Thursday, July 14, 2022

Candlelight supper at Miller's Thumb

How good it is to discover, when doing boring paperwork, that you had forgotten a meal voucher purchased several months ago from Jordan Wine Estate, who have done a fantastic job supporting restaurants during Covid. Life had been a little tight and rather bleak for us recently and this was just the fillip we needed to get us out of the house during one of the interminable power cuts that come during dinner time. We had nominated Miller's Thumb, a restaurant in Kloof Nek Road in Tamboerskloof. We had not been there for several years and we know they serve very good fish and seafood. When we phoned to book, we were told that it would be during a power cut and that some things on the menu would not be possible, but we persisted and we’re very glad that we did

Dinner by candlelight is very romantic and there was certainly enough of that for a very enjoyable meal





The fish of the day is SQ and the board shows what is available on the day with its price
They had a great choice which included two fish we have not had for a very long time, which are favourites
 The board also shows daily specials. Here is a link to the menu on line. https://millersthumb.co.za/menu/

It is a rather good wine list
We took a very good bottle; their corkage policy is that your first bottle carries no charge
and the second bottle carries a charge of R50, which we think is very fair

Amusingly, the ceiling has panels pasted with reviews the restaurant has received!
Not an easy picture to take by candlelight

When we eat out, we like to take a wine that we think will match the food we plan to eat and this one was a very good choice indeed. Mediterraneo was launched by Johan Malan of Simonsig under his label The Grapesmith in 2018; only two barrels were made. This niche wine is a blend of warmer terroir grape varieties: Marsanne 39%, Roussanne 37%, Grenache Blanc 22%, Verdelho 2%. Johan’s description is that the varietals “have distinguished themselves in the south of France and Spain in a Mediterranean climate, have only recently started to gain popularity in the Cape". We were at the launch of this wine and now it has had a time to mature a little, we wanted to see what it was like. https://www.simonsig.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/The-Grapesmith-Mediterraneo-2019.pdf and the verdict? Superb, especially with fish and seafood, but a very good wine to quaff while you have a candlelit conversation. And a small quantity is still available on the farm at R255 a bottle. Aromatic, floral with lime zest and spices on the nose, it draws you in. On the palate, a fruit salad of ripe yellow peach, gooseberry, quince, and nectarine with salty minerality and golden oak on the end

A starter portion of Spanish style chicken livers in a spicy tomato sauce with hot Spanish paprika and black pepper
Very good, said John

Baby Cajun spiced calamari, grill-seared, very tender and full of flavour,
served with a hot jalapeno, tartare sauce and some rice
Lynne moistened the rice with the sauce and it was a good accompaniment

Cob or Kabeljou is one of Lynne's favourite fishes; she prefers a moist fish like this and it was perfectly 
cooked
You can have your fish cooked in three ways:
GRILLED: On a rib-top, generously basted with lemon juice, olive oil and oregano. With lemon, garlic or peri peri butter
CAJUN: Blackened with chilli, pink peppercorn and pecan nut crust. Topped with a lime and Tabasco butter and pickled jalapeno
MOROCCAN: Grilled and brushed with lemon juice, cumin, coriander, clove and cinnamon, with a pile of fresh coriander.
Because Cob has a delicate flavour, she decided to go with grilled and a simple lemon butter sauce, so that the fish would shine and it really did. Expertly cooked and so delicious

Because of the power cuts, no chips could be cooked, so there were some options: rice, potatoes or noodles
So noodles it was and they came well-flavoured with an Asian twist

John's choice was the Geelbek, also known as Cape Salmon and he had it done Cajun style:
Blackened with a chilli, pink peppercorn and pecan nut crust
Topped with a lime and Tabasco butter and very hot pickled jalapeno. He chose rice as his accompaniment

We were so impressed with the cooking and quality of the food that we cannot wait to go back for more
Perhaps, when we can have some of their chips, which are always a treat for us as we do not deep fry food at home
The service was also impeccable and very friendly
We are so pleased that Miller's Thumb has survived Covid and encourage you to go and support them

Icy evening, Lynne waiting for John to bring the car
They have a very helpful car guard just around the corner

Some photographs were long exposures by candlelight,
 the better pictures were illuminated by an LED head torch

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Saturday, June 25, 2022

In MENU This Week. A Day at Spier, Kama Sushi, Trophy Wine Show

Cape grey mongoose (Herpestes pulverulentus)

The disruptions continue. With “load-shedding” at level four, we now have eight hours a day without electricity. It gives us an idea of how our ancestors lived two hundred years ago. With all this, we have had alarm installer’s technicians in the house for two days in the past week, putting back the system broken by the burglars last month. We’ve also had some very heavy rain, the wettest day we’ve recorded in 18 years; this has been great for the garden and filled the fish pond very nicely. The koi loved it. On the bright side, we are fit and well and post-Covid life is returning to normal. We hope it is also being good for you. Please click on the headlines or photographs to Read on through the full stories

A day at Spier Wine Estate

We love Spier's mission statement on their web site; it really resonates with us. And we saw what they are doing when we visited this week. "Ethical farming, the health of the soil and the people who work it. Artistic endeavour and absolute care in the crafting of our wines. This is what matters to us." We were invited to arrive at 12h15 and presumed we would be having a wine tasting and some lunch.. It turned out to be a day filled with delights. Read on…

Father's Day Sushi Lunch

Across Regent Road from Checkers in Sea Point is Kama our favourite sushi restaurant. The Chinese owner used to be further up in Sea Point with a restaurant of a different name and we were glad to see that he survived the Covid lock down and has moved to a nicer part of Sea Point. It is our go to place for good sushi, whether we take it home or eat there, and we thoroughly recommend it. The rice is perfect, so pearly, and the fish is always fresh. And they always have a good special on offer. They also do some dim sum dishes, which we cannot resist, Chinese food, Poke bowls and salads. We went there on Father's Day to spoil John and took his daughter, Clare. Read on…

The Trophy Wine Show Judges’ Feedback

This year, The Trophy Wine Show Judges’ Feedback Session was in the form of a webcast, on Thursday 16 June, from 11h00 – 12h00. The session took place directly after the completion of the Trophy judging. While it would have been wonderful to meet again in person with media and the wine industry, due to certain circumstances, the judging took place in the week of the public holiday, and a live-streamed event offers the best solution. The link to the webcast is here. Read on…



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The Trophy Wine Show Judges’ Feedback

This year The Trophy Wine Show Judges’ Feedback Session was in the form of a webcast, on Thursday 16 June, from 11h00 – 12h00. The session took place directly after the completion of the Trophy judging. While it would have been wonderful to meet again in person with media and the wine industry, due to certain circumstances, the judging took place in the week of the public holiday, and a live-streamed event offers the best solution. The link to the webcast is here.

The announcement in early April that The Trophy Wine Show and The Trophy Spirits Show would be entering a new era with Investec as the title sponsor, has been followed by the publication of the full list of international judges for both competitions. This is the first time since the Covid lockdowns that each of the judging panels at both competitions will include an international specialist invited to South Africa specifically to participate in the competition.

As previously – and in fact since 2002 - the wine judging panel was chaired by South Africa’s most highly regarded wine authority, Michael Fridjhon. This year the three international judges for The Trophy Wine Show were US wine authority, Anthony Mueller, who covers the South African category for The Wine Advocate; Eric Goettelmann, Meilleur Ouvrier de France Sommellerie and wine director for the Bernard Loisseau Group, and Anthony Rose, wine correspondent for The Independent and well-known wine writer and author.

The judging panels have been expanded to allow judges to focus on their preferred fields of expertise. The three international judges form part of a star-studded and hugely experienced group whose local members include Heidi Duminy CWM and Principal of the Cape Wine Academy; Tongai Joseph Dhafana, award-winning Sommelier, now winemaker; JD Pretorius, cellarmaster at Warwick Wines; Patson Mathonsi, Sommelier, and regional sales manager for Spier; François Rautenbach, buyer for Singita’s Premier Direct wine progamme, Cathy van Zyl MW, Vice-Chair of the Institute of Masters of Wine's education committee; Gynore Fredericks, winemaker at Great Heart Wines and assistant winemaker at Mullineux and Leeu Family Wines and Spencer Fondaumiere, Chairperson of the South African Sommeliers’ Association.

The international panel for The Trophy Spirits Show will benefit from the expertise of George Harper, Master Blender for Roe & Co. Irish Whiskey and one of the 12 blenders responsible for all of Diageo’s Scotch (and Irish) Whisk(e)y portfolio (the world’s largest whisky business). He will be joined by David T Smith, undoubtedly the world’s most admired gin specialist, and Eric Goettelmann, former chief sommelier for Paul Bocuse and Meilleur Ouvrier de France Sommellerie.

Local panelists – all specialists in the field which they have been selected to judge – include Mare-Loe Prinsloo, Head of Research tasked with product development at Distell; Kobus Gelderblom, brandy master; Neil Paterson, whisky maven and owner of WhiskyBrother; Kurt Schlechter, award-winning bartender and drinks consultant; Kresan Naidu, a white spirits (particularly gin and vodka) expert; and Dave Gunns, whisky expert, retailer and educator.

The Trophy Wine Show was designed two decades ago to help the Cape wine industry to calibrate to the expectations of international markets and has played a key role in driving innovation and transformation on the quality side of the spectrum.

The more recently launched Trophy Spirits Show seeks to identify the best spirits available in and for the South African market, or produced in South Africa for export, applying the tried and tested methodology of the Trophy Wine Show.

The results of the 2022 Trophy Wine Show – brought to you by Investec - will be announced on Wednesday 6th July at an in-person luncheon in Cape Town

This content was provided by Outsorceress

Father's Day Sushi Lunch

Across Regent Road from Checkers in Sea Point is Kama, our favourite sushi restaurant. The Chinese owner used to be further up in Sea Point with a restaurant of a different name and we were glad when we saw that he'd survived the Covid lock down and moved to a nicer part of Sea Point. It is our go to place for good sushi, whether we take it home or eat there, and we thoroughly recommend it. The rice is perfect, so pearly, and the fish is always fresh. And they always have a good special on offer. They also do some dim sum dishes, which we cannot resist, Chinese food, Poke bowls and salads. We went there on Father's Day to spoil John and took his daughter, Clare

Inside the restaurant

We began with something new to us at Kama, a plate of 6 deep fried won ton,
served with a sweet chilli sauce. We will definitely order those again

Chef makes his sushi at the counter and they do lots of take aways
They have a small wine list and you can have tea

We ordered two of the current special, the Main Course Platter to share,
as it has all our favourites and enough salmon roses!
The sashimi was very fresh indeed

The perfect wine to go with sushi - the Groote Post Seasalter Sauvignon blanc

Our bill came to R360 with R45 corkage and tip

All our stories can be seen in the Blog Archive near the top of the column on the right

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Friday, June 24, 2022

A day at Spier Wine Estate

We love Spier's mission statement on their web site, it really resonates with us
And we saw what they are doing when we visited this week

"Ethical farming, the health of the soil and the people who work it.
Artistic endeavour and absolute care in the crafting of our wines.
This is what matters to us."

We were invited to arrive at 12h15 and presumed that we would be having a wine tasting and some lunch
It turned out to be a day filled with delights
Walking across the Werf, we looked at some amazing trees and the historic buildings bordering the square

Frans Smit, who was cellarmaster for over 20 years, has now been promoted to Managing Director of the wine business,
but he assured us that he will still be involved with the wine making
He was chatting to journalist Graham Howe when we arrived

A lovely room in the Manor House had been prepared for lunch,
and the food would be provided from PJ Vadas' restaurant, which is just next door

It was lovely to catch up with wine friends that we had not seen for such a long time

and to enjoy a glass of Spier’s Cap Classique Brut,
made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, full of crisp bubbles and lovely flavours from both grapes

That is how you pour it!

Leticia is driving sales, local and International

Frans told us that we were there to chat about where they are today at Spier, with some wine and good food. Covid changed things here too. On the business side, He took over as MD after 20 years of winemaking from Andrew Milne, who is now chairman of Spier. Johan Jordaan has taken over from Frans as Cellarmaster. It is 25 years since they held the first wine launch in the cellar at Spier and we would be taking part in a tasting there later. He said that Covid has changed things everywhere and that applies to Spier too; they have now opened so many new attractions to the farm, the restaurants, the wine shop, the gardens with more planned

Time to sit down to what they termed a light lunch!

Frans told us that the local wine market is now stabilizing and growing after the knock it took during Covid, mostly caused by punishing, destructive regulations introduced by the Government. There is energy and movement but, sadly, a decline in the sector. Internationally, logistics are very challenging. The UK wine market’s purchases of SA wines are down 5 to 6%, because they can’t get hold of the product. It is a big worry. Worldwide, we seem to be expecting a downturn for the next 18 months, so Spier is having lots of meetings with overseas clients, making sure their partners there are supplied. The winery and vineyards are being improved. Massive replantings on the properties are taking place, replacing vines which were planted 25 to 27 years ago. It is now time to regenerate and make the vines last for the next 25 years. And two properties will be going to organic production. Over the next two years, they will be rolling out an ethical and environmentally sound programme. They have a beautiful story which works

Sales Director Danie de Kock pouring on the right

Frans told us that we were about to be served a light lunch at which two new wines would be introduced
After that, we would move to the cellar for a very special tasting, and then an early dinner at the hotel
Spier had kindly arranged drivers who would drive us back home in our own cars

He welcomed us back to Spier: "We are here and we are strong; winning and world class wines are our focus. We are not good at blowing our own trumpet, but results are important, especially for sales, Spier is fifth in SA in volume and value after Nederburg, Kleine Zalze, KWV and Boekenhoutskloof. We want to be competitive in the retail environment, but also with top brands and world class wines"

A member of the staff from P J Vadas restaurant came to tell us about the lunch

A veritable feast was set before us, to share “family style”

Hot and spicy Tandoori style chicken strips, with tzatziki

A plate of charcuterie from Farmer Angus butchery

Megan’s Garden salad with fynbos vinegar and organic olive oil



A mezze platter, served with a huge and delicious selection of Vadas bread,
consisted of marinated olives, hummus, pesto, baba ganoush, whipped feta and pickled aubergine

A classic Caesar Salad with parmesan, white anchovies and a classic sauce

An Asian slaw of cabbage and apple, topped with crisp onion rings

Ideology wines are never the same, vintage to vintage,
so the brand gives the winemaker freedom to experiment and try something new and different

As Spier puts it: "The most delicious varietal you’ve never heard of and only 500 cases made - better stock up soonest"

Ideology Albariño 2021, from 9 hectares of grapes grown on the southern slopes of the Bottelary Hills in Stellenbosch
It is a lovely sunny climes grape. Pineapple, peach, orange and floral notes on the nose, racy acidity,
minerality with quince and lemon zest;
so good with the food and it coped excellently with a very hot and spicy dish. R85 on the farm

Frans told us that he wants to attract more people to the farm, to partake in the many great offerings that Spier provides. And good numbers of people are returning for good experiences. They are providing increasingly innovative offerings, so do come and kuier (an Afrikaans ter, for a relaxed visit). The hotel has been going through a good refurbishment and will reopen very shortly. Weekends are nicely busy so, for those retired or not working, weekdays are a great chance to experience them

Spier recycles everything they can; there is no such thing as waste, the farm is very green. 100% of water used on Spier is recycled. With veg and salads coming from Megan’s Garden and meats from Farmer Angus, they are assured of the quality that their suppliers produce. Everything they do is with this ethos, working with nature, people, earth, not just sustainable; it is not enough anymore. There is a new logo on the bottles “Growing for Good”; continuity, compassion and collaboration with the local community Entrepreneur Arts Project - all partners and suppliers must have the same philosophy

Catrine de Villiers, Quality and Compliance Director

Ideology Range 2020 Cinsault from exceptional 29-year-old Cinsault vines grown in the Voor-Paardeberg wine region near Paarl

It is lighter in style, as are many of the more modern and delicious Cinsaults, with very light wood notes; very Pinot-like on the nose, perfumed with raspberry and some spice, soft & fruity on the palate, long and satisfying with cherry and cranberry fruit. Natural fermentation, and matured in 300L older French oak barrels, 3rd & 4th fill. Very enjoyable with food, and a bargain at R130 from the farm

Some slides we were shown





For dessert we visited PJ Vadas’ restaurant and were offered a real treat

the best Pasteis de Nata we have had outside Belem

served by cheerful staff!

Then down to the Barrel cellar for the afternoon tasting and what a tasting we had of superb wines

A display of some of the top brands
These were not all the wines we were to taste; just to admire and come again for another tasting in the Tasting Room

The Spier Pinotage Rosé Cap Classique

And one of our all time favourite Chenin Blancs, the much awarded 21 Gables
Lynne had said to John, "I do hope we get to taste the 21 Gables Chenin Blanc today”

The Farm House Range

The Spier range and the Yellow Wood range

An American oak barrel

It is a very large, well-filled cellar

Some history about the owners, the Enthoven Family
Frans told us that, when they bought the farm in 1993, it was not for the wine,
but for the many old historic buildings and the architecture on the farm
The extent was 650 hectares then and it still is

and other owners in the past 

That is a very early date for good wine production in the Cape

and some important recent history

We took our seats at the long table

and to our joy and excitement we were to taste a vertical of six vintages of the 21 Gables Chenin Blanc

6 vintages of an amazing wine were in front of us on the table

The 2020 has lees and smoke hints on the nose, ripe fruit, vanilla oak and pencil shavings with some spice notes at the end. On the palate, lime and lots of golden fruit and oak flavours. It is silky on the palate and opens up well with long flavours. It has had 60% new oak and needs to soften a while

The 2019 has a lovely nose of ripe nectarine, lime marmalade and ripe loquat with a hint of smoky bacon from the wood. Superb on the palate, oily, silky, packed full of flavours and shouts "give me food". Richness of stone fruit, minerality and some light nutty acorn oak

The 2018 is flirty, a little shy; minerality and lime zest on the nose, elegance, and wood holding it in the background. Grippy chalky tannins, very French in style, with freshness and salty minerality. It is waiting to say “hello” and needs more time to become magnificent. The style follows through from the last two. A small amount of Hungarian oak was used on this vintage

The 2017 has gunflint on the nose, then floral notes. On the palate, lovely lime and stone fruit, exciting river stone minerality, long clean flavours, with good length and crispness which stays on the palate. It is even more French in style

Johan Jordaan, Cellarmaster, guided us through the tasting



Frans with Mishqa Slabbert, their Senior PR Account Manager, who so ably organised the event

The 2016 21 Gables Chenin Blanc is golden in colour, smoky on the nose reminiscent of the Blanc fumé style
Rolling richness, white pepper, lovely lime fruit; lasting flavours with soft chalky tannins
It is exceptional and has won many awards

What a treat to be able to taste the 2010
Honey gold in colour, a nose of pure honey, reminiscent of a Noble Late, but no honey on the palate
Wood, dark oak smoke hints on the nose
Savoury umami at first, salty with coriander spice, then clementine and roasted nectarine fruit, even a hint of licorice,
rich and fresh with lime on the end. And says "food please"

And then it was time for a vertical tasting of the Spier Creative Block 5, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. This is Spier’s take on a Bordeaux blend

It takes its name from a Spier Arts project
We were going to change to the correct Riedel glasses for this wine

Careful pouring of the tasting samples
The 2017 Creative Block 5 has a lovely, almost dive in nose, very complex with freshness and perfume of violets and rose
Lovely dark cherry, cassis and plum fruit, chalky tannins, it is classy

The 2018 Creative Block 5 has Cabernet from Stellenbosch and Darling. It has cassis, cherry, incense wood, savouriness, spice and minerality. On the palate, it is well-balanced with lovely dark umami licorice, with blackberry and cassis fruit rounding it off. Some fennel and pomegranate appear and then graphite. It is drinking well now and will last well. And it is another asking for food

The 2016 Creative Block 5 has violets on the nose from the Petit Verdot, with almond, blackberry and cassis; it reminded us of a violet macaron. Long and deep flavours on the palate, a serious wine, with blackberry and elderberry and a hint of dark chocolate on its drier end. This wine is waiting in the wings

The 2015 Creative Block 5 is a cassis bomb, with the fruit and its green leaves showing on the nose and palate. Grippy, with rhubarb, chocolate and cassis on the palate, it has good support from chalky tannins. A wine that will last a long time

and, finally, for us the best wine of the Creative Block tasting, the 2014 Creative Block 5. Grown in a wet and cold winter, like Bordeaux. A very approachable, pretty nose with ripe cherries and berries; perfume notes follow through on the palate. Lovely, full on, soft, rich dark berry and cherry fruit in layers, with some dried black fig. Delicious. One comment: "Want some!"

The tank cellar is vast

MD Frans in his corridors of power!

Cellarmaster Johan telling us about the wines made in the tanks

This is where it happens

Collecting the blankets after the tasting in the cellar, it had been a little chilly

Then it was time to head for the Hotel, where we were to have dinner, starting at 6 pm

A lovely selection of the wines we had tasted during the day to have with our dinner and a few more

The wine paired with the Terrine was the 2021 Creative Block 2, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon from Durbanville; full of lovely green flavours of fig leaf and capsicum on the nose and palate, with some hints of ripe tropical fruit, asparagus and great minerality. It nicely balanced the rich flavours of the terrine and added to the experience
It is a serious wine and the best wine at its price point, R135 from the farm

We were welcomed by Head Chef Wesley, who told us he is cutting down on his carbon footprint
All the restaurant ingredients are sourced locally and from Megan’s Garden; the meat is from Farmer Angus

The first course was an excellent, rich and flavourful ham hock terrine served with apple ketchup,
pickled onion and a parsley salad. Good toasted sour dough to accompany it

One of the older wines was decanted for the main course
It was their top flight wine, the Frans Smit Red Blend 2017,
a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot
Incense wood, with lots of cassis leaves and berries on the nose, and then those savoury Cabernet Franc flavours,
a lovely wine with deep layers of dark berry fruit;
classical flavours to cherish and keep for many years to come, but drinking splendidly now

and we had some of the 2021 21 Gables Sauvignon Blanc
with the second course of lightly smoked confit trout, fennel and herbed buttermilk and crème fraiche sauce

The 21 Gables 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon has cassis and violets on the nose, lots of warmth and a purple velvet crown,
full of cassis and quality with lovely soft tannins and good supporting fruit acids, a wine with a future

The main course came as platters of huge char-grilled Farmer Angus prime rib, perfectly pink,
which was sliced and shared
It was accompanied by glazed baby carrots, char-grilled tenderstem broccoli, beetroot in a citrus dressing
and the pièce de resistance (that no one could resist)
braised short rib and potato mash with smoked bone marrow crumble,
which just brought the whole dish together

That short rib mash!

The 2016 Creative Block 3 is a blend of Shiraz, Mourvèdre and Viognier
Incense nose, a spicy Rhône blend, with full on layers of flavours - dark plum, prune and berry fruits with spice on the end
It was a great match with the Dessert of Malva pudding with spiced prunes and a salted caramel sauce

and then it was time for our driver to drive us home in our own car, and what an excellent driver he was

All our stories can be seen in the Blog Archive near the top of the column on the right

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