Newsletter 16 - December 2005 - Caveau Wine Bar & Deli

In This Issue

Jean & Brendon's Welcome

Welcome!

Wine Review
Raats Chenin Blanc 2004

Recipe
Fish with sweetcorn fritters and avo salsa

Dear Friends

The festive season finally upon us and as always at Caveau, any reason is grounds for celebration.
This month, Christmas parties and end of year gatherings have occurred in abundance and we have been so delighted to be part of these festivities.

This month also sees the arrival of a new wine on Caveau's winelist. After sitting over a couple of glasses of wine, Jean, Brendon and David van Niekerk of High Constantia happened upon the famous idea of producing a wine and naming it after one of Caveau's hardworking employees and manager, Faisal. Cuvee Faisal is a superb wine produced from a the varietal Cabernet Franc (of there which there was only one barrel)... be sure to give this one a try next time you pop in... you won’t find it anywhere else!

We have also added a new section to our newsletter, namely “Friends in Wine”. Each month in this section, you will find a wine selling direct from our cellar at a very special price

And then finally, reflecting back on the past year where we not only celebrated our first birthday but were also listed as one of the world’s top new nightspots by US Conde Nast Traveller Magazine, we can’t help but feel as if 2005 has been nothing short of an incredible success.
For this, we would like to thank each and every one of our loyal patrons and suppliers for the continued support and invaluable feedback.

We would also like to, on behalf of the Caveau team, wish all of you and yours a Merry Christmas and a wonderful and prosperous New Year. If you are traveling, please do so carefully!

Please don’t forget that we will be closing for the Christmas holidays after dinner on the 23rd December and will be opening again for lunch on the 03rd January 2006.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Till then... keep swirling!

Au Revoir

Petit Caveau

Wine Review - Raats Chenin Blanc 2004

Having finally obtained our alcohol trading licence, Caveau will be able to serve as a wine merchant as well as wine bar and deli in the New Year. At Petit Caveau you will be able to buy wines that appear on our wine list and even some that don’t! From time to time we may even be lucky enough to get our hands on something really special!!

In the mean time however, if there are any wines on our wine list that you would like to have for your own private collection but that you may be battling to find elsewhere, please do not hesitate to contact us and we shall try to source it for you.

The Raats Family live and dream Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc and have become specialists in crafting exceptional wines from these varietals. Their driving mission is to consistently produce South African wines of outstanding quality and then establish them internationally. Situated in the Polkdraai Hills just south of Stellenbosch where they passionately produce wines that they believe are truly different from vineyards considered as “old” in the South African context, they seem to have achieved more than outstanding results on the international scene.

Apart from earning themselves the international reputation as a World Leader in the production of Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, they have not only been named one of the 20 Best New Wineries by renowned New York wine journalist, Richard Nalley in American Food and Wine (Oct 2004), they also broke new ground for South African Wines when an earlier vintage (2002) of their Chenin Blanc achieved an unprecedented rating of 91 in Wine Spectator 2004. The Chenin Blanc 2004 has proven to be a worthy successor to this great achiever having received 91 again in Novembers issue of Wine Spectator. Winemaker Bruwer Raats is, no doubt, thrilled!

Jean’s Thoughts
Finally, someone has taken the local common grape to a superior level!! This Chenin Blanc displays clean fruit and shows longevity. Its structure allows it to be enjoyed on its own, but can also be enjoyed with more complex gastronomic dishes. The “wow” is guaranteed!!

Brendon’s Thoughts
This wine oozes complexity. Delicious ripe green apples with a hint of spice is what I tasted. This wine is pure class! If you are fortunate enough to taste it you will understand what I am talking about!

At Caveau: R 210.00 per bottle

Caveau’s Friends in Wine

Fish with sweetcorn fritters and avo salsa

Every now and then, Caveau receives stock at a reduced or “special price”. This may either be in order to move produce a little faster or due to wine farm promotions that may be running at the time. At Caveau we feel that our patrons should be the first to experience the benefits of such kickbacks and we have in turn decided to run monthly specials.

This month, our special offering is Peter Bayly’s Port. A maiden vintage, this port was blended from 38% Touriga Naçional, 38% Tinta Barocca and 24% Souzào. Immediately apparent in this wine are the big tannins and intense colour. It exudes power and refinement with a smooth but lively palate and attractive dry finish that is so representative of the traditional Port style. Exhibiting great complexity as well as good tannic grip this wine flaunts a full body which is rich, moderately sweet with ample ripeness. There is a massive concentration of fruit and lingering cherry and blackberry after taste and a long finish that displays sweet tannins... ideal for the festive season and makes a great Christmas gift!!

Available from Petit Caveau for only R85.00 per bottle, should you be interested in purchasing this wine for your own private collection or just to enjoy with friends and family, please feel free e-mail your order to: info@caveau.co.za

Fish with sweetcorn fritters and avo salsa

Ingredients

4 x 180g fish (any fish from game to something more delicate like steenbras will be fine)
250g baby red spinach
1 punnet corn on the cob
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 eggs (beaten together)
1 tsp chopped chives
1 cup milk
2 tomatoes (seeds removed and diced)
1 avocado pear (diced)
50ml olive oil
½ lemon (squeezed)

Serves 4

Method

Cook the corn in salted boiling water for 45 minutes. Remove the kernels from the cob and set to one side.
Sift flour and baking powder. Add egg and milk and blend until smooth.
Place the corn kernels and chives into the batter and mix slightly.
In a non-stick pan, drop spoonfuls of batter and fry lightly on each side. Should make 12 fritters (3 for each plate).
Mix the diced tomato and avocado together and pour olive oil and lemon juice over. Mix and season to taste.
Fry fish, skin side down for approx 8 minutes. Turn over and fry for a further 2 minutes.
Wilt the spinach in a hot pan for 30 seconds.
Arrange spinach off centre on a plate and place the fish on top.
Stack fritters in a pile alongside the fish and garnish with salsa.

The Vine Room

The Vine Room, Cape Town’s finest and most exclusive private dining venue is finally open for bookings. As opposed to our more casual fare, the menus that we will be designing for this venue are of “fine dining” standards. Should you be interested in making any bookings, please feel free to contact Gabi on gabi@thevineroom.co.za or on 083 284 6754.

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


Caveau Wine Bar & Deli - Newsletter 16 - December 2005	(021) 422 1367