I attended an edible flower food and wine pairing in April which stands out as one of the most innovative events in over twenty-five years of my weekly rounds on the food and wine circuit. The synergy of Earthbound (Distell’s organic Fairtrade wine label), Pure Good (a community upliftment farming and chef training project) and Welbeloond farm (home of Bright House Solar) in Constantia put the spotlight on green flower and fruit power. The adventurous collaboration between chef Shannon Smuts (DSTV Master Chef) and Earthbound winemaker Heinrich Kulsen was a match made on earth rather than in heaven, showcasing organic farming and viticulture.
Using freshly-picked produce grown in community gardens in Khayelitsha, chef emphasised how “Flowers and herbs introduce a subtle, delicate element” to pairings. She created imaginative dishes of green pea and lavender soup to highlight the fresh citrus and herbaceous flavours of Earthbound Organic Sauvignon Blanc 2015 - and snoek terrine with nasturtium blossom, micro-herbs and viola to match the zesty stone fruit and melon minerality of the Chenin Blanc 2015. A walkabout in the organic herb and vegetable garden, whetted an appetite for pairings enhanced by nasturtium mash, rosemary blossom, tempura flowers, rose water and pansy pear jelly.
The earthy fare underlined the credo and pay-off lines of Earthbound Wines - “live better”, “natural abundance”, “down to earth” and “lighter living”. Going with the flow, winemaker Kulsen told me he uses organic potato-based green gelatine to fine the wines. Learning the new lingo of organic wine, we finished the tasting with Earthbound IOC (meaning Organic in Conversion) Pinot Noir 2012. The spicy, astringent character of the floral oils and garnishes, and the earthy savoury, forest floor nuances of mushrooms and fruits were a sublime match for Earthbound Organic Pinotage 2014 - paired to the hero dish of braised lamb with chocolate and plum jus.
On an earthbound day, winemaker Kulsen spoke at length about the soil the grapes are grown in Distell’s vineyards at Papkuilsfontein in Groenekloof/Darling - formerly branded as Tukulu after the decomposed granite soils with high iron content which produce grapes of great concentration - and signature Chenin Blanc and Pinotage.
Owner viticulturist Jonathan Grieve of Avondale pushed the envelope further at a vertical tasting of Cyclus, the flagship white blend of one of the farms at the forefront of biodynamic and organic viticulture in South Africa. By vinifying “unique blocs of soil and terroir”, using only natural ferments (“yeast strains are one of the biggest points of difference”), Avondale aims to maximise the micro-climates of the Paarl farm. Grieve adds, “Warmer, natural ferment adds huge mouthfeel and flavour esters. It’s a big part of what we do. This is true slow winemaking - the yeast can take up to nine months to finish the fermentation. Using a small proportion of whole bunch pressed grapes and extending lees contact in old oak barrels and amphorae made from our own farm clay create a lean, mineral wine with great balance and concentration.”
Chef patron Henry Vigar of La Mouette (The Seagull) in Sea Point is one of the unsung heroes of South Africa’s contemporary fine dining scene. He is a wizard of food and wine pairings at this ambient Tudor house (home to Café Europa for decades) which has led many lives. I have enjoyed some of the finest matches at wine launches here over the years - recently with Avondale, Blaauwklippen, Doolhof and Stellenbosch Vineyards. Chef Vigar showcased the sublime texture of Avondale Cyclus with tuna tartare with ponzu gel, a divine composition of free-range chicken with root vegetable puree, and savoury pannacotta with gruyere and charred onions.
A five-way assemblage of Chenin Blanc and Viognier with a splash of Chardonnay, Semillon and Roussanne, Cyclus (meaning “the cycle of life”) is one of the leading examples of a South African white blend. Grieve believes, “South Africa can carve out a niche in global markets with white blends - from Bordeaux to Rhône-style blends to everything in-between. Chenin Blanc is an incredibly diverse variety.” Echoing the values of Earthbound Wines, Avondale’s credo is Terra est Vita, meaning “Soil is Life”. He adds that “Certain wines show really well on certain days on the lunar calendar - a flower day is the best while minerality shows on a leaf day.”
I attended a benchmark tasting in April of Diemersdal’s Wild Horseshoe label - South Africa’s first branded “skin fermented Sauvignon Blanc”. Named after all the horseshoes found on the farm, a set of horseshoes adorns the restaurant in the old barn where talented chef Martin de Kock created a delicious matching menu. A recent visit to New Zealand - where skin fermented Savvy is the hottest new trend at Villa Maria and St Clair - inspired winemaker Thys Louw to add another style of Sauvignon to Diemersdal which now makes one million bottles in nine styles of its signature variety which comprises some 50% of the heritage Durbanville cellar’s total production.
Sawis has created a new class of “alternate white” to encompass skin fermented Sauvignon Blanc - a style Thys calls “the fifth style of Sauvignon blanc”. Sourced from old dryland vineyards and fermented on the skins using a wild yeast, matured in second, third and fourth fill barrels over ten months, Thys says he tasted it every day for months as the wine evolved into a mineral-driven wine with a cassis character. “I don’t know whether we can make it every year - but the 2016 is safely in the barrel” he says. Diemersdal has come a long way since 2003 when it bottled its first Savvy.
If you’re superstitious about numbers, consider the numerical symmetry. The vineyard where the grapes were grown for Wild Horseshoe Sauvignon Blanc 2015 is the same age as Thys. The delightful label features thirteen horseshoes. Thys has handled eleven vintages at Diemersdal - since stepping into the shoes of his father Tienie who made thirty vintages before handing over the baton to the next generation.
Staying on the new age lifestyle theme of organic, biodynamic and natural wines, I learned that you should always keep a horseshoe with its open side up - like the horseshoes on the new label - so your luck doesn’t run out. On returning home, I immediately turned over my own horseshoe at my front door I found in my garden. I also learned how to “douse” or divine energy in people, soil and wine. Call me superstitious - but there’s something to these flower, fruit, leaf and root days.
Last but not least, one of the highlights of the tasting circuit last month was the recent centenary lunch at Backsberg, another winery which stays close to its family values and roots. A sign on the long driveway welcomes visitors to “South Africa’s first carbon-neutral wine farm” - a pioneer of estate wine and wine lifestyle tourism in the 1970s. I spotted a newspaper article in the cellar advertising Back wines in the Argus - offering their iconic Dry Red at 55 cents fifty years ago. Fourth generation Simon Back declared, “I’m standing on the shoulders of giants” - and drew a family tree of Backsberg and Fairview on the back of my menu to proudly explain their history.
Chef Wilhelm Maree matched a tasting of Backsberg’s flagship Family Reserve White blend, Sonop Chardonnay and Pumphouse Shiraz with an al fresco feast at Backsberg’s new restaurant. The hero dish was the spicy Moroccan lamb pie paired to Klein Babylonstoren Shiraz. Guest speaker Michale Fridjhon described the centenary as “A significant moment in the history of the modern South African wine industry”.
To mark the occasion, Backsberg has released a special centenary case of six innovative blends which showcase new varieties planted on the family farm. “On our centenary we’re looking to the future - not backwards” concluded Simon Back.