PROGRAMME

BLIND WINE TASTING COMPETITION FOR MOTHERS

Come and test your skills!

Prizes:

First:  A magnum of Delheim Pinotage and a Delheim “Ageing to Perfection” sweater

Second: A Bird Feeder, a bottle of Delheim Spatzendreck wine and two Delheim glasses

Third: A bottle of Gabriele fortified red wine & Gabriele chocolate

LUNCH

German gemütlichkeit is the order of the day in this garden restaurant in its

stunning setting with a view clear across to Table Mountain in the distance. 

In case of rain, we will move to the cosy “Downstairs” Cellar.

Set Menu:

A complementary glass of wine from our “Lifestyle” range

(Sauvignon Blanc-Chenin Blanc 2009, Pinotage Rosé 2009,

Cabernet Sauvignon-Shiraz 2008, or Spatzendreck Late Harvest 2009)

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Butternut & Orange Soup

served with freshly-baked farm bread

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Oven-Baked Franschhoek Salmon Trout

served on rocket with grilled vegetables & baby potatoes

OR

Cape Malay Chicken Curry

served with basmati rice, a poppadum & mango salsa

OR

Balsamic-Infused Pork Fillet & Sweet Peppers

served with savoury mashed potatoes

(vegetarian option available on request – please specify when you make your reservation)

~~~~~

Mascarpone Cheesecake topped with Apricots in a Delheim “Natural Sweet” wine reduction

~~~~~

Coffee/Tea

Blind tasting competition, set lunch and complementary glass of wine – R150 p/p

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Kiddies Menu (under 12 yrs):

Bratwurst Roll or Fish Cake

served with potato chips and tomato sauce

and

a Gabriele Chocolate Brownie

A glass of Fruit Juice or Sparkling Grape Juice

R50 per child

Booking essential at Tel: (021) 888-4607, or make your reservations at restaurant@delheim.com

"King Neptune"

For those of you following the Phoenicia expedition (replicating the first circumnavigation of Africa by the Phoenicians in 600 BC) that we wrote of before, http://www.delheim.com/blog/2010/03/15/ancient-wine-varietal-for-ancient-ship-expedition/ , she has just now crossed the equator.  In time-honoured tradition, all those on board who have never crossed the equator before get “initiated” by “King Neptune” and his cohorts.

At precisely 16h00 GMT yesterday, those on board, and we here at Delheim, simultaneously toasted this achievement with a bottle of Delheim’s Grand Reserve.

Godspeed to the Phoenicia and her crew, as it carries the special box of Delheim Muscadel to Syria along the ancient trading routes followed by the Phoenicians 2 500 years ago.

For further information on this amazing expedition, as well as a great photo gallery of the crew’s visit to Delheim, go to www.phoenicia.org.uk

THE DELHEIM TEAM

Win a two-night stay for two at lovely Oak Leaf Lodge on our sister farm, Delvera.

All you have to do to win this fantastic getaway is answer two Top Billing show-related questions.

The first question will be posted on this page on Thursday 29th April and the second on Thursday 13th May, before the show.
To win post your answers on our Top Billing’s Facebook site or email your answer to topbilling.answers@gmail.com

http://www.topbilling.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1042:oak-leaf-lodge&catid=147).

 Delvera’s Oakleaf Lodge offers comfortable, affordable B&B accommodation in the heart of the Stellenbosch Winelands.

With spacious and tastefully decorated rooms the farmhouse can be utilised to suit your specific accommodation needs. Spend the night with a loved one in one of the suites or book the entire lodge for a weekend away with family and friends.  The Lodge also offers a communal kitchen for self-catering, a lounge area with DSTV, wireless internet access, a fireplace, a swimming pool as well as air-conditioning for those hot summer days and nights.

Guests are provided with: braai facilities, – a grid and braai tools are provided and wood is for sale on the farm – as well as secure, shaded parking with electronic access.  Breakfast is included and is served every morning at Simonsberg Cafè on Delvera Farm.

Situated just 50 km from Cape Town, on the Delvera Farm, and just 10km from Stellenbosch, Oakleaf Lodge is the perfect weekend getaway for those wanting adventure without having to embark on a long journey.

With so much to see and do in the area, the Lodge is ideal for outdoor enthusiast. Get in touch with nature by taking a hike in the Greater Simonsberg Conservancy or take the kids on an adrenalin-packed pump-track run by the Dirtopia Trail Centre.

Delvera – situated on the R44 – is open 7 days a week (09h00–17h00 Monday to Saturday; 10h00–17h00 on Sundays and public holidays).

Premieres impressions tres bonnes, la ferme se trouve aux pieds des montagnes avec un soleil magnifique. Les gens ici sont tres accueillant et tout le monde a le sourire. Une belle experience qui s’annonce !

Carol-anne Pasquet, etudiante francaise en premiere annee de commerce international et en stage a Delheim pour une duree de trois mois.

With the cold and rainy weather it is clear that the Cape winter is on its way.  Still, the most recent forecast for the weekend is that it will be warm and dry – so the Delheim restaurant invites you to enjoy the last days of summer by sharing a platter for two of Classic Smoked Salmon & Herbed Cream Cheese, French Bean & Baby Potato Salad, Delheim’s renowned freshly-made farm bread, and a bottle of Delheim Pinotage Rosé 2009, served al fresco on our restaurant’s garden terrace with its spectacular view clear across to Table Mountain, for just R120!

Booking for the restaurant is essential, especially over weekends and holidays.  Contact Martina or Leah on (021) 888-4607, or make your reservations at restaurant@delheim.com

This offer is only valid until 8 May, so make your reservation now!

THE DELHEIM TEAM

Cheers! The 2010 Delheim Harvest Team

Delheim’s harvest is now almost over, with only the Rhine Riesling still on the vine, waiting for the necessary Botrytis to develop to make the Edelspatz Noble Late Harvest.

Initially, the ample winter cold and rain necessary for a great 2010 harvest augured well for Delheim.  Unfortunately, this optimism was not destined to last, as the long cold and wet spell then continued throughout the growing season in September and October, hampering the development of those varietals flowering at the time.  To make matters even worse, a few varietals already in full flower were threatened with downy mildew.

As if this were not enough, we then experienced uncharacteristically severe storm winds in November and December, resulting in extensive damage.  This wind was in fact so ruthless that shoots actually broke right off the cordon, resulting in an estimated loss of 50% to, in some varietals, 90% of our crop – especially devastating to us as we had initially thought that the harvest would be an exceptional one this year.  Director “Spatz” Sperling commented that this was the worst yield that he had experienced in more than 60 years of winemaking at Delheim, with an estimated 40% loss overall. Unfortunately, this shortfall in grapes is going to put severe pressure on the availability of some products. 

One consolation is that February this year was uncharacteristically moderate and cool, resulting in good quality grapes – so although small in volume, on the whole Delheim expects that the 2010 vintage is going to be a superior one.

THE DELHEIM TEAM

Delheim is proud to have been making the Bianca Light wines for Woolworths for 25 years now. To celebrate this long association, the Delheim Restaurant is offering you a special deal:

Two main portions of Balsamic-Infused Pork Fillet & Sweet Peppers served with savoury mashed potatoes, plus a bottle of Delheim-made Woolworths Bianca Light 2009 – all for only R100!

This ties in with the current Woolworths promotion whereby you can buy a ready-mail meal for four and a bottle of Bianca Light for R100.

We are also selling the Bianca Light in our “Downstairs” tasting room for only R20 a bottle.

Please note that tomorrow is the last day of this promotion – so please come and get it while you can!

It has been a while since we went “back to the vine” and our little bunch of Riesling is doing well. The Botrytis fungus is doing its job diluting the grapes to get that sugar level to spike. To the naked eye it actually seems as if little raisins are forming, and technically they are, but who could have thought that such a wonderful product as the Edelspatz Noble Late Harvest could come from this!  A more technical report on the grapes will follow shortly.