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The about turn by Tim Noakes, UCT Professor of Exercise, that meat is good for you and refined carbohydrates ain’t, comes as no surprise to Rust en Vrede seigneur Jean Engelbrecht. “We knew that 20 years ago” he said as he cut and braai’d a 12-man steak from “Rustenberg, Transvaal” last night.
Surgeon Jean
“Much more forgiving than the Simonsberg” is how Paardebosch winemaker Marius Malan (below) describes the fruit of the Siebritskloof, the funky new ward of the Paardeberg. And he should know after making many vintages for Slaley in that parish. “Swartland flavours are far more concentrated than Stellenbosch. Take Sauvignon Blanc for example. On the Simonsberg you have a 48 hour window before you lose your pyrazines. The Paardeberg is much more robust.” Which could explain why so many Stellenbosch winemakers buy Lammershoek grapes. Even if they forget to mention it on the label.
While the Groot Koppe (big cops) at the University of Stellenbosch nut out the shape and form of an SA Wine Institute, they should remember that the Diners Club Winemaker of the Year for 2011, Johan Jordaan from Spier and Young Winemaker of the Year, Matthew van Heerden of Uva Mira, were both trained at Elsenburg. An inconvenient truth as Al Gore might say.
Diners Club Winemaker of the Year 2011 Johan Jordaan
A winemaking position in the Constantia Valley has long been seen as one of the cushiest berths in Cape Wine. Yet in one month, two winemakers have jumped ship – supple Karl Lambour from Constantia Glen is off to Franschhoek and the wine estate/fine dining restaurant/art gallery cum yoga and meditation retreat Holden-Manz (the former Klein Genot) while Adam Mason is leaving Klein Constantia for Mulderbosch in Stellenbosch. His escape up a big oak tree is shown below.
Adam Mason leaves Klein Constantia
Geneva-based financial gnome Adrian Van der Spuy was born on the farm Rainbow’s End in the Banghoek Valley between Stellenbosch and Pniel. Fairy tales locate a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, which would put one on Oldenburg, Adrian’s farm below Rainbow’s End. He opened his new tasting room today with a blow-out lunch catered by Eat Out’s Chef of the Year, Luke Dale Roberts (below).
Blow-out lunch at Oldenburg today
Culture is breaking out all over Stellenbosch. Last week at the launch of Jean Engelbrecht’s toothsome Stellenbosch Ridge 2009 Bordeaux-style blend at Stellenbosch (the restaurant) in Windhoek, the back label proclaimed “Stellenbosch is unique in that it is the centre of fine wine, academia and culture in South Africa” with the only controversial point the qualification of Africa by South. For after the announcement of the winner of the 2011 African Art Prize at Tokara in Stellenbosch last night, who can doubt that Oak City is not the cultural capital of the continent?
The People's Choice, Barbara Wildenboer
Hacks, being only human (well some of them, at least), can only stomach so many lamb shanks with Bisto gravy and potatoes dauphinoise and we’ve had them served from Agulhas to Augrabies. So when Jean Engelbrecht, Gobabis Gourmet turned Helderberg hedonist, wanted to launch his next level wine, he flew a six pack of SA wine writers to Swakopmund for a three day orgy of sea, shellfish and Steen. Wine launches will never be the same again, with the bar raised to the 29 foot long jump level set by Bob Beamon at the Olympics in Mexico City in 1968.
Jean, Etienne and Shane
The back label of the Stellenbosch Ridge 2009 Bordeaux-style blend (the classic varietals minus Cabernet Franc which winemaker Coenie Snyman does not like and so did not include on account of its “steeliness”) says it all: “Stellenbosch is unique in that it is the centre of fine wine, academia and culture in South Africa… Stellenbosch is birthplace and home to many of South Africa’s greatest leaders, intellectuals, artists, scientists, sportsmen and winemakers.”
Coenie Snyman and Jean Engelbrecht
Unable to change the big things in life (like daily global financial meltdowns, climate change and SA’s rackety race-based politics) smart people are turning increasingly to minutia. Which salt to sprinkle on your polenta is the latest challenge to exercise SA’s disempowered and discombobulated elites.
Charismatic chef Craig Cormack from Sophia’s at Morgenster (Sophia as in Loren and not The Golden Girls, as perennial joker gorgeous Greg Landman reminded us) is certainly worth his salt – he cooks with a couple of dozen selected from a larder of 150 possibilities.
Craig Cormack - Mr. Salt
“No matter what Simon Barlow [seigneur of top-draw Stellenbosch estate Rustenberg] may say, we’re upper Ida’s Valley and he’s lower Ida’s Valley. [Banker and owner of Tokara] GT Ferreira lives in those trees over there – he’s on Ida’s Ridge” said Hans-Peter Schröder, surveying the valley from the stoep of the new all singing, all dancing wine cellar of Neil Ellis Wines where he is a partner. It’s a sort of Hemel en Aarde for Old Cape Money.
Hans-Peter
