Thursday, April 21, 2022

Muratie’s Summer Wine Down

The good news is that many Cape wine farms are reporting that 2022 has had a great harvest (it has been a long slow cool year with a little heat excitement at the end) and that it will be a good vintage. We love harvest time and being invited to harvest celebrations, so accepted when we were invited by Rijk Melck to attend Muratie’s second Summer Wine Down on Saturday 9th April to celebrate another fruitful harvest. The last two years have seen a very long period of trials and isolations, so it was so good to see peoples' unmasked faces and have a good laugh at life and its twists and turns. We have survived. So far

Lawrence White, Desmond Binneman, Jean-Mari Reyneke and owner Rijk Melck,
members of the Muratie team, who informed and entertained us on the day 


We walked down to Granny's Garden area where they had arranged for the media to meet
and were welcomed and entertained by Rijk Melck with some farm history
The farm itself dates back to 1685 when it was granted by Governor Simon van der Stel
who was Governor of the Cape of Good Hope at the time
This makes Muratie one of the oldest estates in South Africa
and along with that age come many characters and truly fascinating stories

Rijk is an excellent story teller. He talked about the continuity in how Muratie has worked and had us engrossed
His ancestor, Martin Melck, bought the farm in 1763 and the family owned it until 1897
After 90 years under other owners, Rijk's father, Ronnie Melck, bought it in 1987
Muratie's first owner, Laurens Campher, who owned the farm from 1685 to 1735, was a mercenary
who came from Germany to work for the VOC, which had established a revictualling station at the Cape
Rijk told us that Campher met Ansela van de Caab, child of a slave at the Castle, survivor of a ship wreck
and fell in love with her. He had a two day walk from Muratie to Cape Town to see his bride-to-be
before they could marry and live on the farm. Some of the buildings they built are still in use on the farm


Rijk told us that when it came to interviewing their winemaker Hattingh de Villiers,
he watched to see how Hattingh got on with Rijk's dogs
 When he made a big fuss of the dogs at the first meeting, and the dogs responded,
Rijk knew he had the right man

A table of delights was there to feed us with a selection of cold meats, cheeses, lovely warm herb filled Italian Suppli
rice balls, biltong, samoosas, olives and savoury biscuits while we tasted the wines


Rijk told us that he did a stage in Burgundy on one of the famous wine estates and when it was time to come home,
the owner said to him "Grow Chardonnay", so he planted some
We tasted two vintages of Muratie’s Isabella Chardonnay, the 2020 and the 2021;
deservedly, both have been awarded 93 points by Tim Atkin
There is such richness on the nose and palate on both, the 2020 is full of butterscotch oak notes, vanilla and white peach
and, on the palate, full and zingy with lovely lime, lemon and peach
It was made in 30% new oak and they stop the malolactic fermentation
A wonderful expression of Chardonnay; one of the best we have ever tasted
And the 2021 was even better, delicious. Isabella is the name of Rijk's first daughter

The Lady Alice Cap Classique Rosé is usually made from 100% Pinot Noir and it spends 22/24 months on the lees
It has the classic red fruit Pinot Noir nose of cherries and strawberries with lovely fruit and lees complexity,
a lovely prickly mousse and, on the palate, the wine is crisp and dry,
full of the same cherry & strawberry fruit with long flavours
We found it very satisfying; lovely for a special celebration

Then followed two vintages of the Martin Melck Cabernet Sauvignon
The 2014 has a classic Cabernet nose, cassis, leaves and berries, perfumed with violets and roses
It is smooth as silk on the palate, with richness from black and red berries and cherries
Soft chalky tannins, careful wooding, minerality and good fruit acids will carry this wine further; keep or enjoy now
There is a pleasing hint of salty umami on the end palate
The 2017 is very similar on the nose with the same beautiful fruit and perfume
Silky and full of beautiful dark berry fruit, chalky with grippy tannins with flavours of cassis, mulberry and rhubarb fruit
Salty minerality and dark wood with umami flavours on the end

The Muratie Family Reserve 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is also named for Rijk's ancestor Martin Melck,
who arrived at the Cape in 1746
It is clean and crisp with dark fruit on the nose. Richness of dark berry cassis fruit on the palate,
with layers of flavour, very satisfying, with toasted wood on the end. Such an obvious red meat and game food wine

Ansela van de Caab 2019 is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot,  14% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot
Dark berries and violets from the Petit Verdot and wood is present
On the palate, lovely layers of different flavours open up as you taste
You can distinguish the different varietals as they all come to the fore in an exciting wine,
full of adventure and needing exploration. It is drinking so well now but one to watch for laying down and aging. Superb

Tinotenda Micheal Madzunguruse was the cheerful and helpful sommelier on the day

After the tasting we were taken on a walk through the farm
and noticed the two new members of the Melck family, two Alpacas 

and on our walk, we spotted a small distillery called 9 Orphans in one of the barns


It is for gin distillation, and is made by a brother and sister team. There are two very interesting flavours 
The Eikesap is flavoured with acorns found on the farm - it has a nice nutty flavour on the classic juniper dry gin
Turksvy Gin is flavoured by Prickly Pear fruit which grows near the distillery and is slightly fruity with a hint of granadilla
Lynne tasted both and was most impressed, this is real distilled gin
(not flavoured spirits bought in and soaked in botanicals)

The Turksvy or Prickly Pear cactus in full ripe fruit


There are some bygones for sale in the adjoining barn with a sign from Oom Samie se Winkel, in Dorp Street,
a Stellenbosch landmark. This display refers to it
The shop is, in effect, a museum, giving an idea of the shops frequented by our forefathers
It was founded by Rijk's mother Annatjie Melck

New raised vegetable beds grow produce for the restaurant


The group then went into the wine cellar to see what was happening there
All those lovely end of summer smells of fermenting ripe grapes filled the air

and we could see the red Port grapes fermenting


Desmond Binneman showing us the grapes being fermented

Some sampling took place


Getting a feel for it, very sticky!

Anyone fancy stomping some grapes?

The garden restaurant was filling up with guests who had come for the celebration, with wine and lunch


Some were still enjoying a wine tasting


and the terrace was full of guests

Rijk talking to some guests


We were seated at the media table under the trees and more wine was opened for us to enjoy with lunch
A magnum of Ansela van de Caab 2018 - it was a beautiful expression of the wine -
and the Martin Melck Cabernet Sauvignon

The Lourens Campher is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Verdelho and Viognier
Richness, fullness, crispness, lovely ripe fruit flavours, a hint of wood
and some ripe peach sweetness from the viognier, so quaffable with food or without

The farm tractor, for taking people on trips through the vineyards


There were some great choices for lunch
John had the sliced steak topped with sweetcorn, shaved parmesan cheese and balsamic on a bed of salad leaves
The Muratie restaurant's new chef is Riaan van Schalkwyk and his food was very good. Lots of freshness


One of the very excellent looking burgers with bacon and mozzarella
It had him wondering if he had made the right choice, despite the side dish of mushrooms in a cream sauce
He is allergic to them


Lynne plumped for the fish, which was fresh hake covered in a crisp coating on a bed of Asian noodles


Dessert was a sharing plate with a selection of chocolate brownies, fresh raspberries,
small crisp koeksisters and spoonfuls of vanilla ice cream


The band played jazz all afternoon

Muratie has a great view over the Stellenbosch wine farms with Table Mountain in the distance

We enjoyed having another memorable day there

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Thursday, April 14, 2022

Lunch at Dias Tavern after a long break

Lynne's Goddaughter Nicolette was visiting us from Holland and brought her Portuguese friend Catia, who had never been to South Africa, but her parents had worked in Mozambique and Angola. Catia is a Professor of Economic History at Leiden University in Holland, with her speciality being the VOC, so she has an interest in our varied history and culture. We mentioned Diaz Tavern (known locally as The Portuguese Embassy) and they were really keen to go. So lunch it was. We took a bottle of Axe Hill Distinta, made by Mike Neebe in Calitzdorp, a wine made from varietals normally used in port:  Tinta Barocca, Souzão and Touriga Nacional, and a bottle of Darling Cellars Sauvignon Chenin blend for those who preferred a white. They did not charge us corkage, despite having a good wine list

Windswept, but really enjoying a huge Tanqueray Flor de Sevilla Orange gin and tonic
They were promoting these and there was no charge. Must get a bottle, it is very good

Juicy Gambas and chips on a bed of rice

We both had Trinchado which comes with good chips
rather chewy but flavourful steak, cooked medium rare in a rich marinade of red wine, stock, garlic (lots!), chilli sauce
A favourite of John’s; he has been ordering it for about 30 years

Nicolette’s Trinchado and Calamari special also came with chips

Catia could not resist trying the special of the day, tripe with beans


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Pizzas and pasta lunch at Massimo's

When we heard that Massimo's in Hout Bay had been voted the best Pizzeria in Africa, we decided it was time we went. Neither of us is a huge fan of Pizza, but we do enjoy it when it is really good. And we had never been to this renowned restaurant. We made a date last week for lunch with friends who live in the area. And they don’t just do Pizza, but Spuntini (Italian tapas style dishes), Salads and Pasta. They do daily specials and there is a Kids' menu and a Vegan menu, and we discovered that there is a wicked dessert selection
https://www.massimos.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Massimos_Menu.pdf

There is a huge pizza oven inside and the two men running the pass were hard at work
We began with a bottle of Vondeling Rosé,
 a lovely crisp and fruity summery wine, to drink while we waited for our order

Loraine likes things simple and her usual choice the excellent Margarita:
Tomato, Fior di latte mozzarella, basil, basil olive oil
(and a donation of R4 goes to Border Collie Rescue with every one ordered)

Ronnie was in the mood for Pasta and ordered the full portion of the Puttanesca
Napolitano sauce, anchovies, garlic, capers, chilli, olives, parsley and some parmesan cheese on top

Lynne ordered the Francesco from the Specials menu:
melting Brie, mushrooms, caramelised onions and Palma ham
The thin base is exactly what we like and this was really delicious

John went for his all-time favourite, the Quattro Stagione aka Capri,
but minus the mushrooms and, in their place, he added garlic - it was excellent
We took along a bottle of Cederberg Chenin Blanc and it was a really good match for all the dishes

and even after all those carbs, we could not resist trying their Brownies for dessert with coffees
Each couple shared one. They are sensational, like a good dark chocolate ganache. You have to try them

The bill with service. We will be back. Soon

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Tuesday, March 29, 2022

In MENU This Week – Veritas Tasting, Starlight Concert, Muratie Summer Wine Down

 

Watching the Sunset

We need to start with an apology. You are seeing this much later than intended. Unforeseen things like health interruptions and visits from friends and family, some of which were expected took our attention. So, this week, we describe two events we’ve enjoyed and tell you about one we enjoyed last year which will be repeated next month. It should be most enjoyable and will not break the bank

Tasting the Veritas Awards Golds and Double Golds

We were invited to taste the Veritas Double Gold and Gold award winners at the offices of Deloitte in the Waterfront. This is the first award tasting we have had for over two years and it was rather strange at first to be with so many people. It was also a sign of a return to normal life and everyone there showed their enjoyment. Luckily the crowd was small, (they did a series of tastings over a few days) and the space was good. We tried to taste carefully on our own, not get into groups and it was such a great experience to be BACK in BUSINESS again. There were some excellent wines to taste, a few surprises and a few familiar brands that always rise to the top. The wines are all tasted blind at the competition tasting. Read on …

The 2022 RMB Starlight Concert at Vergelegen

It is always exciting to receive an invitation to what is one of the best musical events each year, the RMB Starlight Classics concert, held in Cape Town at Vergelegen in March and in September at the Johannesburg Country Club; especially as both performances had to be cancelled during Covid lockdown. Sadly, it was not open to the public this year; just to invited guests who were mainly clients of the Bank, media and its senior employees. We were instructed to be there by 4.30 on a Saturday evening and the weather was perfect. After collecting our entry badges, we were welcomed with a glass of Vergelegen's MMV Cap Classique. Read on…

Muratie’s Summer Wine Down

An annual feast of wine, food and music, Muratie’s second Summer Wine Down on 9th April, will be an alfresco ‘celebration of all things wine’. Join the Melck family, under this historic wine estate’s ancient oaks, for an intimate family day of good food, fine wine, great company and live music. After a welcoming glass of Muratie’s Lady Alice MCC, enjoy a long lazy Farm Kitchen lunch sipping on Muratie’s much-loved wines, entertained by a mixed bag of popular music played by Schalk Joubert & friends. Wine and Food will be available for purchase. The Standard Ticket price is R 180 per person. It includes a welcoming glass of Lady Alice, and a Bottomless Bubbly Ticket allowing you to enjoy unlimited bubbly all day will cost R 280 per person. Booking is essential. All Covid protocols will be strictly adhered to. Please remember to wear a mask. For bookings, please email festival@muratie.co.za or call 021 865 2330. Have a look at our story of last year’s event



29th March 2022

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