Displayed all around the Steenberg Estate are the works of prominent sculptor Edoardo Villa. Graham Beck was a keen art collector and notable fan of Villas’ work with many of his art pieces also residing on the Franschhoek and Robertson farms. Edoardo passed away on the 1^st of May in hospital aged 95 leaving behind a compelling and rich oeuvre.

The Small Sentinal

Born in 1915 near Bergamo in Northern Italy Villa showed an interest in Art from an early age and consequently attended the Scuola d’arte Andrea Fantoni. Here he formalised his talent for the art of sculpture and decided thereafter to further his studies in Milan. However, world events conspired against his life plans when he was conscripted into Mussolini’s army shortly after World War II broke out.

The Sentinal

He was wounded in action in North Africa, captured by English forces and sent to South Africa as one of around 70 000 Italian prisoners-of-war interned in this country. Villa looks on his four years as a POW at Zonderwater camp as productive: he began sculpting again – and also fell in love with South Africa and its people. Everything had already been done in Europe, he once stated in an interview, while in Africa there was an openness and the potential to experiment and do new, fresh things.

The Ambassador at the Bistro1682 Front of House

Renowned for his use of steel, Villa was influenced by artists from Rodin to Picasso, with African Mysticism playing a significant role. Many of the works shown around Steenberg were bought by Mr Beck at an exhibition in the 90’s. The Ambassador piece on display in the Steenberg tasting room is an example not only from the 60′s but also of his clever use of found materials, notably machinery and industrial scrap.

Monumental Sculpture

There are 15 different sculptures by Villa at Steenberg with the largest single collection of his work (177 artworks) can be found at the Edoardo Villa Museum at the University of Pretoria. Contributing more than just art, Villa along with Cecil Skotnes,  made up the artist group “Amadlozi” (Bantu for “spirit of the ancestors”) for the conscious appropriation of African sculptural traditions in 1961. He teamed up again with Skotnes in 2005 when they held a joint exhibition in Stellenbosch. A recipient of many prizes and awards Villa lives on through his art work.

The cool climate at Steenberg Vineyards means that harvest is significantly longer than in warmer growing regions, yet not as intense. The heat waves earlier in the year changed this slightly as it meant grapes had to be harvested quickly. Overall yield increased and there was great quality across the board. After all had settled, it was time to reflect on a long and busy harvest.

The 2011 harvest was JD Pretorius’ third at Steenberg and it had its fair share of ups and downs: “Every vintage presents its own set of challenges and for us it’s all about being patient and picking at the right time”. With a few of the Sauvignon Blancs to be released before the end of the year, it won’t be long before you’ll be able to taste the combined result of man and natures efforts.

The heat waves in late February/ early March threw a few curve balls at the cellar team, yet it was nothing they couldn’t handle. Heat waves shorten the ripening time of the grape leading to pronounced sugar ripening rather than phenolic ripening (a sudden increase in heat causes the sugar levels in the grape to rise faster than usual). This results in lower acid levels and hence higher pH levels. On the other hand phenolic ripeness increases with more time on the vine. However grapes need to be picked at the correct degree balling (a measure of sugar levels in the grape) in order to ensure the consequent alcohol level is where it needs to be. Thus the grapes were harvested at an earlier stage as flavour development reached maturity sooner as a consequence of higher sugar levels and lower acid levels.

The 2011 harvest also saw Steenberg record a bumper crop. There was far less wind in the flowering period (typically late September/ early October) which allowed more bunches to develop. This increased overall yield and tonnage was up by more than 30% on some blocks. Our three year old Sauvignon Blanc block underwent its maiden vintage and JD was excited about using the grapes for the first time: “The younger vines have very interesting flavour compounds which will add complexity to the 2011 vintage. Although the new block is quite big we harvested little fruit from it because of cropping (to keep quality high)”.

The cellar team completed a marathon effort with the harvest starting in late January and finishing in mid-April. Be sure to visit and sample the fruits of their labour!

Freshly picked SB grapes

The de-stemmer in action

The Cellar Team celebrating the Harvest

Every season has its own mood, its own colours, its own character, but most interestingly here at Steenberg every season has its own sounds. Seasonal change is glaringly obvious in a vineyard as vine plants change drastically every three months. Visit Steenberg in the middle of winter and again in the middle of summer and it will seem a completely different place. In winter the vines are bare and brown yet in summer they are full and green while the natural cycle methodically ticks through its own course. However, as with any working wine farm, the main focus is caring for the precious berries the vines produce and with that care comes an entire variety of sounds.

During December the Tasting Room and Bistro are both busy and bustling places as summer holiday-goers revel in their high spirits. Loud cries of laughter and a constant buzz of energetic chatter fill the air while visitors sip and savour their vinous treasures. Come February the harvester is out in the vineyards droning away as it works through the rows of vine. Carrying trailer loads of valuable cargo, the tractor trundles by noisily. The cellar clanks and bangs with crushing, pressing and racking.

Lush Green Vine Leaves during Summer

Walk into the cellar in early autumn and all the fermenting barrels are bubbling and gurgling aggressively. The wine sloshes and splashes as cellar staff rack it from tank to barrel. The lees filter whirs and zings as it the separates sediment. Later in autumn, out in the vineyard, the click-click of garden shears resonates from farm workers carefully pruning the vines, preparing them for the rest to come.

Yellow Leaves during Autumn

Lady winter ushers in a period of dormancy: Days grow shorter and nights become colder. Lashing sheets of rain smack the roof of the cellar as out in the vineyard plant-life slowly shuts down. The water trickles and drips down the slopes. After the rain everything is still as the pervading sound of silence encompasses the farm. The icy cellar lies frozen from cold-stabilisation, lying in wait for the months ahead.

Kaal stokkies during Winter

Come spring and crispness fills the air, the once whispering wind picks up and breathes life into the vines. Birds chirp and tweet, squirrels scurry and scamper and flowers begin to bloom. After lying in maturation wines are ready for bottling. The ruckus of knocking and pinging emanates from the production bay as bottles are packed and boxes are stacked.

Pop a bottle

Noises may come and go from one season to the next but there is one sound which you will always hear: the popping of bubbly bottles and clinking of glasses!

On Tuesday, 19 July, we will be hosting a twitter tasting where you can take part from home by preparing the recipes and sharing your experiences with us in real-time over twitter ( @Steenbrg ) ! Join in on the fun and try out the four recipes, each matched with a different Steenberg wine.

If you enjoy fine food and great wine, then pairing the two is a perfect way to unleash a whole new dimension of taste sensation! The correct food and wine matching opens up and reveals characteristics in both, which may not have been obvious before.  Explore and challenge the boundaries of food and wine pairings with us, and discover the potential which the combination unlocks. On the night include the hashtag #Steentaste in your tweets to join the online conversation as we all chat and chirp our way through the night.

There will people from all over the country participating, creating a nationwide event. With even a few hopeful participants from as far as California we are all really looking forward to sharing and enjoying the fun with everyone! So what will we all be cooking up then? There are four recipes in total see below: Beef Tartar (paired with the 2010 Sauvignon Blanc); Gambas Pil Pil (Paired with the 2010 Semillon); Lambs Kidneys (Paired with the 2009 Merlot); and Chickpea Tagine (Paired with the 2009 Shiraz).

Date: Tuesday 19 July 2011

Time: 18:30

Twitter Pack: R450, available from Cellar Door

(Sauvignon Blanc 2010, Semillon 2010,  Merlot 2009, Shiraz 2009 and matching recipes for each)

Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc 2010 with Beef Tartar

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 400g beef fillet, hand chopped as finely as you can 
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 
• 2 tablespoons All gold Tomato sauce 
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Olive oil
• Pinch of Salt and pepper
• 4 drops Tabasco sauce
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped Capers
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cornichons(small pickled gherkins)
• 1 heaped tablespoon finely chopped Red onion
• 8 small ciabatta toasts
• 4 quail eggs, soft boiled for two minutes, peeled and halved

METHOD:

• Place all the ingredients, except for the egg, truffle oil and ciabatta toasts, into a mixing bowl and combine well.
• Allow to rest for two minutes for flavours to combine
• Serve in small bowl or martini glass garnish with the eggs and toasts

Steenberg Semillon 2010 with Gambas Pil Pil

 Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

•  16 tiger prawns, head on, shell off and vein removed
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
• 2 red Thai chilies, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• Juice of half a lemon
• 100ml peanut oil
• 100ml clarified butter
• Maldon sea salt

METHOD:

• Season the prawns with salt and sauté in a medium-high heat oven proof pan for one minute on each side.
• Add the garlic, chili, lemon juice and parsley and place the pan under the grill for 1 minute
• Serve immediately with fresh bread

Steenberg Merlot 2009 with Lambs Kidneys

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 800g lambs kidneys, cleaned and halved. Ask your butcher to do this.
• 250ml lamb or beef stock. Ask the chef at your local restaurant to sell you some or an alternative, pop into woolies and buy some of the liquid lamb or beef fond and dilute it to the instructions given
• 150g baby spinach
• 200ml Steenberg Vineyards Merlot
• 4 ciabatta toasts.

METHOD:

• Season the kidneys with salt and pepper
• Sauté in a medium hot pan for two minutes each side
• Remove from the pan and rest in a warm place
• Wilt the spinach in the same pan
• Deglaze the pan with the wine and reduce to a syrup
• Add the stock, simmer for 2 minutes
• Add the kidneys
• Serve in small bowls with ciabatta toasts



BROWN BEEF JUS (For Lamb Kidneys)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2kg meaty beef bones
• 1 large onions, halved with skin on
• 1 large carrots, halved
• 1 celery sticks, halved
• 1small leeks
• 1 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1l red wine
• Cold water, enough to cover

METHOD:

• Roast the bones at no higher than 165C for 45-50 minutes
• In a large stock pot brown the cut sides of the onion halves to slightly caramelize them.
• Remove the onions and add the bones to the pot with some oil.
• Add the tomato paste and cook out for a further 2 minutes
• Add the red wine and reduce until thick and dark
• Add the vegetables on top
• Add the water to cover and bring to a simmer, switch off the heat and allow all the sediment to subside.
• Place the pot back on the heat, candle light burn, almost as low as possible.
• Let the stock  cook for at least 6 hours
• Strain and reduce to a sauce consistency.
• Check for seasoning
• It is important to follow step one exactly or else the meats sugar over caramelize and your stock will be bitter, also add no salt until the end.



Steenberg Shiraz 2009 with Chickpea Tagine

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small red onion chopped finely
• 1 scant tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 heaped tablespoon crushed coriander seeds
• 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 level tablespoon sweet paprika
• 250ml vegetable stock
• 2 tins chickpeas drained and rinsed.

METHOD:

• Sautee the onion until soft, but with no colour.
• Add all the spices and cook out for 2 minutes over a low heat
• Add the vegetable stock and simmer until it reduces to a sauce consistency.
• Add the chickpeas and heat through gently.
• Serve in small bowls
• Season with black pepper and salt

Viticulturist Johann de Swardt now has to mentally and physically switch gears. The whole mindset and work programme changes from harvesting (the last grapes are bubbling away in the winery) to nourishing the vine and doing as much for the soil as possible.

“The vines have done their thing for the year and are starting to shut down,” the viticulturist said. “You can see the leaves turning yellow almost before your eyes. A big strong wind will no doubt come through and blow them off at some point and then the vines will just be naked stokkies again for winter.”

Brown Autumn vine leaves

“Winter rain is the biggest thing – and for that we rely on nature,” de Swardt said. It’s been a long, hot, dry summer as everyone knows and the ground water reserves need to be replenished in order for the vines to be ready for growth in Spring.

One of the first things the vineyard team got stuck into was soil preparation for a new Sauvignon Blanc vineyard. A big bulldozer tackled a 2.3 hectare patch, cross ripping. Basically the dozer drove one direction across the block and then did a 90 degree turn and crossed the same area at right angles. This is to ensure the soil is not only well mixed and turned, but loose and friable, enabling the newly planted vine ‘stokkies’ to easily send their roots down and establish a firm anchor for the plant.

“We’re quite excited because we’re going to be using a new V-shaped trellising system,” de Swardt said. As everyone else’s eyes glaze over at the mere prospect of trying to understand the significance of the pole and wire support system for the vine, de Swardt’s light up…”It means we can crop up to a third more off the same area!” So it’s a more efficient production system: where you’d normally harvest 10 tons of fruit, for example, it means that 13 tons of grapes can be reaped. Most importantly is that it’s not a matter of the vine simply bearing more fruit but rather increasing the amount of cordon to carry bunches – without any drop in quality and concentration in the berries themselves.

Once the planting of new vines is done, it’ll be fertilising and mulching right across the farm. “We need to sow cover crops between the vines – oats and clover. The newer vineyards will get lupins because they release nitrogen into the soil which assists the younger vines with growth.”

Whilst avid gym-goers and pilates addicts are more than familiar with planking (or bridges) as a way of increasing core strength and fitness, what we’re dealing with here is a completely different scenario.

It all started in Australia and has already claimed one casualty as an irresponsible man attempted a daring plank on a seventh-floor balcony. This prompted Julia Gillard, Australia’s PM, to urge plankers that the “focus has to be on keeping yourself safe first” with Australian police warning would-be pranksters that they may be charged with ‘unauthorised high-risk activity’.

To be technical about it: planking is the act of lying face down with arms to the sides of the body, in unusual spaces and photographing it. Mainly it’s a bit of a laugh, anyone can do it and it is surprisingly enjoyable if you have the courage (and time!) to look like an idiot. After discovering the craze we immediately realised the abundance of unusual spaces we have here at Steenberg. Below you will find various members of the Steenberg team lying rigid and still like fish sticks out the freezer. Every single one of them a profoundly creative and deeply misunderstood artist in their own right: What we have then are multiple overt attempts to express the relationship between man and his working environment, an alternative perspective on the wine industry through the lens of a ridiculous fad. Enjoy!

JD

In this piece Winemaker JD Pretorius uses the oval counter as a vehicle to juxtapose the two binary elements of light and dark, perhaps a metaphor for good and bad or even the trickier topic of right and wrong. Acting as a human barrier, his planking position is angled so as to accentuate the relationship between the darkness below and the light above. Notice his clenched fists as he mentally grapples with the issues his artistic planking so blatantly presents.

Jurgen

Lida

Cellar Door Manager Lida van Heerden bravely decided to compare herself to a real plank of wood. A planker’s prerogative is to be as straight as possible and what better way to weigh this up than against a full length table. Her entire body is a prisoner to the cause, minus her fringe which sways mockingly in front of her face in full defiance to her attempt to pull off one of the more ambitious planks.

Johann

Viticulturist Johann de Swardt is planking like a fish out of water in a planking pose decidedly akin to a salmon jumping out of the water. In this instance Johann highlights the connection between man and machine in a natural context. Shown planking on the canopy of his trusty bakkie many difficult questions arise. Do we need machines or do we want machines? Can we see ourselves in a world without machines? Has our level of dependency on machines limited our scope for real personal growth? Would it have been funnier if his legs were hanging off the end?

Brad

Bistro Sixteen82 Chef Brad Ball decided to plank against the grain. Ever the maverick and pioneer, in this piece Brad underscores the relevance of following your deepest desires in contemporary society. With the arrow pointing to the left, Brad confidently planks to the right, and with great intensity. Notice him gritting his teeth in anticipation for his entry into unchartered territory.

Graham

In this plank we have Graham de Vries (E-marketing assistant) attempting to take planking to new heights. The forklift is a real mule of the production side, a relentless performer who gets the job done and this case was no exception. This piece illuminates the extent to which humans are but mere threads in the intricately woven tapestry of society, able to be placed wherever needed.

Christie

Production manager Christie Swart chose this planking position to demonstrate our inescapable dependency on the sun as a primary source of energy. As the sun casts longer shadows towards the end of the day so we have to routinely accept its inevitable absence only to begin the entire process the next day. Christie here can be said to be planking in futility, in abject tolerance of the power of the sun.

Mario

Mario Louw our wine club assistant was quick to seize the angular metal Eduardo Villa Sculpture as his planking platform of choice: A stout and firm plank to honour the man responsible for these works of art.

Anetha

Sales and Marketing manager Anetha Homan planks with poise and guile, boots and all! We see her gazing at her own reflection, mid-plank, which conjures up challenging insights into the idea of the self and who it is we really are. Her reflection plank is a distorted version of the original plank, but it is all she has to go by.

Jenna

Jenna Adams (Assistant Front of House Manager at Bistro Sixteen82) pulls off possibly the most poignant plank of all. She is planking on top of an engraved depiction of harvest time at Steenberg made in 1820. This historical timepiece is a snapshot of vineyard life from days gone by and Jenna planks it with aplomb: A humbling reminder that we are all but part-time actors on the stage of life.

John

General Manager John Loubser here portrays planking zen and the art of climbing the corporate ladder. He is symbolically at the top of his own needs hierarchy and what better way to achieve self-actualisation than through a meditative plank amidst the white wine cellar. Connoisseurs amongst you will of course know that this is also known as a ‘tank plank’.

The annual Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show holds itself up as the most rigorously judged competition in South Africa. And there are a plethora of competitions held in what is a relatively small industry – so it’s always interesting hearing what the experts have to say!

Every year three international judges join six local judges and a number of associates – and this year the foreign palates were Thierry Desseauve, and Masters of Wine Neal Martin and Debra Meiburg. Along with Michel Bettane, Desseauve founded France’s most highly regarded wine publication, La Revue du Vin de France. Having already established a large following with his own website, www.wine-journal.com, Neal Martin has a lot of responsibility resting on his shoulders since it was announced earlier this year that he is to report on South African wine for Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. (His own website is described as “an independent state within the kingdom of eRobertParker.com.) Debra Meiburg is a Californian who lives in Hong Kong and is an expert on the Asian market.

There was obviously a lot of discussion about various categories. Surprisingly, Pinotage came in for some praise for once since the international judges were knocked out by a 1961 Lanzerac they tasted the day prior to judging commencing. Shiraz – the best examples are good, others less so. Chardonnay – one or two “world class” examples, Martin pronounced, also reminding people of the alternative ABC. “A – Chardonnay tastes delicious; B – it’s easy to sell and C – people love it!”

Desseauve noted one Pinot Noir which surprised him, stating that he had not realised South Africa was capable of producing such elegant, balanced wine as the one the panel awarded gold to.

But one interesting area where two judges apparently took differing views was that of Sauvignon Blanc. From Debra Meiburg’s perspective the overtly herbal, vegetal, “canned pea” and asparagus character which Cloudy Bay once wowed the world with has no place in the Asian market. Taking a contrary stance was Christian Eedes whose view was that although Meiburg’s argument was valid on the international stage, locally it was a different story.

Fresh hand-picked Steenberg SB grapes

The South African market not only appreciates that as a style – as much as it does the ripe gooseberry and fig, tropical styled Sauvignon Blanc – but there’s merit and validity to it. As Eedes stated, on a 30-degree plus summer’s day, accompanied by a plate of oysters or a smoked salmon salad, there’s nothing nicer than a crisp, green Sauvignon Blanc. Not only that, but the ‘vegetal’ character that the Asian market is eschewing is one which is not manufactured but a natural consequence of more extreme maritime terroir such as those found in Elim and Darling.

Interesting points of view and although the judges respected each others’ professional perspectives we’ll have to wait until June 1 to find out how the category did as a whole.

Naturally, we at Steenberg are quite proud of the fact that we offer something for every palate and pocket – especially with regard to Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a speciality of ours and we cover the spectrum, from Klein Steenberg at R44 a bottle, through HMS Rattlesnake (R80), the Steenberg and Steenberg Reserve at R95 and R195 respectively. You’ll find some with tropicality, some with more vegetal, green flavours and the top tier wines with minerality and length galore.

The Battle of Muizenberg was a small yet significant military engagement in the history of South Africa. It took place near Muizenberg in 1795 and resulted in British control of the Cape of Good Hope. The H.M.S. Rattlesnake, H.M.S. Sphynx and H.M.S. Echo were ships that fought in the battle.

In 1795, the new Batavian Republic was established in the Netherlands by a group of French-backed revolutionaries known as the Patriots. The coup was a result of ten year Patriot revolutions which saw William V, Prince of Orange, flee to Britain. As a result of this change, Holland was no longer a pro- British state. Britain had long resented Holland’s’ trade with French and American revolutionaries.

 At this stage the Cape of Good Hope was in the control of the Dutch East India Company and as a result of the change of power in the Netherlands, Britain had now lost a strategic ally, and with it access to the Cape. The Cape port was an ideal stop over point between Europe and the Far East and as such Britain realised it had to take control of the Cape to retain access to India. Lord Baring, the Chairman of the British East India Company, persuaded the British Government to intervene with a military force.

The HMS Echo

The Dutch East India Company (otherwise known as the VOC: Vereenigde Ost-Indische Compagne) had occupied the Cape since 1652. The VOC had very little interest in using the Cape as a fully fledged colony as they were principally concerned with replenishing ships en route to Asia. They were thus no match for the might of the British Royal Navy.

A fleet of nine Royal Navy ships was sent to the Cape under command of Vice-Admiral Elphinstone: HMS Monarch (His/Her Majesty’s Ship, 74 guns); HMS Victorious (74 guns); HMS Arrogant (74 guns); HMS America (64 guns); HMS Ruby (64 guns); HMS Stately (64 guns); HMS Sphynx (24 guns); HMS Echo (16 guns) and HMS Rattlesnake (16guns). The fleet left Britain on the 1st of March, and reached Simon’s Bay in early June 1795.

During this time Simon’s Bay was used as the official winter port as heavy weather in Table Bay made mooring difficult. As Steenberg Farm (known then as Swaaneweide) was one day’s journey between Simon’s Bay and Cape Town, the farm was often used as board and lodging for the fleet of ships.

After failed negotiations between Elphinstone and the Dutch Governor Sluysken, the British took control of Simon’s Town on the 14 June. 350 royal marines and 450 infantrymen were used to gain control before the Dutch could scorch the town. After the Dutch retreated to their fort just outside of Muizenberg, the British formed two more battalions of 500 men each. They were commanded by commander Temple Hardy of the Echo and commander John William Spranger of the Rattlesnake. This brought the total number of British soldiers to 1800 men, whereas the dutch were only 300 men strong.

At noon on the 7^th of August the British marched towards Muizenberg supported by the America and Stately and the smaller Echo and Rattlesnake from the sea. Because the Dutch fort was built so close to the sea, it was within range of the ships guns. The warships anchored close to the rocks and in half an hour fired 800 cannon balls at the defenders. Carronades were also mounted on the ships’ launches, to serve as close artillery. After a heavy naval barrage the Dutch were forced to abandon their posts before the infantry could even arrive. The column of British soldiers and troops then overran the position. By 14:00 the Dutch had retreated around the corner to Zandvlei.

The fighting continued for weeks, but the British eventually pushed the Dutch back to Wynberg Hill. On the 14th of September 1795 a fresh assault with reinforcements was made on the Dutch. On 16 September 1795 the Dutch finally surrendered the Cape to Britain. Few men died during the campaign on either side. Of the 35 British dead only 8 died of wounds received in action, the balance were deaths due to disease.

The British occupied the Cape temporarily before the Batavian government reclaimed it in 1804. However in 1806 the British reclaimed the Cape after the Battle of Blaauwberg. English became the language of the Cape and the British used the Cape as a springboard for their colonial expansion into Africa.

You would have been forgiven for thinking that winter had arrived earlier than usual on Monday morning as countless flakes of ash fell from the sky at Steenberg. The entire Constantia Valley was engulfed with smoke as routine prescribed burning was done at the Tokai Lower Plantation and Core Fynbos Conservation Site, a Part of the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP).

The board on the side of the road informing motorists of the fire

Prescribed burning is a key practice by most environmental managers undertaken primarily to ensure the survival of many threatened fynbos species as well as to eradicate dangerous fuel loads such as dead branches and logs. The prescribed burning being done in Tokai is under the authority of a permit issued by the City of Cape Town*.

The smoke created by the fire could be seen for miles

Whilst the ash-fall can be an irritation for Constantia residents the advantage is that the fire will stimulate indigenous seeds and bulbs to germinate, allowing fynbos to flourish in the valley as it once did. 

Last Tuesday the TMNP used their dedicated helicopter to dump water as a precautionary measure to control the prescribed burning. The helicopter uses the dam at Steenberg Estate as it is the closest water source.

A helicopter scoops water out of the dam at Steenberg

“We gave them permission to use our dam when necessary”, explained Farm Manager Johann de Swardt. “Our dam is small with a capacity of 102 000 cubic metres so if the water level is too low we can’t allow the helicopters to use it because they might damage our suction pipes”.

The view of the smoke from Steenberg Vineyards

The smoke and ash can also interfere with the vines, resulting in what JD Pretorius calls ‘smoke taint’. JD noted, “Luckily we had harvested all of our fruit before the prescribed burning began, or else it could have been a bit tricky”.  

*Rob Erasmus, Wildfire investigator, Enviro Wildfire Services, www.saweatherobserver.blogspot.com

Chef Brad Ball is like a puppy dog with two tails! He and his kitchen team are delighted that the cool weather and first rains have arrived.

“With the rains come the mushrooms – and there are some fantastic mushrooms around that will make their way onto our new Autumn menu,” Ball said this week. “Changing the menu has been a real thrill this time around. We’re all hugely excited by the new items we’ve got on offer.”

The chic interior at Bistro1682

Ball said that just as the summer menu launched in November last year had reflected a return to traditional bistro basics the winter menu would be the same. “Last year we didn’t have things like Boeuf Bourguignon or fricassée, for example, and we’re going to have both. The Boeuf Bourguignon I’m making with a beef shortrib but taking the meat off the bone. And for the fricassée I’ll be using some fantastic petit poussin from Stellenbosch.”

It’s hard for this passionate chef not to wax lyrical about his ingredients – and set everyone else to drooling just describing a few of the dishes. Fillet steak with mushroom ragout, for example. “And if anyone orders it without having a glass of Steenberg Nebbiolo they should be shot! It’s an unbelievable food and wine match.”

Ball noted that pies have become trendy and in typical fashion he’s putting his own spin on it… Not for him the humble steak pie. No. It’ll be a quail pithivier (Pithivier is a fancy word for pie!) “I’m going to debone and confit the quail and make like a coarse paté. There’ll be a bit of duck liver in there too… and then I’ll use puff pastry for the casing.” He described it as “like a big ravioli but using pastry instead of pasta”.

And for those with a sweet tooth there are items such as pineapple tarte tatin or salted caramel rice pudding. “Obviously we’ve got to strike a balance because there are some things on the menu that our patrons love – like the asparagus gratin. That sells incredibly well because it’s such a light but delicious dish.”

The gregarious gastro-genius: Brad Ball

Something else quite unique – and extremely limited – will be his Friday Steenburgers. “We started it last week and it was a hit. Eight of the burgers were ordered by women, which surprised me.”

Every Friday the kitchen will prepare just 10 burgers – and they will be available on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. “If someone feels strongly enough about it they can phone and reserve one!” Ball said.

Don’t expect them to be like anything else you’ve experienced. The kitchen’s been experimenting with them for some time. The patty is 100% Chalmar beef sirloin that’s trimmed with all fat and sinew removed, minced up with pork back fat and cooked to perfection. “I’ve spent months perfecting this – making sure the meat to fat ratio is right, making the right burger bun… it musn’t be too chewy or too soft. And I can confidently say it’s the best, juiciest burger anywhere!” Expect to find little touches like foie gras or truffle oil added to make it even more special.

Just remember there are only 10 available…