March seems to be such a wonderful month in Cape Town. What with the influx of cyclists and their families, along with the many public holidays heading our way, one can be forgiven for slipping straight back into holiday mode. Apart from the occasional South Easter, our gorgeous Cape Town weather also seems to be doing its bit.

This month also marks the beginning of our wine tasting series for 2005, with our first one on the 29th March and what more fitting a theme to celebrate this than “Bubbles of Joy”? With an outstanding wine and food line-up, all in celebration of the finest Cap Classiques that our winelands have to offer, this promises to be a superb evening. As our intention is to keep these tastings as intimate as possible, seating is limited and booking is therefore essential.

To view information about our future wine evenings please feel free visit our website. We welcome advance bookings as well as your feedback.

We wish you all a Happy Easter and for those of you going away, travel safe!

Till then... keep swirling!

Au Revoir

P.S. We would also like to take this opportunity to apologise to those who received a blank “Bubbles of Joy” e-mail last week. We recently started sending our mails using a new programme and experienced a few teething problems. We will make every effort to ensure that this does not happen again!

royalty in a bottle…

“Kumkani” … a Xhosa word meaning King.

The ethnic branding used for this premium wine is an obvious display of Stellenbosch Vineyards’ pride and confidence in its African heritage. The simple but striking label depicts the King chess piece as a symbol of authority, continuity and dependability …and it is in their Viognier that this philosophy becomes particularly evident.

The vineyard’s location (a few km from the Atlantic Ocean) seems tailor-made for flavourful grapes. The soils vary between a deep sandy soil on clay to a well-drained sandy loam with weathered granite. This interaction of vine, site, soil, marine climate and terroir yields complex fruit with an intensity of flavour and crispness is that not found in some of the more inland regions.

Having had excellent fruit to work with, this wine displays powerful aromas of lime zest, ginger and nectarine … a fruitiness that is well supported by a rich complex macadamia and peach palate with a full lime and spice finish … the perfect accompaniment to rich and spicy dishes.

Representative of this Rhone/Languedoc style wine, is that it is barrel fermented with prolonged lees contact which gives it an appealing depth and complexity. Although drinking well now, this wine will develop harmoniously in the bottle for several years

Jean’s Thoughts
The acidity and tannin that are the backbone of this wine will provide enough strength to stand up to its distinguishing fruity character. Particularly enjoyable with rich and complex foods. Don't be scared to try unusual styles of food such as a Tajiin or North African curry, where the sweetness of the dish will compliment fruitiness

Brendon’s Thoughts
I find this wine quite voluptuous and different. It has a lovely interesting balance between citrus fruit and a biscuity toast. Enjoy it with a rich mushroom risotto or even on it's own with some canapés or tapas. Either way you'll enjoy it.

At Caveau:

R 155.00 per bottle

Lamb Tajiin

Ingredients 1 leg of Lamb, deboned 2 x onions, roughly chopped 200g cooked chickpeas 200g cooked haricot beans 2 x red, yellow and green peppers, chopped

Spice mix

1 leg of Lamb, deboned
2 x onions, roughly chopped
200g cooked chickpeas
200g cooked haricot beans
2 x red, yellow and green peppers, chopped

6 cloves crushed garlic
1 chilli, finely chopped
250g raisins
250g dried apricots/dried peaches
1 litre chicken stock
400ml red wine
400g fresh tomato, roughly chopped
2 tbls fresh mint
2 tbls fresh coriander
1 tbls fresh rosemary

Serves 10

Method

1. Slice lamb into 5cm strips
2. Place in a hot wide-bottom pot
3. Add all the spices, chilli and garlic and gently fry until brown
4. Add onions and cook for 10 minutes, then add the peppers and cook for a further 5 minutes
5. Add the chicken stock and the tomato and cook over a low heat for approximately 1 hour
6. Remove from the heat and add the beans, fresh herbs, raisins and dried apricots/peaches

Serve with couscous and mango salsa

"Drinking good wine with good food in good company is one of life's most civilized pleasures." - Michael Broadbent