Newsletter 28 - December 2006 - Caveau Wine Bar & Deli

In This Issue

Jean & Brendon's Welcome

Welcome!

Wine Review
De Wetshof D’Honneur 1993

Recipe
Seared yellowfin tuna with crushed potato and citrus sauce

Dear Friends

With the closing of most businesses in and around town, we have definitely seen a shift from our usual short and busy business lunches to those of the longer and lazier type. Although most of our friends and family are now well into their holidays and winding down, we at Caveau are still going full steam ahead with preparations for the launch of our new Caveau at Josephine’s Mill.

As mentioned in previous newsletters, we confirm that we will be celebrating this auspicious event on the Thursday the 25th January 2007. Invitations will be sent out within the first 2 weeks of the year, and we are looking so forward to seeing as many of you there as possible!

Finally, reflecting back on the past year where we not only celebrated our first wine festival and 2nd birthday, but was voted by Diners Club as one of the top 10 restaurants in the ‘Everyday Eating’ category, we can’t help but feel as if 2006 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. In no way to be overlooked, we would also like to take this opportunity to thank our wonderful Caveau staff for their hard work throughout the year. Special thanks in particular to Faisal, Charl and Joep, who have worked so hard not only at Caveau in town, but who have also been invaluable with their assistance in getting things in order at The Mill.

At this point, 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 travelling, please do so carefully!

Till then... keep swirling!

Au Revoir

Petit Caveau

De Wetshof D’Honneur 1993

Having finally obtained our alcohol trading license, 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.

De Wetshof Estate has over the past two decades become renowned in the Cape for its innovative and advanced use of technology in helping to produce both better grapes and create great wines.

Proprietor and winemaker, Danie de Wet’s love of wine emanates from the time he was a young boy following his father around the farm in the Robertson Valley. The De Wet ancestors arrived at the Cape in 1694 and the family has been involved in the wine industry ever since.

But Danie, who studied at Geisenheim in Germany, realised early in his career the importance of combining a good grounding in wine, natural instinct, together with cutting edge technology, to stay at the forefront of a dynamic and ever-changing industry.

These concepts he has applied in both the vineyard and the cellar.

Careful planning has gone into soil mapping all vineyards on the estate, to identify the correct terroir for the various varietals he nurtures. These run from the alluvial soils near the Breede River, which runs through the estate, as well as the lime-rich slopes stretching up the slopes of the surrounding hills and mountains.

De Wetshof’s emphasis on Chardonnay dates back to Danie’s days as a student at the Geisenheim Institute in Germany, where he studied viticulture and oenology. While there he tasted many fine examples of this variety, as well as undertaking visits to leading Burgundian wineries. Today he has his own vineyard specific Chardonnays offering widely differing styles.

The De Wetshof D’Honneur 1993 is a multi-dimensional wine distinguished by a remarkable complexity of flavours derived from the fine quality of grapes and good wood. With alluring tertiary notes and a lively palate, this wine displays a hint of naked freshness and subtle citrus undertones.

Jean’s Thoughts
Well, I never thought that a South African Chardonnay could last this long. It is crispy, refreshing and after all this time still has good length on the palate and barely any oxidation. Impressive!

Brendon’s Thoughts
Now you can taste why Danie De Wet is known as ‘The King of Chardonnay’. This wine’s elegance and sophistication for a 13 yr old Chardonnay is a tribute to South African whites and their potential to age well. A personal favourite!

At Caveau: R 240.00 per bottle

Charl's Choice

Seared yellowfin tuna with crushed potato and citrus sauce

Local Prosciutto

This hind leg of Pork is deboned and matured locally the good old Italian way, by a company called ‘Farmer’s Delicatessen’ in Johannesburg. The legs are air dried for up to 16 months before they are dried and sent all over South Africa. In Caveau’s kitchen, we not only use it on our meat platters, but also delight in using it in our salads, quiches, pastas and sandwiches!

In our deli : R 200.00 per kg

Willem

Ingredients:

4 x 200g yellowfin tuna Loin
100g rocket
8 x potatoes (medium size)
4 x tomatoes (medium size)
800ml cream
600g butter
4 x red grapefruit (segmented)
4 x oranges (segmented)
2 x lime
Grated parmesan, salt, pepper and spring onion for seasoning

Method for the crushed potatoes:

1) Season the potatoes with some salt and roast them, with their skins on, in a little bit of oil.
2) After roasting, allow them to cool and then peel and roughly crush them.
3) Chop tomatoes and spring onions and add to the crushed potatoes.
4) Crack some black pepper over the potato and mix in some grated parmesan to taste.

Method for the citrus sauce:

1) Bring the cream to the boil and reduce until it’s consistency is thick.
2) Squeeze in the juice of 2 limes, or more depending on taste.
3) Take the cream off the heat and add the butter and whisk until the sauce is smooth and silky.
4) Add salt and pepper to taste.

Method for the tuna:

1) Season tuna with salt and black pepper.
2) Seal off for approximately 2 minutes on each side in a very hot pan. (Sear for longer if the cut is more than 1½ cm thick).
3) Remove from heat and plate with crushed potatoes and citrus cream.

Plating:

1) Press the potato into rings and place in the centre of a round plate or bowl.
2) Garnish the potato with rocket.
3) Place the tuna loins on top of the potato.
4) Fill the rest of the plate with the citrus cream sauce.
5) Garnish the cream with orange and grapefruit segments.

Caveau’s Friends in Wine

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 Cape Points 2005 Sauvignon Blanc. The wine shows a complex array of tropical fruit, with subtle herbaceous tones and an incredible mineral backbone. The palate is rich and full made in a style to be a wonderful food companion – particularly with a light fresh pasta. This Sauvignon Blanc is drinking beautifully at present, but try to exercise patience as it will only improve over the next 2-3 years.

Available from Petit Caveau for only R 80.00 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

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


Caveau Wine Bar & Deli - Newsletter 28 - December 2006	(021) 422 1367