What to drink:
Jordan has released a new Chenin Blanc that really tickles my fancy. Inspector Péringuey might be a bit of a mouthful to say but this wine pays homage to this French scientist who discovered the nasty pest Phylloxera and thus supervised the importation of American rootstocks so that we could save our vines.
The Chenin itself is gentle, graceful, interesting and layered and actually
very much like both Kathy and Gary.
Get yourself over to Jordan Wine Estate, buy a bottle (only R95), sit on the
deck and watch the sunset - you will not regret it.
Where to Eat:
Volare
Peddlars & Co is an institution. Ask anyone in Constantia and they won't
be able to pinpoint exactly when it came into being but they just know that
they can't live without it. Chef Brad Ball is now the food-brain behind it and
for my mid-week meal, I decided to go European.
Volare is the Italian section of P&C and offers a great weekday supper for
all weary souls who need nurturing. The decor has an air of country club
glamour and there is a glass-fronted wine room which houses some lovely bottles
that need me to pay them another visit.
I think the menu is very clever in that it's not brimming with too much frou-frou; one page for food and one page for wine - no having to bother with turning pages or trying to tempt your stomach to eat everything. It's good, honest food that's mostly from local suppliers.
Yello tuna fin Carpaccio, Ricotta gnudi, Oak valley pork belly with crackling, and fresh mussels...just a few of the things I ate...not on my own obviously. The pork ragu was definitely my favourite - meat falling apart, melting in your mouth. Yum.
The wine list has some lovely Italian numbers on it and I had to have a glass of Pinot Gris - it's very reasonably priced and they have a good selection of South African wines from different regions.
What to do:
Spier picnics
With the disappearance of Moyo, Spier has been able to expand and reshape, cultivating a stunning new vegetable and fruit garden that caters for Eight (and its deli) as well as a new art project that will see local artists displaying their creations for a few months at a time. Add to this the huge space and lush grassy areas under low hanging oaks that have now become available, this is a truly amazing place to picnic....and the food is super lush. Eight-to-Go offers pre-booked picnics and ready-to-eat food lovingly prepared according to the same principles as Spier’s acclaimed farm-to-table restaurant, Eight. Local, natural and organic produce is used wherever possible, and food grown on the Spier farm is preferred. They even have special children-friendly picnics.
Have a beer
Shock, horror, I'm promoting something un-wine related - but the Bar di Bar
at Laborie has such cool vibes and they do Dragon Fiery alcoholic ginger beer
which is my life juice.
Open from 11am - 8pm, this is a new venture for Laborie and this setup takes
you back to the 1970’s, complete with working jukebox with Saturday Night Fever
spinning on the decks. It's very laid back, almost horizontal, and it will please
the beer fans (and for those of you who don’t like to drink beer, they have
wine too)