Blaauwklippen Blending Competition 2015: new records in its 32nd year!

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History was made at the Blaauwklippen Blending Competition 2015 held yesterday, it being the 32nd time that the competition has been held. Not only did the winning wine club of 1983 (Club de Vin) attend as one of the four Finalist wine clubs yesterday, but for the first time the Competition winner was a wine club from Germany.

Blaauwklippen MD and Cellarmaster Rolf Zeitvogel welcomed the many guests, consisting of representatives of four Wine Clubs from around our country as well as from Germany, as well as writers, new local wine distributors Morvino Wines, and wine judges. He said that the competition last year had also set new records with all six Wine Clubs having been joint winners. Sixteen international and 78 local teams entered this year. The scores of the four Finalist Blends were 0,3 points apart, creating a tough job for the judges to choose one Club as the winner.

Rolf introduced the four Finalist Wine Clubs:

* Oude Akker Wijn from Potchefstroom, the third year that the town has made the Finals, but is not the same Wine Club as made the Finals in the past two years. Their Club started six years ago, and they meet 6 – 8 times a year. Participating in the Blending Competition is a highlight of the year for the Club.

* Club de Vin from Pietermaritzburg was the very first winner 32 years ago, and its representatives Mike, Sue and David wanted it to be clear that they were not members of the Club then! In the second year of the competition, the Club came second. They have ten couples as members and meet every second month, all members loving wine and food. Sue and David are working on their move to the beautiful Cape, they told me. Having recently visited their town, we chatted about the few good restaurants in KwaZulu-Natal, and how lucky we are to live in the Cape!

* Digital Blenders from Cape Town entered for the first time three years ago, and came second last then. They just drink wine because they like it, and built on their errors from the two previous years to create their 2015 Blend, said Sean, the Club representative.

* Rindchen’s Weinkantor from Hamburg-Uhlenhorst is one of 12 Rindchen’s outlets in Germany, and each of outlets was given the challenge to participate in the competition. I met Nicolai Schultze and Thoralf Schlesinger while we enjoyed the canapés and welcome drinks on the terrace, enjoying the excellent Spring weather organized for the day! Rindchen’s is a very new distributor for Blaauwklippen wines (with Spier, Lammershoek, Allee Bleue). The Uhlenhorst branch only has three staff members, and their colleague had to stay home to run the store.

The winning (Bordeaux) Blend by the Rindchen’s team consisted of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 10 % Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 4% Malbec. Blaauwklippen had specified that the blend was not to exceed 15 % Malbec, as it was a 2013 vintage (the remaining base wines being 2014), and a limit was set for Cabernet Franc too. A total of 94 teams entered, and each received a hamper of the five base wines. Participating Clubs prepared a Blend, and sent in their ‘recipes’ with base wine proportions, each of which was made up by the Blaauwklippen cellar team, and tasted by the panel of judges, consisting of Blaauwklippen’s winemaker Albert Basson, wine writer and judge Jonathan Shnashall, WineLand editor Edo Heyns, wine writer and judge Samarie Smith, winemaker and judge Narina Cloete, La Colombe sommelier Joseph Dhafana, and Blaauwklippen’s Rolf Zeitvogel.

Rolf said that Rindchen’s success added an international taste to the Competition: ‘It also affirms our status as one of the most popular wine competitions in the country for amateur wine tasters and lovers, and lends prestige to the competition. By competing with international wine clubs, the art of tasting and blending wines is being elevated to a whole new level which is beneficial to everyone’.

The Bordeaux Blend theme of the Competition was carried through in the French-flavored menu, which Consultant Chef Craig Cormack had prepared, the best lunch we have enjoyed since attending the Blaauwklippen Blending Competition in the past four years. On arrival, the canapés were brought through, with Pizzadaliere with emulsion and micro herbs; courgette tartlets with Buffalo mozzarella and tapenade; and striking salmon bagels with crème cheese and capers served with Blaauwklippen Ons Sprankel. Rolf told me that their Bistro at Blaauwklippen kitchen operator will change on 1 October .

The starter was a delicious duck liver parfait served with Brioche on the side, a jelly made from the Blaauwklippen Before & After apéritif, and micro herbs, plated with an apple slice, which was paired with Blaauwklippen Sauvignon Blanc 2015. This was followed by Rolf’s Gin & Tonic sorbet, an unusual palate cleanser!

The main course of Blaauwklippen Beef Bourguignon was served ‘Chef’s Style’ with pomme purée and jus, and paired with the winning Blaauwklippen Barouche Blend 2015. The beef was tender, and received ohs and ahs from the guests.

Dessert was a delicious classic French Apple Tarte Tatin with crispy pastry, served with homemade
vanilla ice cream, and paired with Blaauwklippen Viognier Noble Late Harvest 2012 as well as their Diva MCC. The Blaauwklippen 10 year Potstill Brandy was also served to end off the Awards afternoon.

The winning team won a floating trophy, a glass decanter by Vitria for Best Newcomer Finalist, and 12 magnums of their Blaauwklippen Barouche Blend 2015. The label design for the Blend was created for the fifth year by artist Frans Groenewald, also reflecting a French theme, given the Bordeaux Blend brief this year. Vitria has been a sponsor of the Competition for each of the 32 years. Protea Hotel Stellenbosch has sponsored the accommodation for the Finalist Wine Clubs for a number of years. The production of 3000 Blaauwklippen Barouche 2015 magnums is sold from the Blaauwklippen Tasting Room as well as online.

Rolf told us that they had received 33 entries from Wine Clubs which had not entered before, and they expect a deluge of applications within the next month for the 2016 Blaauwklippen Blending Competition, demonstrating the power of the Competition in the Blaauwklippen marketing program, and the enjoyment which the Competition has in the annual program of the Wine Clubs! Blaauwklippen celebrates its 333rd anniversary this year!

Disclosure: We received a bottle of the Blaauwklippen Barouche Blend 2015 as well as a set of four wine glasses from Vitria with our media pack.