Steenberg is one of the Graham Beck Family estates, and it was very special to have Graham Beck's granddaughter Emma Beck popping in at the launch of the new Red Blend - Five Lives, which tells the tale of Catharina Ras, the original owner of the farm. There are 5 chapters to the story, and all guests received the wines in a beautifully designed pentagonal box, with imagery depicting the stories. Each of the 5 bottles tells a chapter of the story on its back label.The well-rounded Bordeaux blend, Steenberg Five Lives 2019, was introduced to us by Cellarmaster Elunda Basson, accompanied by a bit of theatre, a live muse and actor Alexia, who brought the story to life. The wine was launched at Tryn restaurant, where it was superbly paired with 5 carefully crafted delicious courses prepared by chef Kerry Kilpin. "Tryn" was Catharina's nickname, pronounced 'trin'. One of the Cape's more contraversial characters with an indomitable spirit, Catharina arrived in South Africa from Lübeck in Germany, as a widow at the tender age of 22 in 1662. Her 2nd husband whom she met in the Cape, Hans Ras, was stabbed during an altercation and carriage accident directly after their wedding! Drama seemed to be the order of the day, as he was killed a few years later by a lion, which Catharina famously hunted down and killed on the same day! Various other husbands followed suit, one murdered by a tribesman, and another apparently trampled by an elephant! She was married 5 times and in 1682 she leased 25 hectures of land under the Stone Mountain (Steenberg), and eventually was given title deed by Governor Simon van der Stel in 1688, after he became the owner of Groot Constantia in 1685 Catharina apparently mistook the area’s spur-winged geese in the area for swans, which reminded her of her original home in Germany. Hence the farm was originally called ‘Swaaneweide’. The lunch concluded perfectly with delicious chocolate truffles, carrying the traditional Steenberg swan logo.