If
you'd prefer some bubbles,
the latest release
from Simonsig - the Brut Rosé is a stunner. Brilliantly
pink, made from Pinotage with a splash of Pinot Noir and deliciously
appetite awakening dryness, it's sure to get the family in the right
mood for the rest of the meal. For those who are not too keen on
the dry stuff, Onderkloof Wines Floreal Blanc de Blanc with its dash of
Muscat is a gem, fruity and off dry.
If
there is something fishy amongst your first courses,
the Simonsig Verdelho just calls out for fish - their first vintage is
the 2006. Deliciously dry and sparky, made from this unique
Portuguese grape which they use so effectively for the well known
Vinho Verdes and the unsurpassable Madeira wines.
The
"new" fashion Viognier is a winner with an oily fish like
Salmon, Snoek or Mackerel and the Ridgeback has more than enough
oomph to be the perfect partner. Its fresh array of apricots,
limes, white peach and orange blossoms is well supported by
blonde-tobacco oak spice. Lovely persistent minerally finish.
If
you're going the Duck main course route I
would suggest you consider Pinotage. Somehow for me duck is a
country dish, especially a confit and Pinotage is a country wine.
Excellent
Pinotages to consider are...
Onderkloof with its
sappy dusty mulberries and creamy blood plums, Danie Truter runs a
single thread of oak through it which is just sublime.
The organic Mountain
Oaks Pinotage from Slanghoek - Christine Stevens has a magic hand
to create a dark smokey, gamey, Pinotage.
Swartland Winery -
excellent value, silky, warm vineyard raisins and bold fruit.
If
your main course is Beef go for the Cabernet or Cabernet blends like...
The stately
Grangehurst Cabernet Merlot - you should be able to buy the 2000 still,
such a reflection of the Helderberg, big wine just bursting with fruit
and elegant oak.
Morgenster - anything
from Morgenster. The Summer House is a R100 wine for about half the
price. Splash out and get the Lourens River Valley or the flagship
Morgenster.
The Morgenhof Première
Sélection - a traditional Bordeaux blend using the four well known
Bordeaux grapes, Cabernets Franc and Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec.
If
you're doing the Turkey with a fruity type stuffing rather than
the sausage meat, a Chardonnay is a good choice.
Boela Gerber does the
trick with his lightly wooded Groot Constantia Chardonnay - delicious
naartjie and orange butter biscuits lurking amongst the flavours.
Peter Finlayson of
Bouchard Finlayson Vineyards in Hermanus captures for me the very
essence of Chardonnay with the most captivating mouthfeel from his Sans
Barrique which is unwooded, through the Kaaimansgat and Mission Vale,
it's hard to choose. Lovely cool climate wines, just packed with
flavour. If your turkey has a sausage stuffing, try Peter's
Hannibal - a lusty Italian!
David Finlayson of
Glen Carlou in Paarl is bemedalled, cupped and capped with a
groaning shelf of trophies. David is a dab hand at Chardonnay. I
just love the fruit - white fleshed peaches and blood oranges and
spice and roasted almonds he gets into the bottle. The Tortoise Hill
White, which has a generous amount of Chardonnay, is yummy as a pre-lunch
quaffer too.
If
the call is lamb
I would go
for a Shiraz dominated wine like Mark and Belinda Lindhorst's Statement.
They have just won a medal on the Classic Trophy Wine show - again - for
the Lindhorst Statement 2004. Must declare an interest here as
Mark worked for me as a student bar man in 1975! Even if he didn't
I'd have no problem recommending this amazing mouthful of wine.
So
we get to the end of the meal and with dessert, you'd want a real
sweetie. One of my current favourites is the just released Stellar
Organics Heaven on Earth. Dudley Wilson's bunches of grapes are
dried on straw mats and rooibos tea to dehydrate them and to concentrate
the flavour resulting in a nectar redolent of ripe raisiny Hanepoot,
rooibos, honey and dried apricots.
And
with the coffee and friandises -
it has to be Port. Paul de Villers of Landskroon has won the
Diners Club Winemaker of the Year with his port and that's enough of a
pedigree for me. Paul uses the traditional Port varietals of Tinta
Barocca, Tinta Roriz and Souzao to create a meaty, black olivey
minerally dark, creamy plums and dark berries wine.
What
a way to end a meal. You might even take it through to
afternoon tea with the Christmas cake!
Michael
Olivier
P.O. Box 53312 Kenilworth 7745
noshnews@iafrica.com
www.noshnews.co.za
