Thursday, 17 October, 2013
supplied by Smart Communications
The event, which was initiated in 2009
as part of the 350 Year Commemoration of the Wine Industry celebrations,
showcases the best of the best local wine from the Breedekloof region by means
of a food and wine pairing. This year’s event was once again sponsored by the
Cape Winelands District Municipality and Santam Agriculture.
Celebrated
Cape Town Chef Neill Anthony was brought on board to create a four-course menu
incorporating local produce. The menu was presented to the local producers, who
had to enter wines they believed would work best with each course. A judging
panel, headed up by well respected Cape Wine Master (CWM) Duimpie Bayly set
about tasting over 50 wines and matching up what he and his fellow judges
thought worked best with each course. These fellow judges included respected journalist
Fiona McDonald, CWM Dr Winifred Bowman and CWM Elsie Pells. This is not a
competition in the traditional sense, because there is no first or second prize
or gold and silver winners but rather a pairing of the best of the Breedekloof
wines with carefully chosen gourmet dishes, proving that the Breedekloof
region produces wines of the finest quality that are capable of rubbing
shoulders with the best chefs in the world.
The
‘winning’ wines were presented at the gala dinner, and the pairing was compared
to a meal fit for kings and queens.
The wines and paired courses served can be found here.
Welcoming
drink: Opstal Sparkling Wine
“Since its
inception the event has been extremely well supported by the producers as we
feel that not only is it an opportunity to showcase some of our finest wines,
but also an opportunity to introduce people to the wines of the region in a
different light, “says Melody Botha, CEO of Breedekloof Wine & Tourism. “Due to the popularity of the event we will be
hosting two more events in mid-January 2014: one in Johannesburg and one in
Cape Town.”