This just in.  It seems that an old scam has reared its ugly head here in Cape Town again.  In and around 2005 this was a regular occurrence for local businesses in South Africa and we were just informed by a local restaurant that an attempt to scam them was made.

From the Net

This is how the scam works:

The scammer will phone the restaurant/business and ask to make a group booking.  They will seem legit to the point where they will discuss (all telephonically mind you) everything from table settings to wine selections.  Said restaurant/business will of course have a deposit policy and the scammer will readily agree to pay the deposit.  In the event where the scammer is not asked for a deposit, he will offer to pay up front for the event/meal.

Elsewhere the scammer would have gotten his filthy hands on a stolen cheque.  He will take the deposit value that is required, inflate it by R10 000 or more and deposit the fake cheque into the restaurant’s account.

You, the restaurant owner/business owner will then get an hysterical phone call from the scammer where he tells you how his stupid treasurer accidentally deposited their whole budget into your account, instead of the agreed upon amount. He will tell you how they will not be able to travel/perform/do what it is they do without their R10k.  Inevitably the scammer will tell you he is part of a theater group, choir or sports team that is going on tour and that they are very poor and dependent on hand outs/grants.  It will be a truly tragic tale of woe.  He will also be quite adamant that he needs to be paid back asap and of course you the business owner will have the money in your account and will not think twice about paying the difference back.  You will get numerous phone calls if you do not pay immediately.

The cheque will of course bounce spectacularly and if you paid, you will be out of pocket.  If you catch on in time, you might be able to stop the money from leaving your account, but if you use the same bank the money will leave your account immediately and you’d be screwed.

This is by no means a new thing, but its been quiet for a few years.  It seems it is back.  Make sure you pass this on – lets make these guys look like the idiots they are.

Here’s a link to the story on Carte Blanche from 2005

The Dutch settlers who arrived in Southern Africa in the 17th century brought recipes for dried meat from Europe. Preparation involved applying vinegar, then rubbing the strips of meat with a mix of herbs, salts and spices. The need for preservation in the new colony was pressing as building up herds of livestock for a steady supply of fresh meat took a long time. There was native game about but it could take hunters days to track and kill a large animal and they were then faced with the problem of preserving a large mass of meat in a short time in a hot climate.

Biltong has certainly come a long way since the 17th century and has evolved from a necessity to a luxury snack item. Stellenbosch Hills was the first cellar to combine two proudly South African delights with their Biltong & Wine Adventure to be enjoyed at the cellar door.

We learnt that the art of drying meat nowadays is as specialised as the art of wine making, during a visit to Freddy Hirsch, one of the sponsors of the annual “Biltong Maker of the Year” Competition.  They also host biltong-making workshops (for those in dire need of birthday gift inspiration).

I expected a visit to Freddy Hirsch to comprise a short tour of their factory – I was proven wrong in the best possible way. The facilities at Freddy Hirsch HQ comprise state of the art laboratories, test kitchens and (best of all) blind tasting facilities. We got a tutorial in the art of biltong making, donned white coats, hairnets and gloves and proceeded to make our own biltong! Inspiration flowed as we all mixed our own spices and searched for the perfect cut of meat to cure. We even got a demonstration of dishes that can be made with biltong – no more biltong dust sarmies; rather nachos with biltong and chilli poppers stuffed with cheese and (yes) biltong…

Back to the competition: Each year a different Stellenbosch Hills wine is chosen to be the inspiration for entrants. The winner’s biltong must be the best match for the chosen wine. This year the choice of wine is the Stellenbosch Hills Shiraz 2007.

Entrants can use any meat for their entries and prizes of R60 000 are up for grabs. The judging will take place early September after which the top three places will be announced.  Prospective entrants for this battle of the best biltong can order entry packets at a cost of R150. This includes a bottle of Stellenbosch Hills Shiraz 2007, a Freddy Hirsch spice pack, as well as delivery costs for the entry pack.

Participants must register before or on August 1, 2012. Closing date for entries is August 31, 2012 when 500g of biltong from all participants must be delivered to Stellenbosch Hills for judging.

We have certainly been inspired to enter the competition; we certainly need no other excuse to sample the delicious Stellenbosch Hills Shiraz. Come August, we’ll be ready – who will beat the Batonage biltong entry?  Shall we have a little side competition amongst bloggers?

www.stellenbosch-hills.co.za or 021-8813828 for more competition details or contact Freddy Hirsch on 021-5074500

I love Chardonnay.  I love it when it is lean and minerally.  I love it when it is fat and oaky.  I love it when it hasn’t been near a barrel or has never seen the inside of a steel tank.  I love it when it was fermented in Nomblot… In fact, I get blotty about it.  I love the stuff. Luckily we have a forward thinking chap like Christian Eedes involved in the wine industry.  Christian’s launched the first of his Chardonnay reports at Torro Wine Bar on the 15th of November and we were lucky enough to attend.

Christian, along with James Pietersen from Belthazar and Roland Peens from The Wine Cellar tasted 50 current release South African Chardonnays to come up with a top 10.  The top 10 are as follows:

Five stars:

Ataraxia 2009
Hamilton Russell Vineyards 2009
Oak Valley Elgin 2010
Tokara Reserve Collection Stellenbosch 2010
Tokara  Reserve Collection Walker Bay 2009

Four and a half stars:

Glen Carlou 2010
Glen Carlou Quartz Stone 2009
Julien Schaal Mountain Vineyards 2010
Laborie Limited Collection 2010
Mulderbosch Barrel Fermented 2009

Interesting to note that 3 of the top 5 wines are from Walker Bay fruit (long touted as a local equivalent of Burgundy).  The rest of the wines are from Elgin (2), Stellenbosch (2) and Paarl (3).  I was personally pleased to see Glen Carlou do so well, as they have long been a favourite producer of ours.  Notable absentees are big guns like Jordan, Bouchard Finlayson, Uva Mira, De Wetshof, Springfield, Chamonix, Vergelegen and Paul Cluver to name but a few.  They were all close, I was told.

Look out for the public tasting of the top 10 at the Vineyard Hotel.  It is being held on the 2nd of December and the start is 18.30 sharp. Make sure you book in advance and early, as tickets are limited.  You can get yours for R120 –  a bargain considering what you are going to taste.  Book by calling 083 324 6855 or by sending an email to widlnevents@gmail.com

In case you were wondering what happened to us… we’re alive and kicking.  We are taking a hiatus from writing till early next year to give our livers, wallets and brains time to recover from what was a bumper year for Batonage dot com.  Look out for the first article around mid January, when we’ll be back with a gigantic bang.

Hope you have a fantastic Xmas and New Years and remember… life is too short to drink bad wine.

You may have read about our intrepid adventures visiting wine farms on behalf of the Great Wine Capitals Best of Wine Tourism Competition.  We unfortunately could not visit all the farms that entered the competition during that weekend, but we did endeavour to have a look at as many as possible during the course of September and October.

We were starting to think that the whole competition was done, dusted and forgotten; then we received an invitation to the Awards Luncheon hosted at Steenberg Vineyards.

The winners were announced earlier this month in Christchurch, New Zealand.  So let’s get to the results:

Accommodation – Delaire Graff Lodges & Spa

Art and culture –  Grande Provence Heritage Estate

Architecture, parks & gardens – Steenberg Vineyards

Innovative wine tourism experiences –  Warwick Wine Estate

Wine Tourism restaurants – Rust en Vrede

Sustainable wine tourism practices – Waverley Hills

Wine tourism services – Steenberg Vineyards

As the global winner of the Wine Tourism Services category, Steenberg Vineyards can send one of its staff members abroad to learn from other wineries in Napa, California.  In a fairy tale announcement (with audible gasps from the winner) Zelda Petrus, who handles front-of house cellar door sales, will soon be flying to California to learn more about wine sales and marketing in the famous Napa Valley.

I say fairy tale because Zelda started working as a cleaner at Steenberg and has worked herself up through the ranks, enrolling in Wine Certificate courses along the way, to be part of Steenberg’s very capable front-of-house staff.

We have written various blog articles about Steenberg before and we cannot think of a more worthy winner: they are the complete package with excellent wine, impeccable service and two stellar restaurants on the premises.  We probably should also mention the 5 star hotel.

The awards luncheon did not disappoint.  Bistro 1682 served us their best! From starters of quail, sweet corn velouté and crab beignet to mains of sous vide warthog ribs; it was delicious and beautifully served.  Even the vegetarian option served looked infinitely edible.

Lunch was served with the wines of the category winners: we were spoilt for choice the whole day!  The Steenberg HMS Rattlesnake and the Warwick Three Cape Ladies got my undivided attention.

I started and ended my day with the Steenberg 1682 Chardonnay MCC; a fitting end to a true champagne celebration!