality, ‘photographic palate’ and instinctive flair for winemaking"
Ansela van de Caab 2017, the Muratie Flagship wine, has incense wood and rich, dark stewed fruit aromas: mulberries, black currant and blackberry. Silky with soft chalky tannins and intense cherry, mulberry and cranberry fruit. Ansela was the wife of the first owner, Laurens Campher. The tasting notes say: "Born into slavery at the Cape (her mother a slave from West Africa, her white father most likely a servant of the Dutch East India Company), Ansela lived at the notorious Slave Lodge and worked in the Company’s Garden until her manumission in 1695, when Laurens Campher brought her home to Muratie, along with their three children
A triumph of persistence and patience, this Bordeaux-style red blend
celebrates the coming-together of this early Cape family"
The Martin Melck Cabernet Reserve 2016 has violets, cassis and incense wood. It is so enjoyable. Lovely gentle berry fruit, lots of soft chalky tannins, and lots of aging potential; a food wine now and one to put away in your cellar. The wine’s tasting notes tell of Martin Melck: "Martin Melck owned Muratie from 1763 to 1781. A mercenary from Prussia who acquired immense wealth at the Cape, primarily through marriage, he was also a devout Lutheran who felt so aggrieved that members of his faith were forbidden to form a congregation that he built a ‘schuilkerk’ (hidden church) in the barn alongside his own home in Cape Town. His greatest hope was that Lutherans would one day be able to worship openly – and indeed this came to pass one year before his death. His greatest love, though, was for his daughter, Anna Catherina, for whom he bought Muratie." The Martin Melck house is now a national monument and still stands in Strand Street in Cape Town
The wine we often drink with lunch is the Laurens Campher, a unique and delicious, rich and complex Cape white blend of Chenin Blanc (54%) with smaller amounts of Sauvignon Blanc (30%), Verdelho (12%), and Viognier (4%). Tasting notes: "Laurens Campher was a young German soldier who started farming at Muratie in 1685. This blend is a labour of love, much like Laurens’ love for Ansela van de Caab. Their love was ultimately rewarding, bringing about the birth of their three children, her freedom and the development of a farm that was only officially granted to Campher in 1699 but is still going strong over three centuries later"
The farm has lovely views across to Table Mountain
The new venue, Muratie Canvas, can be hired for events and can be made smaller if required
Lunch was a good selection of dishes, served family style so that we could serve ourselves
This was a play on Coronation chicken
Roasted onions, broccoli and baby beetroot
Tomatoes and roasted peppers with cream cheese and herb pesto
Sliced ham with a mustard sauce
Bread, paté, cheeses, olives and relishes
Spiced Couscous with butternut
and all the wines were served with lunch
A small cheese platter
Kim Melck is in charge of the kitchen
Kim Melck and Cheri van Staden, owner of 2iC Events, which operates the Muratie Canvas venue
Known as the fish tank in the family, Rijk says that Cheri is in charge of the hothouse
and, if it doesn't work, he is going into growing cannabis in it!
The Muratie wine selection with lunch
We sat at the end of the long table
The new Grenache, Mr May (see back label below)
All the wines have their histories on their back labels
Tasting Room manager, Laurence White
The 2008 Ronnie Melck has a drawing of him on the label
The end of a lovely day and Rijk and Hattingh chat to a guest in front of the vineyards
and the magnificent mountain behind the farm. Thank you again, all at Muratie

All content © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus

Saturday, December 05, 2020

This Week’s MENU. Cape Wine Masters induction, Birthday lunch at Jordan



A female Cape bulbul (Pycnonotus capensis) at Nederburg

We are taking a break at Yzerfontein, an hour from home, up the West Coast. We had an unfortunate start; when we arrived at the place we had booked and paid for through Booking.com, we found that it was occupied by sitting tenants. You can see the full story on Lynne’s Facebook page. Our first few hours in the village were spent looking for an alternative, with the help of the local tourist office and a very helpful estate agent who found us a wonderful German-owned guest house called Swept Away, run by the marvellous Inge. Fortunately Booking.com has refunded the money we paid and will reimburse us for any extra expenses incurred. So here we are, soon to relax and we’ll have more stories after we come home in 10 days

An invitation to cover the induction of the four new Cape Wine Masters at Nederburg saw us head for Paarl last Thursday. Attendees met in the garden in front of the manor house which allowed us good social distancing. These events are always well attended by Cape Wine Masters, many of whom act as mentors to those studying to be a Cape Wine Master. It is a very rigorous process that can be done over five years or less. Read on…

John had his 75th birthday on the 27th, so Lynne planned a lovely lunch at chef George Jardine's restaurant on Jordan wine estate. Deservedly one of our favourites, the food is always superb, the views are second to none and the Jordan wines are exciting and go so well with the food. Read on…

Friday, 4th December 2020

All content © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus

Friday, December 04, 2020

New Cape Wine Masters Graduation Luncheon at Nederburg

An invitation to cover the induction of the four new Cape Wine Masters at Nederburg saw us head for Paarl last Thursday. Attendees met in the garden in front of the manor house, which allowed us good social distancing. These events are always well attended by Cape Wine Masters, many of whom act as mentors to those studying to be a Cape Wine Master. It is a very rigorous process that can be done over five years or less. We were the only media attending, with one social media girl. Here is Jenny McQueen in front of the Nederburg manor house
The welcome drink was the Nederburg Cap Classique. Cape Wine Masters are expected to: Promote wine and spirit education in South Africa at all levels, Promote the growth and responsible use of wine, Promote the image of the ICWM by enhancing its credibility, visibility and recognition and be an ambassador for wine
There were other Nederburg wines to taste. We enjoyed this 2020 Sauvignon Blanc later with lunch
So good to see Dave Hughes CWM looking so happy and fit
Jeff Grier and Peter Ferreira, two Cap Classique masters
Allan Mullins and Dave Hughes were having a jolly time enjoying the beautiful weather
Neil Groenewald, MD of Nederburg, welcomed us all and told us what is happening at Nederburg
They are doing things to reconnect the public with Nederburg wines and concentrating of Cabernets
plus a new release of another wine, soon
Pieter Badenhorst, Nederburg white winemaker, told us more about the wines we were tasting
He came here briefly as a Stellenbosch student and is now back at Nederburg, after several years at Fleur de Cap
Two more of the Nederburg wines we tasted in the garden and with lunch. The 2018 Cabernet is a blend of grapes from different vineyards and is hand harvested. 10% goes to barrel for 12 to 16 months. It has intense wood, cherries and violets, is soft and silky on the palate with cherries and amaretto notes, very, very enjoyable with some soft chalk and wood just supporting on the end
Lizelle Gerber, Nederburg Cellarmaster, spoke about the reds and described the 2003 in Afrikaans;
she said it translates as a "big boobs wine"! (as in buxom, not a mistake)
All the Cape Wine Masters who were attending
Time for lunch in the fantastic Nederburg Old Barrel Cellar. Some of the foudres are very old,
from the beginning of Nederburg’s life, and some are imported from Germany with carved frontages
Bennie Howard was the MC for the day and he began proceedings with the induction of the new Cape Wine Masters
A quote from Bennie: "Wine feeds the body, soul and spirit of man and stimulates the mind"
One of our favourite Nederburg wines, The Anchorman 2018 Chenin blanc, served with lunch; full of cooked apple and cream, it is crisp and tongue tingling and it went beautifully with the starter, as did the 2020 Sauvignon Blanc - an amazing green nose with hints of pine and eucalyptus, and some of that Sauvignon cat’s pee on a gooseberry bush. Full on the palate; very satisfying with long crisp flavours of granadilla and English gooseberry with some minerality
The menu
The starter of good smoked salmon roulade, served with a lime dressing, sliced ginger and a salad
Could have eaten several, this was so good
New Cape Wine Masters Lisha Nelson de Villiers, Wanda Cronje, Karen Bloom, Boela Gerber
Students have to write a dissertation which adds value to the wine industry
Dissertation Topics: Lisha de Villiers: Wine and Health
Wanda Cronje: Ovoid and Alternative Wine Vessels in South Africa
Karen Bloom: The rise of Prosecco
Boela Gerber: Understanding Brettanomyces for Improved Management in the Cellar
Heidi Duminy, the new head of the Cape Wine Academy, our alma mater
We both qualified to start the Cape Wine Master programme way back in the late 1990s but, instead,
opened our boutique wine and food shop, Main Ingredient, in Sea Point after we left our corporate jobs
Two special wines with lunch, The Manor House 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon and a very special unlabelled 2003 Cabernet,
17 years in the making. It is amazing; it has lasted so well and still has life to go further
Intense fruit and wood, in layers of dark berry fruit. Mouth watering and warm alcohol remains
A rather enormous, tender and flavourful herb crusted beef fillet, charred pickled baby onions,
parmesan potato gratin, a little under cooked, and a delicious red wine jus
There are two extra awards presented to graduating students who have received excellent marks in their examinations
The first award is one from La Motte of a four bottle ice bucket presented to Boela Gerber
by La Motte Senior farm manager Jaco Visser for viticulture excellence
Jeff Grier of Villiera
Jeff Grier presenting Boela with the Villiera sabre
which is awarded for outstanding achievement in the Sparkling wine tasting exam
Jeff Grier and Boela Gerber with Kathy Grier-Brewer
Jeff and Kathy were the first brother and sister to qualify as Cape Wine Masters
Dessert was a vanilla bean Crème brulée, topped with chocolate soil, atop a berry compote,
served with Nederburg's Winemasters 2018 Noble Late Harvest; the perfect match
Amber, honey and stone fruit on the nose, apricot, honey peaches and cream on the palate
Jacques Steyn, who is Chairman of the ICWM, made the closing speech and said what a bizarre year this has been
The younger members are now taking over from older members
Thank you all for a most enjoyable day,
spent with such influential, erudite and friendly members of the Institute of Cape Wine Masters

This luncheon was followed, the next day, with a special black tie dinner at which special awards were made:
(Information from Jenny McQueen of Mactracs). At the annual Institute of Cape Wine Masters Dinner held on Saturday 28th November 2020 at Jewell's Restaurant at Spice Route, the annual Wine Personality of the Year was announced and a new annual floating trophy introduced – named after Dave Hughes, the founder of the Cape Wine Academy in 1979 and Honorary Cape Wine Master. The Dave Hughes award honours the CWM who has made a notable contribution to the Institute of Cape Wine Masters (ICWM), wine education or the wine industry in general.

Philip van Zyl was designated Wine Personality of the Year – in recognition of his major contribution to the South African wine industry as the longest serving editor of the Platter’s wine guide for the past 23 years. A journalist since leaving university for a number of newspapers, he and his wife, Cathy, started their wine journey by signing up for the Cape Wine Academy courses in Johannesburg.  Since he took over from Erica Platter in 1998, the guide has continued to grow in stature and has become the most comprehensive database of producers and their wines in South Africa. He dedicates six months of his life every year to editing this amazing guide and the volume of work he handles for this mammoth task is difficult to comprehend. He has been widely praised for his precise and thorough editing of this information-packed and reader-friendly wine guide.

The first recipient of the Dave Hughes award is Bennie Howard, who was one of the original Cape Wine Masters to qualify, in 1984. Since then he has overseen every CWM award ceremony and been heavily involved in promoting the CWA and the Institute of Cape Wine Masters.

Dave Hughes appointed him as wine ambassador for the ambitious Wine Plan in 1979, set out by the Stellenbosch Farmers’ Winery Group (SFW) which later became Distell. In 1989 he became SFW’s Group Corporate Affairs Manager. This included managing the Nederburg Auction, which he did for 16 years until he left the company in 2004. He has also been vice-chairman of Veritas for 30 years, the longest running and most prominent wine and spirits competition in South Africa. He is currently marketing and sales manager for Meerendal Estate in Durbanville, where he is very involved in wine education for the Meerendal Wine Academy

All original content © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus