MCCs & Champagne

There is just something about Champagne that makes you feel glamorous, elegant and in the mood for celebrations!! 

Always keep a good bottle of Champagne in the fridge for special occasions.  Some times the special occasion is that you have a bottle of Champagne in your fridge

 - Hester Brown 

 

Thanks to the folks in the Franschhoek Wine Valley for the 4 tickets I won for the Franschhoek MCC & Champagne Festival.
It was a beautiful day on Sunday, perfect weather, bubbles flowing, people dressed in their stylish black, white, stripes and polka dots and a fantastic atmosphere. 
The bands were great, those that entered and modelled in the best dressed competition were a hoot! and the dance floor was still on fire even after the stalls had all packed up.

There could have been a few more food stalls, but we had a DELICIOUS mussel bowl and a salmon sandwich which was more than enough.  With our ticket we received a glass and 10 tasting coupons, which worked really well, you could choose your French Champagnes worth 3 or 4 coupons, or our homemade MCCs for 1 or 2 coupons.  Or, like the boys chose to do, just buy a bottle, sit back, relax and enjoy! 

Of course, for our own health, we couldn't get to everything, but a few mentions of the ones we did enjoy...

MORENA is definitely still one of our favourites (that's what the boys were buying).  SIMONSIG Kaapse Vonkel was another favourite of the day with their well deserved Veritas GOLD and 4 John Platter stars, the Cuvee Royale was also pretty good! 

KRONE was a hit, you could taste the Krone Borealis 2009, Krone Rose 2008, and Nicolas Charles Krone for just one coupon.  All of which are made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, the second spending a bit more time on skins to give it a little pink hue and some fruit flavours, and the third, with extended lees contact was definitely the best of the three.
VILLIERA was also another great stop, not only were there three tasting for 2 coupons, but their Munro Brut, was probably the best MCC of the day!  The Grier MCC was also pretty delicious.
AVONDALE is another farm I've been wanting to get to, they are well known for their organic wines, and Avant-Garde Food & Wine Pairings (Crafted by Chef Reuben Riffel).  Their Armilla Brut was really nice.

It was great to see some of the smaller boutique farms there too, the likes of Charles Fox, Francois La Garde, GM & Ahrens, Ross Gower to name some, all of whom specialise in and focus on MCC production.  Their MCCs are obviously really good because they put everything they have into them.  Well worth a visit to some of their farms!

The only Genuine FRENCH Champagne we landed up tasting was the Piper Heidsieck which was really nice.  But honestly, our home grown MCCs are not far off the genuine Champagnes from the infamous Valley in France.  While this is brought in by Edward Snell, quite a few of the wine farms in Franschhoek actually import the genuine French stuff.  Colmant imports Chabivin, Morena stocks Thierry Lesne, Ken Forrester brings in Billecart-Salmon just to name a few.

There were a few macarons on sale to add to the French feel, but it would have been awesome if some of these Champagne Cupcakes (made by the Curvy Carrot ) were available.  Guess we'll have to make some ourselves the next time we pop open an MCC.

All in all it was a fantastic afternoon, enjoyed by all and great to get to know a little more about the delicious MCCs and Champagnes we have available right here on our doorstep!

Champagne certainly makes the party!  Now that the festive season has officially arrived and new years parties are already being planned - which bubbles will you be enjoying?

"Champagne! In victory one deserves it, in defeat, one needs it".
- Napoleon

Franschhoek MCC Festival & South African Blog Awards

For those who don't know, this weekend is the fabulous Franschhoek Cap Classique & Champagne Festival.  Taking place on the lawns of the Huguenot Monument at the foot of the Franschhoek pass, you could not ask for a more spectacular setting!

Image Courtesy of Susan Chrichton-Stuart Photography

The girls and I had some pre-ceremony wedding photographs there and it is beautiful.
But this weekend, the champagne (and MCC) will be flowing, with delicious food on offer, best dressed competitions and live entertainment.

So if you haven't yet got your tickets, head over to www.webtickets.co.za and get cracking.  There are a host of local MCC producers as well as genuine French Champagne makers who will all have their varietals available for tasting.  Tickets cost R200 and will give you entrance to the festival, a complimentary tasting glass and tasting coupons.  Don't forget to dress in your black and white, stripes and polka dots!

SA BLOG AWARDS
Being a newish blogger, this is the first time I can actually enter the South African blog awards.

I love posting my pictures and chatting about the beautiful Winelands we have around here.  So if you enjoy reading this blog as much as I enjoy posting, click on the voting badge on the right and give me a vote :).

Public voting starts on 2 December 2013 and lasts until 13 December 2013.

Head over to the SA Blog Awards website and check out some of the other awesome blogs in the other categories too.  Happy voting!

Have a lovely weekend!

*

Franschhoek Winter Wines Festival - This Weekend

This weekend is the Franschhoek Winter Wines festival, 17 August 2013!
There tickets are a little more than the usual festival at R180 per person, but the event takes place in the Franschhoek Motor Museum on the L'Ormarins Estate.  There is usually a cover charge for the museum, but this weekend you will be in amongst the vintage cars with over 100 years of motoring history, tasting some of Franschhoek's finest wines.
The festival runs from 12 - 5pm with live entertainment throughout the afternoon.

Check out the long list of wineries below that will be exhibiting, with their wines available for tasting and winemakers available for chatting:

Akkerdal                                         Anthonij Rupert Wines
Boekenhoutskloof                           Boschendal
Colmant                                          Four Paws Wines
Franschhoek Cellar                        GlenWood
Grande Provence                            Haute Cabriere
Holden Manz Wine Estate               La Bri
La Chataigne                                   La Couronne Wine Estate
La Motte                                          Leopard’s Leap Family Vineyards
Lynx                                                 Morena
Noble Hill                                         Rickety Bridge
Rupert & Rothchild Vignerons         Solms-Delta
Terra del Capo                                The Bernard Series
Vrede en Lust Wines 




Let us know if you are heading out there this weekend and how it is/was!

Check out the official website for more information - http://franschhoek.org.za/events/event/franschhoek-winter-wines-2/

Bastille Day, Franschhoek

 - JUST LOVE HOW THE WHOLE TOWN COMES TOGETHER IN BLUE, RED & WHITE!

 


Apologies for the slight delay in recapping the festivities, I had some minor technical difficulties, but all is good now and below is a little sum up of the activities... 

Unfortunately for us the weather decided not to play along on the Saturday, but Sunday was perfect for those who went through.

 
Next year we will definitely NOT be going to the food and wine tent.  Although the tent was very festive and the live band was fantastic, the value for money was poor.  R150 per person as entry into the tent for which we received a wine glass and 5 coupons.  One would expect, being a food & wine tent, that at least one coupon would be for food if not a number of them.  At most festivals each restaurant or stand has a similar priced sample dish for which one or two coupons are used.  

There were no food coupons, and while there were some great restaurants and dishes, eating was an added expense.  The coupons which were therefore wine tasting coupons were valued at one coupon per tasting - not per wine farm tasting, per individual wine tasting.  I sort of understand, given the crowd, but I was pretty disappointed after I had made a list of the specific farms I wanted to check out.  So for R150 I got a glass and to taste 5 wines, which might I add were mostly second tier wines as I am sure the farms were not interested in offering their most prestigious at what appeared to be more of a drunken student party than an actual food & wine festival.

 Out in the town however, the French culture was much more present and the festivities were much more enjoyable.  We had a blast watching the barrel rolling competition.  And even got a Porcupine Ridge umbrella for our support in the rain - kudos to Porcupine Ridge, we will definitely buy their wine in the future!  The markets were great, one more of a curio/African nature and one more of a farmer's market, with great food (delicious samoosas!).  I was disappointed to have missed the Minstrel Parade, but we'll have to catch that next year.  I was also a little scared of the trail run, next year I will train a bit harder.  The Franschhoek Hospice was out in full force with pancakes, berets, scarves and rosettes for purchase and loads of people added a French flair to their outfits for the day.  All the shops and restaurants streamed in the French colours and bubbling onto the sidewalks with their food and wine.

So, all in all, a great day out in the beautiful town of Franschhoek!  Check the weather and go through when the sun is shining and rather enjoy the town festivities than trying to the fight the crowds in the food and wine tent.  (Unless of course you are a student and ALL your friends are going and you're in for the KUIER, then you will have a blast in the tent!)

I think next year we'll check out the festivities in town and then head to one of the surrounding farms.  Perhaps it might be a good idea for the farms to actually have activities going on as well, that might aleve/stagger some of the traffic and add a whole nother dynamic to the weekend... just saying!

Until next year...

FRANSCHHOEK TOWN
Off the N1 along R45

Bastille Festival, Franschhoek - This weekend!

image from http://weheartit.com

 - FRANSCHHOEK FESTIVITIES!
The annual Bastille Festival kicks is happening this Saturday and Sunday in Franschhoek. 


For those who don't know, Bastille day in France is formerly known as The National Celebration and it is celebrated in remembrance of when the people of France stormed the Bastille Prison..  France at the time was ruled by King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, Antoinette who is famous for (even though it may not be true) saying "Let them eat cake" when asked of the poor and middle-class 'what should the people eat?".  The country was in a state of bankruptcy and the people were fighting against their oppression.  The storming of the Bastille was in order to obtain ammunition and the prison represented Royal Authority and the King's totalitarian power.  Bastille's fall marked the beginning of the the French Revolution.
 

image from http://quotesorb.com

And so today, the 14th July is a huge celebration (particularly in France) in honour of the day that began the revolution which resulted in the creation of the First French Republic (1792). 


Here in the Cape, South Africa, Franschhoek town came about when about 200 French Huguenots fled religious persecution in France and arrived in the Dutch run Cape.  They were allocated the land in the Franschhoek valley.  A lot of the people brought with them their wine making skills, hence all the wine farms, and a number of the farms are named after the original towns in France from where these settlers came (La Motte, Provence, Cabriere etc).  Franschhoek, therefore, has its own French history and we get to participate in annual Bastille Day festivities too!



There is a market all day Saturday and Sunday, barrel rolling competitions, boules competitions, the waiter's race, the Solms Delta parade, trail runs and MTB events, berets for all and most importantly the Food & Wine tent (R150 a ticket, R550 for VIP).

So don your Red, Blue & White in honour of the French, if you don't have a beret you can always get one there, and come enjoy the festivities in Franschhoek.

Picture courtesy of www.franschhoek.co.za/bastille.html

For more information about the weekend's events and activities, as well as a festival programme, visit the official websites - http://www.franschhoek.co.za/bastille.html & http://www.franschhoekbastille.co.za/

Grande Provence

 - A BEAUTIFUL ESTATE!!

Instead of the usual after work drinks on a Friday we decided to go for a nice wine tasting.  Unfortunately so many of the farms close at 5pm and that makes it tricky finding one that is open after work.  Grande Provence tasting room is open until 6pm (7pm in the summer I think) and so we headed there to start the weekend.

The entrance on the main road as you head into Franschhoek makes you expect a large parking lot and grand old Cape Dutch house as soon as you are through the gates.  But instead you drive over the railway line and along the dirt road on a slow meander through the vineyards completely forgetting about any of the bad drivers you encountered on the main road.  The final stretch of the driveway is beautifully manicured and comes out right at the tasting room. 
 

We sat inside around the bar counter for our tasting.  It was a bit chilly as the sun was going down, but next time I would like to sit outside in the courtyard and gardens.  We didn't wander much further than the tasting room, but it is a really beautiful estate and I can only imagine the restaurant, luxury accommodation and art gallery are fantastic.


We were in no rush, enjoying the stunning scenery and lovely evening, so we opted for the full tasting of eight different wines.


My wine notes below...


SAUVIGNON BLANC 2012
DELICIOUS!  This wine smells like apples, like fresh sweet grass.  It does not have the sharpness of lemon or peppers.  The grapes are brought in from Durbanville, an area renowned for its Sauv Bs.  You can definitely taste the pear flavours and a soft zesty finish, this wine is not acidic or tart at all it is really a cut above the rest.  The best wine we tasted here at Grande Provence and definitely a favourite.  We took a bottle with us to the birthday celebrations which followed.

VIOGNIER CHENIN BLANC 2012
This blend has a sweet, buttery sort of smell with an apricot ice-cream/sorbet flavour.  It definitely has yeasty notes and a cream finish as mentioned in the winery notes.  It has a very smooth after taste, almost a milky taste, its weird.  It tastes cold (like the flavour not the temperature) if that is possible.  An interesting wine, I'm not 100% sold.

CHARDONNAY 2011
With a light golden hue this wine has a lovely light butterscotch smell with a toastiness to it.  The wine seems to roll over your tongue almost like it doesn't even touch, so soft.  A very distinct butterscotch flavour with a smooth vanilla and soft wood finish.  A very enjoyable chardonnay.

PINOT NOIR 2010
According to the TRH the skin of a pinot noir grape is much thinner hence the lighter colour and flavour of the wine.  That explains why they often look a bit watery when compared to other REDS.  This Pinot has quite a sharp nose and smells a bit like dirty soil.  It has quite sharp berry flavours, still light but very berry, more flavour than other Pinots.  It has quite a dry, tanniny finish.  All in all though quite a pleasant wine.

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2009
Apparently these vines grow next to Eucalyptus trees on the South facing slopes which gives the wine a hint of minty flavours from the trees (and my understanding is they would have less harsh sunlight being South facing).  This wine has a spicy cedar wood smell, almost a little metallic smelling also.  It has lovely juicy berry flavours, like a mulberry when it bursts in your mouth.  I agree with the strawberry compote description, that syrupy lighter berry flavour.  It has a slight spice with soft aniseed (maybe?) flavours.  With a dry finish and limited tannins this is a very smooth wine, very nice!  The soft, velvety mouthfeel and elegant, lingering finish description is quite apt.


SHIRAZ 2008
To me this wine smelt like evergreen trees, like the smell on the top of a mountain when you're skiing.  While the wine has quite hectic legs, the spice and white pepper flavours are more subtle.  It has quite a rich berry flavour with a smooth easy finish that just slides down.  It is rated as one of the top 6 Shiraz in South Africa.  I think it is exactly what you would expect from a good Shiraz, nothing out of this world, but a very good Shiraz.

THE GRANDE PROVENCE 2009 (Cabernet & Merlot blend)
This wine can only be purchased from the estate with a mere 3,000 bottles being produced.  With quite a floral nose this wine smells almost like lavender and pot pouri.   It is definitely a full bodied wine with full fruit and rich berry flavours.  It has a slight spice to it and a hint of mint from the previously mentioned eucalyptus.  With a lovely vanilla finish it would be great with a rich steak dinner.  A very enjoyable blend that gets better with each sip.

MUSCAT D'ALEXANDRIE 2012
This fortified dessert wine has a lovely sweet elderflower and Turkish delight smell, it just smells delicious, like fruity flowers.  It smells like a dark strong red rose.  It has very strong grape flavours, obviously, but almost as strong as raisins.  It is actually a lovely dessert wine.  While it is very sweet and sugary it is not like some others that have a syrup feel to them, it is actually quite light on the palate and the overall finish.  I really enjoyed this Muscat.