Friday, August 18, 2023

In MENU This issue Chenin blanc, Stellenbosch tour, Coopmanhuijs, Helena's dinner, Blaauwklippen, Eike lunch

We had a wonderful two days in Stellenbosch, filled with beauty and some superb wine and food. Stellenbosch is South Africa’s second oldest city and the people in charge have always been very conscious of their heritage, history and the character of a city renowned as the country’s wine capital. This event-filled visit was a superb reminder. We hope you’ll enjoy our stories as much as we enjoyed the experience

Chenin Blanc take-over of The Wine Glass in Stellenbosch

We hadn't been to a Chenin Blanc tasting for rather a long time so, when we saw this tasting featuring Stellenbosch Chenins, we decided to go. We discovered that, if you booked lunch there, you could enjoy all three tastings. A great incentive. We like the concept of three sessions, each featuring eight terroir driven wines. A new venue for us, but we hadn't been in Stellenbosch for quite a while and, to follow the tasting, we were being sponsored by Stellenbosch Wine Tourism to stay overnight and take part in their Festival. To see this story, Click here

A walking tour of Stellenbosch with Johan Nepgen

Johan Nepgen is a tour guide in Stellenbosch. He takes you on walks in this historic and very beautiful University town and knows all the interesting and intriguing stories that bring the city to life. We were lucky enough to be invited to do a tour of the art, photography and history when we visited Stellenbosch for their festival. The city is filled with superb sculptures by well-known artists. We began the tour opposite our hotel Coopmanshuis in Church Street. . To see this story, Click here

Overnight at Coopmanhuijs, Stellenbosch

We stayed overnight at the historic five-star Coopmanhuijs Hotel in Stellenbosch for part of their recent wine festival. We were sponsored by Stellenbosch Wine Tourism. How do you park in central Stellenbosch? Thankfully, they have valet parking. To see this story, Click here

Dinner at Helena's restaurant, Coopmanhuijs

We had been invited to have dinner at Helena's Restaurant as we were staying in the Coopmanhuis Hotel in Stellenbosch. To see this story, Click here

Wine and food pairing at Blaauwklippen

An invitation to visit Blaauwklippen, see their new restaurant/tasting room and experience one of their new seasonal paired wine and food tastings. The wine pairings are perfectly harmonized by Blaauwklippen’s winemaker, Narina Cloete, together with the food from the new chefs from Cucina di Giovanni well known from their Green Point Deli.

To see this story, Click here

Lunch at Eike, Stellenbosch

Chef Bertus Basson has always produced exciting and unusual food in his restaurants, so we were very keen to go to his new Eike restaurant in Stellenbosch. An invitation from the Stellenbosch Wine Tourism board fulfilled that wish. The restaurant is at 47 Dorp Street. One does not, however, enter from the front. There is a small alley next to the restaurant and you drive through that to find a good parking area (finding street parking in popular central Stellenbosch is not easy). To see this story, Click here

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Wine and food pairing at Blaauwklippen

 An invitation to come to Blaauwklippen to see their new restaurant/tasting room and do one of their new seasonal paired wine and food tasting. Wine pairings, perfectly harmonized by Blaauwklippen’s winemaker, Narina Cloete together with the food from the new chefs from Cucina di Giovanni

The manor house, built in 1789

They have a very well curated art exhibition 

The new area where you can do tastings, pairings and eat 

Good use of a lovely historic old cabinet desk


Blaauwklippen is now part owned by the Retief family of Van Loveren in Robertson so their wines are also available

Another view

A very good art exhibition of damaged aged blue and white porcelain, which has been 'fixed' in paint.

Liaan Jooste was there to kindly shepherd us through the tasting 

Nanette de Hart, Brand Home & Destination Manager

A glass of their Sauvignon Blanc to get us started. A classic Stellenbosch Sauvignon, quite tropical with just a hint of green, soft on the palate, sweeter fruit, lighter in texture and a crisp lemon finish

This was very well paired with the enjoyable grilled Haloumi cheese, its crispness enhanced the richness of the cheese

Some young visitors enjoying a card game on the terrace

Four food pairings  from the 1682 PAIRING which cost R240
Bobotie springroll with chutney (Malbec)
Grilled fillet (Cabernet Sauvignon)
Oxtail ravioli (De Blaauwe Klip)
Mini malva (10YO Potstill Brandy)

The Malbec with its earthy minerality, mushrooms and violets on the nose, and Pomegranate, mulberry and blue berry red fruit and spice and grippy tannins, was a great pairing with the spicy Bobotie spring roll



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Dinner at Helena's restaurant, Coopmanhuijs

We had been invited to have dinner at Helenas Restaurant
as we were staying in the Coopmanhuis Hotel in Stellenbosch

The main dining room with its antique Yellowwood timber ceiling, chandelier and a gallery shelf
filled with an impressive collection of antique and old confit pots and flocked wallpaper

We sat near the front door

Good ciabatta bread, some small sweet baguette rolls, good black olives and a small dish of what tasted like dripping

Lynne ordered as a starter Duck liver pâté, glazed with a thin layer of Chenin Blanc jelly,
sprinkled pistachio nuts, a confit of a black vegetable (not sure what it was), and lots of toasted brioche
It is a very large and generous portion

John ordered the Homemade almond and potato gnocchi, lamb ragu and roasted cherry tomatoes
with apple and pear chutney as his starter

A small palate refresher of some granadilla sorbet before the main course

A lovely rose on the table

Lynne ordered the soup as her main, thinking it would be a small portion
It was an enormous lake of excellent thick curry in coconut milk seafood flavoured soup
with lots of fish and some prawns which quite defeated her

John had the Chalmar beef ribeye steak with mashed potato, tenderstem broccoli and aniseed glazed carrots
We had no room for dessert and went to bed fully sated

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

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Posted by MENU at 2:45 pm 0 comments

Chenin Blanc take-over of The Wine Glass in Stellenbosch

We hadn't been to a Chenin Blanc tasting for rather a long time so,
when we saw this tasting featuring Stellenbosch Chenins, we decided to go
We discovered that, if you booked lunch there, you could enjoy all three tastings. A great incentive
We like the concept of three sessions, each featuring eight terroir driven wines

A new venue for us, but we hadn't been in Stellenbosch for quite a while and, to follow the tasting,
we were being sponsored by Stellenbosch Wine Tourism to stay overnight and take part in their Festival

Great to see Ina Smith, who has done so much for the Chenin Blanc Association

Inside the restaurant

Yes!

A rather headless wine drinker in the outside courtyard

A fruit eating monkey and a well-stocked bar

Ladybird Cellarmaster Francois van Zyl

Golden fruit, richness, lemon lime on end, a good organic example of what Stellenbosch can produce

Warwick representative Stefan Marais

Another classic; single vineyard, fermented in French oak, richness. Good fruit and oak are present

Jordan The Timepiece has impressed us before
A dive in nose, with lovely golden fruit, minerality and judicious wooding; made to last

DeMorgenzon Reserve 2020; a new release from a 52 year-old block
An attractive nose, silky on the palate with notes of orange and golden summer fruit,
same warmth, a very special Chenin

Two from Longridge. The 2022 dances on the tongue; well balanced, with lovely sweet golden fruit
and good wood in the background
The 2021 Ou Steen from vineyards planted in 1981 is so well made, sophisticated,
with layers of mature golden peaches and gentle wood

The L'Avenir Single Block Chenin is perfection
Spends a year in oak, but it is just there, supporting the layers of fruit. Very elegant and satisfying
The 2022 has lots of fruit on the nose. Wood is there too and on the fresh, exciting palate. A food wine

Dornier's Moordenaarskloof 2021
Shy with honeysuckle perfume, and honey on the creamy palate with good sweet pineapple and peach notes
and some good oak

On to the second tasting of eight 
Bellevue Eselgraf (Donkey's grave) had lovely fruit on the nose, crisp golden fruit and long flavours

Stellenrust has produced a Chenin bubbly modelled on Prosecco
Perfumed, with a lovely crisp tingle and lasting sparkle, it is, in our opinion, better than many Proseccos

 Final wine of the middle session was the Barrel Fermented Villiera
It was, without doubt, one of the best Chenins we have tasted in a long time
Superb nose with salty minerality, golden fruit and elegant wooding
which follows through on the full palate, which sings and pings with flavour, minerality and judicious oaking


Time for us to sit down to eat some lunch. The menu

The lambshank. Well cooked, with good gravy, young carrots and a butternut purée with crisp chips

Billed as Cap Classique Hake and chips; a disappointment
The fish was long frozen, the batter half-cooked on a bed of squashed peas (why?), tartare sauce and soggy chips

Inside the wine shop

Back to tasting
Knorhoek 2021 Old Vine 1980 has a whiff of smoke, good fruit fills the palate, long flavours
with slight bitterness of oak on the end

Steen op Hout is 35% barrel fermented and matured in old large oak
Apple pie with lemon and a good acid lift to finish. Great with food
Block W is sophisticated; subtle oak supports stone fruit and lightly salty mineral notes

Three from Raats
Original Unoaked 2022 was delicious, clean, full of fruit, elegance, spice and long flavours
Raats Old Vine is interesting; good fruit, 50% old wood and it is present in the character
It brings back memories of enjoying it with Dim Sum in Hong Kong
Haarlem to Hope blends Chenin with Semillon
Soft mouthfeel from the Semillon with delicious sweet fruit wrapped in gentle acidity

Kaapzicht 1947, the vineyard planted in that year, is special
It fills the palate with everything you want from a good Chenin, long flavours, wood just supports
The unwooded Family Chenin Blanc is excellent, leaner, crisper and with long flavours

Mooiplaas Bush Vine Chenin is a certified Old Vine wine, from vines planted in 1972
Well-balanced; cooked apple and quince with grassy notes and enough acidity to keep it fresh
The Houmoed (Keep a positive attitude) is sophisticated; flavours similar to the Old Vine, but richer with bready notes


Koelenhof Bushvine 1679 reminded us of Villiera chenins; their terroir across the road is similar
Sweet golden fruit and rather a lot of oak which might soften with age
Koelenbosch 2022 Chenin has a golden nose and palate, very fresh with a whiff of oak. Enjoyable, well priced

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

If you do not wish to receive e-mails from us, please email menucape@gmail.com with the word 'UNSUBSCRIBE' in your email

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