What do fine wines and frogs have in common? The answer is the Anura Wine
Estate. To understand the conundrum, you have to first understand that the Anura
Wine Estate is in ‘Seth Efrikka’ and “anura” in South Africa means “frog”.
Tymen
Bouma addresses the gathering
I was fortunate to be invited to Manhattans Steakhouse last week for a very
exclusive tasting of the Anura wines, which are currently not known in Thailand,
but after the sensational presentation evening, there will be more than one wine
buff asking for this label at our better restaurants.
Anura Vineyards is run by Tymen and Jenny Bouma (pronounced ‘Boma’) and their
family, and the Anura farm is situated in Klapmuts, which is 47 km North-East of
Cape Town. They took over the property in 1988 and began clearing the grounds,
with a view to making their own wines, but it was not until 2001 that their
first vintage was bottled. Up till then, they were just selling their grapes to
other wine growers. The Boumas say, “At Anura, our aim is to produce wines of
individual character which combine the robust fruit of the New World with the
elegance and complexity of the Old World.”
Currently Anura Vineyards has 120 hectares of vines with predominately noble red
varieties. The farm’s total production is on average 800 tonnes of fruit to make
top class wines. They say their passion is red wine, specifically Shiraz, but
plantings of Mourvedré, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese and Malbec are also grown.
Since 2001, the popularity of the Anura premium wines has seen export expansion
into more than 10 countries (and Thailand is next on the list). However, in
South Africa the Anura label has won numerous awards over the past 5 years.
These include the Anura Syrah/Mourvedre 2003 Reserve that achieved South
Africa’s Best Red of 2006 and their very special Anura Chenin, 2005 Fairbairn
Trophy winner for Best Chenin Blanc. Even their own first vintage in 2001, the
Cabernet Sauvignon and the Merlot Reserve 2004, have won a double gold award at
the Veritas Wine Awards. Anura also attended the International Michelangelo
Awards and was awarded a silver medal for their Anura Merlot Reserve 2003 and a
gold medal for the Anura Malbec 2005.
Now, that all sounds very impressive, but was this just hype, or were we going
to experience some rather special wines? The invitation to the Anura Wine
Tasting came from Tymen and Jenny Bouma, together with the South African/Thai
Chamber of Commerce, so it was with interest that the Dining Out Team attended
the Manhattans Steakhouse event. We were joined by some of Pattaya’s better
palates, some wine agencies interested in the label, several captains of the
hospitality industry, and some of Pattaya’s better known thirsties!
The tasting was set up around the perimeter of the Manhattans dining area, and
along with the various styles, there was finger food which had been selected to
complement the wine (or vice versa). There were 10 wines for tasting, and I was
very pleased to see that these were dispensed in ‘tasting’ volume, allowing the
reviewer to circumnavigate the room and experience them all. After that it was
then possible to return to one’s favorites and savor.
For me, two wines stood out, with the first being a magnificent medal winning
Malbec 2005. This was teamed with some blue cheese concoctions, which would be
overpowering for most wines. Not the case with the Anura Malbec 2005. 14.5
percent alcohol, smooth with a long finish and more than able to handle the
cheese. My pick for the wine of the night. The other was the Merlot 2004,
another well balanced wine and at 14.8 percent alcohol also full bodied.
Quite honestly I did not find any of the 10 wines that I did not like, but the
Malbec and the Merlot were outstanding. If you see an Anura wine is stocked
anywhere, do try it.
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Chicken “cordon bleu” is a simple, yet satisfying dish
for both the cook and the diners. “Cordon bleu” is from L’Ordre des
Chevaliers du Saint Esprit, a 1578 AD elite group of French knights.
Apparently the group became known for their extravagant and luxurious
banquets, known as “cordon bleu” (blue ribbon).
Cooking Method:
Flatten chicken breasts with the heel of your hand. Wrap a slice of ham around a
piece of cheese about 5 cm long and 0.5 cm wide and then wrap the chicken breast
around the ham and cheese.
Dip the breasts in flour, then in the egg wash (the beaten egg in 100 ml milk)
and then in finely crushed bread crumbs. Brown in hot oil about 4 minutes a
side.
Finish the chicken cordon bleu in the microwave on medium for around one minute
to ensure the cheese has melted.
Ingredients
Serves 4
Skinless, boneless chicken
breasts 4
Ham slices
4
Swiss cheese
50 gm
Flour
Egg
1
Milk
100 ml
Bread crumbs
2 cups
Sauce
Cream of chicken soup
100 ml
All-purpose whipping cream
500 ml
Mix together and stir constantly over stove on low heat. When sauce is hot,
pour into dish to be served over the chicken cordon bleu.
