THE MARINE SEAFOOD AT THE MARINE



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There’s a light, exciting air of anticipation beginning to swirl through offices and around homes as the festive season approaches and the prospect of friends, festive gatherings and relaxation takes hold.

It’s a time to sparkle and bubble, and the natural drink to complement the season is an MCC. Not that one needs a celebration to drink Méthod Cap Classique, (it should be mandatory at least once a month), (some of my best friends drink only sparkling), but the Festive Season does give us more reason to drink it more often.

South African MCCs are refined and superb wines crafted by passionate winemakers  in search of the perfect expression of soil, climate and their chosen cultivars. It is a task of loving care and even anxiety that can take several years from vintage to release. So respect those bubbles, let them glide over your tongue and tickle your tastebuds…

In keeping with the excitement, go ahead and be adventurous with your choice of MCC and impress visitors from up country or overseas. There are several Cap Classiques made right here in the Overberg that will astound your guests with their quality and character.

Mount Babylon’s innovative and fabulous 2007 Blanc de Noir MCC made from Shiraz is the one to try for the finest mousse (bubbles) and lingering aftertaste.

In early December Wildekrans will be launching their 2009 MCC made from 30 year old Chenin Blanc vines and with 18 months on the lees. This wine is usually sold out within three months of release but winemaker winemaker William Wilkinson has doubled production and will introduce two new MCC’s soon from the Pinotage and Pinot Noir harvests this year.

There’s more than the sparkle in the bottle at Badgerberg near Villiersdorp where Lynette and Hans Mederer give guests a most enthusiastic welcome. They are releasing their first MCC in December, so this is a first to introduce to friends and only available on the estate.

Melissa Nelsen has made her third vintage Genevieve Blanc de Blanc from a special block of Chardonnay, also near Villiersdorp – not many bottles around but so well worth it if you find one. An elegant, ladylike Cap Classique.

Other MCCs to look out for and toast the Overberg are Domaine des Dieux’ Claudia and Rose of Sharon, from the Hemel en Aarde Valley, Elgin Heights MCC and an MCC from Chenin Blanc master, Jean Daneel in Napier.

What better way to spend the holidays than to explore the Overberg mousse by festive mousse!

 

Glynis van Rooyen

Editor, Overberg Wine

 

PS – Look out for the latest and fifth edition of our annual guide to the wine cellars of the Overberg in tourism offices, selected guest houses and in the December issue of TASTE magazine. 

Wineries of Bot River celebrate together!
9 – 11 September 2011

Our line up this year kicks off with the Winemakers Selection on the 9th September 2011 to be held at  Kol Kol Mountain Lodge, Bot River, tranquil with sweeping views of fynbos.

Winemakers will be showcasing their wines revealing unique perspective on vine-to-glass progression and the personality of Bot River terroir complemented by culinary delights.

Tickets cost R100. info@kolkol.co.za

Throughout the weekend participating Wine Estates and restaurants will announce their involvement by placing pink barrels at their entrances. Entertainment varies from horse riding, fly fishing, wine and olive oil tastings and blending, sumptuous meals, live music, pottery and art exhibitions.

Entry Free. Saturday 10:00 -18:00 / Sunday 10:00 -15:00

Partygoers can shunt their cabooses over to the Bot River Station on Saturday 10th September for the Botriviera Spectacle. The theme is ‘carnival’, an excuse for guests to puff up their feathers and pimp their style for an evening of other-worldly and downright surreal entertainment. The party will be fuelled by DJ Charl who returns this year to rock the rails and steam up the venue. The loco-motion starts at 7 pm and the party will go on till late.

Tickets cost R100 and includes entry to the lucky draw and amazing giveaways.

Tickets available at Shuntin’ Shed / www.botriverwines.co.za

Bot River is only 1.15h Cape Town so whether one is visiting for a day or spending the weekend on one of the participating estates the Botriviera Spring Weekend provides an opportunity to discover and explore this fascinating area, meet the merry winemakers and enjoy their wines!

Join us and explore something out of the ordinary.

For more information please visit our website: www.botriverwines.co.za  or Face Book: Bot River Wines

The one very good thing about winter in the Overberg for us locals is that there are some amazing food and wine bargains to be had.

All the rain and cold does tend to drive us into hibernation, at least those of us who have not headed off for the Bush to avoid the chill. So what will entice us away from a special glass of wine, a good book and the fireplace?

 

Half price pizzas, half price mains and no corkage – usually during week days but can be found on weekends as well.

Almost all our favourite eateries are doing a winter special that means a sociable evening  or lunch out at a really good price. The Hermanus Harbour is one of the most interesting destinations with spectacular views and two restaurants and bar that offer great specials right now. The Rock has savoury stews like oxtail and lamb shanks on their winter menu and a treat on the wine menu of Kleine Zalze Chenin Blanc Bush Vine at R70 a bottle and their Merlot at R90 a bottle. The Gecko has half price pizzas on Sunday evenings and sushi on Fridays and their generous wine by the glass (Villiera or Two Oceans)  is still one of the best value for money options around although my favourite is Rossi’s where they serve a little carafe that is at least 250ml.

Don’t you just hate those teeny little glasses that restaurants sometimes serve “wine by the glass” in?

One of the best bargains in town is to be found at Quayside Cabin where you can have fish & chips (or calamari and chips – and their calamari is the best in town in my humble opinion) and a bottle of wine (Two Oceans Sauvignon Blanc) for R80! And throughout the year you can bring your own with no corkage on the first bottle.

Season Restaurant has a Sunday Roast for a mere R65, or a daily “bord kos” (with Andre as the executive chef it will hardly be too homely) and the wine is reasonable at  around R60 – R65 per bottle (Two Oceans).

If price is no object and the ambience, selection and quality of the wine and food  is the only thing that matters, indulge in one of the many special “pairings” on offer in winter. Beaumont Barrel Cellar lunches have earned an enviable reputation for the most sociable and excellent wine and food experience, The Pavilion at The Marine hosts the most magnificent gourmet wine evenings, Creation offers delicious pairings which can be followed by platters of smoked meats, cheeses and breads and they have combined their significant energies with the De Hoop Collection to offer a weekend of wine, whales and cocktails at the Nature Reserve.

So don’t miss out on the superb offerings of our own fabulous Overberg this winter.

See you at the Hermanus Wine and Food Fair in August!

Glynis van Rooyen
Editor Overberg Wine
www.overbergwine.com

“Mine is not a sexy job, I work in the back office with the boring things like logistics, distribution, advertising and printing – none of the fancy things like wine tastings, fashionable invitations and writing it all up”, is how Andrew McDowall, publisher of the Platter’s Wine Guide, summarises his role in this immensely successful publication.

He has made the Hemel en Aarde Estate his home and happily reports that his circle of friends has increased tenfold since he left the Hemel en Aarde Valley where he was a partner in a farming enterprise with Dave Newton Johnson for several years. His ties to Hermanus started with a holiday home in Westcliff and extended to the small farm where he “retired” to tend olives, vines and lavender. After his wife died five years ago, Andrew felt the valley was just too lonely and moved into town.

For someone who publishes what is generally considered to be the South African wine lover’s “bible”, he is refreshingly candid about wine and wine tasting.

“Some people consider the ratings in Platter’s to be magisterial which is utter nonsense, the only opinion that matters is your own, you the imbiber of the wine!”

Naturally the guide comes in for some flack from various quarters – most often from winemakers who think their wine has not been given the recognition (and stars) it deserves; and also from the protagonists of competition judging who point out the discrepancies between stars and awards.

Competition wines are often tasted blind whilst Platter tasters have the entire history of the wine and the winemaker and everything else at their disposal to assist them with an assessment.

“This is a guide, it’s there to help people decide what to buy and the more information you have the easier it is to decide - but in the end it is what each person likes that matters,” Andrew says.

“The wonderful thing about wine is that people love talking about it and exchanging opinions – nobody discusses beer and gin and tonics like this!”

It is this fascination with wine culture that has spawned probably the most successful publishing story in the country. Platter’s guide is in its 32 edition and now sells 40 000 copies a year and Andrew has been involved with it almost since the outset. He started printing the guide for John and Erica Platter 27 years ago and bought it from them in 1998. The editor, Philip van Zyl is “the most important person in the whole publication, a wonderful, wonderful man”, Andrew says.

“I am the most risk averse publisher in the world – I have a good idea of how many books I will sell before we go to print. Still, when we are at our busiest from June to August – 40 people have to be cajoled and steered through the production process – then I say “never again!”

Considering that 6500 wines have to be tasted and 13000 bottles stored for this purpose, the logistics are intimidating.

“But by February when the books have been distributed and mostly sold, I have recovered enough to start thinking about the next edition”.

There’s a new pastime in the Overberg that attracts an interesting collection of wine, food and horse lovers from our region – polo at Maremanna Estate. The wine and food come in after the last Chukka has been played and everybody moves over to Gabrielskloof Estate for a delicious lunch at sociable, long tables where the conversation and Gabrielskloof wine flows!

Children, dogs and boule players welcome!

Overberg wine growers breathed a huge sigh of relief as the final grapes were crushed in the past few weeks and winemakers started to craft their wines.

Despite very hot, humid conditions and unseasonal rain, most cellars reported good crops with outstanding quality.

Bot River had the least rain in the region and Sebastian Beaumont reported excellent yields and very healthy grapes. “Some growers who did not have any irrigation may have suffered a bit, but we are happy”, he said.

Hermanus and the Hemel en Aarde Valley experienced an unusual and “nervous” harvest, said Peter Finlayson of Bouchard Finlayson but he was looking forward to “big wines”. This area experienced regular rains through the summer unlike other growing regions east of Stellenbosch. The dam at Bouchard Finlayson is still full, he added and grapes were picked with the right sugars and acids in place.

Villiersdorp was fairly dry but the grapes looked good and clean.

“Nervous” harvest yields reported excellent quality

John Seccombe of Domaine des Deux added that most white varietals were picked before the rains could do any damage and although there may be lower alcohols on some crops, the grapes were ripe and would yield elegant wines.

In Stanford Peter Kastner of Stanford Hills reported that wine farmers were excited about  bigger crops compared to last year and everybody was happy with the quality of the grapes.

The general consensus from the viticulturists was that 2011 would be a good year for chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and pinot noir.3