Cape Town - The Wine&Dine evening at the Peninsula All-Suite Hotel was both a profile of the hotel's food and of a relatively recent vineyard called Post House Wine Estate.
Post House winemaker Nick Gebers spoke about the different wines, five of which were paired with dishes (well, one was a sorbet course/palette cleanser).
Gebers was humble and unpretentious, and he seemed genuinely passionate about his label. He gave some history of the vineyard, which he founded on what used to be a post office, naming each wine after post stamps.
For example, Blackish Blue is based on a particular set of stamps which owe their names to differing tones. Another is called The Missing Virgin because there was supposed to be a set of stamps with a girl on them, but there was a printing error and so she was “missing” from 20 or 30 stamps, which are now rare and valuable.
It’s likely he married his interest in stamp collecting with winemaking. And, amazingly, I really, really liked ALL the wines - even the whites which were full of robust flavour. They added an interesting dimention to each dish - I was impressed.
As far as the food was concerned, I felt a little let down in some areas - but that was just my personal assessment.
The presentation was classy with each course being a variant of South African cuisine.
The first dish was shrimp and rice and with sesame and julienne vegetables. The shrimp was good, but it was covered in a creamy sauce that lacked some flavour.
The next course was a Cape Malay type dish - curried dhal and potatoes in a poppadum bowl - a truly authentic dish with an undercurrent of Asian influence.
After that was a lemon sorbet palette clearer - that was good - very refreshing and covered with a pretty crystallised sugar basket.
The main was ostrich fillets with sweet potato cubes and beets with cranberries. The ostrich was the best thing all night - it was cooked perfectly and wasn't tough at all, as ostrich often is.
The dessert was a delicious assortment of strawberry panacotta & vanilla bean served with balsamic vinegar, chocolate & pistachios - a fitting end to the meal and my most memorable.
The service on the other hand was too rushed - waiters poured wine faster than I could drink, and hastily sped through the courses.
Overall, an enjoyable experience, except for a few glitches. Next time I’m on the hunt for a good wine, Post House will definitely make its way into my shopping basket. - IOL
Some history on Post House Wine Estate
The Post House, recognised by the deep, crimson colour that sets it apart from other wines in the Cape Region is full bodied and robust. It is with creativity and little interference that this wine has become a well known South African brand.
Official website: www.posthousewines.co.za
Peninsula All-Suite Hotel: www.peninsula.co.za