Resolutions that are worth keeping

Tuesday, 19 January, 2016
Shante Hutton
For many of us, the 1st January marks the start of new, and often strict, resolves that we believe will stand us in good stead for a great year. Often, we try to eat less, drink less and get a bit healthy but it always seems so dull. How about resolutions that we can keep, ones that are exciting?

Here are 3 great resolutions for wine-lovers that I'm sure we'll all be willing to try and keep.

Explore more wine regions

Whilst Stellenbosch and Franschhoek draw wine lovers continuously with their plethora of amazing wineries, the smaller regions should not be forgotten.

Plettenberg Bay Wine Route

There are 16 wineries to be found in Plettenberg with their main focus being on Sauvignon Blanc and bubbly.
The winemakers are very hands-on and passionate about carving a wine name for Plett and with the backing of Plettenberg Tourism, they have really been pushing their wine route and offering more incentives for tourists.

Botrivier

Super chilled should be their tag line as you'll find no other wine route in South Africa that puts more focus on community and the sociability of great wine.

Delicious wines come from this area, thanks in part to its climate but also to the non-intrusive hands and gentle mannerisms of the region's winemakers. Luddite, for example, pride themselves on making wine that's ‘as natural as possible, with little or no intervention’. ‘It’s about knowing that when you buy a bottle of Luddite, what’s inside is genuine and made with integrity.”
Other lovely wineries in the area include Gabrielskloof which has a restaurant and deli and looks like something out of a Tuscan dream; Beaumont, Genevieve MCC, Rivendell and Benguela Cove are also wonderful to visit...to name but a few.

Stanford Wine Route

Having officially launched last year, the Stanford Wine Route groups together around 8 wineries and is South Africa's 21st wine route. Stanford is close to the southernmost tip of Africa, making it one of South Africa’s coolest wine producing regions.

The area is already a tourist destination with its close proximity to the sea, luxury hotels, great restaurants and relaxing atmosphere. Get away for the weekend and take on the wineries, you won’t be disappointed.

See how well wine works with food

Food and wine pairing is nothing new and many a winery is jumping on the pairing wagon in order to boost feet through their door and to show off the diversity of their wines. It's a good initiative and whilst some wineries get the pairings wrong, or stick to the (boring) cheese and wine option, many others are pushing the boat out.

Did you know that there are at least 161 different types of salt? Fleur du Cap does, and chef Craig Cormack has created a salt and wine pairing that promises to be unique and inspiring. Definitely worth a try.

Rupert and Rothschild brings you French flavours in one of the most elegant tasting rooms in the winelands. With two pairings to choose from, you can do a 3 wine and food pairing which is with their South African wines or, you can splash out and do 5 small, but substantial dishes which are paired with their international wines. Both are yummy.

Celebrate South African flavours with Solms Delta's Cape food and wine pairing. Expect to taste the diverse culinary traditions of the Cape: Dutch, Indonesian and KhoeSan.

The obvious winners, in terms of feet, have been Jc le Roux's MCC pairings which have almost become unbeaten in the bubbly-pairing field BUT, I would love to see a savoury bubbly pairing at one of South Africa's reputable wineries.

Don't drink the expected

With so many new cultivar plantings happening, there's no excuse to stick with just Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon (even if they are tasty). Explore the unusual and educate your palate. Need some inspiration? Why not look out for:

Verdelho

A white variety grown mainly in Portugal, Verdelho has been traditionally used to make fortified wines but as a dry white, it displays notes similar to a chardonnay but with a more fruitier presence and has been described as "oily".

KWV does a single variety (The Mentors 2013), as does Feiteiras who also happen to be in Botrivier.

Grüner Veltliner

Diemersdal are the first winery in South Africa to grow this primarily Austrian-grown grape. It's very food friendly and has spicy, peppery notes and a long finish.

Sangiovese

Many South African winemakers believe that with our climate we should be planting more Mediterranean varieties and Sangiovese, with its savoury notes, tart cherry and earthy nature is great with food because it's a medium bodied wine.

Try it at Morgenster Estate or at Fairview

 

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Fleur du Cap pairing
Fleur du Cap pairing

R & R pairing
R & R pairing

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