Tag Archives: Simonsberg

‘Chefs who Share’ reaches for the (Michelin) stars at Lanzerac!

September 11, 2014

It was a unique experience to meet seven chefs who have worked or are currently working at Michelin star restaurants (10 Michelin stars awarded in total) in Austria and Germany for breakfast at the Lanzerac on Tuesday. While it was an early morning start, it was energizing being in the company of the ever-bubbly Barbara Lenhard and Florian Gast of Opulent Living, who had extended the invitation to a number of writers.

We were seated at one long table intermingled with the chefs, and a half way swopping of seats was clever too, so that we could get to chat to at least three of the seven chefs for a longer period of time. Opulent Living, organisers of the charity Gala Dinner ‘Chefs who Share‘ in the City Hall this evening, welcomed the seven chefs, who had all flown in from Europe to Cape Town on Monday.

Tonight seven teams of two local chefs each, a local sommelier, and one of the German-speaking chefs, will prepare a four course dinner for 36 guests who have paid R3000 each to attend, a total of 250 guests not only eating delectable food, but also drinking excellent local wines, and interacting with the three chefs looking after their tables. Last year Opulent Living raised R1,2 million through the charity Gala Dinner, and decided to raise the bar this year by flying in the seven German-speaking Continue reading →

Rupert & Rothschild Vignerons quietly opens its new Tasting Room!

July 6, 2014

I have visited almost every winery in Franschhoek, but never Rupert & Rothschild, its tastings having been by appointment only in the past ten years since we have operated Whale Cottage Franschhoek. It was a set of Facebook photographs of Hein Koegelenberg, brother-in-law of co-owner Johann Rupert, that attracted attention to the new Tasting Room, which opened on 1 July.

The farm Fredericksburg was owned by a French Huguenot, and was established in 1690, and taken over by the late Dr Anton Rupert and the late Baron Edmond Rothschild in 1997 when they established their partnership. The owners shared a commitment to preservation and conservation. Grapes are harvested by hand, and the berries are hand-sorted after destemming, to generate the best quality juice. Intervention during the wine-making process is kept to a minimum.

I popped in yesterday, and found a very elegant yet informal and friendly Tasting Room, with a beautiful setting overlooking the Simonsberg mountain and the vineyards of the wine farm. From the R45 between Klapmuts and Simondium one cannot see any buildings on the wine estate, being set back far from the road. The Tasting Room door is locked from inside, so one of the staff must go to the door to press a button to unlock it, which is not clear when one arrives, and appears unfriendly if the staff do not get to the glass door quickly enough. One enters close to the Tasting Desk, seating about 20 tasters on both sides of the desk Continue reading →

Keet and Van Biljon Bordeaux Blends: Terroir makes the difference!

May 15, 2014

One acclaimed winemaker, one Stellenbosch cellar, two brands, both Bordeaux blends, but vastly different and each unique. So the two brands Van Biljon CINQ 2011 and Keet First Verse 2010 were presented to more than 30 wine writers at Aubergine Restaurant on Friday last week.

Chris Keet started off as winemaker at Delheim, and then moved to Delaire. This was followed by 15 years at Cordoba Wines. When he left Cordoba in 2008, he decided to offer his services as a wine consultant. He made his own wine under the Keet Wines name in 2009, and has just released the 2010 vintage. Chris said his Bordeaux blend First Verse consists of 32% Cabernet Franc, 27% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Petit Verdot, and 4% Malbec. The wine was matured in French oak barrels for 18 months. Chris buys in his grapes from some of his clients as well as from other farms in the Helderberg, Simonsberg, Stellenbosch Mountain, and Polkadraai Hills, and hopes to buy some grapes from Van Biljon Wines in future, he shared. In Platter he and his 4,5* 2009 First Verse wine is described as follows by reviewer Tim James: ‘Unusually for a top Bordeaux blend, he uses little new oak- it’s part of the unshowy Keet style’. Keet achieved 5 stars in Platter for his 2010 vintage. Keet is not only highly regarded as a very competent winemaker, but also as a viticulturist and oenologist. Only 6000 bottles of First Verse have been made, and cost R320 each. Continue reading →

Parmalat SA the SA Dairy Champions 2014! Klein River Cheese Grana Dairy Product of the Year!

May 1, 2014

Parmalat SA was the cream of the dairy crop at the SA Dairy Championships 2014, having won the largest number of champion awards for its dairy products. The Klein River Cheese Grana was named 2014 Dairy Product of the Year at the DuPont Qualité Awards, organised by Agri-Expo a week ago.

Klein River Cheese is based outside Stanford, and its award-winning Grana is a slow-matured hard cheese. Its strength, fruitiness, slight sweetness, granular texture, and hard and thick rind preserving the cheese impressed the judges. Chief judge Kobus Mulder said about this cheese: ‘ ...the Klein River Cheese Grana so impressed the judges with its great taste and typical texture that they were in total agreement that this was indeed Number 1‘.

Agri-Expo CEO Johan Ehlers said about the stature of the South African cheese awards: ‘

Sustainably presenting these Championships for 180 years, as well as the impressive growth in number of entries and quality thereof over the last decade, is indeed an achievement of note. The Championships today represents the entire South African dairy industry and is perceived as one of the top dairy competitions in the world’. More than 800 dairy products by 68 dairy Continue reading →