Archive for January, 2011

The first grapes of the new season has arrived and the anticipation is high as we expect another great winemaking year at Kumkani.

Here is an image of some of the our first grapes of the season

Having a few guests and in need of an interesting spread recipe? Look no further as here a great uniquely South African idea.

Deliciously creamy with a uniquely South African taste, a Biltong Pate makes an excellent spread for crackers or breads

Ingredients:

• 200g button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 50g butter
• 100g biltong , finely grated
• 250g  cream cheese
• 250g whipping cream, lightly whipped

To Serve

• fresh watercress
• wafer thin slices of biltong

Method

1. Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the mushrooms and onions and sauté until soft. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
2. Once cold, place the onion mixture in a food processor together with the grated biltong, cream cheese and whipping cream and blend well.
3. To serve, garnish with watercress and wafer-thin slices of biltong.

Recommended wine: This South African spread will pair well with the uniquely South African Kumkani Pinotage.  This well balanced wine has a ripe berry fruit nose and French oak aromas adding vanilla and spice with an excellent finish.

Source: recipesworldwide.org

Wine lovers agree that the serving temperature plays a crucial part in enjoying red wines. Most people drink red wines too warm. This may be due to the misunderstood idea that red wines should be drunk at room temperature. The idea of room temperature is fine, the problem is where your room is located. If your room is in northern France, then you are fine. If your room is in warmer places) , not so much.

Red wine should be drunk at between 16-18°C. The difference that a few degrees can make in the taste of a red wine is dramatic. That slight chill brings out the fruit and makes the wine more refreshing. Some believe that we don’t think of red wines as being refreshing, but they can be at the proper temperature.

The Kumkani Pinotage is great red wine and a slight chill (right room temperature) will bring out the hints of  ripe berry fruit on the nose and the  well balanced fruit layered pallet.

Source: ourtribune.com

The 2011 wine grape crop should amount to 1,351,993 tons, according to the crop estimate by the industry participants.

This represents an increase of 7.3% compared to the 2010 crop, but is nevertheless 5.2% smaller than the record crop in 2008. The 2011 wine grape crop - including juice and concentrate for non-alcoholic purposes, wine for brandy and distilling wine - is expected to amount to 1 043.7 million litres, calculated at an average recovery of 772 litres per ton of grapes.

In all wine regions, except the Orange River region, the estimated increase should be between 4% and 18% compared to the 2010 crop.

The reasons for the good crop expectations are mainly due to the smaller yields of 2010, a favourable post-harvest autumn period in 2010 with good accumulation of reserves in the grapevines, sufficient winter cold and subsequently a good budding percentage.

The stock level on 31 December 2011 at producer and private cellars is expected to increase to 393.4 million litres, compared to 348.8 million litres on 31 December 2010.

Kumkani’s winemaker Nicky Versfeld indicated that a normal harvest with good volume and quality is expected. He confirmed that the higher stock levels are just a normal adjustment because of the previous year’s below average yields.

Read more