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Lianda Beyers-Cronje, world traveller,
passionate wine lover
and wine columnist on
Nosy Rosy.
Parlez-vous Vino?
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Autumn seduction
It is autumn and the first cold is snapping at
our heels. Those who know are telling us that this year’s winter
season will be authentic Cape – long, cold and wet. Now is the time
to spread out a snug blanket in front of the kindled fire place,
light some candles and treat yourself and your loved ones to one of
the most special wines of the Walker Bay district – Pinot noir.
A notoriously difficult grape to succeed with
outside of Burgundy, South Africa and especially the wine estates in
the Hemel-en Aarde valley, are producing Pinot noir that can
compare with the finest in the world.
Hamilton Russell Vineyard’s Pinot noir 2007 was
recently named Wine of the Day in the US’s top wine magazine, the
Wine Spectator. Having awarded the wine 93/100 (the highest score
ever for a South African Pinot noir) senior editor James Molesworth
described it as: “Bold, aromatic and ripe, but very elegant, with
racy acidity providing the ground wire for the rich black cherry,
bramble, incense and sweet earth notes, followed by a long
multi-faceted finish.”
Rated four and a half stars by Platter’s wine
guide, the Hamilton Russell Pinot noir 2007 was also named
investment wine of the month in the May edition of Wine magazine.
Bouchard Finlayson’s Galpin Peak 2007 and 2008 are
both rated four and a half stars by this year’s Platter’s guide. The
Bouchard Finlayson Tête de Cuvée
Galpin Peak 2005 was named Wine of the Year in the 2008 Platter’s
guide.
Other Platter rated Pinot noirs from the Walker
Bay area are Newton Johnson (four stars), Paul Cluver (four stars),
Whalehaven (four stars) and Sumaridge (two stars). Creation has
recently released its Pinot noir but it has not been rated yet.
Food pairing well with Pinot noir are chicken,
turkey, game birds, kidneys and ham while mushroom risotto is also
delicious served with this elegant vino.
I have looked up a gourmet recipe from South
African chef Garth Stroebel’s Modern South African Cuisine
that is guaranteed to add that extra oomph to your Pinot noir
evening.
Happy autumn quaffing!
PS. Mothers also like wine! Nosy Rosy
thinks few would have survived motherhood without it!
Marinated Breast of Duck with sweet potato and
cashew nut stuffing
6 Pekin duck breasts
150 ml marinade for duck (50 ml soy sauce, 20
ml ketjap manis, 10 ml finely sliced fresh root ginger, 10 ml deeded
and finely sliced chilli, 15 ml brown sugar)
1 large sweet potato
1 large carrot, peeled and cooked whole
1 large turnip, swede or parsnip, peeled and
cooked whole
1 large courgette (baby marrow) cooked whole
50 ml olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic
150 ml sauce Vierge ( 1 lemon, peeled, no
pith) and segmented, 2 oranges, peeled (no pith) and segmented, 10
basil leaves, 5 ml toasted coriander seeds, 200 ml extra virgin
olive oil and salt and freshly ground pepper)
Cashew nut stuffing
100g cashew nuts, chopped
300 g pork sausage meat
100 ml fresh cream
50g fresh white breadcrumbs
salt and freshly ground pepper
For the duck:
Submerge the
duck breasts in the marinade and marinate them for about 12 hours in
the refrigerator. To cook, preheat the oven to 180˚C.
Remove the breaste from the marinade and pat dry with kitchen paper.
Sear in a hot pan for about 2 minutes, fat side down. Transfer the
breasts to a roasting pan and place in oven for about 5 minutes.
Leave to rest for a few minutes before slicing the breasts .
For the vegetables:
Cut the sweet potato,
carrot, turnip and courgette lengthways into wedges. Place them in
oven tray and drizzle them with olive oil. Season with salt and
pepper and add the whole garlic cloves. Roast in the oven at 180˚C
for about 15 minutes, turning the vegetables occasionally with a
spatula so that they brown evenly.
For the cashew nut stuffing:
Roast the cashew nuts in a hot dry pan on a high heat until brown.
Set aside to cool. Mix the sausage meat with the cream and
breadcrumbs. Season to taste and fold in the cashew nuts. Leave the
mixture to rest for about 15 minutes, then spoon it into a piping
bag. Pipe the stuffing onto a sheet of clingfilm and roll into a
cylinder. Roll this in aluminium foil and cook in boiling water for
about 15 minutes until firm.
For the final presentation:
Cut a 3 cm long cylinder of the stuffing per serving and place in
the centre of the plate. Arrange the roasted vegetables around the
stuffing. Slice the duck breasts into 3 cm wedges and arrange on the
plate. Drizzle the sauce Vierge around the duck and vegetables and
garnish with a sprig of thyme.
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