May News from Paul du Toit at the Hermanus Wine Village - upcoming events, Football Friday specials, wines of the week and a great recipe for curry - perfect in this weather.
Football Friday
What a sensation! 1,100 wines at 10% discount! Yes, Wine Village is joining the World Cup craze. Every Friday until 14 June 2010 we will allow you to pick the cream of South African wines at an unbelievable discount of 10%! Visit us now and join in the Friday Football frenzy.
Forthcoming Attractions
2010 Wine Sensation : 5 June to 20 July 2010.
Wine Village again leads the pack by staging a show that will whet your wine appetite. Every day for 46 days we will allow you to taste some of the most gorgeous South African wines. Peter Bayly’s, Viljoensdrift, Conradie Family Vineyards, Joubert Tradouw, Babylon’s Peak, Tierhoek to name but a few.
We have sourced some of the most unique and sumptuous wines at real value for money prices.
No catch! It is FREE of charge!
Join us in exploring these jewels.
Hermanus Wine & Food Fair : 6, 7 & 8 August 2010.
Diaries the date now! Again we will blow your socks off.
Hermanus Wine & Food Fair : 6, 7 & 8 August 2010.
See http://www.hermanuswineandfood.co.za. (Sponsored by www.overberginfo.com)
This is an experience not to be missed!
For more information contact the Wine Village team.
Tel 028 3163988 or send them a mail winevillage@hermanus.co.za.
Marvellous May
My choice of wines for the week
Jackson’s Pinotage 2007 Platters 4 *
Ripe luscious cherry flavours. Firm but soft tannins. Great with game, spare ribs, rich stews and braai vleis. R69.50 ea.
Zorgvliet Tannat 2007 Platters 3.5*
Dark as night, just off dry. Well recognised port like aromas. Rich plumy flavours with sweet spicy tannins. Deserves a rich green curry [chicken, beef or lamb] or some traditional Greek anti-pasta. R89.00 ea.
Springfield Whole Berry Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 Platters 3.5*
Best selling Cab in the shop! Aromatic dark berries integrated with smooth soft tannins. Share it with a beef pot roast or some true Karoo lamb. An all time favourite! R95.00 ea.
Springfield Wild Yeast Chardonnay 2006 Platter 4*
The best unwooded chardonnay in the world? I think so. Rich full bodied creamy feel, infused with spicy pineapple flavour. [none of that thick woody feel] A great partner with a rich creamy chicken casserole, sushi or a rich winter veggie broth. R86.00 ea.
Nitida Coronata 2007 Platter 4*
This may be the best Bdx style white South Africa has made. Barrel fermented Sauvignon Blanc. B. and Semillon give a silky complexity with intense leesy richness that lingers long after the last drop. A wine to saviour with a Cape sunset or devour it with a rich breast of duck. Njummy! R95.00 ea
Plaisir de Merle Merlot 2007 Platter 3.5*
Absolute a Merlot jewel! Dark chocolate with spicy sweet fruit flavours. Easy on the palate with a touch of dry tannins in the end. A real treat with a true boere leg of lamb or even a saddle of young pan seared tuna. R125.00 ea.
Do remember, you will receive free shipping to anywhere within South Africa on any of these case orders. For more information, or to place an order, click here. Yes, we will deliver to any address world-wide.
The Grant experience
Ataraxia wines are the passionate affair of a man bewitched with tenacity and shear dedication. It took Kevin Grant a mere 3 years to become an icon in the world of wine. Ataraxia Chardonnay brags with 5 Platter stars and rightly so. Elegant, sumptuous pear peach nutty flavours with a long lingering stony minerality.
An absolute world stunner! At R175.00 this is a show case on any table. Ataraxia Serenity equally deserves its 4.5*. Rich dark chocolate spicy cassis flavours emanates from the blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz at a mere R116.50. The rich softness of his Ataraxia Sauvignon Blanc blends with aromatic tropical flavours with just a hint of grapefruit. A long lasting minerality paves the way to a great experience. 4.5* at R79.95 Well done Kevin!
Cooking up a storm!
Cape Chicken Curry [with special thanks to Lannice Snyman’s Tortoises & Tumbleweeds recipe book. Page 98]
Malay curries have a glorious complexity of flavours and are always more gently spiced than Indian curries. An early scribe, described chicken curry as a “fowl cut up in small pieces” and simmered with sliced onion, chillies, turmeric, coriander seeds, cumin and coconut milk.
Serves 4 to 6
- 8 Chicken Thighs
- Salt and milled black pepper
- Vegetable oil
- 2 onions, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- Small knob ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 cassia or cinnamon sticks
- 15ml Roasted Masala or curry powder
- 5ml turmeric
- 5ml ground cumin
- 5ml ground coriander
- 2ml ground cardamom
- 400g tin whole peeled tomatoes, chopped in their juice
- 410ml tin coconut cream
- Coriander leaves, for garnishing
Skin the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Heat a little oil in a large saucepan and fry the onions until golden. Stir in the garlic, ginger, cassia or cinnamon, masala or curry powder, turmeric, cumin, coriander and cardamom. Simmer for about 15 seconds to release the flavours (don’t let the spices burn). Add the tomatoes and coconut cream.
Nestle the chicken thighs into the sauce, cover and simmer for about 40 minutes until cooked. Transfers the curry to a warm serving dish, garnish with coriander and serve with rice and a selection of sambals
What the Dickens, but true!
A friend ‘’bought’’ a Nebuchadnezzar [15lt] of Cabernet Sauvignon on an auction a few years ago. He kept it in perfect condition, saving it for that famous family get together on Christmas day.
All were ‘warned’ that the big papa will be opened for all to enjoy. Great was the shock, rage, disbelief and all the other unheavenly thoughts when the big papa’s cork was lifted only to find it was filled with water!
Somewhere in the past someone donated a dummy display Nebuchadnezzar to a charity organization and unknowingly the auctioneer accepted a bid of R8,500 for it.
Money well spent? In the end all was well.
The producers kindly replaced the water with 24 bottles of 5* wine. The family of course had to wait till the next Christmas to enjoy this together!
Wine Village - Hermanus, 1 Hemel-en-Aarde Road, Hemel-en-Aarde Craft Village
Tel: +27 (0)28 316 3988
Fax: +27 (0)86 506 4931
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