Doctor’s orders for the next few blurred wines of the silly season approaching. Please consult your nearest #WineFARMacist for your prescription.
Recently I had a few thoughts about #hashtags and how, these days, we think and read in pictures. Hashtags create a hyperlink to infinite possibilities of choice. I always say a blank canvas is your opportunity to create endless possibilities. This brings me to what dreams may come from, and I firmly believe it comes from the perfectly shaped bubbles that create an effervescent of pure indulgence. So, dream a little.
A few years ago I presented a tasting at Villa Castollini in Knysna and the theme was “bubbly and oysters”. Of course, it was during the annual Knysna Oyster Festival and we were seven producers presenting.
I was smack-bang in the middle of the line-up, with a very stiff crowd. I thought about the crowd’s demographics. At the time our president was JZ. Not Beyoncé’s Jay-Z, but the king of Nkandla. I made my very first stand-up comedy joke about relieving famine and possibly unemployment in South Africa.
Think about it, Mzansi has a total population of about 50 million and a perfect bottle of champagne has 49 million bubbles – enough to feed almost the entire South Africa with dreams of hope.
My stand-up comedy debut was short-lived when the oysters got served.
My family will always find me funny, however, like the sharpest Manora Savana drink. This time of the year is my favourite time, as I feel like a fireman in fire season, I have to extinguish a lot of thirsty throats. I first introduced bubbly (aka Methode Cap Classique aka MCC) to my grannies while observing both of them drinking hot water with a little bit of lemon juice. I asked: “Why are you sipping diluted hot lemon juice?” to which one of them responded, “Well, at my age I have to watch my figure with all these rich foods!”
I responded with the art of Sabrage (party trick to slice bottles open with a sword) and opened a bubbly in style saying, “It’s better than diluted hot lemon juice. This only has two calories per litre, plus it will let you have more space for dessert!”
Well, it didn’t turn out well for me. I had to open 12 bottles that day.
Oh well, it’s #Fffestive!
Have fun, but enjoy it responsibly as per the #WineFARMacist orders.
Try some fantastic #Fffestive wine shhhots!
This is literally called a jelly wine tot.
- Mimosas: Boil one cup of bubbly. Mix with orange jello for two minutes. Add one more cup of bubbly and a splash of OJ.
- Silk: Boil one cup of bubbly. Mix in jello for two minutes. Add one cup of bubbly and a splash of litchi juice from the can.
Try the Blushing Bon Bon
Ingredients:
- 56 grams Orange juice
- 28 grams Pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoons Grenadine
- Bon Courage Brut Methode Cap Classique (MCC)
Directions: Fill a MCC flute 2/3 full of the juice mixture. Top with MCC, then add grenadine.
How about a Fancy Pancy Beck?
Ingredients:
- 1 litre Johnny Walker Red / Alternative Bourbon
- 1 c. Granulated sugar
- Peels of 3 lemons and 1 orange
- Juice of peeled fruit
- 1 litre Strong tea (preferably green tea)
- 250 ml Graham Beck Blanc de Blancs 2013 Brut MCC
- Freshly grated nutmeg (don’t substitute powdered nutmeg)
Directions: Combine sugar and citrus peels in the bottom of a punch bowl. Muddle together until the sugar starts to clump together. Let it sit for about two hours (while not necessary, this does add a little complexity). Brew the tea for about 30 minutes. Remove loose tea or tea bags, and allow it to cool down. Add the juice of the peeled fruit, tea, and bourbon. Stir. Top with MCC just before serving and stir gently. Top with freshly grated nutmeg and serve.
Last, but not least, the #WineFARMacist 83:
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Clemengold Dry Gin
- 1 tsp. Superfine sugar
- ½ oz. Lemon juice
- 5 oz. De Wetshof Cuveé Brut MCC
Directions: Shake gin, lemon juice, and sugar well with cracked ice and top with MCC.
