Cape Town - Summer may be braai time but winter is definitely wine and dine time.
And when it comes to choosing which wine goes with which dish, I prefer to leave that to the experts.
One bitterly cold Friday night I decided to put my trust in 120-year-old The Vineyard Hotel in Newlands, who are celebrating 10 years of hosting their ‘Tastes of 2016’ festival. Surely they have wine pairing waxed by now.
The theme of this year’s Tastes of 2016 is “knowledge sharing”, with The Vineyard’s chefs and their staff swapping out to participating wine estates and their kitchens.
READ: Plaisir de Merle’s Cabernet Sauvignon ranks as one of SA’s best
Matt Deitchman, the hotel’s Food & Beverage Manager, said: “We want to share some of our knowledge and experience with other chefs and staff, while gaining experience for our own. By ‘swapping’ with top wine estates we can spread the culinary love.”
That night it was Paarl Valley’s Glen Carlou wines turn to be paired with a specially designed five-course menu at The Vineyard’s elegant The Square restaurant.
I was told that many hours of research had gone into getting the pairing just right. What a job!!!
In a lively atmosphere and with Glen Carlou’s winemaker Arco Laarman seated next to me (no pressure), I was ready to sample and savour.
First course was a creamy caramelised onion and parmesan soup with a croute accompanied by Glen Carlou Grand Classique 2012. The caramelised onion was the star of this dish and was perfectly paired with this vibrant dark red.
The second course was a lentil and caramelised brussel sprout laksa with a cashew and coriander pesto paired with Glen Carlou’s The Curator’s Collection Viognier 2015.
Lentil and caramelised brussel sprout laksa. Picture: Supplied
I had never had laksa or a Viognier before. Both now rank in my top tastes. It was very brave and creative to pair the spicy laksa with a pesto, but it worked and the Viognier is reportedly difficult to cultivate, but boy is it worth all the effort.
Next up was slow roasted pork belly, which my partner said would now be his last meal request if things ever turned out that way, but I opted for the alternative chicken roulade, which came with dauphinoise potato, broccoli, cranberry leather and gooseberry jus. The wine this time round was The Curator’s Collection Cabernet Franc 2013.
Slow roasted pork belly. Picture: Supplied
The cranberry leather was interesting in a good way, and so was the Cabernet Franc.
Finally there was chocolate fondant with a twist. I feared they would mess with a classic, but the twist - candied orange peel ice-cream - and the sweet Glen Carlou The Welder Chenin Blanc 2013 elevated this dessert even further.
Chocolate fondant with a twist. Picture: Instagram
The cherry on top of this wonderful winter’s night out was that, as part of a package deal, I could then walk up to my suite upstairs at The Vineyard and topple into a huge, comfortable bed.
I trusted the experts and it paid off. Cheers to more wining and dining this winter.
* The Vineyard hosts still to come this winter include: Rust en Vrede Estate on 8 July, Delaire Graff Estate on 29 July, Haskell Vineyards on 12 August, and Morgenster Estate on 26 August
For more information on the Tastes of 2016, email [email protected] or call 021 657 4500.
Bookings need to be made in advance.
* Riana Andrews was a guest of The Vineyard Hotel.