30th March 2012
Another fabulously warm, sunny day in London, spoilt only by the ridiculous panic buying of petrol and diesel.
NerdyGeek woke me up at 6am, this time without back up alarms – maybe old dogs can learn new tricks. With paperwork and emails, WhatsApp, texts all done by 7.30am, I began planning my exciting day and preparing lunch. Working from a small kitchen having just returned from a trip is never easy, even with my trusted timeplan/cribsheet of almost 25 years from my Cordon Bleu days. Disposable gloves to debone the chicken, cocktail sticks, proper Riedel tasting glasses were amongst the missing items. The chicken was a little too plump for the largest pot I owned at the flat. The list goes on but one manages.
Homemade juice to start. Today it’s celery, carrot, apple, ginger and a sprig of mint. A couple of drops of detoxifying liver cleansing milk thistle too (which I forgot to mention to Deb). With the mouth and tummy cleansed, the wines on rapid chill in the little freezer, we were ready to go.
My partner in crime today is Deb Hoggart of CapeKlein wines, an almost “blind” food and wine matching exercise to challenge us (Deb had no idea of the menu but brought the wines and I had no idea of the wines but did the cooking).
Melange of salted nuts from Copenhagen’s Magasin du Nord. Palate cleansing Peitan with pickled garlic. Larder At 36’s famed Hainanese Chicken Rice with sauces including homemade Chilli, Ginger and Garlic, Coriander and Thai Green Chilli, Hoisin, Green Tomato and Jalepeño Chilli Jam and ‘Tiger’ Dark Soya brought delicately bubble wrapped from Singapore, finishing with Green and Black’s fabulous vanilla ice-cream with a sprinkling of raw liquorice powder. Liquorice chocolates to end the meal.
The wines were Hermanuspietersfontein’s four whites containing Sauvignon Blanc.
Hermanuspietersfontein No.3 2011 – A lovely fresh 100% Sauvignon Blanc with a great tropical nose. Sweetness of well ripened berries. Pineapples, citrus tones on the palate and a hint of liquorice and toast at the end. Great spicy length. Light number for easy drinking chilled, sitting in the varendah watching the sun set. Simple in the nicest possible way. Paired well with simple salted nuts.
Hermanuspietersfontein No.5 2010 – 100% oaky Sauvignon Blanc with a long peppery finish. Thyme on the nose. Lovely balanced complexity working well with the steamed chicken and spicy sauces. Rich and buttery. Great wine making of the old world style. With 13.5% alcohol this grand dame holds herself well. This bottle gave the peitan a run for it’s money. The vegetal notes and absence of fruitiness did helped.
Hermanuspietersfontein No.7 2011 – Sauvignon blanc, with possibility of Semillon and Nouvelle. Bitter lemons, green peppers, asparagus and even parsley says the wine maker. The semillon definitely comes through working fabulously with the Hainanese Chicken Rice and sauces. Complexity of the wine and dish really enhanced the pleasure of eating and drinking.
Hermanuspietersfontein Die Bartho 2010 – Sauvignon blanc, Semillon, Nouvelle. Old world style. So well balanced. Lemons, apples, grass, herbs. Long long length. Fresh acidity. Fresh fresh fresh comes to mind. Blew my mind with the vanilla ice cream and liquorice powder. Thank you Semillon! Heaven.
This boutique winery is a great find. Beautiful heavy designer bottles with bold labels. Screw caps. Wines easy to remember though after tasting the 4, it was unlikely I would be able to spell the producer.
Thank you to Deb for sharing this glorious find.
http://www.capeklein.com/