Archive for the ‘Tradition’ Category

Soweto is again showing its hospitality as the Soweto Wine Festival is set to again be a huge hit. This relative contemporary festival is in its seventh year and is starting to become a highlight on the South African wine festival scene

In contrast to this ‘contemporary’ festival ,  classic wine brands like Welmoed is again set to be one of the outstanding exhibitors with wines that over deliver on quality at the price point.

With a history which date back to the 1690 and with centuries of winemaking traditions it is a perfect fusion as the classic  brands meet the ‘contemporary’ Soweto wine festival.

So please join us for a glass of wine at this great event and experience the fusion of old meets new in Soweto.

For more details, visit:  sowetowinefestival.co.za

To non-South Africans this must sound like and outrageously unappetising dish. But rest assure: No monkeys or any of their glands are involved. It is not known where this name comes from, but it is such an inherent part of South African cuisine

A monkey gland sauce is a traditional South African sweet-n- hot sauce for steak, great for the BBQ or with chicken, pork and sausages.

Monkey Gland Steak

• Cube steaks (1 per serving)
• oil for frying
• 1 large onion diced
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 large tomatoes diced (canned tomatoes work just as well)
• 1 cup of ketchup
• 1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 3/4 -1 cup of chutney
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. vinegar
• 1 tsp. Tabasco sauce

In a heavy skillet, heat oil. Sauté onions and garlic until soft. Add remaining ingredients, mix well and simmer for a few minutes. Fry or grill the steaks separately. When done frying spoon the sauce over the steaks. Serve with rice.

This Monkey Gland Steak will pair well with Welmoed Rosé or even the ever popular Welmoed Merlot .

Source: 3men.com

Frikkadels (SA meatballs) are part and parcel of South African cuisine. Here is  a great recipe based on a tomato frikkadel.

Ingredients

4 medium tomatoes
2 large onions
30 ml sunflower oil (2 T)
1 kg minced beef
50 g oats (½ c)
125 ml milk (½ c)
30 ml brown vinegar (2 T)
15 ml Worcestershire sauce (1 T)
10 ml salt (2 t)
1 ml pepper (¼ t)
125 ml water (½ c)
30 ml cream of tomato soup powder (2 T)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Peel the tomatoes and onions and chop roughly. Braise in the sunflower oil until soft. Mix half of the tomato and onion mixture lightly with the minced beef and the oats. Add the milk, brown vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and mix together well.

Shape large frikkadels (can be shaped into round balls or flattened with a fork) from the mixture and place them quite close together in a shallow, ovenproof dish with a volume of about 2,5 litres. Mix the water and soup powder and pour it over the frikkadels. Cover the dish. Bake for an hour. Spoon the remaining tomato and onion mixture over the frikkadels.

Makes 14 large frikkadels

Recommended wine: The Welmoed Pinotage will pair perfectly with this traditional dish

Source: www.rainbownation.com

The company of wine people TM has strengthened its foothold in The People’s Republic of China by launching Welmoed Wines, one of South Africa’s established household wine brands into this market. The brand will initially launch two red wines, a Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon.

It’s the first time that Welmoed is introduced to the Chinese consumer. According to Brand and Business Development Manager for Asia, Mark Lester, the brand is aimed specifically at a market segment that seeks a premium wine offering for their purchase.

“Welmoed is a brand that really over-delivers when it comes to quality at its price point. We’ve worked extensively with our partners on the brand to achieve the consumer cues required to succeed and we’re confident we’ll see consumers reacting positively to this South African favorite.”

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Tomato stews are part of the local cuisine of many countries and  in South Africa we call it Tomato Bredie. This traditional dish is one of my favourites and here is a lovely recipe

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 700 g boneless lamb shoulder cut into chunks
• 1 large onion, peeled and cut into slices
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
• 6 medium-sized firm ripe tomatoes, peeled and cut crosswise into slices
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh hot chilies
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Method

1. In a heavy skillet, heat the oil over moderate heat until a light haze forms above it. Add the lamb and brown it a few pieces at a time. Turn the pieces frequently with a slotted spoon and regulate the heat so that they colour richly and evenly without burning. As the lamb browns, transfer the pieces to a plate.
2. Pour off and all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the skillet and drop in the onion slices and the garlic. Stirring frequently and scraping in any brown particles that cling to the bottom of the pan, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the onions are soft and golden brown. Stir in the tomatoes, chilies, cloves, sugar and salt, then add the lamb and any juices that have accumulated around it.
3. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible point, cover tightly, and cook the bredie for 1 hour, stirring it from time to time to prevent the vegetables and lamb from sticking to the pan. Remove the cover and, stirring and mashing the tomatoes occasionally, simmer for 30 to 40 minutes longer or until the lamb is very tender and most of the liquid in the pan has cooked away. The sauce should be thick enough to hold its shape almost solidly in the spoon.
4. Taste for seasoning. Pick out and discard the cloves and serve the bredie at once from a heated platter, accompanied by hot boiled rice.

Recommended wine: The Welmoed Merlot will pair perfectly with this traditional   bredie dish.  Click here for winemakers tasting note of this lovely wine.

Source:  recipesworldwide.org

Snoek pate recipe is very South African. It’s so nice on a piece of toast served with a glass of Sauvignon blanc. You can serve it for aperitif or for starter with a nice green salad.

SMOKED SNOEK PATE

Ingredients

200 g good quality smoked snoek

250 g creamed cottage cheese

¼ cup of mayonnaise

1 table spoon of lemon juice

1 table spoon of fresh ginger and garlic

1 chopped onion

2 gherkins

30 ml chopped fresh parsley

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Remove skin and bones form the snoek and flake. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

Season with salt and black pepper and spoon into small dishes.

Keep refrigerated for minimum half day and maximum 5 days.

Recommended wine: The Welmoed Sauvignon Blanc will be the perfect wine with this dish.

Source: voilacapetown.com

Biltong is a traditional Southern African  snack  and is adored by many. The history of this snack stretch back hundreds of years and it has become part of the South African culture.

For centuries mankind has endeavoured to preserve meat. Seafarers, centuries ago, pickled meat in large wooden caskets and devoured this during the months they were at sea. No wonder they suffered from scurvy.

African folklore has it that migrating African tribesmen, herding their stock, would place strips of venison under the saddles on their horses as the chaffing would tenderise the meat and the sweat of the animals would spice it! This must be when vegetarians were born.

Biltong as we know this delicacy today, is a rich inheritance from pioneering South African forefathers who sun dried meat during their trek across the African Subcontinent.

The basic spicing is a dramatic blend of vinegar, salt, sugar, coriander and other spices. These were in abundance in the then Cape Colony, as the French Hugenots produced wine and vinegar from their grape crops and the colony was the halfway stop for seafarers plying the spice routes of the East. Various brine recipes and marinades were created and handed down for generations.

Today Biltong and Droewors (dried South African sausage) is a massive industry and the most sought after delicacies in Southern Africa.

A great traditionally South African wine that will pair well with Biltong is the Welmoed Pinotage. This is a charming medium to full bodied wine with a vivid ruby-red colour. Raspberry and ripe fruit on the nose. Ripe mulberry fruit palate with elegant tannin and soft fruity finish. Well integrated oak aromas complement a well-balanced wine.

Source: biltongmakers.com

There are hundreds of different cheeses in the world and , just like wine, they differ in  styles, textures and flavours. The French are famous for their cheeses and wines and Brie and Camembert are two of the most renowned cheeses in the world.

But what is the difference between the two cheeses?

Brie is a soft cows’ cheese named after Brie, the French province in which it originated. It is pale in colour with a slight greyish tinge under a rind of white mould; very soft and savoury with a hint of ammonia. The whitish mouldy rind is typically eaten, the flavor quality of which depends largely upon the ingredients used and its fabrication environment.

Camembert is a similar soft cheese, also made from cow milk. However, there are differences beyond the simple geographical fact that brie originates from the Ile de France and camembert from Normandy.

Brie is produced in large wheels and thus ripens differently: when sold it typically has been cut from a wheel, and therefore its side is not covered by the rind; camembert, meanwhile, is ripened as a small round cheese and sold as such, so it is fully covered by rind. This changes the ratio between the rind and the inner part of the cheese. Furthermore, brie contains more fat than camembert.

 So in the famous words of Hamlet , To Brie or not to Brie that is the question.

The Welmoed Merlot will pair exceptionally well with both these cheese styles

Shiraz is one of the true global grape varieties and is cultivated in all the major wine countries in the world.

Syrah or Shiraz is a dark-skinned grape grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce powerful red wines. Whether sold as Syrah or Shiraz, these wines enjoy great popularity.

Shiraz is used as a varietal and is also blended as it give character and body to wine  blends. The grape originates from southeastern France and it is estimated to be the 7^th most grown grape in the world.

Wines made from Shiraz are often powerfully flavoured and full-bodied. The variety produces wines with a wide range of flavor notes, depending on the climate and soils where it is grown, as well as other viticultural practices chosen.

South Africa has a rich red wine tradition and the Welmoed Shiraz is one of these great South African red wines. This well-balanced medium to full bodied wine is a fusion of sweet ripe fruit and black currant tones ending in a sweet spicy liquorice hints.

Lovers of wine brands Welmoed and Versus can expect to sample their favourite tipple at the 10^th annual SA Cheese Festival, this year hosted at a brand-new venue.

Cheese lovers are expected to descend on Sandringham, just off the R44 between Stellenbosch and the N2, from 29 April to 2 May for this popular festival. Visitors can look forward to a vast array of cheese, oysters, olives and braaivleis to suite every taste, and of course, Versus and Welmoed will be there to wash down the nibbles.

“We have been involved with this festival for many years now,” says Corné Oosthuizen, Brand and Business Development Manager: SA and SADC for the company of wine people™. “It’s such a jovial family festival. We can’t wait to be involved again.” 

As most epicureans will know, wine is one of the best known partners for cheese delights.  Versus Wines, which aligns itself with unusual, fun and interesting events will have a wide variety of styles to complement the various cheeses. Try a sip from their uncomplicated Naturally Sweet range of White, Rosé or Red with a tangy chevin, or if a drier style is preferred, match their Original Range to your favourite cheese.

For the traditionalist, a glass of carefully crafted Welmoed should go well with some of the bolder, more intensely flavoured cheeses. Their range of single variety vintages includes Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz.

* Please enjoy our wines responsibly. Not for sale to persons under legal drinking age. For more information about the Cheese Festival, visit www.cheesefestival.co.za.