Winter and the warmth of red wine New series of classical concerts

Click here for web version
|Print-friendly
version
Winter and the warmth of red wine
A warm winter welcome to all our readers. With the new season finally
here, it's time to curl up in front of the fireplace, sharing a glass of hearty
red wine with friends and family.
Speaking of red wines ... we're about to launch a newcomer, the La Motte
Pierneef Shiraz Grenache, with the promise of other interesting reds to be
released in the near future. Wine-maker Edmund is confident that this wine
will be as great a success as La Motte's Shiraz Viognier. For more news
about La Motte Pierneef Shiraz Grenache, read “Another Newcomer” in
the right column.
A welcome addition to our
Pierneef stable:
La Motte Pierneef Shiraz
Grenache
During May, La Motte featured on the awards front with another accolade
for our 2007 La Motte Shiraz Viognier – a Gold Medal at the Decanter
World Wine Awards! We are extremely proud of the success of this wine
and I would like to thank each and every person involved in producing,
bottling and marketing this achiever.
For more information on the
La Motte Estateclick here .
Over the recent months, La Motte has been a beehive of activities,
involved in extensive alterations to the cellar and tasting room, as well as
further rearrangements on the farm. Things are gradually calming down,
though, and soon we'll be able to raise a glass of red in celebration of
highly satisfactory results.
Here’s to the warmth of reds!
Hein Koegelenberg
New series of classical concerts
By now, our readers know that La Motte's culture of excellence reaches far beyond
wine-making and also embraces the wonder of music. La Motte's second-semester
series of classical concerts starts in August, so grab those diaries and enter the
following, highly recommended events.
SATURDAY 15 AUGUST
EVGENIE GREKOVA (mezzo-soprano)
IRINA PURYSHINSKAJA (piano)
Evgenie Grekova will sing extracts from her performance as winner of the 2006
UNISA International Singing Competition (Category Lieder) – amongst others, songs
by Schubert and her fellow-countryman Rachmaninoff. She will be supported by her
official piano accompanist Irina Puryshinskaja.
SATURDAY 5 SEPTEMBER
DENIS KIRCH (flute)
MARIKA HOFMEYR (piano)
At present, Denis Kirch is professor in the tuition of flute in Paris. On this, his first concert tour of South Africa, he is
accompanied by South African born pianist Marika Hofmeyr, currently teaching piano in Nice, France. The
programme comprises the most popular works in the flute repertoire, by composers such as Händel, Leclair and
Hummel.
FRIDAY 9 AND SATURDAY 10 OCTOBER
LIESL STOLTZ (flute) VICTOR TICHARD (piano)
FRANK MALLOWS (drums) BRYDON BOLTON (double bass)
The French jazz pianist and composer, Claude Bolling, has gained international recognition with the way in which
he blends elements of jazz and classical music. His two Suites for Flute and Piano Trio, presented as part of
Franschhoek Uncorked, have been performed in the world's largest concert halls, with flutists such as Jean-Pierre
Rampal and James Galway.
FRIDAY 30 OCTOBER
MATTHEW REID (clarinet)
CAMERATA TINTA BAROCCA
As part of the Franschhoek Classical Music Festival, Matthew Reid and members of the highly-rated string
ensemble, Camerata Tinta Barocca, led by Quentin Crida, will perform Mozart’s Clarinet Concert, transcribed for a
smaller group of musicians. At the 2008 National Arts Festival at Oudtshoorn, Reid was awarded the prize for the
best classical music performance. Rossini's Sonata for Strings in G Major will also be played.
2009 marks 25 years of Shiraz
production at La Motte. And it's only the
beginning, because we believe that
Shiraz is becoming one of the most
predominant of the future varieties of
South African wine. In broadening its
appeal and keeping with this belief, we
are aiming to stay consistently ahead of
the Shiraz pack by introducing new
blends and varietals and focusing on
producing different styles of Shiraz.
La Motte is by now well-known for its
highly recognised Shiraz Viognier blend.
This wine works so beautifully given that
a small amount of Viognier stabilises the
wine’s colour and harmonises the palette
and gives an almost perfumed effect,
leading with jasmine and apricot. The
Shiraz Viognier blend originated in the
North of the Rhône valley, while the more
Southern regions have more varietals to
work with such as Grenache,
Mourvedre, Carignan and Cinsaut.
These are some of the more well known,
with Grenache the most dominant.
To make our recently launched 2007 La
Motte Pierneef Shiraz Grenache, we start
with Shiraz as the base and the younger
Grenache grapes add dimension and
complexity. We also add a small amount
of Mourvedre in an attempt to get the
perfect blend and balance. The Shiraz
component is from Wellington and Walker
Bay while the Grenache and Mouvedre
originate from Darling.
This new wine is a rewarding
combination of varietals and a true South
African example of this well-known blend.
We are thrilled to be adding to our existing
Shiraz stable and have no doubt that this
wine will be as well received as our other
Shiraz wines.
SATURDAY 28 NOVEMBER
If you would like to enquire about this wine
or make an appointment to come and
taste it please call the La Motte tasting
room on:
CHRISTMAS CONCERT
Christmas time at La Motte is always celebrated in a special way. True to tradition, this concert will be devoted to a
programme in the spirit of the Festive Season, presented by a variety of popular artists.
Tel. +27 (0)21 876 3119
Fax +27 (0)21 876 3446
Or email on e-mail
[email protected] .
SATURDAY 12 DECEMBER
ZANNE STAPELBERG AND JAMES GRACE
Zanne Stapelberg, the internationally acclaimed soprano, will perform with guitar virtuoso James Grace in an
innovative programme of music ranging from the world of opera to flamboyant Spanish lyrics on Saturday, 12th
December.
Concerts start at 19:00 in the historic cellar on La Motte, R45 Main Road, Franschhoek Valley.
Admission: R125, 00 per person.
Bookings: Angela at 021 876 3119 or at the La Motte tasting venue. www.la-motte.com
Franschhoek the heart of festivities
2008 La Motte
Chardonnay released
Literally South Africa's own corner of France, Franschhoek will devote the weekend of 11
and 12 July to a colourful celebration of its French connection during its Bastille Day
festivities.
Highlights include a Food and Wine Marquee, a French Film Festival, the Chefs' and
Waiters' Race, Pêtanque, the Barrel Rolling Competition and lots more! La Motte will join in
the festivities on several fronts.
This is the ideal opportunity for everyone attending to sport a French look wearing a beret,
says Franschhoek Tourism CEO, Jenny Prinsloo.
For more info, please visit
www.franschhoek.org.za .
La Motte – proud association with fine wine and fine music
We are extremely excited to announce our newly-signed title sponsorship of the Franschhoek La Motte Classical
Music Festival. The festival will take place from 30 October until 1 November, with the opening concert being hosted
in the historic wine cellar at La Motte.
“At La Motte we believe strongly in the symbiosis between the fine art forms of winemaking and classical music. We
have long held our classic concerts at the Estate and the next step, to sponsoring the Franschhoek La Motte
Classical Music Festival, seemed a natural progression,” says Hein Koegelenberg, CEO of the La Motte Estate.
The festival will take place from 30th October – 1st November 2009 with the opening concert being hosted at the La
Motte Estate in Franschhoek. The collection of young stars featured during the three day festival, all of whom have
been peer-reviewed and recognised as the best of the best, will include Matthew Reid, the Mozart Clarinet Concerto
KKNK Prize winner, Ben Schoemann (UNISA International Prize Winner) performing a hauntingly beautiful piano
recital, and the highly acclaimed Libertas Choir performing their masterpiece, Jericho, the production of which
includes music from Bach, Handel and Mendelssohn, beautifully mixed with African rhythms and lyrics. Also on the
programme is a garden concert guitar and piano duel between James Grace and Christopher Duigan, which will
no doubt be as powerful as it is beautiful, plus much more.
The final day will see local talent from the Bridgehouse School’s developmental music programme, as well as festival
musicians, perform a community concert at Dennegeur Estate adjacent to La Motte, coordinated by national piano
treasure, Chris Duigan.
Tickets go on sale from 1st July 2009. For more information on the festival programme or to purchase tickets please
visit www.webticket.co.za
Pietie’s Oxtail “potjie”
Our viticulturist Pietie le Roux has supplied us with this recipe for a scrumptious “potjiekos” which we'd like to share
with our readers.
Ingredients
75 ml olive oil
2,5 kg oxtail (young)
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
2 leeks
2 onions, finely chopped
1 sweet pepper, chopped
2 celery stalks
8 carrots, sliced in rings
20 small potatoes, peeled
16 small onions, whole
packet of button mushrooms
can of butter beans
half a cup of Bisto
chopped parsley
handful of lemon peel, cubed
50 ml brandy
The aroma has an intense citrus blossom
nose, supported by fresh pineapple and
yellow apple fruit. A straw nuance reveals
the contribution of the oak. The palate is
silky-round, with hints of caramel and
nuts, while the finish lingers with lime
freshness.
Essentially, it's a fine-food wine, excellent
with caviar, snails, carpaccio, pâté,
creamy cheese and a wide variety of
sea-foods.
Incidentally, this Chardonnay has
actually made history, as it was the first
wine to be bottled with screw tops in the
La Motte cellar ... and quite probably not
the last!
Our presence at the
Nederburg Auction
Once again La Motte wines will shine at
the Nederburg Auction, held this year on
11 and 12 September at the Nederburg
Wine Estate in Paarl. La Motte wines
selected for the auction are:
2000 La Motte Shiraz
A full-bodied wine with a deep violet
colour and a long, smooth finish. The wine
was kept on the skins for ten days after
fermentation and matured in 225-litre oak
barrels for 21 months. La Motte 2000
Shiraz has an excellent ageing potential
and is a secure investment for the
connoisseur. A total of 3150 cartons were
bottled at La Motte in October 2002.
2001 La Motte Millennium
This signature red blend of La Motte is a
medium to full-bodied wine with a lingering
after-taste and well-balanced prune and
cherry tobacco flavours. After
fermentation, the best barrels of each
varietal were selected and the contents
blended in the ratio Cabernet Sauvignon
(39%), Merlot (39%) and Cabernet Franc
(22%). A total of 3 500 cartons were
bottled at La Motte in January 2004.
Sauce
750 ml 2005 La Motte Millennium
375 ml chutney
60 ml Worcestershire sauce
half a packet of oxtail-soup powder
30 ml dried, mixed herbs
teaspoon lemon pepper
salt to taste
Method
Heat olive oil over moderate coals in a no. 3 pot and cook meat in oil for 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for a further
minute. Add onions, sweet pepper, celery and lemon peel over meat and refrain from stirring. Mix all the sauce
ingredients together and pour over. Let the pot simmer for 3 hours. Add boiling water if necessary.
Add carrots, potatoes and onions after 3 hours and let pot simmer for another 45 minutes. Lastly, add mushrooms,
butter beans and Bisto and simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve with rice and enjoy with a glass of 2006 La Motte
Millennium!
For more information about La Motte please visit our website at
With the exceptionally favourable 2008
season – described by some as
European – conditions were just about
perfect for creating an excellent
Chardonnay. The period towards
ripening was cool and sugar levels rose
slowly. Rain, however, complicated
timing. Grapes were harvested on
different dates which resulted in a
complex layering of flavours in the wine.
www.la-motte.com
1999 La Motte Cabernet Sauvignon
A deep-coloured wine that shows
prominent dark chocolate and earthy
mushroom flavours, with a well-balanced
mid-palate. The wine shows prominent
dark chocolate and earthy mushroom
flavours. Approximately 4 400 cartons
were bottled at La Motte in May 2002.