Bernhard Bredell is making some compelling wines under his Scions of Sinai label, tasting notes and ratings for the latest to hit the market as follows:
Scions of Sinai Señor Tallos 2019
Approximate retail price: R215
60% Helderberg Chenin Blanc, 40% Klein Karoo Grenache Blanc. 25 days on the skins, one third aged under flor. A floral top note before citrus and stone fruit plus ginger on the nose while the palate shows lovely fruit expression, moderate acidity and just a touch of phenolic grip. Thirst-quenching and delicious.
Editor’s rating: 91/100.
Scions of Sinai Nomadis 2019
Approximate retail price: R215
95% Cinsault, 5% Pinotage. Plums and cherries on the nose while the palate is very light (alcohol: 11.5%) and fresh with a particularly savoury finish without being austere or astringent.
Editor’s rating: 90/100.
Small volume.
Scions of Sinai Swanesang Syrah 2018
Approximate retail price: R305
The vineyard that produced the 2017 vintage was uprooted and Bredell has opted to retain the name as a way of paying homage, grapes for the 2018 sourced from a 1996 vineyard “just above Cordoba” in Stellenbosch. Partial whole-bunch fermentation before maturation in old oak. Red and black fruit, some floral perfume, herbs, spice and white pepper on the nose while the palate features pure fruit, lemon-like acidity and fine tannins. Great focus and length, this is a wine of some elegance. Total production: 870 bottles.
Editor’s rating: 95/100.
Find our South African wine ratings database here.
Local wines to win category trophies at this year’s International Wine & Spirit Competition were as follows:
Constantia Glen Five 2015 – Top blended red wine
Kanonkop 2006 – Top Cabernet Sauvignon
Stellenrust Barrel Fermented 2018 – Top Chenin Blanc
Waitrose 2017 (Cederberg) – Top Shiraz/Syrah
Two new wines now join the range from Jocelyn Hogan, specifically a multi-site Chardonnay and a Cabernet Franc, bringing the total number to four. Tasting notes and ratings as follows:
Hogan The Galvanised Chardonnay 2018
Approximate retail price: R255
41% of grapes from Elandskloof, 37% Polkadraai and 23% Banghoek. Th nose shows lemon, a hint of vanilla and intriguing reductive notes– think struck match but also play dough! Good fruit concentration matched by a lovely line of acidity before a long, gently savoury finish. Low in alcohol at 12.5% but not too severe, this has plenty of detail.
Editor’s rating: 94/100.
A little better all the time.
Hogan Chenin Blanc 2018
Approximate retail price: R345
From Swartland grapes. Some flinty reduction before herbs, citrus, peach as well as a slight waxy note on the nose. The palate shows excellent focus with again very good fruit concentration and fresh acidity before a salty finish. Energetic and flavourful, this wine seems to get more refined with each passing vintage.
Editor’s rating: 95/100.
Hogan Mirror for the Sun Cabernet Franc 2018
Approximate retail price: R345
Grapes from the lower Helderberg. A pretty nose with notes of red fruit, violets and fresh herbs including a touch of mint. Surprisingly light-bodied given an alcohol of 14%, this is already very approachable.
Editor’s rating: 90/100.
Hogan Divergent 2018
Approximate retail price: R390
34% Wellington Carignan, 34% Helderberg Cinsault and 32% Polkadraai Cabernet Sauvignon. Red and black fruit to go with floral perfume, herbs and spice on the nose. Juicy and fresh on the palate with crunchy tannins. A slightly unusual flavour profile but wears this well – plenty of interest.
Editor’s rating: 92/100.
While previous vintages of the Break a Leg Blanc de Noir made from Cinsault by Lukas van Loggerenberg have, by all accounts, enjoyed significant commercial success, I’ve tended to find it a bit simple.
Pink that doesn’t stink.
The 2019, however, is a different kettle of fish. This is not about overt aromatics and flavours although there is a vague sense of blood orange both on the nose and palate. Rather, it is all about texture and energy – the fruit is pure, the acidity fresh, the finish nicely dry. It’s tightly wound, altogether less accessible than previous incarnations and consequently more serious. The best SA pink I’ve tasted in a long time. Approximate retail price: R145 a bottle.
Editor’s rating: 91/100.
Find our South African wine ratings database here.
Neal Martin of Vinous.com hard at work.
Variety, they say, is the spice of life. When it comes to wine reviewing and wine critiquing, I’d argue that it’s even more important than that. This past week has been an enlightening few days as I rolled up sleeves to help host internationally acclaimed wine reviewer Neal Martin’s first South African new-release “snapshot” wine tasting for his next Vinous.com South Africa report post his quadruple bypass heart operation earlier this year. Admittedly, this important exercise certainly would not have been possible without the work of the UK’s Wines of South Africa (WOSA) head, Jo Wehring. Short-staffed due to maternity leave and invariably under tight budgetary pressures as always, all barriers were easily overcome by Jo as she helped move mountains to co-ordinate and organise this critically important tasting.
While special mention must, of course, be made to the impressive and professional encyclopaedic volume of wine industry analysis and wine reviews published by industry commentator Tim Atkin MW in his recently released South African Wine Report 2019, clearly, helping to facilitating yet another body of detailed analysis from arguably the world’s most important and influential wine critic in the post-Robert Parker era was not only a crucially important exercise to benefit consumers but also one that merited mountains being moved to ensure South Africa’s incredible fine wine producers receive as much positive promotion as humanly possible. And as if two reports on the state of play in South Africa wasn’t exciting enough, the industry has the new Wine Advocate’s South Africa reviewer’s first report due out imminently as well. A tsunami of scores, reviews and must-buy wine lists to digest.
While helping to co-ordinate this Vinous.com tasting, there was a lot of chatter on the general state of play in the South African wine industry but also on the high quality of wines coming out of South Africa. As a wine merchant based in London, I’m fortunate to get to work with a number of international generic wine promotion bodies during my day-to-day buying and selling activities. But one feature that really stood out in our conversations was the sustained high profile that South African wines have managed to maintain over the past five to six years. In marketing parlance, I’m confident to say that the persistent level of consumer and trade interest in a single country wine category is almost unprecedented. The closest similar “phenomenon” if I can call it that, was probably the golden decade of Australian wine promotion magic starting in the late 1990s and continuing until the financial crash of 2008.
With major industry players and brand owners, who often contribute a disproportionately greater amount of funds to generic promotional budgets, always trying to flex their collective muscles to dictate the direction and tone of the overall generic marketing message, it’s easy to see the many areas of potential conflict that can arise when attempting to appease all stakeholders. Certainly, Wines of Australia’s attempt in the mid-2000s to move their generic wine promotion message focus from one of Brand Australia to one of regionalism, boutique heroes, wine icons, the cult of cool climate winemaking, the up-and-coming young guns and general producer diversity and innovation, was a message that resulted in heads rolling and massive internal industry upheaval as keystone conglomerates refused to back this direction of travel. By the time the global financial crisis hit in 2008, the writing was on the wall and Australian wine promotion was relegated to a decade long dark winter of discontent with a directionless rein of chaos.
But what’s the relevance to South African generic wine promotion you may ask? Well of course, the hugely successful style, tone and message of quality, regionality and boutique diversity is the precise message that has ensured South Africa’s “favoured nation wine status” and popularity over the same corresponding five to eight years in the crucially important UK export market. I said it a decade ago and I’ll say it again now, it’s the trickle-down halo marketing of regionality, the cutting edge young guns, the new ground-breaking regions and the boutique quality that drives a seductive, alluring marketing message. All that needs to accompany this message are a wide array of tantalisingly innovative wines of exceptional quality and the recipe is set for sustained, long term success. The trickle-down benefits will undoubtedly translate into rewards and opportunities for all South African producers including and especially the bigger generic brand owners. That’s the wonder of the ‘halo effect’ in marketing.
As Wines of Australia ironically returns heart and soul to its message of regionality, diversity and boutique heroes as the only sustainable and effective way to market their evolving wine styles to new millennial drinkers, let’s hope South Africa can remain the marketing leader with its innovative producers, genuinely engaging background stories, their industry modesty and humility and above all, the ever increasing wine quality for both reds and whites. The publicity crown is ours and there is no reason why we should relinquish it any time soon to Australia, New Zealand, Chile or Argentina.
De Grendel’s vineyards on the Ceres Plateau.
winemag.co.za has undertaken a detailed examination of the Chardonnay category on an annual basis since 2010 and this year’s findings in the form of a report sponsored by multinational financial services company Prescient are now out.
There were 93 entries were received from 65 producers and these were tasted blind (labels out of sight) by a three-person panel, scoring done according to the 100-point quality scale – 52 examples or 56% of the line-up rating 90-plus on the 100-point quality scale.
The 10 best wines overall were as follows:
Out of the top 10 (five rating 93, four rating 94 and one rating 95), five are from Stellenbosch, three were from Elgin and one each from Ceres Plateau and Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge.
De Grendel was overall top performer with its Op Die Berg 2018 being the wine to pick up the highest rating of 95. The Durbanville cellar with Charles Hopkins as head winemaker is enjoying an impressive run of form, its Elim 2017 coming up trumps in the Shiraz Report and its Op Die Berg 2017 likewise in the Tonnellerie Saint Martin Pinot Noir Report earlier this year.
The average price of the 52 wines to rate 90- plus is R162 a bottle while the average price of the top 10 is R233 a bottle. Of particular interest to those wine lovers on a tight budget would be the Stellenbosch Vineyards Unwooded 2018, this wine selling for R90 a bottle and placing among the top 10 with a rating of 94. There were also another three wines under R100 that each scored a straight 90, these being Durbanville Hills 2018 at R69 a bottle, Meerhof 2018 at R70 and Nederburg The Winemasters 2018 at R75 (prices are ex-cellar and as supplied by the producer at the time of tasting).
Unwooded entries are not tasted separately as we believe fruit integrity rather than winemaking technique is what matters most when it comes to determining quality and in addition to the Stellenbosch Vineyards wine mentioned above, another example to catch the eye was the Sans Chêne 2018 from Kruger Family Wines with a rating of 92.
For the first time ever, there were two examples of bottle fermented sparkling wine entered (the rules do not exclude this method of production so an entirely legitimate entry) and of these, the panel particularly liked the Blanc de Blancs 2016 from Durbanville Hills for its elegance and verve, rating it 91.
As for the general state of the category, the panel was concerned to note that quite a few of the 2018s looked unduly developed and it is hoped that we are not facing the “premature oxidation” phenomemon that beleaguered white Burgundy not so long ago. Over-ripe fruit due to drought/global warming, excessive stirring of the lees, lower levels of sulphur dioxide and poorly performing corks are all factors to consider in this regard. That said, they were also wines that were excessively reductive (exacerbated by being closed under screwcap in some instances) and once again, it is clear that achieving winemaking perfection is no easy matter.
One other explanation concerning how the 2018s showed might simply be vintage variation – it may be that growing conditions were a tad less favourable than they were in 2017 and there’s nothing more to the matter than that. And before 2018 gets too bad a reputation, it’s worth noting that seven of the top 10 are from this vintage so evidently some producers were able to work around whatever challenges the year posed.
More generally, Chardonnay is an extremely important category within the industry – it is the seventh most widely planted variety, total area under vineyard amounting to 6 660ha, the equivalent of 7.16% of the national vineyard and because of its well established credentials around the world, the best examples are able to demand a price premium and ensure profitability that so often eludes producers. The Chardonnay Report, now in its ninth year, hopefully helps steer the category in the right direction and in this regard, Prescient’s involvement as sponsor is greatly appreciated.
The judging panel was chaired by myself, Christian Eedes (editor, winemag.co.za) and further consisted of two trusted colleagues, namely Roland Peens and James Pietersen, both of Wine Cellar, Cape Town merchants and cellarers of fine wine. We tasted blind, ratings done according to the 100-point system. Final scores were awarded on the basis of discussion that involved retasting where necessary rather than relying solely on arithmetic averaging.
 | De Grendel Op die Berg 2018Score: 95Fermented and matured for six months in French oak barrels, a third new. Some flinty reduction before lime and lemon and a little biscuit-like character. The palate, meanwhile, appears tightly coiled with a great core of fruit to go with an exhilarating line of acidity, the finish long and pithy. Classy stuff.Cost R200 Total production 8 100 bottles Abv 13.5% |
 | Delaire Graff Banghoek Reserve 2018Score: 94No malolactic fermentation. Matured for 10 months in French oak, 40% new. A hint of reduction before lime and lemon. The palate has great flavour intensity without being weighty – good depth of fruit and nicely coated acidity, the finish long and savoury. A wine of refinement that should mature with benefit.Cost R225 Total production 22 000 bottles Abv 13.5% |
 | Highlands Road 2017Score: 94Spontaneously fermented and matured for 10 months in French oak barrels, one-third new. 50% malolactic fermentation completed. Some struck-match reduction before citrus and oak-derived vanilla and spice. The palate is rich and full with a creamy texture, the acidity nicely coated, the finish long and savoury. Plenty of Wow! factor.Cost R190 Total production 4 000 bottles Abv 14% |
 | Paul Cluver Estate 2017Score: 94Spontaneously fermented in barrel, 38% of the wine undergoing malolactic fermentation. Matured for nine months in French oak, 33% new. Some smoky reduction before pear, white peach and citrus on the nose. The palate is well balanced and nicely energetic with pure fruit and fresh acidity before a savoury finish. Carefully assembled as you’d expect from this cellar.Cost R275 Total production 41 160 bottles Abv 13.69% |
 | Stellenbosch Vineyards Unwooded 2018Score: 93Spontaneous fermentation, matured for six months on the lees. A pretty nose with notes of blossom, pear and citrus while the palate has a lovely vitality about it with lots of clean fruit and fresh acidity before a pithy finish.Cost R90 Total production 2 900 bottles Abv 13.5% |
 | Creation Reserve 2018Score: 93Fermented and matured for 10 months in French oak, 40% new. A complex and subtle nose with notes of pear, citrus and herbs while the palate shows good fruit concentration, punchy acidity and a pithy finish. Possessing layers of flavour, this is elegant and composed.Cost R310 Total production 12 000 bottles Abv 13.76% |
 | Journey’s End 2018Score: 93Half of the must underwent spontaneous fermentation while the other half was inoculated. 20% malolactic fermentation. Matured for nine months in French oak, 30% new. A complex nose showing a herbal top note before pear, peach and citrus plus some leesy character. The palate has a great energy about it – lovely fruit purity and freshness before a finish that is long and pithy.Cost R165 Total production 10 000 bottles Abv 13.34% |
 | Kershaw Clonal Selection Elgin 2018Score: 93From four clones planted across nine different sites. Spontaneously fermented and matured for 11 months in French oak, 39% new. White flowers before citrus and some yeasty complexity on the nose. The palate balanced with a good fruit concentration and nicely coated acidity, the finish long and savoury – precisely made and full of detail.Cost R570 Total production 15 982 bottles & 70 magnums Abv 13.5% |
 | Simonsig 2017Score: 93No malolactic fermentation. Matured for nine months in French oak, 40% new. A hint of reduction before lime and lemon on the nose while the palate shows plenty of juicy fruit and bright acidity. Clean and correct, this is well balanced and unshowy.Cost R115 Total production 33 400 bottles Abv 13.76% |
 | Stellenrust Barrel Fermented 2018Score: 93Spontaneously fermented and matured for 12 months in French oak, 30% new. The nose shows smoky reduction before lime and lemon plus some waxy complexity. The palate has plenty of fruit power to go with nice tart acidity, providing a pleasantly sweet ‘n sour drinking experience. A wine of particular richness.Cost R160 Total production 6 794 bottles Abv 13.4% |
As always, we welcome your thoughts in the comments below.
For the report in PDF format, download the following: Prescient Chardonnay Report 2019
If you really want to have yourself a merry little Christmas this year, without piles of washing up and leftovers for days, why not make a booking at a wine farm? From sumptuous set menus and lavish buffets to alfresco spit braais and picnics, here’s our annual round-up of the festive feasts on offer – and with the likes of Delaire Graff and La Petite Ferme already fully booked, you’d better act fast!
Know of any others? Please feel free to provide details in the comments section below.
ALLÉE BLEUE, FRANSCHHOEK
Xmas buffet R495 per person, Xmas picnic R485 per couple (the latter including a bottle of wine)
For a very chilled Christmas, pick up a hamper packed with biltong bread rolls, smoked salmon paté, tomato, basil & mozzarella pasta salad, a farm-style platter of local cheese, roasted beef sirloin, honey mustard gammon, olives, olive tapenade, preserves and pesto served with fruited Melba toast and farm-baked bread, finishing off with strawberry brownie skewers and mini apple bites. Alternatively, ease into the buffet with local cheeses, cured meats and condiments followed by mains including chicken thighs in herb yoghurt marinade, slow-roasted gammon with honey mustard glaze, and pink peppercorn-crusted sirloin with red wine jus PLUS rosemary roast potatoes, summer vegetables, cheesy butternut, olive and spinach bake and salads. Make sure to leave space for dessert: carrot and pecan nut cake, brandy chocolate pudding and mini milk tarts.
BACKSBERG, KLAPMUTS
Christmas lunch R795 per person, R250 for children under 12, free for children under 5 (prices are inclusive of gratuities)
On arrival you’ll be treated to a glass of Backsberg Sparkling Brut MCC or Backsberg Tread Lightly Rosé. At the bread table, you’ll find assorted homemade breads, patés, basil pesto and hummus. The main event is lamb on the spit with gravy, mint sauce and cranberry jelly, but there’s also glazed gammon, roast chicken, smoked salmon terrine, bacon and rosemary quiches, mini chicken and beef pies, bacon diablos, hake goujons, spring rolls and samosas, roast potatoes and salads galore. The dessert buffet includes Pavlova with seasonal berries, traditional trifle, Peppermint Crisp tart, Christmas cake and custard, blueberry ice cream and chocolate roulade served with seasonal fruits.
BENGUELA COVE, NEAR HERMANUS
Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day lunch R600 per person, R250 for children, including a welcome drink and crackers
At Moody Lagoon restaurant, executive chef Annie Badenhorst has curated a festive menu using locally sourced ingredients. The ‘breaking bread’ course will comprise a sharing platter of cold meats, cheeses, breads, patés and canapes, to be followed by the ‘down in yon forest’ course: a salad of dried pears, pickled apple, candy walnuts, Cremona blue and pancetta. ‘Hog the herald angels’ will be slow-braised pork belly with crispy squid, hammock pearl barley risotto, glazed baby carrots and charred cabbage, while ‘layers of joy to the world’ is the famous Benguela Christmas trifle: Cuvee jelly, panna cotta, red velvet cake and coconut. The kids menu (R250) starts with fish fingers, tartar sauce, fresh tomato and pea salad, followed by roast chicken, mash potato, mixed veg and chicken jus, with chocolate brownie, marshmallow fluff and strawberry sorbet for dessert.
CAVALLI ESTATE, STELLENBOSCH
Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day lunch R950 per person (R800 for the vegetarian menu)
On offer is a six-course set menu (eight courses if you include the bread and snacks to start and petit fours to finish). Expect gammon & Parma ham terrine with sauce gribiche and sticky pineapple; tomato gazpacho with basil sorbet, confit heirloom tomatoes and Kalamata olives; beetroot-cured salmon with avocado, nori, Caesar aioli and pickled cucumber; grilled line fish in an almond and cranberry crust with fresh peas and tarragon, braised fennel and battered white anchovy; grass-fed beef fillet with soubise sauce, roasted shallots, hasselback potato and crispy pickled tongue; and summer cherry and white chocolate bar with rum & cherry ice cream and an orange sable.
DE GRENDEL WINE ESTATE, DURBANVILLE
Christmas Day lunch R1850 per person, R450 for children under 13 (including service fee and gift)
Known for its contemporary Cape Town cuisine, De Grendel restaurant will serving a special seven-course food and wine pairing menu, but the menu will only be released later this month.
DE MEYE WINE ESTATE, MULDERSVLEI, STELLENBOSCH
Christmas Day lunch R495 per person, half price for children under 12
The Table at De Meye has recently been taken over by Leigh Williamson and Brendan Thorncroft (formerly of Restaurant Seven, Restaurant Jardine and Jordan Restaurant). The menu will only be confirmed a couple of days before Christmas (depending on what is in season and available) but it promises to be suitably celebratory.
GRAND PROVENCE HERITAGE WINE ESTATE, FRANSCHHOEK
Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day lunch R1850 per person, R950 for children under 10
A festive fine-dining feast is promised, featuring ‘an exciting array of dishes to satisfy every culinary desire’. The lavish spread will include endive, cranberry granite, crispy turkey skins and blue cheese; polenta sweetcorn pudding, scallops, bacon jam and crispy brussel sprouts; turducken (‘because three birds are better than one’) with parsnip acorn puree, fire roasted beetroot and turkey jus; and pecan pie with curry and ginger gel, butternut ice cream and pumpkin pie powder.
HAZENDAL, BOTTELARY ROAD, STELLENBOSCH
Christmas Day lunch at Avant-Garde restaurant R950 per person (including welcome drinks for sharing family-style at the table), R450 for children under 12 (plus optional R110 for arts and crafts); Babushka Deli picnic R650 per person, R250 for children under 12
Specialising in ‘reimagined Russian and South African traditions’, AVANTE-GARDE’s Christmas menu includes such starters as beetroot and vodka cured salmon trout crêpe cake (sans salmon for vegetarians), venison (or sweet potato) carpaccio with rocket and parmesan, profiteroles with chicken liver paté (or pea pesto), pickled ox tongue with caper and raisin dressing, grilled aubergine and yoghurt with pomegranate and date salad, and rosemary and garlic marinated mushrooms with hummus. Mains include mustard glazed pork belly, roast duck with cranberry and apple, lamb with thyme and apricot stuffing, and (for vegetarians) pelmeni with pumpkin and mushrooms, tofu and chickpea butter curry, and black lentil and falafel bowl with boiled egg and salad. After the cheese course (Dalewood Boland custard, confit tomato and paprika scone), dessert is Russian honey cake with honeycomb whipped Russian cream and dulce de leche ice cream.
The BABUSHKA picnic comprises artisan breads with salted farm butter, chicken liver paté and mushroom ketchup; potted salmon and crème fraiche; a cold meat selection of pickled ox tongue, roast beef, festive poultry terrine and glazed ham; Russian Olivier potato salad; marinated calamari salad with Asian pesto, basil and sundried tomato; pickled cucumber and green bean salad; local cheese and preserves; and Christmas-inspired honey cake trifle as well as cherry and chocolate zephyr bites. The vegetarian menu sounds equally delicious, as do the children’s menus (tailored for less sophisticated palates).
KUNJANI WINES, BOTTELARY, STELLENBOSCH
Christmas Day lunch R665 per person, R325 for children under 10
To start, smoked trout and prawn salad with mango, rocket, red onion, caper berry and lemon jelly; farm-fresh vegetable salad of baby spinach, cranberry, toasted almonds, broccoli, sundried tomato and olive dressing; and turkey and avocado salad with strawberry, baby leaves, red onion, feta and balsamic vinaigrette. For mains, a choice between roasted ribeye steak with shallots, mushrooms, baby carrots, fondant potato and red wine jus; line fish with panko-crumbed fishcake, pak choi, harissa, asparagus and coconut sauce; or dukkha-spiced lamb loin with asparagus spears, baby carrots, confit potatoes, pea purée and red wine jus. To finish, cranberry, almond and orange Christmas pudding topped with vanilla crème anglaise, and Oreo baked cheesecake with passion fruit jelly, fresh strawberries and lime zest.
Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day lunch R699 per person (including G&T, bubbly and sherry on arrival, a selection of red and white wine, cold drinks and water)
Chef Mynhardt Joubert will be hosting a long table for 80 people in KWV’s iconic Cathedral Cellar. Breads will include brioche, baguette and charcoal ciabatta with almond and honey and green fig preserve. The Christmas charcuterie platter will include brandy and creamy chicken liver pâté, beef tongue with mustard sauce, gammon rillettes and Maraschino cherries, and then there’ll be a table buffet of rolled and stuffed lamb rib, sun-dried tomato chicken, pork fillet stuffed with nuts and cherries, pampoenkoekies with caramel sauce, and Cape Malay spiced rice with real gravy. To end, Christmas fruit cake semifreddo, cinnamon meringue and vanilla bean custard. Email bookings@mynhardt.co.za or contact Frikkie at 078 800 5155.
LE POMMIER, HELSHOOGTE, STELLENBOSCH
Christmas Day lunch R550 per person, R280 for children under 12
For starters, farm bread served with patés, cold meats and cheeses, homemade preserves, hake cutlets and various salads. Mains include slow-roasted leg of lamb with mint jelly, crispy pork belly with honey and ginger, traditional chicken and mushroom pie, pumpkin fritters, roast potatoes, vegetables and sauces. And then for dessert: trifle, cheesecake, chocolate mousse, malva pudding, fresh fruit, vanilla ice cream and of course Christmas pudding.
NITIDA, DURBANVILLE
Tables at Nitida Christmas Day buffet R625 per person, R220 for children under 12, R150 for children under 6. Cassia five-course lunch R750 per person
The family-friendly TABLES buffet will kick off with bacon, brie and cranberry quiche; beetroot, feta and walnut tartlets; carpaccio with rocket, pecorino crackling and balsamic vinegar; various salads and a selection of breads with assorted dips. For mains, there’s herb-rubbed sirloin of beef, roast turkey with apple, walnut and cranberry stuffing, and honey sriracha-glazed gammon, while desserts include summer Christmas trifle, Amarula malva pudding with rooibos custard, seasonal fruit, ice cream with chocolate sauce and ‘brookies’ (combining brownies and choc-chip cookies).
The more formal option at CASSIA starts with a glass of The Matriarch MCC followed by an amuse bouche of roasted tomato panna cotta with Parma ham, savoury pecan nut tuille and crispy fried basil leaf. For starters there’s a choice between stout-braised beef cheek and tongue terrine, Dungeness crab tian, and asparagus and calamata tortellini. After a palate-cleansing beetroot sorbet with goat’s cheese mousse, mains are a choice between Kingklip Kashkaval, spiced rum and maple glazed gammon, roast leg and grilled breast of turkey with roasted butternut and pine kernel stuffing, and wagyu beef brisket wellington. For dessert, choose between Bûche de Noël with pistachio butter cream and marbled berry curd ice cream; trifle with white chocolate blondie, dark chocolate mousse, roasted hazelnuts, Frangelico anglaise and berry lime jelly; and roasted fig and chocolate ganache bread and butter pudding served with citrus crème anglaise.
STEENBERG, TOKAI
Tryn Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day lunch R1100 per person (R1550 per person with wine pairing). Discretionary service charge will be added to bill
Fine-dining Catharina’s has undergone a transformation to emerge as Tryn (as Steenberg’s feisty 17th-century owner Catharina Ras was known). The Christmas menu starts with Chardonnay Brut MCC on arrival followed by an amuse bouche of ash-crusted chevin, maple pear and toasted brioche. Grilled prawns with avocado, ginger, kaffir lime, seaweed salad, cucumber ribbon and aioli will be paired with the Rattlesnake Sauvignon Blanc, followed by sustainable fish with green asparagus, pea, onion soil, vanilla and a glass of Sphynx Chardonnay. Steenberg’s Syrah will be served alongside the grilled beef fillet with parsnip puree, beef croquette, porcini marmalade, tender greens and truffle jus, while the chocolate torte with rose gel, raspberry mousse, chocolate dentelle and pistachio & coco butter ice cream will be accompanied by Blaauwklippen’s Zinfandel Noble Late Harvest. To end the feast, a selection of friandises with Origin coffee or Ronnefeldt tea.
Trizanne Barnard of Trizanne Signature Wines has released two new wines from Sondagskloof, the emerging wine growing area situated between Hermanus and Cape Agulhas. Tasting notes and ratings as follows:
Gnarly.
Trizanne Signature Wines Sondagskloof White 2018
Approximate retail price: R270
From Sauvignon Blanc, 50% skin fermented and then matured for six months in new oak, 50% barrel fermented and matured for six months before the two components were blended and returned to barrel for a further 10 months. A compelling nose of peach, nectarine, blackcurrant and some mushroom-like character while the palate is rich yet balanced – plenty of fruit weight plus a great line of acidity, the finish super-long. Possesses both depth and detail. Alcohol: 13%.
Editor’s rating: 96/100.
Trizanne Signature Wines Sondagskloof Syrah 2018
Approximate retail price: R245
Matured for 16 months in French oak. Red and black berries, a brush of vanilla plus subtle notes of white pepper, lilies and fynbos. Full bodied and smooth-textured, this has good fruit definition, quite gentle acidity and a gently savoury finish.
Editor’s rating: 92/100.
Find our South African wine ratings database here.
Johannesburg is packed full of people who have come from somewhere else in search of something better. Whether that somewhere else was pogrom-ridden Eastern Europe or Interahamwe infiltrated Central Africa, Egoli’s overarching ethos has always been to move forward and don’t look back. Which is why much of the city’s earlier architecture has been lost amidst the constant cycles of destruction and reconstruction.
The Rosebank Firestation – yes, that’s “firestation” as one word – is a relatively rare example of Johannesburg building heritage retained. Well, sort of. It is not so much restoration as reconfiguration. The 1930s fire station forms a core (and fire fighters still work out of the central portion of the building) but light, bright, cascading open workspaces (occupied by ad agencies and hipster techy-types) have been built around and above the original Art Deco. The design cleverly celebrates and emphasizes past beauty rather than imitating or undermining it. Intertwined areas offer insight into the ways in which the lives of those using the building have changed and stayed the same. As such the space offers an intriguing narrative of Johannesburg’s history.
These two worlds merge and mingle at Brik. The tables at the front of the eatery are located in a renovated bay window-lit nook within the original heritage building. The back tables of the same restaurant spill out into the triple volume vertical expansiveness of the newer space and then flow on into a foyer. Here guests are greeted by a 3-meter Hannelie Coetzee sculpture which uses pixel-like blocks of reclaimed wood from the demolished Rissik Street Post Office. Initially the shape seems abstract but the ‘pixels’ come into clear focus to form a woman when viewed from a distance – it is surely no accident that the vantage point of Brik’s mid-section tables works particularly well.
The overlapping, multi-use vibe flows from the architecture into the eatery’s ambiance. During the day Brik is a networking hot spot serving stylish salads and craft beer. At night the feel is romantic restaurant.
Whatever the time of day, Chef Sasha Simpson’s philosophy is consistently eco-epicurean. Impressive due diligence has been done to ensure that everything on the menu is environmentally sustainable, healthy and fair. Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, organic, nose-to-tail meat eaters, green listed fish fans, locavores, Fair Trade enthusiasts and ancient grain eaters are all amply catered for.
There is relatively little waste – due to the re-use and re-purpose cooking style in the kitchen but I am reliably informed at any waste made during the making of meals is separated (plastic/ glass/ paper/ organic waste) into biodegradable dustbin bags. Organic stuff is sent to a farm north of Pretoria upon which they grow produce, the plastic water bottles go back to the bottle company who process them into t-shirts and tote bags (both available on the retail shelf) and the soft plastic is used in monthly eco brick making events for school groups. All this and the food still tastes great.
To start I had ricotta and spinach gnudi (R52). Gnudi are what gnocchi become when they are made with cheese rather than potato. The plump, light cheese spheres were served with a pool of coriander and pumpkin seed green mole sauce and a burnt butter, sage drizzle. My friend chose the dhal bowl (R62) with grilled tofu, pickled cabbage and toasted seeds. Of all the food I tried the latter was the least successful – perfectly pleasant but subtle to the edge of bland. My main was succulent, slow cooked short rib (R70) which had a dark intense, meaty jus and did all the right sticky-sweet-sour stuff. Meat slipped from bones and was scooped up with buttery mealie meal. I was so engrossed in my carnivory that I forgot to try my partner’s vegan fried ‘fish’ (actually banana blossom) with sweet potato chips and aquafaba tartar (R50).
“Seriously special.”
Puddings were seriously special. I had a superb vegan and gluten-free sorghum and amaranth chocolate cake with a banana beer sauce (R65). The cake’s crust was light yet crisp, the centre had the gorgeously gooey texture of a perfect brownie. Intense chocolate flavour was everywhere apparent. The fermented, malty fruit beer sauce added an umami element that saved me from drowning in the dense sweetness of the cake. My friend had a smooth, creamy sweet yet sour, uplifting rather than heavy cheese cake with a whisky custard (R30).
We drank pineapple and cardamom kombucha with our starters and moved on to wine with mains. The wine list is made up of small, independent producers many of whom have a niche and/or idiosyncratic approach to their craft. To my eye there were no obvious, same old, same-old, safe choice options available. Many of the bottles on offer were unfamiliar to me and I would have liked longer descriptions on the wine list or a skilled sommelier. In the absence of such support, I resorted to Googling the offerings so as to get a sense of what might work well with my food.
Whether you celebrate with Gabrielskloof Madame Lucy MCC (R415), sample Boschkloof Kottabos Chenin Blanc (R368) or sip on Bizoe Idioglossia Malbec (R719) mark ups are at the reasonable end of average and there is something to intrigue and educate everyone. We ultimately chose the Usana Cabernet Sauvignon (R295) to drink with our mains. Usana is isiXhosa for baby/ newborn which felt right. Almost all of the winemakers listed were drawing on personal experiences of reinvention and new beginnings. Something and someone new was being born. There were varietals that had fallen out of favour and several producers who had lived other professional lives before becoming winemakers. Which is just as it should be in order to match the mood of the place and the content of the plates.
Brik Cafe: 066 573 6697; 16 Baker Street, Rosebank, Johannesburg
Post the Elgin Chardonnay Colloquium that was held this weekend and on the eve of the release of the ninth annual Chardonnay Report convened by winemag.co.za and sponsored by multinational financial services company Prescient, you might think that this column would be indeed be about this most famous of varieties. And yes, the Paul Cluver Estate 2009 as shown at the Colloquium was one of the most riveting wines I’ve tasted all year but actually my subject will be Sauvignon Blanc.
Apparently, according to industry figure Emile Joubert tweeting during the announcement of this year’s FNB Sauvignon Blanc Top winners last week, the variety commands 44 per cent of South Africa’s ultra-premium wine category and good luck to those producers that have correctly read the market and cashed in accordingly. South Africa is capable of world-class Sauvignon Blanc witness Cederberg Ghost Corner Wild Ferment 2017 winning the trophy for best in class at this year’s Six Nations Wine Challenge, a feat that entailed beating New Zealand in a category that it pretty much owns.
Sauvignon Blanc might be commercially successful – along with Pinotage, these are the only two varieties among South Africa’s top 10 most widely planted where area under vineyard has increased rather than decreased between 2008 and 2018 – but the prospect of drinking a 2019, no matter how celebrated the grower, no matter how highly decorated the wine, frankly doesn’t set my heart racing – too primary, too precocious, too facile.
This is not, however, intended as typical wine geek Sauvignon Blanc bashing. Another of last week’s more memorable Pascal Jolivet Sancerre 2014, bought on clearance sale from one of the larger liquour retailers. Regardless of what might have been questionable storage conditions, it was in its pomp with plenty of complexity and nicely filled out in terms of structure. This prompted me to open a bottle of Blocks 361 & 372 2015 from local producer Klein Constantia a few days later which was also rather fine.
Top-end Sauvignon Blanc producers always counter that the market just doesn’t care for the variety with some age on it. Similarly, Blanc Fumé and Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon blends are other ways of adding interest to the variety but again the lack of a popular following for such wines is well documented. Even, so my contention that those of us who care for Sauvignon Blanc should not give up on trying to persuade punters to engage with the variety on a higher level. There is a huge element of fashion to wine and however unlikely decline in fortunes for Sauvignon Blanc might seem, it’s not utterly beyond the bounds of possibility. Chenin Blanc’s reputation continues to grow, for instance, while Chardonnay is increasingly made tauter and fresher than it used to be and there might come a point when those who currently opt for Sauvignon switch allegiance…
One way of ensuring that the Sauvignon Blanc category doesn’t become a victim of its own success is to ensure is that at least some of it is made in a way that doesn’t pander to lowest common denominator tastes but rather produces wines of contemplation and wonder. Entries for the seventh annual Sauv-Sem Blend/Wooded Sauvignon Blanc Report are now open.
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