What!? No International TV news crews? In the wake of the Dewani hit I would have thought 90 white dudettes & dudes descending on Mzoli’s was newsworthy but guess good news doesn’t travel that far. Or maybe they just read ‘ Rawbones at Mzoli’s’ and thought ‘duh, nothing new there.’
But there was, Oak Valley owner Anthony Rawbone-Viljoen (ARV) launched their 2nd label ‘Rawbones'. And we partied hard, it was pure Africa time, music as loud as it would be at midnight, and you quickly forgot/didn’t care what day of the week - that university feeling - maybe weekend (if you not there by 9AM on the weekend you just don’t get in!) - who cares you feel young and bullet proof again, anything is possible!
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| Mzoli's Medievel kitchen, if you can't stand the heat... |
ARV is also a gourmet meat producer, tending a herd of Wagyu cattle, grass-fed free range Simmentaler cattle and acorn-fed free range pigs - wonder if any will end up at Mzoli's? How would you like your nyama done Sir?
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| Mzoli's - veggies include pork and chicken all fab with Rawbone's Butcher's Block Merlot Cab Franc |
So some people spoke (or tried to - you need rock concert rigs to douse the din) including ARV, Ian Manley, Mariette Du Toit-Helmbold (Cape Town Tourism, sharp fall in bookings post Dewani) but when Mzoli spoke you could hear a tjop drop, yup no doubting his township benelovent-godfather status. Stand by for Mzoli's Wine Fest in Gugs next year.
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| Mzoli and ARV |
Ok time to place some OV bets again. (see also missed by a salami skin link ) These wines are going to take next years Good Value awards by storm. The Butcher's Block maiden 2008 vintage is a blend of 71% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Franc, it has a softer, more feminine side to it than the premium range Oak Valley Blend.
The wine was oaked for 18 months with 20% spending time in new oak barrels and the remainder in second and third fill barrels. It’s a voluptuous wine, with ripe red fruit flavours: think plums and red cherries and a touch of savouriness. Tannins are delicate and in all this satiny soft wine certainly over delivers on price at R55.
The Wishbone White offers the same cool climate flavours for which the regular Oak Valley Sauvignon Blanc is renowned with an appealing fruitiness and clean flavours of gooseberry and some apple all for just R45.
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| Order queue at Mzoli's pass - what's a sous chef? |
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| Dont mess with the bouncers at Mzoli's |
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| Rawbones Pack |
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| Winemaker Pieter Visser dishing out samples township style |
Jonathan Snashall
Awesome bouncers!!! Keep up with the blogging - it's lovely to hear the South African wine news here in Oz!
ReplyDeleteThanks again.
Thanks Jen, good to hear from you! I can say the same about quilting in queensland!
ReplyDeleteI noticed that in bottle stores here in Oz they sell a product that you can add to your wine to remove sulphur. Does it work?
ReplyDeleteLove
Jenny