From Turkey to Franschhoek – Artfully

In the quiet hours of the morning, you will find the Franschhoek based artist, Jade Mulvaney, busy at work. She likes to conceptualize when the world is still asleep. This is how the emerging artist has been creating her new South African body of work.

the cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and continue mixing for 30 seconds, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Mix in the flour until just combined. Add in the carrots, pineapple, walnuts, coconut, and raisins and stir until evenly incorporated. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes at 180 degrees, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

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The unique circumstances the world found itself in during the pandemic were the perfect ‘self-residency’ for the artist, who at the time was living in Istanbul.

As a stranger in a foreign land and in the throes of isolation, Mulvaney took to painting, drawing inspiration from the world around her. Her first body of work titled, ‘Turkish Delights’, showcases a small window into the world she found herself submerged in. One notable piece is titled “Me and my Bull” a painting bursting with explosive pink and showing a young woman riding a bull. The bull is a tourist attraction in the centre of Kadiköy, the neighbourhood the artist lived in. Mulvaney fell in-love with the dynamic between Turkish people and cats; the city is notorious for its ‘cat infestation’. Each street has its resident cat and is adored and doted upon by shop keepers and fellow residents. Her series of limited-edition prints titled, “Nine Lives’ is a tribute to this dynamic, bringing to life the quirky characteristics and personality of each. Recently, the artist returned to Franschhoek, having rolled up her canvases and put them under her arm. The Franschhoek gallery Manzart took notice and welcomed the artist into the gallery, selling her piece ‘Big Red’ within the first week. To view Jane’s work, visit the gallery on Franschhoek’s main road and feel free to subscribe to their newsletter website for updates.

Text: Editorial Desk | Image: Supplied

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Mark Tanner

17 November 2022 was Beaujolais Nouveau Day in France. These ‘Vins de Premeur’ called Beaujolais Nouveau are made from Gamay grapes in the Bordeaux region and are fermented for just a few weeks before being released for sale on the third Thursday following the harvest. Distributors famously raced to get the ‘early’ wine to specific destinations around the globe. The release became very popular in the 1970s and 80s and was celebrated in great style.

Believe it or not we had a similar celebration in Paarl some years ago. The idea was to make a wine within 28 days of the harvest and a handful of Paarl producers were involved. The result was a fun event at the amphitheatre on Paarl Mountain. Someone of vinous stature, draped in flowing white robes, posed as Bachhus on his throne while each winemaking participant devised original ways of presenting the young vintage to the “God of wine and giver of ecstasy”.

One winemaker delivered his bottle of 28-day rosé by suspending it from a radio controlled model helicopter, dropping it in Bachhus’ lap; another, by pushing a pram with the ‘baby’ wine in swaddling clothes. Many folk attended and there was an abundance of good things to eat as well. Prawns and crayfish on the braai, burgers and sosaties galore and to wash it down what better than the new rosé wine which was unlabelled, unfiltered and cost only R5.00 a bottle!

The 28-day wine had an extremely limited shelf life and it deteriorated rapidly once opened. It had to be consumed immediately otherwise it could become a bacterial time bomb! Anyway, that is what we were told. A great time was had by all. That is sadly history now and I have no idea how it why it stopped. Maybe it was due to visitors searching for ways off the mountain afterwards?

Incidentally, the first recorded wine advice appears in the Bible in Luke 5. 39 –

“No man also having drunk old wine straightaway desired new, for he saith: The old is better”.

We understand that old wine can be better than young wine. It needs time to mature, it needs time for the components to integrate and it needs considerable experience to recognise when it should be bottled and made available to consumers. There are short cuts! Ones that would make a wine lover cringe with embarrassment but may be required if one suddenly finds that a guest is coming for dinner and there is no time to pop down to the wine shop. In which case one takes a bottle of ‘Vin Ordinaire’ from the shelf, a wine that may never aspire to star status… Pour the contents into a large water jug and then pour that into a second jug. Repeat a few times letting the ‘waterfall’ effect result in frothy bubbles which will soon disappear. You have rapidly oxygenated the wine and hopefully softened it sufficiently to make the right impression.

I once took a case of red wine to Johannesburg in the boot of my car to deliver to a contact who was nowhere to be found, so, three days later in summer sunshine I returned home with the wine still in the boot. All that time should have ruined the wine and yet, when opened, it had matured in transit and was greatly improved!

Another trick is to add a tablespoon of brandy to a decanted bottle of red. The result will have your wine snob raising his eyes upwards as he tries to recall the name of that small vineyard in France across the river, next to the monastry. The power of suggestion reigns supreme, does it not ?