NEWS DIARY VIRTUAL TASTING
The country’s lengthy lockdown had people getting used to doing things at home: working from home, home schooling, virtual meetings with business colleagues as well as catching up with friends and families via tablet, PC or mobile device. So it’s not that big a stretch to do a virtual wine tasting – and many people around the world did. But South African wine farm Steenberg decided to keep the trend going once the country stepped down to Level 3 and reopened sales of liquor. Steenberg decided to offer online consumers virtual tasting packs because the in-person and in-situ tasting experience was still deemed dangerous to the spread of the coronavirus. Cellarmaster Elunda Basson provides a stepby-step walk-through of
the wines in each of the various tasting packs on offer by means of video clips. Included in each tasting pack is a luxurious brochure guiding you through the full Steenberg wine experience complete with tasting notes, winemaking information and food pairing suggestions. There are three different tasting selections on offer. There’s a Classic which is very general in its scope and offers something for everyone: a bubbly, Sauvignon Blanc, Rosé and three reds. Since Steenberg has a serious focus on making sparkling wine the second pack offers a variety - from the Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc, through to the elegant Méthode Cap Classique range all the way to the flagship bubbly, Lady R. The third and final pack is potentially a great gift idea for someone who is really keen on wine. It’s a splurge and comprises the Flagship Tasting Selection. Wine geeks will love the diversity of the wines on offer, all very special and from unique grapes and vineyards – like the Nebbiolo, a natural sweet Semillon and the iconic Catharina red blend. For further details and prices visit: www.steenbergfarm. com/buy-wine-online/
DELHEIM’S DECADE OF MUSHROOMS
Actually getting out into the forests on the Simonsberg slopes during Delheim’s annual mushroom forage is possibly the biggest drawcard of the event. Due to travel and coronavirus restrictions the Stellenbosch wine producer was unable to celebrate its decade of mushroom foraging but the ever-dynamic Sperling family soon came up with an alternative plan. After all, they still had wine – and mushrooms! Usually booked up well in advance, this special event traditionally teaches the handful of folks lucky enough to attend all about mushroom identification before heading out to put the lessons learned into practice. The day usually ends with a hearty, mushroom themed meal in the Delheim restaurant with ample wine to be enjoyed. This year, Delheim re-fashioned the event by releasing an exceptional Wild Mushroom Experiencein-a-box. Filled with tastes and textures that capture the spirit of the occasion, the boxes were available from 8 June, from the winery’s online shop while stocks last. As Nora Sperling Thiel recalled, when begun 10 years ago people weren’t familiar with mushroom foraging. “It took three years before we could get enough people together as interest grew,” she said. So what’s in the Delheim Wild Mushroom Experience-in-a-box? Each box contains the book, Field Guide to Mushrooms & Other Fungi of South Africa by Gary Goldman and Marieka Gryzenhout. Gary co-hosted forages with Nora Thiel at Delheim for years; bottle of Delheim Chenin Blanc Wild Ferment 2019; Sauvignon Blanc 2019 and Cabernet Sauvignon 2016; dried porcini mushrooms, parmesan cheese and risotto rice plus added extras to make your meal exceptional; and, a recipe card to help perfect your mushroom risotto. The online shop can be viewed at https://www.delheim.com/shop-online/.
MASTERING WINE
The Institute of Cape Wine Masters (ICWM) has four new members in its ranks after the latest crop of students were awarded their special qualifications virtually during the national coronavirus lockdown. The addition of Durbanite Karen Bloom, Wanda Cronje of Durbanville, Groot Constantia winemaker Boela Gerber and Lisha Nelson of Paarl wine estate, Nelson, brings the tally of Cape Wine Masters to 106. The quartet had to complete a tough series of assignments, exams (written and practical tasting assessments) as well as submit a dissertation on a chosen topic. The dissertations included studies into the spoilage yeast brettanomyces, the use of ovoid or egg-shaped vessels in winemaking, the rise of Prosecco appreciation in South Africa and a look at what constituents in wine posed health risks. In his address at the virtual graduation, outgoing chairperson De Bruyn Steenkamp said that more than 200 000 wine enthusiasts have attended the lectures and training programmes of the Cape Wine Academy, a wine education and industry service initiated by Stellenbosch Farmers’ Winery (now Distell) in 1979 as part of its plan to grow wine knowledge and appreciation.
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