Last Saturday we headed 120 km north of Cape Town to the little town of Tulbagh – famous for the 1969 earthquake – to enjoy the first ever House of Krone Summer Elegance event. The Tulbagh valley has quietly but persistently been producing some remarkable wines, and is making a name for itself as a region in South Africa, so I was looking forward to seeing what they had to offer.
On the way we swung by Saronsberg, a stunning, newly built cellar that also houses an art exhibition. The wines were delicious and I managed to leave with a bottle of the Saronsberg Sauvignon Blanc 2007 and their bordeaux blend Provenance Rooi 2006 – smooth and fruity. Saronsberg’s wines are big, bold and fruity, as you’d expect from a valley where the temperature heads into the forties in the summer. Specifically the Seismic 2005 is going to kick ass in a year or two
Having whet our appetites we headed on up the valley to the House of Krone at Twee Jonge Gezellen – famous for years for their Night Harvest label, the grapes are literally harvested at night to avoid the punishing heat.
Speaking of heat, thank goodness for the shower of fine mist from the sprays on the balcony where we spent the afternoon sipping Cap Classique, eating sushi from Wasabi, strawberries and nougat. None of us tried the oysters, but I was assured they were delicious.
The R 60 entry fee got you a book of tickets that you could exchange for taster size portions of Krone Borealis Cuvee Brut 2004 and Krone Rose Cuvee Brut 2001. We quickly abandoned that idea as the relaxed setting was not conducive to leaping up and down for refills. So we, and I think most other people there, opted to buy the bubbly by the bottleful instead.
On our way out we swapped the rest of our tickets for a final glass each of Cap Classique which we enjoyed as we strolled around the grounds having a look at the fashion show and vintage cars.
The Rose – delicately salmon coloured wine, fruity, with a smooth creamy mousse – was everyone’s favourite, judging by the number of bottles our group consumed anyway!
On the way back to Tulbagh was dropped in at the Boulders Bush Pub on the Vondoux guest farm. Nice spot for sundowners, but a disaster when we returned later that evening for dinner. They clearly hadn’t factored in the number of visitors that day and the bar, waiting and kitchen staff were struggling to cope.
A quick dessert at Paddagang – we returned the next day to try out the hilariously frog themed wines – and we turned in for the night at the Tulbagh Hotel. The hotel is brilliantly located in the centre of town on Van der Stel street – I wish we had had more time to explore the streets and quirky looking galleries and shops. Recently refurbished, the rooms are lovely and comfortable, with a cut above your usual guest house standard fittings and so on. The pub downstairs is relaxed and service generally was friendly and helpful. They are in the process of building a pool which would be a fabulous addition (did I mention it gets HOT in Tulbagh) and I would check if air con has been installed before booking there in summer.
All in all a great mini-break just before the madness of the festive season really kicks in. I hope the team at Krone make this an annual affair.
To get you in the mood for the festive season, there are two summer sparkling extravaganzas in the next few weeks for your bubbly pleasure (if you are in going to be in the Western Cape).
This Saturday and Sunday (6 & 7 December) is the annual Franschhoek Cap Classique and Champagne festival “The magic of bubbles”. I went along last year and it was a phenomenal day out. Fabulous food from local restaurants (think mini-Reubens starters in tiny containers and the most amazing moules I have tasted) and of course all the bubbles from local and French producers.
Unfortunately I am giving the festival a miss this year, but please drop me a line with your feedback in the comments below – I trust it will live up to the precedent it set last year.
A little bit more off the beaten track is the day of Summer Elegance at The House of Krone, Twee Jonge Gezellen in Tulbagh on Saturday 13 December. From midday to sunset the event offers sushi, oysters (not sure if I am ready yet – still a bit off put after the great Knysna Oyster Festival debacle), olives, chocolates, fashion, art, vintage cars…. Oh, and the bubbly, of course.
I am looking forward to this enormously and want to take the opportunity to visit Saronsberg and Rijks as well (fingers crossed we get accommodation) so watch this space for my report back once the bubbles have subsided!
Tickets cost R 60 and you can email Luke Krone or call 023 230 0680 to book.
Ed’s note: We are very lucky to have the OK from John and Lynne Ford to publish their Main Ingredient newsletter on the Wines Online Blog. Main Ingredient offers gourmet foods, ingredients and fine wines. It has won Eat In guide’s Outstanding Outlet for the past three years. You can find them at: Shop 5, Nedbank Centre, 15 Kloof Rd, Sea Point 8005, Cape Town, South Africa. phone: +27 21 439 5169, or find them online.
COMPETITION!
Tickets for a FREE BRANDY TASTING MATCHED WITH FOOD. Alchemy of Gold will host an exclusive tasting of international award-winning connoisseur South African brandies for our customers on Monday, November 24th at Dish Food & Social in Gardens from 18h00 for 18h30 till approximately 20h30, served with gourmet canapés prepared by Andrea Foulkes and her team. They’ll start us off with a lovely brandy cocktail and then we will taste a collection of brandies, each of which has won at least a gold medal at London’s International Wine & Spirit Competition or International Spirits Challenge. Some are trophy winners and have been rated the best in their class. Both these competitions are considered amongst the most important in the international spirits industry.
There is no cost at all for this tasting, but, in order to qualify for a place, you need to enter our competition: spend R200 at Main Ingredient in the next week and you will win one free ticket to this tasting. (R400 for 2, R600 for 3, etc.) Hurry, because there is space for only 14 individuals or seven couples, and first come is, as always, first served!
PLEASE, as a special request, could we ask that if you do get a ticket, make sure that you really do attend. We have had several no shows for our evening wine tastings and it is so disappointing, because we have had people on our waitlist who would have loved to have been there, but we believed that we were fully booked. Lynne went to a lot of trouble making lots of food to go with our tastings and it is not great to have food wasted. If you find that you can’t attend, please let us know and we will make sure someone who is really keen to be there takes your place. People who had not turned up were, sadly, those who had booked on email and therefore had not paid in advance – if this continues to happen, we regret that we will only be able to take bookings in the shop.
Our next tasting, SERIOUS SAUVIGNONS on November 19th – a selection of some of the best and rarest Sauvignons Blanc including Ataraxia, Cape Point Stonehaven, Cederberg Ghost Corner, Constantia Glen, Diemersdal 8 Rows, Elgin Valley, Oak Valley, Saronsberg and Springfield Special Cuvée is fully subscribed. We have a few names on the waiting list in case there is a cancellation.
The second Think Pink Tasting was a great success and we had enthusiastic feedback on all the wines. We started the tasting with Jean-Luc Sweerts’ MC Square La Vie en Rose Pink Bubbly and then went on to taste 11 more Rosés, tasted in order of alcohol content. The tasting sheet is attached so that you can see what we tasted. De Grendel, Morgenhof, Buitenverwachting and Zandvliet were the most popular wines.
Jean-Luc also produces the wonderfully lean French-style MC Square Chardonnay and supplies of this are starting to run low. We have procured some of both the 2000 and the 2001 vintages from him and, sadly, there will be no more because the vineyard in Franschhoek, source of the grapes, has been recycled. DO let us know quickly if you would like some of this very special wine, which is in our attached product list.
One of the dishes Lynne prepared for the tasting this week was an open tart, which is quick to prepare and was well received.
Spinach, Tomato and Feta Tart with Smoked Olive Oil
1 roll of cheese and herb pastry
1 bag of Swiss Chard, washed and chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
3 rounds of feta and black pepper cheese
12 small Roma tomatoes, cut in 1 cm slices
2 T fresh marjoram, chopped –
Smoked olive oil
Line an oblong baking tin with baking paper and roll out the pastry to fit the tin. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 190ºC. Wash the chard and cook it quickly in a covered pot with the garlic and some salt. Drain well. Strew this onto the pastry. Crumble on the feta and then add the tomato slices. Sprinkle on the marjoram and bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry is crisp, but not burnt underneath. Remove from the oven and drizzle with the Smoked Olive Oil and serve.
If you don’t have smoked olive oil, use Extra Virgin and some smoked salt. We have them all!
SUBSTITUTION
Many recipes for pasta and pizza call for ham. We know that some of our customers don’t use ham and, by accident, we have discovered a good local substitute – and, no, it’s not called Macon. We had some slices of ‘chipped’ smoked beef in the fridge and it went really well on top of a cooked pasta dish we had with Puttanesca sauce.
New in store
The amazingly rich Italian Truffle Salt has been soaring into shopping bags and out of the door! We still have some, but do come quickly if you want it for Christmas presents, because we know it is very popular and we are not sure whether there new stock will arrive before the end of December.
We have a few of the French Syrups and, hopefully, our Duck Fat and Confit de Canard will have cleared customs by the end of this week and the full range of syrups (cassis etc.) will soon be here. We were told that the ship arrived a week ago, but Customs is very slow at this time of the year. Phone us to find out if we have it before you come.
Smoked Spanish paprika is in short supply and, if we run out in the next week, there is unlikely to be more before early December, so join the queue! And the amazing garlicky chilli Prego sauce is back on our shelves for those who are addicted, as are we…
Recommended Events:
Wine Concepts will stage the seventh “Finer Things in Life” champagne and bubbly festival at the Vineyard Hotel and Spa in Newlands on November 14th. Guests will be treated to one of the most impressive selections of champagnes and MCCs ever seen in this country. More than 30 cuvées will be on show, accompanied by fresh oysters, rare cheeses and fine chocolates. In tune with the theme of the ‘Finer Things in Life’, elegant fashion and rare Italian motor cars will share centre stage. As in the past, proceeds will be shared with the Kids with HIV Foundation to support their pioneering work, bringing children with that horrible condition the hope of a normal life. Tickets for the “Finer Things in Life” Champagne Festival can be purchased for R230.00 per person from Wine Concepts, phone +27 21 671 9030 or email newlandshop@wineconcepts.co.za, or you can buy them at the door on the evening.
If you can’t get to that one, or if, like us, you cannot have a surfeit of sparkling deliciousness, you can join the Cap Classique Association and WINE magazine on Tuesday 25th November at 18h30 for a tasting of the top-scoring South African sparkling wines in the 2008 Amorim Cork Cap Classique Challenge, presented by winning wine maker, Elunda Basson at the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town. This will be repeated on Thursday 27th November at 18h30 at the Hyatt Regency in Rosebank, Johannesburg, and again on Tuesday 9th December at 18h30 at the Riverside Hotel in Durban North, when it will be presented by Cape Wine Master and MCC expert Jeff Grier of Villiera.
And, if that were not enough, you’ll have another opportunity when Franschhoek will once again play stylish host to their annual Champagne festival on the weekend of 6th and 7th December. The 2008 Franschhoek Cap Classique and Champagne Festival, sponsored by Investec Private Bank, will showcase an array of celebrated Cap Classique producers as well as some of the finest French champagnes.
Jordan wine estate will hold their Open Day on Saturday, 29th November between 10h00 and 15h00. Relax on the lawn with family and friends to the sound of local community band, the “Stellenzicht Music Project”. A selection of food and wine will be available during the day.
Elgin’s Open Gardens started last week, but you will still be able to visit them this weekend. More detail about all these events is available on the websites if you click on the highlighted and underlined event names above and below.
Our wine tasting this Saturday will feature the wines of Catherine Marshall, who won her spurs as a garagiste with her Barefoot Wine Company. She has moved into a more elegant, deliciously feminine style under her own name with her excellent Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and her beautifully presented Myriad dessert wine.
Our Weekend Pavement Market:
A double bill, again! Audrey Grobbelaar will bring her home bakes and fresh produce from Robertson on Friday and Nelle will be with us on Saturday from Wolseley, with her freshly laid, backyard chicken free range eggs, home-made pies and breads and cookies and whatever fresh produce they have been able to pick. If you want wonderful naturally produced food, this is where you’ll find it.
Ed’s note: We are very lucky to have the OK from John and Lynne Ford to publish their Main Ingredient newsletter on the Wines Online Blog. Main Ingredient offers gourmet foods, ingredients and fine wines. It has won Eat In guide’s Outstanding Outlet for the past three years. You can find them at: Shop 5, Nedbank Centre, 15 Kloof Rd, Sea Point 8005, Cape Town, South Africa. phone: +27 21 439 5169, or find them online.
WEIGHT
We are dying to sit out on our deck and enjoy a warm evening of al fresco eating but it’s just not quite there. Perhaps a Sunday lunch is better to aim for just now. We are in summer food mode though. One of our customers has lost a huge amount of weight, as he has started eating lots and lots of fruit (and vegetables), so we are trying to move in that direction as our middles have expanded alarmingly this winter. We have both passed our health checks with flying colours, but both doctors did suggest losing the middle age spreads!
Last night, for friends, Lynne made cheese soufflé, a salad niçoise and we ended with baked Amaretti nectarines (no cream). We love this season when the soft fruit starts to appear, although, as usual, we bemoan the really dreadful strawberries we are getting. They are huge, cold, glassy and do not have much sweet flavour – we are cutting them up small to have with pawpaw and melon (and home-made muesli) for our breakfast – the bread has been foresworn.
Here is a lovely easy Sunday lunch recipe for you to make in the hope that we can all sit outside this weekend. Artichokes are just coming into season and, if you can be bothered to cook them and take off all the hard outside leaves, it is really worth it. This can be prepared the day before.
CHICKEN WITH ARTICHOKES
8 Chicken pieces or one chicken cut into pieces
1 t salt
1 t freshly ground black pepper
1 t sweet smoked Spanish Paprika
2 T flour
1 T olive oil
1 T butter
150g mushrooms, quartered
2 t fresh thyme leaves
175 ml good chicken stock
3 T medium sherry
1 can of artichoke hearts or 6 – 8 fresh cooked artichoke hearts
Coat the chicken pieces in the salt, pepper, paprika and flour and brown gently in the olive oil. Remove from the frying pan and put into an oven-proof casserole. Add the butter to the frying pan and quickly braise the mushrooms with the thyme, then add them to the casserole. Cover with the stock and the sherry and cook, covered for 40 minutes. Tuck in the artichoke hearts 10 minutes from the end.
INFLATION BUSTING
We are always fascinated at the table that appears in the newspapers each month, comparing the prices of a basket of food and other commodities, at four of our big supermarket chains. We note that some of the price increases are huge and some of the price drops for the period are correspondingly huge and we suspect that the supermarkets are trying to engineer their baskets to appear the lowest by making huge cuts on one or two products, while others go up alarmingly. If they just took a small percentage of everything and kept the prices steady, don’t you think we the consumers would take them more seriously?
Lynne was outraged last Thursday to be charged R15.95 for a loaf of low GI bread from Woolworths which, very recently, used to sell for R8.95. Then this week, at another branch of Woolies, it was R11.95. That takes some explaining and she is waiting for some feedback from their customer line. And a wholesaler in the same business tells us that the price of flour is now coming down…. Hurray!
Stock News:
We have some excellent Chinese shops in Sea Point now, so we tend to send customers wanting Chinese foods to them, but we still have a demand for some of the more special products like Shao Xing rice wine, lime leaves, rice vinegar and mirin. So we’ve put a selection of these back into the shop.
The Protea Hill Farm vinegars and oils are moving fast and we have to replenish frequently. More products from Fynbos Fine Foods should arrive today and we are trying to persuade them to reinstate the very popular Peri peri sauce, asked for by so many of you.
Shiraz remains very popular and we have some really special wines from this grape, such as the very elegant Rhône-like Catherine Marshall. Rosé sales have improved since our last tasting and our stock levels have risen accordingly. Remember that, even if we don’t have a wine in stock, we can usually get it for you at fairly short notice, so ask us and we will give you a price – and order it for you.
SPECIAL WINE TASTINGS
Our second Think Pink tasting, next Tuesday, 4th November, is fully subscribed and we have had to close the list. We will be repeating the three most popular wines (De Grendel, Morgenhof Fantail and Ridgmore), with a new selection to make up the 12 Rosés. Please Note: these tastings do have to be booked as we can only accommodate 22 people if we have only one bottle of each wine.
The tasting after this one will be SERIOUS SAUVIGNONS – a selection of some of the best and rarest Sauvignon Blancs including Ataraxia, Cape Point Stonehaven, Cederberg Ghost Corner, Constantia Glen, Diemersdal 8 Rows, Elgin Valley, Iona, Oak Valley, Saronsberg and Springfield Special Cuvée. None of them are in the economy class, but all will be very special wines, which we consider to be the current top Sauvignons, and perfect for celebrating the summer and the Christmas season.
The date, for your diary, will be Wednesday 19th November, but YOU MUST BOOK AND PAY IN ADVANCE as we anticipate that this tasting will be even more popular than the Rosés and it is our way of allowing you to taste before you buy very, very special wines which are not always generally available. There are a few places still available, so please phone Lynne (021 439 5169) to add your name to the list or email your booking as soon as possible. This tasting starts at 6 pm and finishes at 8 pm. There is a small fee of R25 a person payable in advance and snacks will be served to accompany the food. Bookings will be confirmed once the tasting fee has been received. Because of the limited number of places, we can only accept bookings for two places per customer.
Recommended Events:
Diarise the 14th November when Wine Concepts will host their annual bubbly tasting. More about this next week.
Jordan wine estate will hold their Open Day on Saturday, 29th November between 10h00 and 15h00. Relax on the lawn with family and friends to the sound of local community band, the “Stellenzicht Music Project”. A selection of food and wine will be available during the day.
Cape Talk Radio is hosting an awards competition for small businesses that their customers believe give good service. This may be a bit cheeky, but, if you think we’re doing a good job, please tell them at sba@capetalk.co.za
Our wine tasting this Saturday will feature wines from Constantia Uitsig, a consistently excellent producer. All have scored 4 to 4½ Platter stars and we will show you their Chardonnay, Semillon and Constantia Red, so come and enjoy a wonderful selection of wines between 10am and 1pm.
Our Weekend Pavement Market:
Another double bill. Audrey Grobbelaar will bring her home bakes and fresh produce from Robertson on Friday and Nelle from Wolseley will be with us on Saturday, with her freshly laid, really free range eggs (think backyard chickens), home-made pies and breads and cookies and whatever fresh produce she has been able to pick. If you want real food, naturally grown, this is where you’ll find it.
Last Saturday we headed 120 km north of Cape Town to the little town of Tulbagh – famous for the 1969 earthquake – to enjoy the first ever House of Krone Summer Elegance event. The Tulbagh valley has quietly but persistently been producing some remarkable wines, and is making a name for itself as a region in South Africa, so I was looking forward to seeing what they had to offer.
from the 
