SA Rocks

So. What did your university do for you? Teach you… how to do research? How to make up convincing excuses for not being able to write an exam/prepare for a lecture/hand in an assignment? How to hold your liquor? All about the opposite sex? How to spot intelligently for exams? Never to turn down free booze? Probably a combination of all of those, and I have to say that they are all useful skills both at univeristy and later in life. But what does it do for you these days?

If, like me, you are lucky enough to be an alumnus of the former University of Port Elizabeth and find yourself living in London, you will discover that not only did your university give you a world-class education that has enabled you to find a good job in one of the great world cities without too much hassle (visa issues aside, grrrr!), but that it also provides an annual reunion function, right in the heart of the City of London. With free booze (thanks to the generous sponsorship of Investec). And let me assure you that even long after you have a steady – even good – income, the promise of free booze triggers some atavistic student reaction in your brain stem. So once a year when I get an e-mail from my alma mater (now amalgamated with the Port Elizabeth Technikon and Vista under its new name of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University) to say that the annual NMMU function in London is coming up, for five minutes I once again get to experience the breathless excitement a first-year student anticipating the annual Law Society cheese and wine function with thirsty, hand-rubbing glee.

It never ceases to amaze my friends in London (South African and otherwise) that my university actually holds an annual function in London – and has done so for eight years. It started out as a very casual get-together in a pub in 2001 but is now a formal drinks and nibbles function which has even been held at the beautiful South Africa House on Trafalgar Square, and which was this year attended by our brand new Vice-Chancellor Prof Derrick Swartz. As well as a fundraising opportunity for the NMMU Trust, the function provides an opportunity for ex-NMMU students to meet, catch up, and maybe do a bit of networking, and after a few drinks there is always the inevitable reminiscing about student days. Nothing like a night of wine and nostalgia to make you feel warm and fuzzy towards your university!

So every year, the function is a summer fixture that we all look forward to. But this year we got something extra in the shape of Siphiwo Ntshebe. Siphiwo was born and bred in PE (like me and many other NMMU alumni) and grew up in New Brighton. From an early age his musical talent was apparent, and when he was 16 he won a scholarship to join the choral programme at UCT. But when that was over, he returned to his roots to study music at NMMU (then UPE) from 1992-1995 before furthering his studies in Brisbane and the prestigious Royal College of Music in London. When he heard that there was a NMMU function in London, where he is now based, he took it upon himself to call Prof. Kotie Grove (who always organises the event) to ask if they would mind if he came along to give a free performance to his fellow alumni.

Siphiwo slipped in quietly while the speeches were in progress, so by the time we all drifted back out into the room where the bar and snacks were, he was ready to roll, singing to an orchestral backing track as he wandered among us. On paper, it sounds incongruous – a South African from an unknown and largely impoverished suburb, singing Italian operatic arias to a room full of his South African fellow-alumni in London. But let me tell you – when he opened his mouth, you were transfixed by his rich and lovely tenor voice. Close your eyes and it could have been a young Pavarotti. When he sang O sole mio, I got goosebumps. This guy is good – really good – and here he was giving a free concert to us, purely because we went to the same university. Now how often do you get people wanting to give away their professional services for free?? I don’t know if it’s a testimony to the open and generous spirit of South Africans, or a testimony to the type of loyalty that NMMU breeds among its alumni. Either way, I don’t think anybody there will forget it for a long time.

After the performance, my husband and I spent a long time chatting to Siphiwo and discovered that they knew some people in common from their university residences. A nicer person you could hardly hope to meet – down to earth and friendly (despite having sung for Madiba himself!), with a quick and infectious chuckle. And, of course, hugely talented. Keep your eyes on this young South African – he’s still going to rock the opera world.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Earlier this year I had the great pleasure of having dinner with a couple of friends at Aubergine restaurant in Cape Town. I had been eager to try it because because the restaurant has been a regular fixture on the prestigious Diners Club Dine Awards winners lists since its opening. I had also heard that the chef’s style of cooking is a successful marriage of European and Asian techniques, but reworked to incorporate the finest quality authentically South African ingredients. I was intrigued already. Interest piqued, booking made, and off we went.

Like many restaurants in Cape Town, Aubergine is situated in a character-filled old house in Gardens. The house itself has quite a history, having once been the fashionable 19th century home of Sir John Wylde, first Chief Justice of the Cape, and having boasted an estate of several acres. Sir John was a colourful character, to say the least, but his elegant table and fine wines were renowned and it is this spirit which Aubergine seeks to perpetuate. Owner and chef Harald Bresselschmidt (originally from Belgium) comes with an impeccable culinary pedigree, having studied in various European countries before moving to South Africa in the 1990s. He was responsible for getting Bosman’s Restaurant at Grand Roche in Paarl named the best restaurant in South Africa for two years running before opening Aubergine in 1996.

The building has been extensively renovated and is decorated in warm natural materials, with an open plan bar leading to the dining area. There is also a mezzanine area which (I think) is more of a lounge bar than part of the dining area, and a beautiful outside courtyard dining area (sadly, it was too windy to sit outside the night we visited). To accommodate the mezzanine level, the ceilings have been removed which makes for a lovely airy feel but I was worried that, as in many restaurants lacking in soft furnishings and interior partitions, the noise levels would be uncomfortable. But I needen’t have worried – some clever design feature (the beautiful reed ceilings?) made the noise comparatively muted – hurrah! The service, which is often the downfall of high-end South African restaurants, was friendly and excellent all night: nothing was too much trouble and our waiter was charming.

And so, to the food. The menu is of a restrained length but provided an agony of choice, with the East meets West in Africa theme very much in evidence. The wine list was extensive but there was very little that I would have classed as affordable or good value, which is a pity. I must also confess that I did not make a note of what we eventually ordered as I was too busy talking to to my dining companions, bad blogger that I am!

The amuse bouche was a pretty little bite – a rustic terrine (made with pork and mushrooms? Truffles?), served with sweet and sour butternut and pistachios. This was a great combo, with the flavourful and salty terrine contrasting beautifully with the butternut. For my starter I had steamed calamari tubes with a fresh basil dressing, aubergine “caviar” and roasted cherry tomatoes. That translucent red shard was some addictively crispy tomato skin – talk about beauty with a purpose! The calamari tubes were butter-soft and filled (I think) with some kind of forcemeat, and the roasting had exquisitely intensified the flavour of the cherry tomatoes. A winner. My neighbour had one of the Aubergine specialities: an aubergine and goats cheese souffle which was light but intensely flavoured and delicious.

This was followed by a palate-cleansing sorbet – a lovely peach flavour which made a nice change from the usual lemon. Choosing my main course had been agonising as there had been so many delicious contenders, but in the end I had to go for the option that I would never get on a London menu: warthog. Yes, I cannot tell a lie – I ate Pumbaa. My two medallions of warthog came topped with herb mousseline and accompanied by black cherries and homemade spatzle. I must say, I thought (and hoped) that the warthog would be a bit… well, gamier. As it was, the meat may as well have been pork fillet medallions: tasty, but not exactly exotically flavoured. I found the herb mousseline to be tasty but a little stodgy for my taste. The cherries and spatzle, however, were quite divine. No sooner had my main arrived than I was struck by a serious case of menu envy. The first attack came when I had a taste of Sophia’s main of 5 “pralines” of rare beef, each with a different flavoured crust (pesto, parmesan, and various others); or Anthony’s main of ostrich in a Thai green curry sauce – an unexpectedly sublime combination. Nick took a walk on the wild side with perfectly rare kudu steak, and John had the East meets West fish platter – I’m afraid I didn’t take proper notes, but broadly speaking, these was a dish of Asian-inspired fishcakes on noodles (East), and some goujons of white fish in a creamy sauce on asparagus and spinach (West).

After this, everyone was too full for individual desserts, but we ordered two to share among the five of us. The first was a tuille-topped pannacotta with stewed cherries and mango sorbet. Not only was this gorgeous but each individual element was perfectly executed – particularly the sorbet which tasted quite simply like unadulterated frozen mango flesh. The panacotta itself was perfectly trembly, and I loved the crunchy contrast of the tuille. Our other dessert was a platter of thinly sliced pear with Camembert and pistachios - simple and delicious. Coffee was accompanied by a complimentary plate of petit fours that were bite-sized works of art, particularly the little jewelled fruit tarts.

Check out my Flickr album if you want to see pics of most of the above dishes.

All in all, it was a delightful evening. And at R1,280 for five people (about £85) with wine, water and service, I thought the price was far less than the restaurant’s reputation might suggest. When we had questions, our charming waiter was able to answer them; when we needed an extra cushion, our charming waiter supplied one. Everything we ate spoke of excellent local ingredients and well-though out combinations of flavour and texture. The food was unfussy and not garnished to death, but every element on the plate clearly had a role to play and played it to perfection. Fusion food these days has become almost a derogatory term and a byword for bizarre and ill-considered combinations. But Aubergine manages to fuse authentically South African ingredients with European and Asian cooking styles, without any jarring cluture clash.

In brief: If you are in Cape Town or planning a visit soon, Aubergine is a wonderful introduction to how good South African fusion food can be. The price is surprisingly reasonable given its stellar reputation, and both the service and food are world-class.

Aubergine
39 Barnet Street
Gardens
Cape Town
South Africa

Tel. +27 – 021 465 4909
Fax. +27 – 021 461 3781
e-mail info@aubergine.co.za

Popularity: 6% [?]

A few weeks ago I had the great pleasure of taking the afternoon off from my day job and heading out to London’s Excel exhibition centre to attend the London International Wine Fair. If you’re thinking “big deal, we’ve been to the Robertson Roadshow, how mich bigger can it be?”, think again. Over 3 days there were 14,000 visitors who came to see 1,250 international exhibitors, each of which must have had on average 5 to 10 wines… It’s easy to see how things can go fairly drastically wrong! The show is a trade show and, as such, not open to the public but only to e.g. trade buyers, importers, retailers, off-license staff, hotel/catering buyers, agents and press. So of course I went as Press – my first press badge!

Once inside, it’s quite overwhelming and unless you have a plan you won’t get the most out of the day. I met up with my good friend Andrew (who had already spent the morning there) and he let me choose what we would be tasting. No prizes for guessing… I headed straight for the huge South African pavillion! After a rather disappointing start at Kleine Zalze, we moved on to two of the more impressive SA tastings I’ve had in years.

First up was probably my favourite estate in the country – Springfield. The estate is in the lovely Robertson valley and is owned by brother and sister team, winemaker Abrie and marketer Jeanette Bruwer (who was one of the people manning the Springfield stand when we visited). Abrie is known for being obsessed with terroir (the influence of the land where the grapes are grown on the wine) and his philophy is that “terroir is a gift from God inherited by our ancestors”. This means that the winemaking process is kept as direct and uncomplicated as possible so that the natural elements in the wine can speak for themselves, with the least possible human interference.

Whatever he is doing, let me tell you it works. We started with the 2007 Firefinch Sauvignon Blanc (classic cut grass and green pepper aromas on the nose; slight initial prickle on the tongue giving way to luscious guava flavours) before continuing on to 2007 Life From Stone Sauvignon Blanc (less aggressively green on the nose; a balanced palate full of gooseberries & spiciness); 2007 Special Cuvee Sauvignon Blanc (also a slight prickle on the palate at first and less fruity than the other two, but far more complex and really delicious – my favourite white); Wild Yeast Chardonnay (a promising “cheesy” nose which I usually associate with French wines; but slightly flabby and too sweet for me on the palate); and the Methode Ancienne Chardonnay (a lovely golden colour but shy nose; beautifully balanced palate with both fruit and acid, creamy and mouth-filling with a very long finish).

From there we moved on to the reds, starting with the Firefinch Ripe Red, a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon (lots of ripe red fruit and cherries on the palate, easy-drinking), 2003 Work of Time, a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon (jammy vanilla flavours on the nose; beautifully structured wine with restrained fruit and balanced tannins – delicious); 2006 Whole Berry Cabernet with natural yeast and unfined & unfiltered (deep ruby colour; on the palate, the first taste is… red grape juice! This is followed by more complex, smoky, jammy flavours balanced by remarkably soft tannins. My favourite red by a mile.); and the 2002 Methode Ancienne Cabernet Sauvignon (very deep garnet colour; very complex palate – oaky, tobacco flavours but also dark fruit jam and dried berries – delicious but never over the top or overblown).

From there we staggered across to the lovely ladies at Ses’fikile. Now I have to confess that I had never heard of them before, but that’s hardly surprising as the company was only founded in 2004, by which time I was living in London. As it turns out, manning the stall were two of the owners and two more charming and passionate people you could hardly hope to find. Ses’fikile, as they told me, means “we have arrived” in isiXhosa and it is an empowerment company in the very best sense of the word, owned and run by women and fully BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) compliant. The women in question are former schoolteachers who set about educating themselves in the wine industry and they have a strong partnership with winemaker Bruce Jack of Flagstone. It is, by all accounts, a winning partnership for all concerned, and Ses’fikile wines are available through Marks & Spencer in the UK.

We tasted the 2007 “Rain Song” Chenin Blanc (“cheesy”, musty cellar nose – smells like a French rather than a South African wine; uncomplicated palate with hints of stewed fruit – easy drinking); the unoaked 2007 “Folklore” Chardonnay (a musty cellar nose again; quite fruity, well balanced and very pleasant for an unoaked Chardonnay); the 2006 “Rain Song” Pinotage (great colour for a Pinotage; a big mouthful of sweet cherries and soft tannins – about as lovely and accessible as a Pinotage gets); the 2005 Folklore Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc blend (deep colour; luscious, intense blackberries with hints of vanilla & balanced tannins – absolutely delicious); and the 2004 Matriarch Shiraz reserve (intensely purple; “meaty”, savoury nose; very intense jammy plum pudding flavours, in fact verging on a good ruby port).

And the best part is that as we staggered off at the end of the day, Andrew (who has spent many years in the wine trade) confessed that he had been expecting overblown South African wines and general mediocrity… but had been floored by the high quality and restrained Old World style of the wines that he had tasted that afternoon.

Now that really rocks.

And while we’re all feeling warm and fuzzy, why not pop over to Can You Twist and read my short story – easiest if you click the “read this story from the beginning” link first. And if you like it… please register and vote for me!

Popularity: 10% [?]

Calling all South African foodies: remember the 2007 South African Produce Awards? Well they’re back!

The awards started in 2006 and are a partnership between the annual food directory Eat In and RMB Private Bank. The awards are unique in their nature and scope in South Africa in that they aim to celebrate our outstanding local produce and to support the people who create and market it.

And now is your chance to nominate independent producers and shops for this year’s awards. All you need to do is go to the nomination form on the Eat In website, fill in a few personal details and then nominate your favourite new products, fabulous producers, shops and interesting foodies (or even yourself ) for the Awards. You have 3 choices in each category and you can vote as many times as you like – just rememebr that the deadline is 2 June 2008.

By voting you stand a chance of winning a Le Creuset Pasta Pot (with sieve). Not only is it convenient for pasta cooking, serving and straining but it’s also handy as a deep casserole or a steamer for veggies and fish.

So please take a few minutes to recognise our excellent local artisinal producers and retailers!

Popularity: 6% [?]

Would you believe that today it will be four years since my first post on my food blog?  I know it seems hard to believe, but I’ve been tending my little patch of the Internet for 48 happy months.  Who would have thought?

When I started, I suspect that I was something of a novelty act – a South African blogging was relatively rare at that stage, let alone a South African blogging about food and wine.  But slowly over the years, others have emerged, writing either about our rich culinary heritage or our world-class wine industry.  Of course, I kept a close eye on these, welcoming each newbie as best I could and offering advice and support where necessary.  Somebody (who knows who they are!) even gave me the moniker of Yoda at one point .  And slowly the number of South African foodie blogs grew in my Google reader.

But it still seemed that nobody really had much of a feeling of connection and community, partly because it’s not always easy to track down South African food and wine blogs unless you go on a mission to look for them.  And so to raise our profile as a community I have today launched the official South African Food and Wine Blog Directory on its own shiny new page – please go and take a look.  Would you be surprised if I told you it features 23 food blogs and 13 wine blogs?  Thought you’d be!  Some blog more regularly than others, some do not focus exclusively on recipes or wine, but between them I think you get a lovely cross-section of the food and wine State of the Nation.

Starting next week I plan to feature a little weekly biography of a particular blogger, based on the answers to a questionnaire that I sent everyone on the directory.  So please do subscribe to the blog’s feed or check back regularly to learn a little about each of our colourful collection of bloggers.  A little link-love to spread the word woudl not go amiss either :)  And if you know of a blogger that I have missed, or if you have an idea for what you’d like to see featured on this page, please do drop me an e-mail.

Popularity: 8% [?]

The South African wine industry has always been among the most forward-thinking industries in the country. Long before formal Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) programmes were adopted by the government, farmers in the Western Cape were already launching schemes whereby farm labourers were trained in the art of winemaking and went on to make their own wines from grapes grown on sections of their employers’ estates. Many of these wines are now bottled and proudly sold alongside the estates’ premier labels, and fare exceptionally well at blind tastings. Which is socially extremely commendable – but what about the green credentials of the wine industry?

We are all familiar with the trend in food marketing to emphasise the product or the producer’s ethical credentials. Coffee and bananas need to be Fair Trade. Food needs to be grown locally as opposed to being flown halfway around the planet. We demand that our produce is organic, biodynamic and preferably carbon-neutral. But how many of us actually ask those questions when we are standing in a supermarket trying to decide between two bottles of wine? Growing numbers of us, according to a pioneering South African winemaker.

Michael Back, proprietor of the Backsberg Estate winery in Paarl is another winemaker who feels that profitable wine farming and environmental conscience are not mutually exclusive concepts. He firmly believes that customer demand is moving in the direction of his ecological concerns, and that a whole new wine market sector with emphasis on care for the environment is about to open. If it does, Backsberg will be on the forefront of the trend: it was the first South African wine producer (and only the third worldwide) to gain Carbon Neutral status for its wines.

So what exactly does “carbon neutral” mean? One of the main causes of climate change has been identified as man-made (so-called greenhouse) gases, primarily carbon dioxide, and amost everything we do or use releases harmful carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The idea of carbon neutrality involves trying to neutralise your carbon dioxide emissions by increasing carbon dioxide absorption (called sequestration), so that the two balance each other out.

Over a year ago, Michael Back initiated a full year-long carbon audit at Backsberg that assessed all emissions by both the estate’s farming and winemaking activities. The audit was done in conjunction with Food and Trees for Africa (FTFA), a non-profit organisation started 17 years ago and which promotes tree planting as a way of offsetting carbon emissions in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions. The audit reviewed activities ranging from energy inputs (both electricity and fuel) on site, to the carbon dioxide released by the wine during fermentation, to the consequences of delivery of materials from suppliers and the delivery of Backsberg wine throughout the world.

The audit allowed Backsberg to understand the scope of the sequestration solutions which it needs to seek and develop to achieve and maintain carbon neutral status. The primary sequestration solution consists of a greening programme within the nearby village of Klapmuts, managed by FTFA – nearly 1000 indigenous trees have already been planted. Trees are an efficient and simple means of storing the carbon dioxide which we emit, as well as improving the quality of life of the impoverished community. Even before the audit was done, Backsberg has already been a proponent of tree-planting and FTFA estimates that some 3,442 trees have been planted on the estate over the past 10 years. This tree planting on the estate will continue in tandem with the greening project under the supervision of FTFA.

Although tree planting is important in neutralising greenhouse gases, it is equally important to develop conservation-oriented practices and becoming more energy efficient for long-term sustainability. For this reason, Backsberg employs a full-time environmentalist on the estate and strives to apply stringent conservation practices in every facet of farming and wine production. The estate’s other initiatives include the use of biodiesel (made from recycled vegetable oil) in all their vehicles; the generation of renewable energy on the farm (sloar and wind power); reduction of the estate’s total energy demand (timers, energy efficient bulbs and the use of skylights for natural light; burning waste wood to heat a “hot water donkey” system for washing the barrels; a review of their packaging (especially in terms of glass weight); and development of methane digester technology which will use waste from the farm’s poultry sheds as fuel.

According to Back, the estate has learnt a lot over the period of the Carbon Neutral project, particularly that changing their practices to become more environmentally careful has cost little to date. In fact, they see opportunities to achieve substantial savings over time. For now, though, all Backberg’s wines proudly display their Carbon Neutral certification on the label and the estate provides a viable model for how a proactive business can go greener without forfeiting profitability. And if, as Back predicts, consumers are increasingly going to demand carbon neutral wines, then Backsberg will be their logical choice.

Popularity: 6% [?]

OK, so it’s all doom and gloom and the world is indeed going to Hell in a handbasket. And we won’t even be able to see it on TV because of load shedding.

So isn’t it nice when you stumble across a story so positive it warms the cockles of your heart and restores your faith in ordinary South Africans’ incredible capacity to bring about positive change? Hands up – who’s heard of Abalimi Bezekhaya? Maybe not that many. Now, hands up, who’s ever seen the Cape Town townships of Khayelitsha, Gugulathu and Nyanga? Plenty of you – in fact anybody who has ever flown into Cape Town or driven into town along the N2 freeway. On either side of the highway the tiny “RDP houses” and sad corrugated iron shacks stretch as far as the eye can see, with hardly a blade of grass of anything that passes for a pleasant recreational space to be seen. The area is beset with socio-economic problems: unemployment, gangs, drugs, rape and domestic violence.

So more doom and gloom, right?

Not entirely. You see Abalimi Bezekhaya (literally “growers of the home”) are a bunch of people who do not believe that these townships need to be a place of hopelessness. Since 1982 this non-governmental organisation has worked with disadvantaged communities and empowers them through urban agriculture and greening projects, providing training and logistical support for projects and helping to obtain resources and facilitate partnerships. They provide training programmes aimed at making sure that people can continue to replicate these projects, without the help of Abalimi, on an ongoing basis and thereby transform their environment and lives. Abalimi also produces booklets and guides on starting a garden cheaply, and have been involved in residential and school greening projects.

But what interests me most is the organic community vegetable gardens. Under Abalimi’s guidance, local groups (mostly unemployed women) have started community vegetable gardens on previously unused and barren land in the townships. They grow food for their own family on their designated plot of land, while the communal area is farmed by all, the produce is sold and the profits divided up. One of the best known of these is the Siyazama Allotment Community Garden Association, or the “powerline project”. Since 1997 The Association has been growing vegetables on a 5000sqm area under the (now decommissioned) power lines in Macassar, Khayelitsha. The association consists of 15 farmers at present, meaning that 15 families (or about 90 people) depend on the produce grown there. The methods are all organic and indigenous vegetation is used in the windbreaks. Any surplus not destined for the gardeners’ tables is sold locally, or in Cape Town where the demand for organic vegetables is huge. The scheme has been such a success that plans are currently afoot to fence an adjacent three hectares of sandy wasteland to expand the project and include another 200-300 gardeners.

If you are interested, here is an interview with Sindiswa Mahuza, one of the gardeners. And if you want to assist Abalimi in their outstanding work, you can donate here.

And if that story doesn’t put you in a good mood for the weekend, nothing will!

Popularity: 2% [?]

A while back, I posted on the foodie things I remember from my childhood, inspired by the format of the truly wonderful I remember King Kong (the boxer) by Denis Hirson. Well, I’ve been dipping into his book again, every night before I go to bed, and here is a second set of foodie memories that he has dredged up from my childhood. Ring any bells with you?

I remember thinking that melba toast and prawn cocktails were probably the most sophisticated foods in the world.

I remember wondering why guavas tasted exactly the same as koejawels (koejawel is the Afrikaans word for guava).

I remember teasing friends at school “you’d get pissed on a pack of Wine Gums!”.

I remember when Whispers were the only thing that everybody wanted to eat in the movies.

I remember that my parents only ever ate Cadbury’s Albany chocolate, and that there was always a bar on the coffee tray.

I remember Sunday morning tea and scones at the Oceana Tea Garden in Port Elizabeth Oceanarium.

I remember wanting a Sodastream more than almost anything in the world.

I remember the rude farting noise the Sodastream would make if you overgassed a bottle.

I remember the Cream Soda flavour being the best.

I remember what a big deal it was when crinkle-cut chips first came out, and that it was Willards who introduced them.

I remember my dad’s office parties where the food was invariably Kentucky Fried Chicken family buckets.

I remember the round tomato-shaped ketchup bottles at the Wimpy restaurants.

I remember going to Mi-Vami in Pretoria Street, Hillbrow for my first schwarma.

I remember thinking that schwarmas were the best and most exotic thing I’d ever tasted.

I remember the Cremora “it’s not inside, it’s on top” advert.

I remember picnics by the roadside, with a whole roast chicken, Granny Smith Apples, Elite cheddar and Hellmann’s mayo.

I remember the tartan plastic coolbag that the picnics were transported in.

I remember when roadside picnics were not considered to be a particularly dangerous pastime.

What do you remember?

Popularity: 4% [?]

One of the things I love most about going home to South Africa for holidays is the little surprises the country is always ready to spring on me. Like the cloud of ethereal white butterflies that had invaded Johannesburg when I arrived there a couple of summers ago; or the astonishing Irene Dairy on the way to Pretoria; or the ridiculously hip Melrose Arch Hotel (which felt like an Ian Schrager creation at the tip of Africa), or the appearance of whole new chains of eateries since my departure (like the now-ubiquitous Cafe Nescafe coffee shops).

Since my friends know me all too well, every time I roll into town, they make a point of taking me to the latest restaurant or specialist foodie store they’ve discovered. That’s how, on a recent visit to Johannesburg, I ended up at a niche retailer of top quality olive oils and vinegars from around the world. Oil & Vinegar (in Hyde Park shopping centre), appears to be very much the same concept as Tapenade in Cresta, which I’d previously visited – all things olive related, some interesting vinegars and some funky crockery. But step a little further inside and you will see one of the things that sets this store apart: everything is available for tasting!

At the front of the store there was an array of spice mixes made to be blended with olive oil to make dips, all ready mixed and available to taste. (The mustard-coloured NOMU pesto mix in the middle was one of the winners of the Eat In awards last year and is just about the nicest thing that can happen to a breadstick.) The friendly and knowledgeable shop assistant then invited us to come and see the tasting area at the back of the store and there before us lay a veritable smorgasbord of extra virgin olive oils: Italian, French, Spanish, South African, flavoured… you name it. And on the other half of the tasting table were the vinegars, including aged and flavoured vinegars and balsamic vinegars from around the world. We tasted to our hearts’ content and I don’t think we had any question that stumped the sales assistant. I finally got to try some of the award-winning South African oils that have hit the headlines – Morgenster, Waterfall River (currently holder of the Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil trophy in South Africa) and Tokara (sold as The Olive Shed), and discovered that the Rickety Bridge Winery does a fine line of balsamic vinegar, a delightful citrus salad splash, and an absolutely addictive smoked balsamic reduction. We did notice that some of the oils & vinegars were poured straight from the bottle for tasting (see the bottles in the background of the picture) while the rest were in little labeled bowls. How, I asked, could we buy the stuff in the bowls? And that’s when I realised the beautifully backlit ovoid glass containers mounted on the wall behind us were not just for decoration. You taste, select your oil or vinegar and then select a glass bottle from about 4 different sizes available. Each product is priced by volume and you can then buy 200ml, 500ml, or whatever other bottle sizes are available. Clever!

Having made my selection, the bottle was carefully filled, stoppered and sealed before being packed in bubble-wrap for the long trip back to London. Despite the vagaries of the baggage handlers, it arrived unscathed with not a drop spilled! And of course, I could not leave without a little squeezy bottle of the Rickety Bridge smoked balsamic syrup, or the lovely Waterfall River olive oil. Our extended stay at the tasting table and my enthusiastic photographic exploits around the store had by this time attracted the attention of the store’s owner, the charming Richard Johnson. I explained about being a blogger, not some sort of industrial espionage agent, and we had a long chat about food, food blogs and how he came to these sunny African shores. A more passionate and articulate store owner would be hard to find and I also heartily congratulated him on his excellent and knowledgeable staff before departing with my liquid booty.

So next time you find yourself at a loose end in Johannesburg, you could do a lot worse than popping into Oil & Vinegar for half an hour and discovering a whole new world of taste, in the company of people who really know their stuff and are keen to share thier knowledge.

Oil & Vinegar
Shop LM54
4th level, Hyde Park Shopping Centre
Cnr. 6th Street & Jan Smuts Ave
Johannesburg
South Africa
Phone: +27 11 325 5052
Fax: +27 11 447 6042

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What better way to start off the New Year than with a glass of bubbly? And for many people seeking to impress, the bubbles simply have to be French. OK, so they did come up with the original idea of champagne, but why are people still so obsessed with French champagne and the idea that it is automatically better than anything else? I’m not saying that we should all be drinking cheap carbonated fizz, but there is middle ground, people! But it seems that even in South Africa, our own premium sparkling wines seem to suffer from a PR problem a dose of that particularly South African malaise – “if-it’s-imported-it-must-be-better-ism”.

Because many of us (me included…) grew up on Cinzano Spumante and 5th Avenue Cold Duck (sticky sweet cheap bubblies), a lot of people of my generation and older still seem to think that this is as far as the South African sparkling wine repertoire goes. Wrong, wrong, wrong. We make some top class stuff that can compete with the best in the world (not to say I don’t like the occasional bottle of Cold Duck…!). The “foreign is better” delusion is even worse as fas as I’m concerned. I was at a restaurant in Johannesburg towards the end of last year and we wanted something sparkly fpr a tpast. On the menu, we had a huge choice of… two sparkling wines. Coming in at an affordable R65 was the bog standard JC Le Roux Le Domaine (sickly sweet and carbonated). And in the opposite corner we had… Moet & Chandon for a jaw-dropping R650. And in between? Tumbleweeds blowing in the breeze. Nada. Zip. Nothing.

Now this kind of wine list seriously annoys me. It seems to say “you can spend your money on South African crap. Or you can pay top dollar and get Real French Champagne, thereby showing off your urbane sophistication”. And the worst is that my companions were seriously thinking of ordering the Moet to share between a dozen people! For a start, Moet NV is a pretty basic French champagne and certainly not worth spending that sum on, if you ask me. Secondly, if you like sweet sparklers, you are going to pay a lot of money for your snobbism and not enjoy the wine one bit. (Besides, I would bet money on the fact that many champagne snobs who go around saying “oh, I ONLY drink the real thing!” would not be able to pick out the champagne in a blind tasting of top quality bubbly from around the world….)

But most importantly… where are the premium South African sparklers on that menu? They should be there providing the fine quality normally associated with the French stuff, without the “uh-oh-time-to-sell-a-kidney” prices.

The one thing that you do have to look for in a sparkling wine, if you are moving away from Champagne, is the way it’s been made. Cheap fizz can be made either like ordinary wine and then carbonated; or by tank fermentation, meaning that the wine is left to ferment and form bubbles naturally and then bottled. Premium sparkling wines, on the other hand, are bottled and then allowed to develop their bubbles in the bottle. After this process is complete (takes several months of painstakingly moving the bottles gradually from the horizontal storage position to a position where the cap is pointing almost vertically downwards. This makes the spent yeast from the fermentation process gather in the neck of the bottle, which is flash-frozen before the bottle is opened and the frozen cap of yeast debris removed. Each bottle then has to be topped up to its correct level of liquid and sealed. Think about all that the next time you are tempted to complain about the price of Champagne!

Strict regulations mean that only sparkling wines made in this way from grapes in the Champagne region of France may be called Champagne, but there is nothing stopping winemakers from around the world using the technique described above. And it’s an indication of this technique that you should look for when you want to explore premium sparkling wines from outside Champagne. These wines will variously be labelled as Methode Cap Classique (South Africa), Cremant (France, outside Champagne), Cava (Spain), Methode Champenoise or Methode Traditionelle and as far as I’m concerned, particularly in the New World, represent excellent value for money. The same grape varieties, method and subtleties of taste as French Champagne, at a more reasonable price.

For my money, I’ll go for any sparkling wine by Graham Beck. Graham Beck Vineyards was started (unsurprisingly!) by entrepreneur Graham Beck in 1983 when he purchased the Madeba farm outside Robertson, South Africa, the the ambition to establish a world-class winery in the region. Nearly 25 years later, the estate’s reputation has been cemented with a cabinet full of awards, both international and local, and winemaker Pieter Ferreira (who is reputedly obsessed with getting the mousse of his sparkling wines just right) is still steaming ahead making wonderful sparkling and still wines. The estate itself is well worth a visit as it represents a radical departure from the traditional Cape Dutch homestead, and being able to taste a range of their excellent sparkling wines is always a pleasure.

The estate produces a Brut (non-vintage, classic mix of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes); a Blanc de Blanc (vintage, 100% Chardonnay), a Brut Rose (non-vintage, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir), and a Demi Sec (non-vintage, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir). Pictured above is the special Brut Cuvee 2000, made specially for the millennium celebrations, bought at the estate in 1999 and saved till recently. It’s a full-bodied sparkler with a creamy mouthfeel that’s at least as much due to the very fine mousse as to the Chardonnay grapes, with yeasty, lemony notes and is very, very appealing. Although you are unlikely to get your mitts on the Cuvee 2000 any more, look out for more recent vintages that are, I’m sure, equally delicious.

Other premium South African bubbly to look out for includes Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel, Cabriere’s Pierre Jourdan, Pongracz and Twee Jonge Gezellen Krone Borealis. And even the much-maligned JC Le Roux also produces a premier range of MCC sparklers that are worth a taste.

Cheers!

A version of this post has also appeared on my blog CookSister!

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