A quite new
and rather versatile drink that is apparently making a considerable impact in
KZN bottle stores is Magnum Cream Liqueur.
This is a
creamy liqueur made from a blend of Scotch malt whisky and Dutch cream. These
components are imported, and the blending and bottling are done in the Western
Cape.
The result
is a delicious and highly distinctive liqueur. It has flavours of caramel,
chocolate and toffee, but the glow of whisky on the palate is the most
memorable feature. It is this that gives the drink a grip and character that
make it different from some other rather cloying liqueurs.
Magnum
Cream should be served chilled, and it is delightful as an after-dinner drink.
It can also be served over ice as a cocktail or added to coffee or even added
to ice-cream (but not for the young ones).
Alcohol
content is 17 percent, the same as that for nearly all liqueurs. And the
packaging, to use the trade term, is in a class of its own. Magnum Cream comes
not in a bottle but in a reusable stainless steel flask with a screw-top and
handles. It is available at liquor retailers in a one-litre flask selling for
about R120. A 750 ml. flask priced at R99 is about to be placed on the market.
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South
Africa’s most unusual wine tasting venue must surely be the Winters Drift
Tasting Station at the old Elgin train station, in one of the most beautiful
parts of the Western Cape, about an hour’s drive from Cape Town.
Winters
Drift is a cellar in the Elgin area, which is known for its high quality white
wines. Its first bottling was in 2010, and it produces chardonnay, sauvignon
blanc, pinot noir, shiraz and rosé.
The Elgin
station fell into disuse and disrepair about 40 years ago, when road transport
superseded passenger trains. Recently the owners of Winters Drift bought buildings at the station and obtained
permission from Transnet to renovate the whole place and open a wine tasting station
there.
The result
today is the Platform 1 Eatery, which offers meals and snacks at reasonable
prices and of course Winters Drift wines, at R20 to R35 a glass. And you can
buy bottles of Winters Drift wines: sauvignon blanc at R67, pinot noir at R105,
shiraz at R85, rosé at R50, and chardonnay at R85. The wines are reported to be
of high quality.
The railway
line is still operational, with two or three freight trains laden with grain
passing through every day.
The
Platform 1 cafe is open from 09h00 to 16h00 from Tuesday to Friday (Saturdays
from 10h00 to 16h00). Phone 021 859 5534 or 082 494 1265. - Michael Green
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