EDITORIAL COMMENT
Diary January
Keeping it simple I remember one Christmas a few years ago when I was abandoned by every member of my household who all had somewhere better to be and I was left to face Christmas on my own, save for the company of my widowed mother (equally abandoned). Not that that’s a bad thing in itself because my mother and I happen to be very good friends. And there were other advantages – firstly, I only had to buy one solitary Christmas present, and secondly, we decided to go out for Christmas lunch. No point in braving the busy shops and fussing over a festive meal for two, we reckoned. I searched the internet to find the ideal venue, made a booking and the two of us set off bright and breezy for a few hours of blissfull indulgence in an idyllic setting. AND we came home to a squeaky-clean house and, relieved of all responsibilities, could retire to bed for an afternoon nap with our respective Christmas books. Not too shabby, I thought. Which is why we feature a few handpicked destinations on page 3 where you can do the same, be it with one companion or the whole family and the children too. And if it sounds like a costly exercise, weigh it up against those grocery, food and drinks bills, the parking fees, the queues, the electricity consumption; not to mention the effort of preparing the family Christmas meal. The older I get, the more I like keeping things simple. Which is one of the reasons I enjoy visiting places like Stanford and Bot River, and meeting down-to-earth creatures who have discovered a way to live that nourishes the soul. I hope you enjoy making the acquaintance of Marian, Johan, Jami and Peter (page 4), and the Beaumonts (page 7), as much as I did.
And if you have never visited Solms-Delta in the beautiful Franschhoek Valley, our feature on page 6 will give you an indication of the many delights to be experienced on this unique wine estate. Everything about Solms-Delta is different – from the distinctive and highly acclaimed wines to the innovative local cuisine and the preservation of the Old Cape history and culture. Until next year, may you all enjoy a blessed festive season.
hedda.mittner@hermanustimes.co.za
Cover photo: Flowers supplied by Hermanus Vars Blommemark and driftwood Christmas tree by Beach House, Hermanus.
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Nie te koop aan persone onder die ouderdom van 18 jaar nie
25 January to 3 February
Stellenbosch Wine Festival: This
flag-ship event of South Africa’s iconic wine region stomps its way into a new era this January with an expanded ten-day program designed to showcase the delightfully diverse town of Stellenbosch from Friday 25 January to Sunday 3 February. The Stellenbosch American Express® Wine Routes moved this annual highlight event from its previous mid-winter schedule to the new dates in order to capitalise on the unique assets and attractions this historic oak-lined town and its more than 150 wineries have to offer during the height of summer. The new date also celebrates the birth of South African wine, announced in this entry on 2 February 1659 in the diary of Jan van Riebeeck, official of the Dutch East India Company and First Commander of the Cape: “Today, praise be to God, wine was made for the first time from Cape grapes.” “We realised that it makes sense to showcase our world-class wines during a period when everything that Stellenbosch offers is at its brightest – its natural beauty, unique cultural heritage, the buzz of a new university year and the bustling start of the harvest season,” says Annareth Bolton, CEO of the Stellenbosch Wine Routes. The new-look Stellenbosch Wine Festival delivers a full flight of wine experiences for both casual fans and connoisseurs, including an inaugural charity gala, a ten-day promotion at many of the area’s award-
winning restaurants, special cultivar evenings and wine farm tours. Sporting events, art exhibitions and musical concerts taking place during the festival will give attendees a colourful taste of the Stellenbosch lifestyle. A festival highlight will be the Blessing of the Harvest and a Harvest Parade on Saturday, 26 January, as celebrants from Stellenbosch member farms are expected to march through the streets. Throughout the week, enthusiasts will be able to dine in town and at wine estate restaurants offering special food and wine pairing menus as part of the festival’s Wine & Dine sensation. A three-day Wine Expo will be located in the heart of the vibrant town and will feature interactive stands and tasting programmes from over 130 wine and gourmet food producers. The Wine Expo is set to take place from 1 to 3 February on Die Braak and will take full advantage of the beautiful natural surroundings with rustic tables, green décor and free-flowing Bedouin tents. A central stage will host sundowner concerts which are being planned to keep festival goers entertained as they enjoy the fabulous vintages on offer. A full festival guide will be published by the organisers in early January and details of the entire programme will be made available on the festival website over the coming weeks. For more information phone 021 886 4310 or visit www.stellenboschwinefestival.co.za.
Diary Dining out this festive season
Tuesday 25 December
Christmas Lunch at Durbanville Hills: The Eatery at Durbanville Hills
Winery promises to make this Christmas a culinary experience to cherish. The threecourse menu provides a fitting feast while you enjoy the wonderful bird’s-eye views of Cape Town’s best side. Starters include Parma ham and sliced melon with ginger dressing; wild mushroom, truffle and caramelised onion tart; or dill-crusted gravadlax with crème fraiche. The carvery offers three delicious meat courses – pork loin, lamb on the spit or smoked turkey, paired with a selection of fresh vegetables and crisp salads, while the array of desserts will certainly appeal to your sweeter side – think pavlova with fresh berries and white chocolate yoghurt or rustic vanilla chocolate block. The three-course lunch is priced at R475 for adults and includes a glass of Durbanville Hills Merlot Rosé on arrival, whilst children under 12 years pay R250. For more information visit www.durbanvillehills.co.za
Christmas lunch at Holden Manz: Avoid spending your precious hours in the kitchen this festive season and let Holden
Manz wine estate in Franschhoek prepare a sumptuous Christmas lunch for you and your loved ones at the Franschhoek Kitchen. Executive Chef Maryna Frederiksen has prepared a mouth-watering Christmas menu full of all your favourite traditional dishes paired with Holden Manz wines. A starter of soft, home-made breads served with Holden Manz farm chutneys and relishes will be followed by a main meal selection of orange and honey glazed gammon with thyme mustard; citrus brined and slow roasted farm turkey with a fresh herb crust, or roast beef with a creamy black pepper mushroom sauce. Delicious sides to complement your meal include a green garden salad with freshly picked herbs and home-made vinaigrette from the estate; warm organic carrots, sausage and sage stuffing and turkey gravy. Saving the best for last, dessert will be chocolate fudge cake with Ceres cherries in red wine. The set menu for Christmas Day lunch costs R375 per person and will also be available on Christmas Eve, starting at 19:00 for 19:30. Booking is essential. Phone 021 876 2729 or e-mail restaurant@holdenmanz.com.
Christmas Lunch at Blaauwklip pen: At Barouche restaurant, Blaauwklip-
pen – one of the Cape’s oldest and most popular wine estates – Christmas lunch will be a leisurely affair with six courses that are sure to increase your holiday cheer. Barouche is a relaxed family-friendly restaurant with a large outdoor terrace overlooking the beautiful gardens, paddocks and vineyards. New chef Chris Maree is cooking up a storm in the kitchen, and for Christmas he is serving up a delectable variety that will please any discerning palate. The first three courses include smoked ostrich carpaccio with caramelised gooseberries and gluhwein reduction, applesmoked chicken breast with watercress, crispy duck prosciutto and foie gras terrine with champage jelly. After a palate cleanser of buchu and lime sorbet, the ecstasy continues with a main course of either Norwegian salmon topped with seared scallops and prawn foam or roast loin of lamb with croquette of confit turkey, pickled artichokes and a cranberry compote. Dessert is a coffee tiramisu and peppermint tart terrine with Rooibos and wild dagga syrup. Sounds sublime. R400 pp. Booking essential at 021 880 0133. Visit www.blaauwklippen.com for more information.
For more information or to reserve your table contact Clos Malverne at 021 865 2022 or send an email to info@closmalverne.co.za.
Nederburg’s New Year’s Eve Spectacular: If
Monday 31 December
New Year’s Eve at Clos Malverne:
End the year on a gastronomic high in the warm company of family-owned wine estate Clos Malverne in the heart of the beautiful Devon Valley outside Stellenbosch. This popular winelands hotspot will pull out all the stops on New Year’s Eve with a lavish food and wine experience, sharing for one night only eight of its most prestigious vintages, each paired with a matching dish. Chef Nadia’s exclusive menu kicks off with a sensational seafood trio accompanied by the Clos Malverne Chardonnay, followed by a smoked ostrich salad and the estate’s popular Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz, after which exotic mushroom mousse stuffed plum tomatoes will share the spotlight with the limited release Clos Malverne Sophia – a superior red blend made in honour of the beloved family matriarch, Sophia Pritchard. Next on this whopping bill of fare is an oh-so-good beef and truffle experience served with Clos Malverne’s limited release flagship Cape Blend, Auret 2008. The dessert duo includes a yummy fig and goat’s cheese tart married with the Clos Malverne Merlot before this memorable New Year’s Eve celebration is rounded off with a mango and macadamia nut tart accompanied by a Clos Malverne Honey Dew goodnight kiss. Tickets cost R468 per person, which includes all the wines. This not-to-be-missed evening starts at 20:00 and will carry on until the wee hours of the New Year. Pre-bookings are essential as seating is limited.
music is the rhythm of the soul, what better way to celebrate the start of 2013 than with top-class live entertainment under starry Paarl skies? Gather family and friends and dance your way into next year at Nederburg’s New Year’s Eve Spectacular. Under the guidance of conductor Richard Cock, the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra will perform a programme of upbeat classical, jazz and contemporary pieces. Guests will hear jazz vocalist Melanie Scholtz (named the Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz in 2010); up-and-coming classic tenor Derrick Ellis; classical-pop, cross-over singer Selim Kagee; as well as Heavenly Quartez, a jazzinfused quartet from Khayelitsha.
Gates open at 19:30 and the concert starts at 21:30. Guests are advised to arrive early to select their spots on the lawns surrounding Nederburg’s historic manor house, for the best view of the stage. A selection of Nederburg’s award-winning wines will be offered for sale. Homebaked sourdough flatbread served with various toppings such as smoked salmon, crème fraiche and rocket; spicy beef and chicken prego rolls; as well as desserts such as ice cream and chocolate brownies will also be available. Guests are most welcome to bring along their own soft drinks, but may not bring their own alcoholic beverages. They are also advised to bring their own glasses, blankets, cushions and chairs. Tickets cost R200 per person and R100 for scholars between the ages of 13 and 18, while entry for children under 12 is free. Tickets are available at Computicket outlets and online at www.computicket.co.za.
When country life beckons HEDDA MITTNER
T
he rural village of Stanford, situated halfway between Hermanus and Gansbaai, give or take a few kilometers, is charming enough in itself. But what makes this historic town really special, is the people. As is the case with most small towns, many of the people come from somewhere else and have a story to tell about how and why they ended up in Stanford. Two such people are Marian Ferris and Johan Jordaan, who both gave up lucrative careers in Johannesburg to get a taste of the good ol’ country life. Friends since 1976, when they both worked as ushers at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town, Marian and Johan had been contemplating emigration to the country for some time before they came across the property that now houses The Stanford Table. “We knew we wanted to cook,” said Marian, “and we wanted to do something together.” But running an a la carte restaurant is something new to both of them. Marian is an expert baker and besides catering for functions she used to supply some of the best coffee shops in Johannesburg. Johan had a career in the film industry, but after completing a cookery course at Ballymaloe, Ireland’s foremost cookery school situated on a 100 acre organic farm, he was inspired to resign and start his new life as a country cook. “The best thing about having a restaurant in Stanford is that you have all the fresh produce you could possibly want right on your doorstep,” said Johan. The Stanford Table opened its doors on 15 November and since then the two friends have been run off their feet trying to keep up with the constant stream of diners. We spent a delightful afternoon at the restaurant with a few of their friends, including the inimitable Kastners – Peter and Jami – from the nearby Weltevrede farm which is home to Stanford Hills Estate, and who brought armsful of their wine to accompany the lunch menu. We kicked off with prawns cooked in Pernod, which was brought to the table with the Stanford Hills Chardonnay 2011, followed by seared duck breasts served with lentil salad, fondant potatoes and steamed green beans, served with the Stanford Hills Veldfire, a Pinotage named after a unique species of Leucospernum that grows on the farm. The meal was rounded off with a panacotta with berry coulis and fresh strawberries which went down a treat with the Stanford Hills Grappa. A quick visit to Stanford Hills after lunch revealed a rambling old farmhouse surrounded by vineyards, olive groves and fynbos against the hauntingly beautiful background of the Kleinrivier mountains. And three very energetic young boys aged one, three and five running all over the place. “We farm flowers, wine and children,” said Jami smilingly, unaffected by the chaos. A unique aspect of this boutique wine estate is the hangar that houses the cellar. Apparently the previous owner, Maurice Jackson, was a retired pilot who kept his planes on the farm, and on the side he also planted 4 ha of Pinotage
Jami and Peter Kastner of Stanford Hills, the only winery housed in a hangar. which provided Peter with the grapes for his first foray into winemaking. Twelve hectares are now under vine, and in honour of his predecessor the wines are named Jackson’s Pinotage, Jackson’s Sauvignon Blanc and Jackson’s Chardonnay. The current vintages of all three wines boast four Platter stars, with the Veldfire Pinotage and the Stanford Hills Grappa, made from Pinotage husks, completing the range. From August to December the flowers on the farm are in full bloom. They are picked daily, put directly into water, and from there packed in boxes for direct export to various markets, including Holland, Germany and Switzerland. There is also a 15-year-old olive grove on the farm that keeps the local market stocked with delicious Black Mission olives, which can be bought directly from the farm from March to May. The newly opened Stanford Hills tasting room is housed in an old farm building that has just been renovated and overlooks the dam, vineyards and mountains. They are open over weekends, Friday to Sunday from 11:00 to 16:00 and offer wine tasting, picnics, horse riding, hiking trails, boating and swimming in the dam. There are three lovingly restored original farm labourers’ cottages offering cosy self-catering accommodation. Call 028 3410 841 or visit www. stanford-hills.co.za for information. The Stanford Table is open Thursday to Monday from 10:00 to 15:00, and Friday and Saturday from 18:30. Call 028 341 0059 to book. They are not licensed yet and diners are welcome to bring their own wine.
Workers processing Leucospernum flowers in the packing shed at Stanford Hills.
The Stanford Table in Queen Victoria Street backs onto the Village Green. PHOTOS: HEDDA MITTNER
Marian behind the counter with an assortment of her delectable cakes (above), and Johan having fun in the kitchen (right).
Recipes from The Stanford Table Prawns cooked in Pernod Ingredients: 4-6 prawns, shelled and deveined 50 g butter Pinch of dried chili flakes 1 plum tomato peeled and quartered 6-8 black olives, stoned 20ml Pernod ½ tbsp parsley, roughly chopped. Maldon salt
Seared duck breasts served with lentil salad, fondant potatoes and steamed green beans. (Adapted from Ottolenghi – The Cookbook)
Ingredients for the duck: 4 duck breasts skin on & deboned 2 tbsp fennel seeds Pinch of dried chilli flakes 2 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp coarse salt Ground black pepper 3 oranges 250 ml orange juice 250 ml red wine 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 2 whole star anise flowers 3 dried chillies Method: . Score the skin of each duck breast with four to six diagonal incisions without cutting into the meat. Combine fennel seeds, chilli flakes, cumin, salt and pepper. . Rub this mixture into the duck breasts on both sides and set aside. . Peel the oranges by cutting off the top and bottom and then slicing the skin and pith in neat slices following the curve of the orange. Then segment the orange and remove pips. . Sear the duck by heating a heavy frying pan and then browning the breasts on both sides (approx 3 min per side). . Remove from the pan and set aside. . Pour the orange juice, red wine and vinegar into the pan and add star anise. . Reduce the sauce by boiling for about 5 min, then add the duck breasts, orange segments and dried chillies. . Simmer for about 10-14 minutes depending on the size of the breast. The meat should still be pink but not bloody. . Remove the meat from the sauce and slice. If the sauce is still quite runny, reduce it until it thickens a bit. . Pour the sauce over the meat and serve. . Serves four as a main course.
Panacotta with berry coulis and fresh straw berries Ingredients: 500 ml plain yoghurt 1 tsp vanilla essence 250 ml cream ½ cup sugar ½ cup water 1 tbsp powdered gelatine Cup of frozen berry mix 2 tbsp castor sugar Fresh strawberries Method: . Sprinkle gelatine onto cold water and allow to dissolve. . Heat & beat cream and sugar until sugar is dissolved but do not allow the cream to boil. Remove from heat. . Mix a spoon or two of the cream with the dissolved gelatine and then add it to rest of the cream. . Allow to cool slightly, then add the yoghurt and vanilla essence. . Pour the mixture into ramekins or wine glasses and place in the fridge to set. . Heat the frozen berries with the sugar to form thick jam-like syrup. Allow to cool. . When ready to serve, place a spoonful of berry coulis on the panacotta and decorate with sliced strawberries. Alternatively you can turn the panacotta onto a plate and spoon over the coulis, adding the strawberries. . Serves six.
Lunch guests Peter Kastner, Brian, Brosnan and Leanne Robertson, Jami Kastner and Amber Robertson.
BESTER BURKE 7697
Method: . Melt the butter in a pan. When it is hot and starts bubbling add the prawns. . Sprinkle over the dried chili and fry quickly on both sides. . Add the Pernod, which tends to catch alight, and allow the alcohol to burn away. Then add the tomatoes and olives and cook through. . Turn onto a heated plate and sprinkle with salt and chopped parsley. . Serves one as a starter.
Join us for an unforgettable experience at our new, unique restaurant. Tuck into light dishes that burst with flavour while savouring our delicious wines in a “gesellige” environment. Enjoy à la carte dining from Wednesday to Sunday (11am – 4pm) or if you’re looking for a more relaxed meal, enjoy a gourmet braai on Sunday afternoons (12am – 4pm). The Red Table symbolises the heart of our home. A relaxing space where stories, dreams and traditions have shaped us into South Africa’s most awarded winery.
For reservations TEL: 021 862 3104 WWW.NEDERBURG.COM theredtable@nederburg.co.za
Spys en Drank by Fyndraai
HEDDA MITTNER
D
ie warm atmosfeer in die Fyndraai restaurant op die SolmsDelta-wynlandgoed naby Franschhoek het meer as opgemaak vir die onplesierige weer toe legendariese voedselkundige, dosent, navorser en skrywer Renata Coetzee haar nuutste kookboek, ’n heruitgawe van Spys en Drank, aan ’n groep kos-en-wynliefhebbers voorgestel het op 24 November. Om dit as ’n kookboek te beskryf is onvoldoende, want hierdie boek bevat nie net resepte nie, maar beeld die ontstaan van die Afrikaanse kultuur en kookkuns gedurende die 17de en 18de eeu uit met behulp van Volker Miros se besonderse foto’s wat mens herinner aan Ou Meester-skilderye. Toe Spys en Drank oorspronklik in 1977 verskyn het, was dit die eerste keer dat die atmosfeer en die romantiek van die ou Kaap in ’n kookboek vasgevang is en dit is met groot entoesiasme begroet. Vir die eerste keer het Afrikaners besef dat hul koskultuur nie net uit gewone “boerekos” bestaan nie, maar dat dit ’n tradisie is waarop hulle trots kan wees. Toe Peter Veldsman Renata aan die woord stel, het sy gesê sy skryf nie met haar lesers in gedagte nie en dat elke boek vir haar ’n “hartsaak” is. Ten spyte van die intensiewe navorsing wat sy doen, beskryf sy haar boeke as “eenvoudig”, met die klem op volhoubaarheid. Sy word gedryf deur ’n passie vir die bewaring en volhoubaarheid van die Afrikaanse koskultuur, en die “groen” spyskaart wat aan gaste voorgesit is het bestaan uit resepte van Spys en Drank met druiweprodukte as tema, en gepaar met Solms-Delta se eiesoortige wyne. Die voorgereg van Kaapse Jongens is bedien met Dik Delta !Karri, ’n natuurlike wyn gemaak van gefermenteerde heuning, gevolg deur ’n visgereg van snoeksambal met moskonfyt wat vergesel is deur die Solms Astor Vastrap 2011, ’n vrugtige tradisionele versnit van Chenin blanc, Semillon en Riesling. Die hoofgereg van frikadelle in druiweblare met slaphakskeentjies en spekboomslaai het liplekker gegaan met die Solms Astor Langarm 2011, ’n rooi Kaapse versnit van Pinotage, Shiraz, Mourvèdre en Touriga Nacional. Die nagereg was wynjellie gegeur
Die tradisionele plante, kruie en vrugte wat nou ’n tuiste gevind het in die Dik Deltatuin.
Peter Veldsman in gesprek met Renata Coetzee tydens die bekenstelling van die nuwe Spys en Drank by Solms-Delta. FOTO’S: HEDDA MITTNER met boegoe wat voorgesit is met die Solms Delta Gemoedsrus 2010, ’n unieke Port-styl wyn gemaak van gedroogde Shiraz-druiwe en versterk met Shiraz Grappa. Dié feesmaal is afgesluit met koffie uit Shaun se kan. Die 31-jarige Shaun Schoeman is reeds vier jaar die hoofsjef by Fyndraai. Sy voorliefde vir kosmaak kom al ’n lang pad en reeds as skoolseun het hy oor naweke en vakansies in van die voorste restaurante in Franschhoek gewerk. Sy formele opleiding het hy voltooi aan die Kaapse Technikon, gevolg deur praktiese ondervinding by Haute Cabriere onder die wakende oog van Matthew Gordon. Hy was ook as sjef werksaam by die befaamde Auberge Restaurant in Kaapstad en die hoogs aangeskrewe Franschhoek restaurante Monneaux en Mont Rochelle, voordat hy as hoofsjef aangesluit het by Fyndraai. In plaas daarvan om die Europese kookkuns slaafs na te streef, put Shaun eerder inspirasie uit sy eie familie se Khoi-erfenis, en sy innoverende disse is gebaseer op tradisionele Suid-Afrikaanse kookkuns met Europese, Khoi en Maleise invloede. In pas met Solms-Delta se filosofie om die reënboognasie se erfenis te bewaar en bevor-
der, is die Dik Delta-veldkostuin in 2010 geskep onder leiding van Renata Coetzee, tuinontwerper Hein Joubert, etnobotanis Alan Sonnenberg en Solms-Delta se span tuiniers. Baie van die bedreigde plantspesies wat reeds 2 000 jaar gelede deur die Khoi en San in die Drakenstein-vallei gebruik is as kos en medisyne, word nou in die 2 ha veldkostuin gekweek en deur Shaun aangewend in sy disse in die Fyndraai-restaurant. So sal jy byvoorbeeld op sy spyskaart disse vind met bestanddele soos wildeknoffel, ballerja, blomsalie, sitrus boegoe en spekboom. Daar is ook ’n reeks Dik Delta-produkte soos makataankonfyt, wilde roosmaryn-blatjang en suurlemoen-en-tamatie-marmelade, wat by die restaurant gekoop kan word. Fyndraai restaurant is gebou op die perseel van Solms-Delta se oorspronklike wynkelder. Die fondasies is nog sigbaar deur die unieke glasvloer van die restaurant. Die mure is bedek met geraamde swart/wit foto’s van die geboue en mense van Solms Delta en die Franschhoek-vallei wat dateer uit die laat 19de en vroeë 20ste eeu, afgewissel met hedendaagse kleurfoto’s van die geboue en mense wat deel vorm van die Solms-Deltafamilie – die eienaars, bestuurders, werkers en hulle gesinne. Daar heers ’n harmoniese gevoel van samehorigheid in hierdie besonderse vertrek, en ek sou nie aan ’n meer gepaste omgewing kon dink vir die bekendstelling van die nuwe Spys en Drank nie. Ek het gesien hoe etlike gaste ’n traan moes wegpink toe Renata verras is met ’n sertifikaat van toewyding van die Culinary Arts Institute van Amerika, in medewerking met CAI Suid-Afrika, waarvan Peter Veldsman die voorsitter is. En toe die Solms-Delta-sanggroep, die Soetstemme, op daardie emosionele noot wegval met ’n sarsie ou Kaapse liedjies was daar beslis nie meer ’n droë oog in Fyndraai nie. Besoek www.solms-delta.co.za of skakel 021 874 3937.
Fyndraai se sjef, Shaun Schoeman.
Die hoofgereg van frikadelle in druiweblare, slaphakskeentjies en spekboomslaai.
From field to loaf HEDDA MITTNER
T
Off to the wheat field!
Sebastian Beaumont demonstrating his skill.
he Beaumont clan from Compagnesdrift farm in Bot River, home to Beaumont Wines, have a knack when it comes to hosting special events on their historic farm. Whether it’s the Botriviera Spring Festival in September, the Elgin Open Gardens in November, their annual Open Day in January, the Port Stomp in April or one of their monthly barrel cellar lunches during the winter months, people flock from all over the Western Cape to attend these characteristically laidback and highly enjoyable events. And so it was with Beaumont’s first Field to Loaf Day last month when guests had the opportunity to observe and partake in the bread
Not bad for a 71-year-old...
journey from the wheat field to the freshly-baked loaf. “The whole adventure started in May this year with the first field of wheat being planted on Beaumont,” says Sebastian, the winemaker son of Beaumont Wines. “We still need to work on the technique – we are grape growers and realised that there is more to growing wheat than meets the eye – but we’ll improve on this next year.” Engineer Andy Selfe, a vintage machinery expert from Elgin, restored the historical water mill on the farm over a period of four years, and it is now in full working order. All the Beaumonts still needed was a proper outydse broodoond. “My mother Jayne found a ruin on an Overberg farm that had a beautiful broodoond still standing. She copied the dimensions and the design. We then collected old mud bricks from another ruin to use to
Tying up the bags.
Gather your friends and family this summer season for a ‘taste of the good life’ at our historic wine cellar in Bot River.
5 Star Hope Marguerite 2011 4½ Star Vitruvian 2008 and much more! Mon – Fri 9h30 – 14h30 and Sat 10h00 – 15h00 Beaumont Wines, Main Road, Bot River
www.beaumont.co.za Tel: 028 284 9194 Office hours
Experience a journey of unforgettable flavours! Buffet Dinner R175 (Wednesday to Saturday) Receive a complimentary bottle of SylvanVale wine for ever table of 4 booked. Valid until 31 January 2013. Tel: 021 847 1160 seventeen07@erinvale.co.za www.erinvale.co.za
build the oven.” With the oven ready, the Beaumonts decided to rope in the team from Kleinplasie in Worcester to come and demonstrate the traditional technique of bread baking. “Guests were then taken by tractor to see the sickles and scythes and the 70-year-old combine harvester at work, before the grain was taken to the mill and ground to flour. While this was all happening the Kleinplasie ladies were kneading the dough for the loaves and giving us a taste of their wicked witblits.” Beaumont wines flowed while people relaxed on the lawns around the mill and enjoyed a delicious gourmet lunch provided by Sebastian’s wife Nici of Zest Catering. It was a unique experience and loads of fun was had by all – as usually happens on a day spent in the charming company of the Beaumonts.
Off to the mill.
The historic water mill that has been lovingly restored.
The guests were rewarded for their hard work with witblits, fresh bread and jam.
The baking team with the loaves fresh from the oven.
A bubbly wine tasting to round off the year HEDDA MITTNER
T
he Winederous Wine Club recently held its last meeting of the year with a wine tasting at the newly opened Lizette’s Kitchen in Voëlklip, hosted by Sharon Parnell of Domaine des Dieux in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge. With the sun setting in the background on a perfect summer’s day, the boisterous group of wine and food lovers descended with considerable enthusiasm on the delicious Domaine des Dieux wines and Asianinspired menu. Domaine des Dieux are the only commercial producers of Cap Classique on the Hermanus Wine Route, and the evening began appropriately enough with the Domaine des Dieux Claudia MCC 2007, followed by the Sauvignon Blanc 2009, the Syrah Mour-
vèdre 2010 and finally the Josephine Pinot Noir 2010. The latter is one of the Hemel-en-Aarde region’s signature cultivars and the Josephine is Domaine des Dieux’s flagship wine. All the wines offered have been awarded four stars in the 2013 John Platter’s Wine Guide. The four courses designed to complement the wines included freshly wrapped and rolled Saigon summer spring rolls, linefish steamed in bamboo, paprika squid, braised pork belly and nutmeg spliced pumpkin pie. Lizette spent many years in Vietnam and the food was an expression of her passion for Asian cuisine. The club will meet again in the new year. To join the Winederous Wine Club contact the organiser Frieda Lloyd on 083 305 7319 or send an email to frieda@hermanuswineroute.com.
Ilse Smart, Sonja and Charles Winshaw, and Wina Loubser were among the guests who enjoyed the wine club’s last meeting of the year.
Visitors from Holland, Len Huiding and Rick Teloo always join the wine club tastings when they are in Hermanus.
Jimmy Hattingh, Pam Martin, Linda Schwulst, Linda Chivell and Arnold Hugo.
Sharon Parnell, co-owner of Domaine des Dieux, Frieda Lloyd, coordinator of the Hermanus R320 Wine Route and Lizette Crabtree, owner-chef of Lizette’s in Hermanus.
Members of the Winederous Wine Club raise their glasses to a year of great food, wine and company. PHOTOS: HEDDA MITTNER