Rocking reds at Ridgeback Wines

January 5th, 2009

Ridgeback Wines

If you are still on hols after the new year and looking for a fab outing in the Cape, or even have gone back to work and are looking for something to do this weekend to soften the blow – my top recommendation is to pay a visit to Ridgeback Wines – situated on the R44 between Paarl and Wellington.

I first took a fancy to Ridgeback’s wines when I tasted the Shiraz last winter. Then on my way back from champagne tasting at Krone last month, we thought we would swing by Ridgeback for lunch and some wine tasting (happy days they are open on a Sunday – I realise everyone needs a break, but surely it makes sense for more wine farms to open on a Sunday, and not shut ridiculously early on a Saturday?)

What a treat. The cellar is relaxed, friendly and inviting, with lunch area overlooking an amazing pond – home to two black swans. It was no problem to do our tasting outside, and the very knowledgeable tasting assistant did a great job of attending to the different groups tasting wine at the time.

The 2008 Sauvignon Blanc is coming along very nicely since I first tasted it in August last year, when it was very recently bottled. And the 2006 Ridgeback Viognier is a treat of dried stone fruits nicely off set by 15 months in oak.

But in such a warm area, it’s the reds that are going to shine. Having said that, despite the heat, the team at Ridgeback do a great job at keeping alcohol levels down, unlike some of the ridiculously high percentages that seem to be the norm nowadays.

Vernon Cole, Ridgeback’s MD, is excited about the 2005 Merlot, which he has very high hopes for this year. My favourite was the 2004 Merlot/Cabernet Franc blend – approachable, smooth with the Cabernet Franc balancing the fruity Merlot nicely.

The 2005 Shiraz is of course delicious, and the flagship wine, 2005 His Master’s Choice was a winner on Christmas Eve. Served with roast leg of lamb, the blend of Shiraz, Mourvedre and Viogner was delish.

After a leisurely wine tasting you can stay on for lunch – choosing from wraps, bruschettas or dishes of the day including pickled fish or lamb chops. The last Friday of the month is tapas day with a special on wine by the glass to accompany the food. And the first Wednesday of the month is pensioners day – get free tasting AND 15% off the wine you buy.

Tip on getting there – the entrance is not on the R44 where the big Ridgeback gates are, take the following turn off right, signposted Rhebokskloof, and you will find the entrance there. If you want to make a weekend of it, there is B n B accommodation on the farm as well.

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Glorious garagistes: Michelle Coetzee talks about her Tumble Turn Shiraz

December 22nd, 2008

After completing the garagiste winemaking course at the University of Stellenbosch earlier this year, Michelle Coetzee took the plunge and made her first batch of wine. By all accounts it was a great success – and hopefully the first of many vintages. Michelle tells us more about her winemaking activities.

1.             What exactly is a garagiste wine maker?

My definition of a garagiste wine maker would be someone that makes wine on a small scale for their own consumption.

2.             How did you end up as one?

I can’t remember exactly when I started loving wine as much as I do, but when I realized that I was more excited about trying new wines, and going on wine routes, than almost any other outings, I realized I had a passion for wine, and that’s where the idea of making my own wine came from.

3.             What do you think garagistes bring to wine making that the traditional wine makers don’t?

A personal element, knowing that the wine was made by somebody that loves wine (why else would you go through the hassle and mess?) gives it the impression it will be special.  Certainly traditional wine makers more than likely love wine too, but it is made on a bigger scale, where the ‘consumer’ isn’t always known.

4.             What is the most exciting thing about being a garagiste wine maker?

This year was my first attempt, so every step of the way, from the yeast fermentation to the bottling and labeling was exciting;  probably the most exciting was when my friends tasted the wine, and enjoyed it!

5.             What is the most challenging thing about being a garagiste wine maker?

Consistency; I was lucky this year to have really good grapes (must have been because the wine tasted good :) ) I have to hope to get as good grapes next year, even if it is from the same source.

6.             Please describe your wine for us?

Tumble Turn is 100% shiraz; it was a good red colour, considering it was not aged for very long;  3 months on oak chips.  It had berry flavours and a hint of pepper.  It was fairly soft, although you could pick up the tannins. It must be said that I only made 7 litres, 8 bottles.

7.             What can we do to promote garagistes in South Africa?

I’m not sure, I don’t see myself making quantities more than my family and friends can drink! I do try support garagiste wine makers by buying their wines when they’re available.

8.             What is the biggest challenge facing the South African wine industry at the moment?

Again, this is a novice opinion, but for new wine farms, it must be really difficult to break into a market that seems saturated;  we have such a large variety of wines and regions to choose from, and it keeps growing.

9.           How do you think South African wine ranks internationally?

I only really got to taste international wines while living overseas, and not knowing enough about them, I didn’t get to taste their best.  What I have had is some amazing Australian reds.  I rate South African wines highly.  You seldom get a bad SA wine, and yet I tasted some fairly horrible wines while living in London, but again, that would have been due to my limited budget!

10.          Talk to us about environmental issues in wine.

Having not grown my own grapes or made wine on a large scale, I don’t have any real input on environmental issues.

11.          What is your favourite wine that you have made?

Just the one! Tumble Turn Shiraz

12.          What are you drinking at the moment?

Being summer, I’m enjoying Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel.  I love red wines, and Hartenberg has never disappointed me!

13.          Where can we get bottles of your wine?

I have 1 bottle left, which is not for sale! I’m waiting to drink it next winter, to see whether its taste has improved after some time in the bottle.

14.          If you weren’t making wine, what would you be doing?

I work for an online media company as a Database Administrator;  many people don’t understand what I do, so mostly I say I work in IT, and there are seldom questions after that..

15.          Anything else you would like to add?

I’m looking forward to making my first barrel of Shiraz next year!

Just as we are looking forward to hearing about it, Michelle!

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House of Krone: A sparkling affair

December 19th, 2008

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.

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Jacoba's Christmas cake with lashings of brandy

December 15th, 2008

Guest post by Jacoba Budden

Brandy, even more than wine, is one of the most essential accompaniments to food in the holiday season. Cocktails, sauces, desserts and Christmas cakes are enriched by the spicy sweetness and the bold alcohol. No Christmas cake would be complete without generous lashings of brandy, liberally applied months in advance if you can.

Anyone visiting the Cape should, without doubt, go on one of the brandy routes. South African brandies are rich in their diversity and of excellent quality – in no small measure due to stringent manufacturing regulations.

The two major brandy producing areas, the Western Cape and the Small Karoo, both produce outstanding brandies and the R62 route highlights two of the best.  Try the KWV – my father’s favourite throughout his life (and he had impeccable taste) but without doubt, Barrydale Cellar’s 10 year old Joseph Barry Cape Potstill Brandy – it recently won the 2008 Juliet Cullinan Wine Connoisseur’s Awards. Barrydale grows the St. Emillion cultivar, used widely in the production of cognac but is, here, the most important component in this brandy. The mild and salty Indian Ocean winds, the soil and a darned good winemaker work together to create a truly remarkable brandy.

In the spirit of Christmas I’ll include the recipe for our family cake below – to drink with it, something like Kanonkop’s Cabernet Sauvignon would be perfect because there are few wines that I like as much, but it’s really pricey and maybe just a touch too savoury for everyone’s liking.

For my money, I would pick the Paul Sauer because of the dark berry smattering of Merlot that smoothes out the high Cabernet/Franc content to invade the senses with an oaken spicy fruit matching the cake to perfection! One doesn’t forget this cake in a hurry – and certainly not the wine! Even though it’s summer and can get extremely hot in the Cape, the cake doesn’t lend itself to something lighter.

Ingredients

500 g butter
500 g sugar
500 g cake flour
9 eggs
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground mace
250 ml brandy
1 ½ teaspoons ground cloves
½ teaspoon cinnamon
125 g seedless raisins
250 g sultanas
500 g dates
125 g pecan halves
250 g almonds, roasted and cut in half
250 g glace cherries, halved (mix red and green for a great effect)
250 glace figs
500 g mixed peel (orange and citron)
250 glace apricots
375 g glace pineapple rings

Additional brandy to add throughout the maturation period

Method

* Soak fruit overnight in brandy.
* The preparation of the cake tin is very important to prevent the cake from burning. It is a very heavy cake and weighs close to five kilograms.  For this reason 3 layers of wax paper is used, each layer greased before the next one is put on. (And if you want to put in a fourth, got for it)
* Mix and sift all dry ingredients together
* Whisk butter and sugar until pale and creamy.
* Add eggs one by one, beating carefully after each addition and after the fifth egg, sift in a little of the dry ingredients.
* Sift in a little flour after each egg and continue until all the flour is incorporated with the exception of two tablespoons to sprinkle over the fruit later.
* In the meantime, sprinkle the bicarbonate of soda over the fruit, wait for the reaction, sprinkle over the flour and incorporate the fruit into the dough.
* Pour the cake mixture into the prepared cake tins, making a small hollow at the top so that the cake does not rise too much, should it do so.
* Bake for 5 ½  hours on 140 C.
* Remove from the oven, place on rack very carefully and allow to cool down completely.
* Sprinkle with brandy and then wrap up in soft tinfoil and then in a stiff foil, folding carefully to close the cake with the opening of the foil on top.
* Open weekly and drizzle a little brandy over the top.

* Shortly before Christmas, cover in a thin layer of smooth apricot or strawberry jam, wrap in a coat of marzipan and ice with white butter icing, glycerin or royal icing.

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Fab four white wines for summer

December 12th, 2008

Over the past few weeks I’ve been lucky enough to taste a selection of fabulous white wines – all of which you should look out for this summer.

Regular readers of this blog will know that I find nothing more dull than reading other people’s tasting notes. So instead I have tried to give you a snapshot of my impressions so that you can decide whether the wine appeals to you or not.

Most of the wines are a Sauvignon Blanc – people clearly know my penchant for this varietal. But I did have a rather pleasant encounter with a Riesling as well.

Four Paws Sauvignon Blanc 2007 & 2008

The 2007 is the current vintage from Four Paws and drinking extremely well. Give the 2008 a few more months to settle into its flavour and it will be delightful. The 2007 offers green peppers, elderberry and tropical fruits, balanced with a slight flintiness. Crisp and elegant.

If you like your wines fruity yet with a crisp acid, this is the wine for you. Not overpowering, like some of its contemporaries, the 2007 would go well with food or alone. Seafood or chicken would be a winning combination, but the wine stood up well to a mild curry too.

The alcohol level is 14% – so tread carefully.

Springfield’s Special Cuvee Sauvignon Blanc 2008

Next up is the latest offering from one of my all time favourite Sauvignon Blanc producers. After being a staunch fan of the Life from Stone Sauvignon from Springfield, I started shifting to the Special Cuvee towards the end of last season. Less in your face, with well-integrated flintiness and minerality, the grapes that make this wine come from an especially rocky, calcerous part of the estate. They are harvested at night in the cool from this prime spot, and the wine is made with minimal interference.

I love the minerality you find in many Robertson wines, and if you want to get your head around the concept of terroir – start here. It’s amazing how wines from different parts of the same estate can have such different characteristics.

At 12.5% this is a relatively light wine by South African standards, and would go brilliantly with seafood such as grilled sole or sushi.

Spier Private Collection Sauvignon Blanc 2008

I was very surprised to find myself enjoying this wine – as typically I am not a fan of the fruitiness of warm climate Sauvignons. However, some of the grapes for this Spier wine are sourced from the Tygerberg region which gets the benefit of cool sea breezes, so perhaps this has toned down the fruit flavours.

Classic Sauvignon freshly cut grass combines with fig and gooseberry. Ideal with picnics, chicken dishes and pasta in my view. 13.5% alcohol.

Frostline 2007

Finally I got my hands on a bottle of Frostline 2007 – a Riesling made by Graham Knox from Stormhoek fame, and Flagstone’s Bruce Jack. The range of wine is called Extreme Vineyards and Graham and Bruce seem to be having fun making wines on the edge.

In this case the grapes are harvested from the highest vineyards in South Africa, in the Outeniqua mountains. This means the grapes are exposed to frost – which is ideal for Riesling which originates in Germany. Classic Riesling apple flavours lead this tight, crisp and fresh wine. I’d drink it by the bucketload with seafood and especially prawns. Again, at 14%, not shy on the alcohol front.

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Christmas greetings from Main Ingredient

December 12th, 2008

The Champagne festival at Franschhoek was, as expected, great fun and a huge foodie experience for us. There was a good crowd (more than 3,000 apparently) of people, content in enjoying life, summer and very, very good bubbles.

The extreme heat was the only downside. It reached a reported 43 degrees at one point. There was a good mix of our best local bubblies like Graham Beck, Tanzanite, Pierre Jourdan, Morgenhof, Villiera and Steenberg; some new and interesting and some good French – some of the top like Gosset and Taittinger and some of the lesser known but excellent Marques like Joseph Perrier and Tribaut.

The restaurant stands were tucked in among the bubbly tables and each one had small portions of something delicious. We sampled some great gravadlax on blinis with rocket, some huge prawns with rocket, a wrap stuffed with Serrano ham, apricots, goats cheese and rocket and a fabulous white chocolate cheesecake with mixed berries from Le Quartier Français and, of course, there were oysters – some with rocket too. (We love rocket, but at the moment everyone is doing it to overkill).

We told you that we anticipated being spoiled and we were. We had been invited to stay at Rusthof Country House by the owner, Ruth McCourt, on Saturday night and it is truly beautifully decorated in a mix of modern and classical with notes of oriental, cool and comfortable and very, very close to the Festival, as it is right at the top of Huguenot Street near the Huguenot Monument.

We all went off to a cooking demonstration with Julie Parkfelt at La Chataigne farm and then ate the result for supper. We drank their delicious wines with the food. Julie is a very good cook and produced a really great meal of very Mediterranean style food. Our welcoming canapés were super artichoke bruschettas and tiny nectarine halves stuffed with goats cheese and then wrapped in ham. These were paired with Colmant MCC. She showed us how to make really good spinach gnocchi – so good we have the recipe below for you. They are baked in the oven and are quick and simple to make.

This was followed by duck breasts served on noodles with a very spicy tomato & sesame chutney. Our dessert was a Christmas-flavoured nutty semifreddo served with mixed fresh berries, covered in a white chocolate sauce, a good alternative to Christmas pud and suited to these hot days.

For our Sunday lunch, we escaped from the heat and had a lovely leisurely lunch at Reuben’s – in his courtyard (where the overhead mist sprays were very welcome). No one was having starters, they told us, because of the heat, but it was lovely to eat his very delicious honeyed quail and yellowtail on fennel ravioli. Reuben has a fantastic new book out – do check out copies in the shops but, if you go to the restaurant, you might persuade him to sign one for you.

Spinach and Ricotta “Gnocchi Verdi” with Tomato and Parmesan Cream Starter

500g Spinach
250g fresh ricotta
grating of nutmeg
salt and pepper
1 egg
45g grated Parmesan
1 T flour

Wash the spinach and cook in salted water till wilted. Drain well & squeeze till absolutely dry, then place in food processor with the ricotta, seasoning and nutmeg and blend. Mix in egg, parmesan and flour. Chill, then shape into full teaspoon sized balls.

Tomato Sauce:
800g tinned tomatoes
1 T sugar
Salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
100 ml cream

Put all into a pan, bring to the boil and reduce for 10 minutes, then add the cream and blitz with your wand blender.

Parmesan Cream:
250ml cream
150ml finely grated parmesan.

Mix together in a jug.

Take small individual serving dishes; ladle 2–3 T of tomato sauce into each. Put in 3 to 5 (depends how large you made them!) gnocchi in each, pour over same amount of parmesan cream. Grate extra parmesan on top. Put into a preheated 180ºC oven for about 10 minutes until bubbling and the cheese starts to colour. Serve and eat at once.

Ed’s note: 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.

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Become a wine fundi this Christmas

December 9th, 2008

Fundi (pronounced foon-dee) is derived from the isiZulu word umfundi which means ‘learner’. In colloquial South African English refers to an expert or learned person.

It’s also the name of a range of wine launched earlier this year to support a Wines of South Africa (WOSA) training initiative. The organisation, which looks after the promotion of SA wine abroad, has set itself the worthy goal of training 2010 wine stewards by 2010, funded by sales of Fundi. The ultimate aim is that when visitors come to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup they will be served South African wines by enthusiastic and knowledgeable waiters.

The latest news on the initiative is that the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) and both the Swedish and Finnish monopolies have all placed orders for the wine,  while Virgin and The Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) have agreed to list Fundi.

Back home though, look out for the wine in shops (around R120) and on wine lists (around R150). All the proceeds go towards the training programme. You can spot the bottles thanks to the hand-made beaded neck piece.

When I went to the launch earlier this year, I remember the wines were all phenomenal. There are six wines in the range – read the back of the label to see which one you are buying. So far wines have been selected from Anwilka, Stellekaya and the company of wine people, with the Stellekaya wine available currently from Caroline’s, Cybercellar, La Cotte and Makro.

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Wine tasting with Relish

December 7th, 2008

Want to try out some new and different wines, but not really sure how to go about it? And with the current belt-tightening economoic situation, most people understandably would prefer ton stay with an old favourite that splash out R 100 on something you may or may not like.

One option is to tag along to one of the mega-wine events. These are always fun and have a plethora of wine of offer. But they can be somewhat overwhelming and quite hard work – I always go armed with a plan of attack.

Alternatively you could head out to a couple of wine farms, but you will have to have some idea of what you like and want to try before setting out.

There is another option – last month I headed out to the new-ish Relish in Observatory for a cheese and wine evening.

The wines on offer were from Jordan, Ken Forrester, Rupert and Rothschild, and Springfield. With a range of cheeses from the Real Cheese Co, also in Obz.

The wines were presented by reps who could tell you a bit about each wine, without being too overwhelming.

The evening was pretty casual. We settled in at a table and took it in turns to replenish our glasses with vino. The woman offering the cheese was initially a bit alarmed by this tactic, but calmed down when we reassured her that we weren’t expecting her to provide us with an entire cheesy meal. Rather we wanted to savour the cheese samples while sipping our wine, rather than standing in the throng at her table.

There wasn’t a massive selection of wine – there was just enough to offer something for everyone – and I am sure many people discovered a new favourite that evening.

Cunningly the wines are also all offered on the Relish Obz wine list, so it was a pretty simple matter to end the evening with a glass or bottle of your favourite wine and one of Relish’s pizzas.

Contact Relish for details of their next event:
www.relish.co.za
Ph: 021 447 9999
219 Lower Main Road, Observatory, Cape Town.

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Main Ingredient's festive delights

December 5th, 2008

About now, you have probably been pouring over the newspaper ads and comparing prices of gammon, turkey, and other food for Christmas. Or you’re beginning to haunt the aisles in the supermarket for ideas of what to eat with your traditional (or not) Christmas dinner.

If you do Christmas traditionally, it’s usually a choice of turkey… or turkey. Or you could prepare a capon (giant castrated rooster) or Cornish hen. We love goose, but can never find them, so have resorted to duck in the past. But you may want to do something different.

You could order a tin of Confit of Duck from us and use the surrounding fat for wonderful roast potatoes. Or you could use the confit in a killer duck salad. In Europe they often cook a huge fish like a salmon or a carp as their main course. If you can order a side of fresh Norwegian salmon it is not a difficult lunch to do and, cold, it can be really special if the weather is hot and you make a home-made herb flavoured mayonnaise.

Seafood is always special, but you do need a mortgage to afford crayfish nowadays. We like them combined with prawns for a good starter. Scallops are just affordable and we love them steamed in the Chinese way with ginger, spring onions and garlic.

Instead of Christmas pudding, you could do a superb luxury tropical fruit salad because melon, pawpaw, kiwi fruit, and mango are starting to appear. We have a recipe for a festive Chardonnay jelly and will send it you on request, or you could make some really special ice-cream using a liqueur, or make a semi-freddo. Or finish off, as the Italians do, with a light green salad, some really good soft Gorgonzola and some great bread from one of specialist bakers such as Jardine, Knead, Olympia Bakery or, if you are in the Knysna area, Ile de Pain.

If you are not traditional, or not celebrating Christmas, you may still want to have some fun on the day, when most restaurants are closed or are charging a premium for eating out. Now is the time to enquire and make your booking, as there are still places with room. We see that our friends Cathy and Kevin at the Nose Bar are catering for Christmas Parties. They say that if you are still looking for a great, relaxed venue for your end of year function, why not pick The Nose in the Cape Quarter?

If you will be entertaining in the next few weeks, here is Lynne’s new Chilli con Carne with Chocolate recipe. It will serve 4 and you need to use very dark, minimum 70% chocolate, preferably one with very little sugar, like our Callebaut callets. The chocolate enriches the sauce and gives a gentle chocolate flavour, but the meat and the chilli still shine through.

Ordinary sweet dark chocolate will make the sauce too sweet. Lindt’s 80% chilli chocolate might also work well, but we haven’t tried it. Hot food in hot weather actually cools you down, which is why the hottest Indian food comes from the hottest parts of India. You can use mince for this recipe, but small slivers of chopped beef taste so much more authentic and substantial. Use one chilli or more according to your taste. Fresh chillies give the best fresh taste.  You can use chilli powder but it won’t have the same kick or flavour. This can definitely be made the day before, in fact we recommend it.

Chilli con Carne with dark Chocolate

1 large onion, finely chopped
800g lean stewing beef, sliced into very small pieces
1 T olive oil
1 t ground cumin
1 large clove of garlic, crushed
1 green chilli, chopped
1 T smoked chilli sauce
400 ml tomato passata
1 tin of red kidney beans
salt and black pepper
1 level T Callebaut 70% dark chocolate callets

Fry the onions in the oil with a good pinch of salt, till soft, then add the beef and fry quickly until it is brown all over. Add the cumin, garlic and chilli and stir quickly to blend. Add the passata and the beans, season and simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the chocolate and continue to simmer until the beef is tender. Add a little water if it needs more moisture during cooking. Adjust the seasoning and serve with boiled rice and a tomato and onion salsa. Top with guacamole and sour cream.

WINE FOR CELEBRATIONS
We have plenty of new wines in the shop after our successful evening tastings. Buitenverwachting Christine, Meifort, Sauvignon Blanc and Rosé; Vastrap white blend and Cape Jazz Shiraz from Solms Astor; Welgegund Carignan and their excellent Rosé; Cederberg Ghost Corner, Cape Point Stonehaven, Crystallum, Ataraxia, Strandveld, Springfield, Elgin Valley and Oak Valley Sauvignons Blanc, Mooiplaas Pinotage, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Langtafel Red and White blends; Cape Point Scarborough Red; Catherine Marshall Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Shiraz Mourvedre and Sauvignon Blanc. Bouchard Finlayson, Springfield and  Morgenhof Chardonnays.

More of the very popular Cloof Inkspot red blend has come in and is selling out almost as quickly as it came in. And, exciting news, we should have some of the very special limited edition Axe Hill White Port very soon. Send us your orders now.

Ed’s note: 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.

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Diary dates: Sparkling shenanigans

December 4th, 2008

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.

If you hurry you might be able to still get tickets at R 180 a pop :) from the Franschhoek Wine Valley Tourism site.

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.

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