To re-introduce ourselves to our friends and regulars we decided the best way would be to host a little bit of a gathering to showcase the new tapas menu. Freedom Hill Winery graciously donated some of their local fare, and along with some Colmant MCC and Peter Vanne on his guitar, it certainly ensured a merry affair. Unfortunately the weather was not quite on our side, with the days prior to the launch being fair, but then Thursday evening we experienced heavy rains and a lashing wind. Luckily with the new glass doors the only people who felt any discomfort were the smoking crowd, who unfortunately still have the misfortune of having to smoke outside.

For those of you that couldn’t make it we’ll have to do that again sometime. Otherwise pop by and see us! Also remember to book for Christmas and New Years, I know it’s early, but other people have booked already!

A tasting experience with Rob Armtrong of Haut Espoir

We’ve known Nicky since before she joined the team at Siris Vintners and she’s always had the uncanny ability of understanding what we look for in wines, and that is no easy feat. So when she suggested we go and visit Rob Armstrong at Haut Espoir we jumped at the chance, as his reputation for having a very good product precedes him. So on Monday 6 June 2011; Chef Adrian Buchanan and our new partner in crime Chris Colston and I, made our way up to the vineyard. For those unfamiliar with Haut Espoir, you go through Franschhoek, take a right at the queen, follow the road up to Le Franschhoek Hotel, and you’ll find the entrance to Haut Espoir about 150m after the hotel on the right.

We were warmly greeted upon our arrival by Rob himself, part-owner and the winemaker, who took us on a short walk into the vineyard, where he took the time to explain the history and layout of the farm. Not only does Haut Espoir tend to the vineyards, but they are also one of the leaders when in comes to conservation in the Franschhoek valley. Many farms in the area do their part with clearing away alien vegetation but Rob goes that one step further, by re-using the water and sewage on the farm through a complicated system, which he briefly explained but I don’t recall the details, sorry Rob. They’ve also cut down all the blue gums except for one, which is the nesting spot for a pair of owls, Spotted Eagle Owls if my memory serves. Another claim to fame for Haut Espoir is that they are blessed to have a certain type of Erica growing on their slopes, which doesn’t grow anywhere else in the world, which alone is fantastic.

The cellar is a relatively modern, well thought out cellar in regards to functionality and future growth options. When I asked Rob about the exceptionally high ceilings I was told that it leaves opportunity for any future tanks they might need, plus it regulates the temperature. When they didn’t have any electricity for three weeks in the summer the temperature only rose by one degree inside. We started off our tasting by meeting Robs mom, who turns out to Chris’ neighbour, and with pleasantries aside we proceeded onto Rob’s special welcome elixir, his Buchu brandy. I was pleasantly surprised, as not only was it quite pleasant and herby but also seemed to cleanse the palate, along with the warm glow down ones insides. Much more pleasant than the Buchu tea’s I’ve tasted in the past! The Khoi-san obviously missed the brandy part.

We started off the actual wine tasting with Rob’s Semillon and Viognier, both being very tasty, but my favourite of his white cultivars was his Chardonnay. This 2008 vintage was in the barrel for around 11 months, predominantly in French Oak, but there were a couple of Hungarian barrels thrown in for extra flavour, plus some of the wine was treated to some wild yeast. This wine is definitely special, its quite accessible for everyday drinking, but is complex enough to stand up to a good meal as well, I’m thinking fresh Kingklip, lightly grilled, with a couscous salad, and maybe a creamy wholegrain mustard sauce with it? This wine is nice and full, yet with the fresh orangey/lemony zest flavours it’s just alive with possibilities. Having glanced around and seen the Chardonnay barrels I curiously asked where the red barrels where, as I couldn’t spot them? Robs answer was music to my ears, “Do you want to do a barrel tasting?” I’m not sure who had the biggest grin out of the four of us present. “Silly question, Mr. Armstrong, silly question.” Rob grabbed his pipette and off we went, right around the corner, I obviously didn’t look around enough!

Now for length purposes I won’t go into full detail on the reds, but will give a brief thought on each one we tasted. We went from barrel to barrel, like a swarm of bees from flower to flower. Let me explain something about Chef Adrian. He is the only person I’ve met that gets goose bumps from seriously good wine, 3 different barrels gave Adrian goose bumps. We started off with a Merlot, hard to find a Merlot we all like, but this one we did. Good earthy spice flavours with a hint of berry on the palate. I can now add another Merlot to my short, short list of Merlots I really enjoy. It shares my list with Anton’s from Rainbows End and Dieter’s from Lynx, two that jump to mind. Next we proceeded onto the Cab Sauv, a nice rich, dark fruit based wine, a touch of all-spice is what stood out for me. From there we moved onto one of my three favourite cultivars, Cabernet Franc. This gem was reminiscent of leather and spice, touch of earthiness to it as well.  Next up was the first bumps experience for Adrian, the Malbec. What a show stopper! The cellar took on a cathedral ambience- deathly silence, except for the sounds of noses deeply inhaling the fertile soil and dark fruit nose offered by this wine. The palate was eucalypt and herbaceous, with some mulberry coming through at the end. Could it get better? Surely not? Special barrel #2 was Robs Tannat, a true masterpiece. Enter Adrian with his goose bumps again. This cultivar has become one of my favourite cultivars, along with Malbec and Cab Franc, as they are special, and when winemakers and viticulturists set out to use these as single varietals they are usually well made and exquisite. I know Erik at Mooi Bly Wines also makes a good SA version of this wine. Robs has some good dark red fruit coming through but there was also a nice earthy undertone to it. We ended off the barrel tasting with a gutsy, full bodied, flavourful Petit Verdot. Adrian’s last attack happened here.

As we made our way back to the original start of our tour Rob offered one final treat. It’s a Cab Franc he bought from a good corner in Stellenbosch in 2008. Now I won’t tell you where it’s from, as I’m not sure I’m allowed to, but instead of telling you about the wine I’ll rather use an example to tell you how this Cab Franc made me feel. I’d say its like driving, lets say an Aston Martin DBS. You know its been crafted by masters, and you know its something special and few will ever have the privilege of experiencing it, but right there and now, you’re one of the special few. This wine will only be available in Magnums, and only in a few years time, but remember these words, get it. At this stage the blending group from Siris Vintners showed up for their appointment so we tasted the gentle Giant red blend, which is a very good value for money red with the blend changing annually. We proceeded to enjoy a few more wines (again) along with the Siris group.

Thank you Nicky for setting up the appointment for us and a special thank you to Rob, for giving us one of the most memorable days we’ve had, and for being a thoroughly entertaining host. I just hope that my words do justice to the phenomenal wines that you produce.

Dear Food and Wine friends,

A heartfelt thank you to all of you who supported us through the road works fiasco. We do appreciate it! We have our own traffic light now, reducing the confusion when leaving the restaurant.

Please be aware that we will be closing Mondays and Tuesdays from the 1st of May; but the good news is that our 10% discount for all Pearl Valley home owners has now been extended to Val de Vie and Boschenmeer home owners.

Freedom Day Festivities:
Come join us on Wednesday the 27th for potjies around the fire and some good old fashioned braai time. This will start at 12:00 till 16:00 on the day. In the evening we’ll serve a sophisticated 3 course dinner to the tunes of live entertainment. Profits will be donated to Streetsmart.

May you all have a blessed Easter.

Regards
Adrian, Ryan and the team

One of the unexpected perks from having the restaurant, which I didn’t realise, is the close friendships I have made. I knew I’d get to know people well, especially if they are regular guests, but close friendships? We now have close friends living in the immediate surrounds and surprisingly many new friends living abroad as well. Monday’s trip was a result of one of these newly formed friendships, our new friends being Anders and Birgitta.

Anders and Bridgitte started visiting us towards the end of last year and we would see them 2 or 3 times a week. During the course of the evenings we would have animated discussions ranging from history, cross country skiing, wine, astronomy, and last nights big topic was two-fold, firstly, why the moon moves differently in Sweden to here, and more importantly, do those fancy ice hotels have functioning plumbing, and if so, how does it work? We still have to find answers on the last one. Being wine lovers foremost, our new friends have been wanting to go and see Tulbagh again, as they’ve been to South Africa three or four times before, plus I have never been there for a wine tour either, Adrian decided we’d take a road trip as it was their last day here.

We left the Pearl Valley clubhouse at 11:30am exactly as planned, so that in itself was a good omen for the day. Another good sign was the fact that we hardly waited at the road-works before we could get the tyres humming again! We made our way through Wellington and were cruising Church street in Tulbagh very soon after. As Adrian’s in laws are Tulbagh locals (Tulbaghians?) he wasn’t a shabby tour guide, giving us the history of the town and the surrounds, earthquake history etc.  Apparently Tulbagh has more historic buildings in the one street than any other town in South Africa.

Our first port of call was Twee Jonge Gezellen. If the name doesn’t ring a bell you don’t read your MCC labels, they are the producer of the mighty fine Krone Borealis. Our gracious host was Luke, whose family has had the farm for generations (since 1710!). Luke actually managed to teach an old know-it-all like myself a thing or two as well. Luke’s grandfather was the pioneer in cold fermentation in South Africa, and his father was the first to do night harvesting in the country as well. Night harvesting actually makes sense if you really think about it, and if you know how hot Tulbagh can get. We started off the tasting with the old favourite Borealis Brut, which I always like. You can buy it at Pick n Pay when you go buy your milk next time. The Brut was followed by the Rose Cuvee Brut (60%Pinot) which is a soft salmon pink and the finest mousse imaginable, it’s a gem. Luke was nice enough to open a special bottle of their Nicholas Charles Krone Marque 1. This is a multi-vintage MCC of the 2001, 2002 & 2003 harvest, and as an added bonus it spent some extra time of the lee’s. It comes in a special bottle and was launched in celebration of the farms tercentenary. This wine was absolutely mind-blowing, it’s full and toasty, yet very elegant. Anybody that loves MCC should get this one, and it’s only R300.

Next stop was just down the road at Saronsberg, whose wine I’ve loved for the past number of years. Now where TJG was rustic and had the historic feeling about it Saronsberg is the other end of the scale. I would actually go as far as to say the tasting room at Saronsberg feels like a tasting room in a modern art gallery, and I mean this in a positive light, its really beautiful and well laid out. They feature paintings and sculptures in different mediums by various artists and you may wander throughout the gallery while sipping the wine. Without hesitation I’ll say the best art at Saronsberg is what was in my glass, made by the local artist Dewaldt, the winemaker. We tried the Provenance range first, which is an outstanding product, the Rooi, the Shiraz and the Sauv Blanc are excellent value, and then proceeded onto the Viognier, Shiraz, Full Circle and Seismic, all under the Saronsberg label. These are some seriously big wines, and they deserve the recognition and awards they have accumulated. My favourite was the Full Circle which is a Shiraz driven Rhone style blend, think mushrooms and chocolate, with a spicy undertone.

Lunch was seriously needed so we went to Rijks Private Cellar Hotel for a relaxing lunch on the back terrace, overlooking the hills and vineyards. Our various dishes were all accompanied by the Rijks 2006 Chardonnay. I had previously been drinking the 2005, which was a well rounded, full, Chardonnay, the 2006 doesn’t disappoint. Now I’m not sure if it was the well cooked meals, the company, the wines, setting or the combination of them all, but it is a meal that I’ll think back to in the future. It was phenomenal.

Our final stop was at Manly where I had actually spent a night before. The tasting was conducted by a very nice Swiss lady that took us through the various cultivars where I found the Cabernet and Shiraz stood out, but the Merlot is also quite quaffable. They are well crafted wines which are nicely priced as well. It was getting quite late and we still had a bit of a drive ahead of us, so we called it a day and headed off to Pearl Valley, where one final drink was had, the Andreas Cabernet/Merlot blend. I still have to tell you about the Andreas farm, but that’s a story for another time.

I might have told a little white lie, or shall we rather say half-truth, in the previous paragraph, that was not the final drink. Anders and Birgitta decided to continue the splendid day by having dinner with us. Sitting on the verandah, overlooking the valley, on the closest thing to perfect weather we’ve had in a while one couldn’t ask for a better ending to the day. That’s where the final drink was had, Arendsig Chardonnay, the perfect wine for the perfect evening.

Our friends fly home today, where Anders will no doubt sit in front of the TV and cringe when Norway beats Sweden in the Cross Country World Championships. But at least he’ll do this while drinking a good South African red.

I remember having spent a wonderful spring afternoon at Anura some time ago, certainly during my time in Franschhoek. It was one of those picturesque moments, warm sunshine, superb wines, delectable cheeses, beautiful blonde at my side, gentle breeze blowing over my bald dome, magic times. Now I must ask the question you have on your lips, why haven’t I gone back? I really don’t have an answer. No excuse, none whatsoever. After my day yesterday, Anura will certainly be one of my recommendations to anybody who asks my opinion on wines.

Towards the end of 2010, Sauce-master Jason popped in for a quick lunch and we had a good chat, where we were invited to Anura, he was back again shortly after, extended the invite again, and I think once more in 2010. He was one of our first guests of 2011 as well, having booked a large party for lunch on the 1^st. Having extended so many invitations, Jason had probably had enough of trying to get us there, so he brought Anura to us, in the form of Emil and some Anura wines. It was an excellent start to a Monday.

Now if I may go off on a slight tangent, I believe in fate. I wasn’t aware of our impending tasting at noon, but for some reason I started fiddling with the wine-list Monday morning, I knew some of the vintages were changing and some wine stock was low, and I wanted a change to the list some time soon. I do think I suffer from CWWPS (Change Wine-list Whenever Possible Syndrome). Anyway, I needed some new cultivars and a light Chardonnay, and low and behold, Anura, makers of a light Chardonnay, Sangiovese and Petit Verdot, to name a few, are on my verandah.

Let’s get back to the tasting. Due to space I won’t be going into too much detail on the wines, I’ll be forcing you to go there and have a tasting yourselves, so I’ll just mention a few wines and tell the rest of my story. We started with the entry level 2010 Sauvignon Blanc, moved onto the 2010 Chardonnay, a lovely light, easy drinking Chardonnay, 10% of the wine was barrel fermented, the remainder was un-oaked (available at FHill by the end of the week), then a Syrah/Mourvedre blend, Pinotage, Petit Verdot -Winner of Terrior Award; Cassis and cooked plums on the nose. The palate is rich raspberries with a nutty finish, and we ended off with the 2006 Merlot (veritas double gold). Now I have a 4^th Merlot that I actually like. We did however notice that there were certain other wines on the extensive list which we would love to try so after lunch, myself, Adrian, and Chef Ryan, piled into the car for a quick trip to Klapmuts, destination: Anura Vineyards.

Anura has a modern, spacious tasting room with beautiful high ceilings, elegant wooden tables, lovely worn leather couches and a large fireplace. The serving staff is also friendly and attentive. We started off with the MCC (2008 vintage won the Old Mutual Trophy having scored 94/100). The Sauvignon Blanc (Unfiltered) Reserve won veritas dbl gold, Michelangelo gold, Wine magazine top 10 S/blanc and Wine magazine rated it 5* as well.  Go and get some now, only 750 bottles are left and only two per person are allowed. I have my bottle sitting in the icebox, next to the 2008 MCC, waiting for sunset. We worked our way through the Chardonnay Reserve, the Syrah 06, one or two others, forgive my quick overview, but the last two wines were my reason for going, the Grenache and the Sangiovese. The Sangiovese is under the new LB label, which is a stylish, elegant and modern label, with horizontal lines reminiscent of a classical music page. I think the best way to describe the two wines is, WOW. Especially the Sangiovese, I love it; Spice and violets, earth and red fruit… all in one taste sensation. We were also spoilt with a cheese platter with their own cheeses and preserves/sauces. The favourite between the three of us was certainly the plum and jalapeno preserve. Adrian will be doing some sampling with some dishes and that sauce, my mouth waters already.

Head out to Anura, they’re on the corner of the R44 and the Klapmuts road, well worth a visit; www.anuravineyards.co.za, orinfo@anuravineyards.co.za or even 021 875 5360 .
I can in all honesty say Anura is one of 4 or 5 vineyards where I liked everything I tasted, the Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, and 2010 Chardonnay being my personal favourites.

Jason thanks for taking the time out of your busy day to bring Emil and the wines to us, as well as the support for the restaurant, and to Emil, thank you for being an extremely gracious and entertaining host on the second leg of our Anura adventure.

With all the changes in the restaurant and the increase in old regulars returning from the European summer, Adrian and I have been seriously neglecting our wine tasting the last couple of months. We’ve been making dates, and breaking them (Sorry, Alf from Tempel Wines, we’ll get there) so it was about time for a quick outing. We met Guy from Maisons last weekend and received an invite to come out and sample his wares.

^^^ click on this image above for a direct link to Maison

Everybody driving to Franschhoek has seen the almost cheeky chalkboard near the Robertsvlei Road stating “Shiraz lover stop here”, and may I say Chenin lovers are welcome too. We were firstly greeted by a massive Bullmastiff named Biscuit who rules the roost with her childhood partner named Porcini, who is a beast of a pot-bellied pig. Guy came out and ushered us in to what seems to be a kitchen/lounge converted into a tasting room, which is minimalist but oozes style and comfort, somebody with an eye for style definitely had a finger in the pie here.

We started off with the Vin Maison Chenin Blanc 2009 which is very un-South African in style. I mean this as a compliment. Except for a few Chenin’s most I have tasted are very similar in flavour and fullness, tropical and soft but without the long lasting palate. This Chenin has almost typical soft tropical fruit on the nose but there is something deeper, almost unique that I can’t quite put my finger on, and the palate just lingers, it doesn’t go away. This is definitely a wine that can stand up to a couple of good meals. The palate is soft white pear with a hint of pineapple, bolstered by some decent acidity. I also like the simplistic label with the quote on the back stating that there is no serving suggestion with their Chenin, instead they invite you to make your own. Guy was also nice enough to give us a bottle of the 2008 to drink as well, may I say, beautiful?

The Shiraz was also an excellent example of this cultivar. Being a 2009 I expected some firm tannin, but these were already well integrated into the wine.  The nose is reminiscent of wet tobacco with a touch of fertile soil; hints of cherries also came through. The palate was soft black fruit with some spice. Now to make the tasting more interesting Guy brought out some slivers of biltong and chunks of a heavenly Danish Blue. As a red blooded Boerklong I new the biltong would go well with the Shiraz, but what a pleasant surprise to find that the creamy Blue was also a remarkable companion to the wine.

I would like to end off this little wine blog with a quote which I am blatantly stealing from the back of Guy’s Shiraz label:

“Though the seasons shift, and the years tumble past, there is something timeless about uncorking a bottle of good wine. As long as it is poured and shared amongst friends, you could be almost anywhere in the world and still feel at home.”

http://www.maisonestate.co.za 

I think this is the true reason God had us create wine; family and friends.

Fresh protea’s decorated our venue and 88 friends and family braved the increasingly bad weather to celebrate the union.

I treated the crowd to a sabrage on the veranda under grey skies, while the couple went to be tortured by the camera.

Only late afternoon did it rain and to be honest it was perfect timing.

Thanks to the bridesmaid and her lovely husband for sorting out our sound system. Thanks to the thieves who stole our first amp’s so we had this predicament.

The Freedom Hill team wishes Mike and Lorna all the happiness in their new adventure, and we want to thank them for making our day so special.

the happy groom

lorna and mike

planting their tree

Every person that comes to see us, in order to taste their wines, truly believe that their wines are the best, as they should, but it becomes difficult to get excited by the general cultivars of Shiraz, Cabernet, Sauvignon Blanc and the like. So when we hear somebody mention something different, like Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec or Tannat, our curiosity peaks and we become giddy with excitement like school kids before a holiday. As our customers know, the restaurants’ wine list is like a seductive mistress to Adrian and myself, we can’t help but revisiting her with all her secrets and gems. She likes surprising our guests with new and exciting wares on offer.

On Thursday (19/8/10) Adrian and I went off for our meeting at Mooibly, with Winemaker and Viticulturist Erik and his artistically talented wife, Lizbet. My spelling of her name might be wrong…. After checking the directions on their well laid out website, www.mooibly.com, (all photo’s and layout done by Lizbet) we realized we’re actually familiar with the area as this is in the vicinity of Druk-My-Niet, where Adrian and I went for a tasting earlier this winter. Mooibly, in my eyes, is a little spot of heaven on earth, almost damn near perfect. It has the old farmhouse, horses, vineyard, a good cellar with fine, hand-crated wines and big gorgeous Ridgebacks roaming around. The grand old lady of the farm however, is an aging Collie type, who follows Erik everywhere.

After a tour of the modern and efficiently laid out cellar we walked next door into the barrel cellar to proceed with our mission. Erik was slightly hesitant in letting us taste tank samples as to the untrained nose and palate one could be unfairly critical of the wines, as they are an unfinished product and one needs to know what to look for in order to appreciate the potential of the final product. It’s almost like taking a bite out of a raw piece of Adrian’s fillet. After our most heartfelt assurance that we know what we’re looking for, we had Erik convinced to let us try some of the works in progress.

We started the tasting with their 2009 Chenin Blanc. The packagings on all the bottles are classic, and uncluttered, giving the label and name a beautiful finish. Now to be brutally honest I have found few un-wooded Chenins that make me step back and say “wow”. I found this a month ago with Babylon’s Peak 2010 Chenin, which was refreshingly different and now Mooibly. I was actually quiet for a few moments, took another sip to make sure there’s nothing wrong with my palate, exhaled slowly and was heard to whisper “wow”. The look on Adrian’s face was, I am now sure of, a mirror image of my own. The 2009 had crisp acidity with citrus flavours on the palate but is still had a soft tropical nose, almost with a hint of dried guava roll. The palate is unlike any Chenin I can remember. I actually went back to the Chenin at the end of the tasting and tried it again, still thinking a CHENIN BLANC????

After the Chenin we tried the unfiltered Chardonnay straight from the tank, which was put back into the tank after barrel fermentation. Obviously we couldn’t judge the colour of the wine as it was still cloudy but the nose was soft white pear, with a hint of peach, while the palate was a medley of stone fruit.

We followed the Chardonnay with tank tastings of the 2010 Cabernet and the 2010 Shiraz, both which have some excellent potential. I must admit I respect Erik’s decision not to release any wines that he thinks are not ready for immediate consumption. He keeps his reds back for 3 years!

We traipsed back into the barrel cellar to taste the bottled 2007 Cultivar Range Shiraz. The Shiraz was appealing as it’s done in an “old-school” style. Good spice and earth on the nose followed by dark fruit and a firm tannin structure on the palate. This wine could easily stand up to big gamey meaty meals. This was followed by the Selection Range (read as Premium) 2007 Malbec and the 2008 Tannat. The Malbec was exceptionally good with a full herby nose and a blackberry palate, also still having a good tannin structure. Erik kept telling us the 2008 Tannat is still too young to be enjoyed properly but he relented and let us taste it as well. Not being too familiar with Tannat I was unsure of what to expect but like it I certainly did. It also has a good herby nose but I picked up a eucalyptus flavour on the nose and it was followed by a ripe cooked plum palate. It will be released by the end of the year so look for it on our wine list in the New Year. We’ll also do a feature dinner with Erik in the future, as the wines are really special.

Firstly choosing the steak is the most important part. It should be a thing of love and respect. There are three important things to consider. Ask yourself do you prefer a fillet steak or rump, sirloin or rib eye? This is very important because they each have their own pro’s and con’s. Fillet is tender, but has little flavor. Rump and sirloin both have fat and sinew to consider, if cut incorrectly the steak will be tough and inedible but holds a lot of flavor. Rib eye has much marbling and can be tough if not aged but can be as tender as fillet and as flavorful as rump. Make sure your steak is at least 1 inch thick if it’s a rump or sirloin. Rib eye can be cut slightly thicker and fillet should be a good 5 to 7 cm thick.

Once you have chosen your steak you can begin by salt and peppering the steak. Rub your steak with a little oil. Do not use olive oil; rather use grape seed oil peanut oil or canola oil. Olive oil has a low burn point and will go bitter and blacken quickly. This will give your steak a bitter taste. Heat a pan on the stove until it is red hot put your steak in the pan. Do not shake the pan or move the steak for at least 20 seconds. Turn your steak around and leave it again without fiddling for a further 20 seconds or so. Once your steak has been sealed off remove it from the pan and let it rest on a plate for a couple of minutes.

Preheat your oven to around 220 degrees. Place your steak in the centre of the oven and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes for rare to medium rare. 5 to 7 minutes for a medium and any longer is well done. In my experience this is the best result. Let the steak rest for a minute before you start eating.