PG Slabbert | WhaleTales Blog by Chris von Ulmenstein

Stellenbosch Hills awarded the first prize in its Biltong competition to Frik Crafford, for the best of 54 biltong entries received in its pairing with Stellenbosch Hills’ Shiraz, winning a cash prize of R15000 as well as product to an equivalent value, at a function held at 96 Winery Road yesterday.

We had attended the launch of the competition six months ago, but missed the visit to the Freddy Hirsch head office, where the art of biltong-making was explained to the bloggers and journalists attending. The brief was to create a biltong best suited to be eaten with Stellenbosch Hills Shiraz 2010. The wine brand was the first cellar to combine wine with the stalwart South African snack, Stellenbosch Hills winemaker and Manager PG Slabbert saying “The art of drying meat nowadays is as specialised as the art of winemaking. Our aim was to create a competition where two of South Africa’s most popular products – wine and biltong – could be combined”. It is the fourth year of the competition.

The judges evaluated the colour, the texture, the taste, smell, and the appearance of the biltong, as well as its performance when the Stellenbosch Hills Shiraz was drunk with it. The judges included super-nice MasterChef SA Finalist Ilse Fourie, who I met for the first time yesterday (she told me that she and Sue-Ann Allen are starting an events company, and that they are working on a cookbook), Sue von Hirschberg and Herman Schultz from Freddy Hirsch, bubbly chef Jenny Morris, and PG and Philip Kriel from Stellenbosch Hills.

Each of the three finalists were soft-spoken, each seemed surprised to have done so well in the Biltong competition, and each was low key about what exactly had made the difference in their winning biltong recipes. I spoke to Frik first, a policeman in the Child Protection Unit from Worcester, who loves making biltong and was surprised to win, being ‘uit die veld geslaan’ by the news. He has been making biltong for seven years already and buys his silverside or topside from his special butcher, or at Spar. He ‘marinades’ his beef for 24 hours in a mixture of vinegar and Worcestershire Sauce, layered with the meat, adding coarse coriander and brown sugar to his Freddy Hirsch biltong spices. Then he hangs his biltong. What makes Frik’s biltong so successful, is that he talks to his biltong, to make it taste better: ‘praat met jou vleis’, he advised! Second place winner Schalk van Deventer from Somerset West used Stellenbosch Hills Shiraz in his marinade, with vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Adding too much red wine would give the biltong a purple colour, warned Schalk. He had enjoyed the competition so much that he would start again, at creating the winning recipe. He said that there were so many opportunities to pair different wines with biltong. Third place winner Jakes van der Merwe is a professional hunter in Midddelburg, so he makes a lot of game biltong, but used beef for the competition entry. His ‘recipe for success’ was ‘getting one hands dirty’ in making the biltong.

Freddy Hirsch sells its 1kg spice mixes at nine Cash & Carries around the country, selling its products to mass biltong and dry wors producers. The company makes 40 blends for boerewors spices alone, including the Kameelhout flavour, for example. The company founder Freddy Hirsch is now 87 years old, but is still at his factory every day. The company also distributes into Africa. Bloggers and writers were thanked for publicising the competition, leading to the quality entries received.

Our lunch at 96 Winery Road, which celebrated its 16th anniversary earlier this year, had some stalwart dishes too. The Caramelised Pearl Onions with biltong, cheese straws and Padano shavings starter has been on the menu since 1999 already, Tweeted Karl Lambour this morning. My main course choice was the well-known Hollandse Pepper Fillet, which had been rolled in black pepper, and panfried in a brandy and cream sauce, which was flambeed at the table. The pièce de résistance was the Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate flourless cake served with vanilla bean ice cream.

Disclosure: We received biltong and two Stellenbosch Hills wines with our media pack.

Stellenbosch Hills, Tel (021) 881-3828. www.stellenbosch-hills.co.za Twitter:@STBHills

Freddy Hirsch, corner 11th Avenue and Voortrekker Road, Maitland. Tel (021) 507 4500. www.freddyhirsch.prezence.co.za

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage

Stellenbosch Hills is the first wine estate to have introduced the ‘Biltong & Droëwors Adventure’ pairing of its wines with biltong and dry wors in its tasting room, and therefore launched a ‘Biltong Maker of the Year’ challenge to wine and biltong lovers four years ago, an annual event. This year the competition pairs this South African speciality with the Stellenbosch Hills Shiraz 2007. The art of wine blending is as specialised as drying and spicing meat, says the winery’s media release.

A group of food and wine writers was invited by Stellenbosch Hills to attend a function to announce the 2012 competition. At the premises of master spice suppliers, and first-time sponsors of the competition, Freddy Hirsch in Maitland, the group was shown the art of biltong-making. I had a busy morning, and therefore could not attend this part of the proceedings, but joined the group for the lunch, for which Stellenbosch Hills’ PR consultant Nicolette Waterford had chosen Magica Roma in Pinelands, due to its close proximity to Maitland.

Stellenbosch Hills is on the road that connects the N2 to Stellenbosch, near Spier, and represents 14 farms on the Polkadraai Pad. It was previously a co-operative. We drank a Polkadraai Red (70% Pinotage and 30% Merlot, costs R30) and White (70% Chenin Blanc and 30 % Sauvignon Blanc, at R26) blend with the Antipasto platters of grilled vegetables with grilled baby calamari, chilli and garlic; mixed Italian cold meats; a mixed salad; and a Caprese salad; served with garlic and herb focaccia. I loved the polka dots on the neck labels, a design quirk to emphasise the brand name, and to create the feel of the lively dance it is named after. The name had been registered by Nicolette’s dad Gabriel Kriel, a farmer on this route, which he donated to the winery. His Chev ‘bakkie’ is illustrated on the back label. The Polkadraai range also has Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot/Shiraz 3 litre boxes (R75 – R80), and a Pinot Noir Rosé sparkling wine (R46).

Magica Roma has been operating from its premises for years, and little seems to have changed about its decor and menu. The Italian owners Ezio and Franco came to check personally that all was in order for every course. Cellarmaster and winemaker PG Slabbert introduced each of the sets of Stellenbosch Hills’ wines before each course, and said that the 1707 Reserve range was named in honour of the year in which Governor Simon van der Stel first granted farms in this area. The 1707 White Reserve 2009 (R60) is a blend of 70% Chardonnay, 20% Semillon, and 10% Viognier, while the Red Reserve 2008 is a 50% Shiraz, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot and 11% Petit Verdit blend (R82). Served as a selection of main courses was a pasta and tomato sauce, the line fish of the day, escallops of veal paillard, and Tagliata Fiorentina.

The dessert, a delicious if small portion of tiramisu, was paired with the unique Stellenbosch Hills Muscat de Hambourg 2010 (related to the Hanepoot), the only winery to make this Jerepigo-style fortified sweet wine (R38). The grapes are grown on the farm of Nicolette’s brother Philip Kriel. Stellenbosch Hills also sells a Cultivar Collection, with Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Pinotage, Merlot, Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon, all excellent value at prices ranging from R28 – R47.

Entrants to the Stellenbosch Hills ‘Biltong Maker of the Year’ challenge must pay an entry fee of R150, which offers them a bottle of Stellenbosch Hills Shiraz 2007; a Freddy Hirsch spice pack with a biltong recipe book, a DVD on game deboning and meat processing, and a detailed ‘Hunters Workshop’ booklet for making biltong, in selecting the most suitable meat, how to spice and marinade the meat, how to hang and dry it, and how to store it; and delivery. Entries of a 500 gram sample of the biltong of any meat-cut must be returned to the winery by 31 August. The entries will be judged on the pairing of the biltong with the Shiraz, and the winners will be announced in September, with prizes to the value of R60000 up for grabs.

Disclosure: We received a Biltong King biltong maker, a pack of Freddy Hirsch spices, and a bottle of Stellenbosch Hills Shiraz 2007.

Stellenbosch Hills, Tel (021) 881-3828. www.stellenbosch-hills.co.za Twitter:@STBHills

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter:@WhaleCottage