South Africa’s Stellenbosch Wine Route is the oldest in the country. With their gorgeous Cape Dutch style buildings, rolling vineyards, and stunning gardens, the farms here may be rooted in tradition, but that doesn’t mean they’re not willing to shake things up every now and again. Recently I travelled through Stellenbosch in search of wine estates that are going beyond your run-of-the-mill wine tastings, combining delicious varietals with equally delicious food pairings to deliver a tasting experience that will tantalise all your tastebuds and leaving you longing for more.
Here are the best ones I found:
1. Pizza and wine at Blaauwklippen
The pizza and wine pairing at Blaauwklippen provided one white and three delicious reds from Blaauwklippen’s range, paired with four delicious miniature pizzas – definitely enough to tide you over for lunch. The Zifandel, a varietal more common in Croatia and the Napa Valley, is a sweet type of red wine that went excellently with the prawn and calamari seafood pizza and provided a unique addition to the menu.
A vegan food pairing is also on offer here as well as a more traditional food and wine option which included a bobotie springroll, a super tender taste of fillet, a tasty mini chicken pie and a sweet malva pudding to round it out. For the designated drivers, there is also an option to swap out the wines for both still and sparkling non alcoholic alternatives, while a pizza and grape juicing pairing is on offer for kiddos.
If you’re still feeling a little bit peckish after your savoury pairing, you could even head over to try one of the sweet options, pairing macaron and fudge options.
2. South African food and wine at Le Pommier
Take your seat on the Le Pommier deck overlooking the sparkling swimming pool with the vineyards and majestic mountains beyond and try one of their tasty food and wine pairings.
Our pick of choice had to be the South African food and wine pairing which featured a chicken pie, oxtail paté, and beef bobotie. As a small family-run wine farm, the utmost care went into delivery of the tasting, with each wine meticulously explained and presented. Most of the bottles also had been beautifully named after someone very important to the family, be that the Mac Cabernet Franc, paying homage to the previous proprietor of the farm, or even Jonathan’s Malbec, named after a resident bull who simply can’t resist the taste of these sweet grapes.
If you’re visiting on a chilly day, you may decide instead to try out the soup and wine pairing, artfully pairing three hearty soups with three of the farm’s best reds while for the little ones in the family, a pizza and juice pairing is also on offer or you could decide to spoil them with some sweet treats paired with four colourful flavoured milks.
3. Sorbet and wine at Koelenhof
If you’ve got a sweet tooth then the sorbet and wine tasting at Koelenhof is made just for you. Pairing two whites, a rose, two reds, and a port wine with six varied sorbets and gelatos, this is a taste explosion.
See how the notes of sour lemon compliment the estate’s unique Koelnektar Gewurztraminer wine, bite down on a milk tart pop accompanied by a delicious pinotage, pair the blueberry gelato with a 100% pinotage port or sip on the bush vine chenin while snacking on some fresh granadilla sorbet. For ice-cream lovers, each pairing is a match made in heaven.
4. Flash food and slow wine at Neethlingshof
The Flash Food, Slow Wine Pairing at Neethlingshof is a great introduction to homegrown South African food. Here, two white and three red wines are matched up with five bite sized nibbles to create a tasty food and wine experience, with the whole idea being that each meal could quite easily be recreated at home. It’s kind of like fast food with a twist, showing that the realm of artfully blending cuisine and wine is within anyone’s reach.
The tomato soup, chicken samosa, and beef slider were absolutely delicious, while our little one also got to indulge in her own pairings of pancakes, cheeseburgers and cupcakes with grape juice, making sure the entire family was kept happy.
5. Biltong and cheese at Alto
Alto is renowned as being South Africa’s oldest red wine-only estate and a tasting of their famous blends is an absolute must, however their delicious creations are really taken to the next level when paired with some spicy biltong or creamy cheese.
Choose from either the biltong and wine pairing or smoked cheese and wine pairing and discover new notes to Alto’s wines while also learning a bit more about the terroir, history and heritage of the estate. Each tasting includes four of Alto’s wines as well as a varied flavours of either cheese or biltong. Even better, share the two pairings with a friend and indulge in the best of both worlds.
6. Chocolate and wine at Lanzerac
Nothing goes better with wine than chocolate, and this perfect pairing at Lanzerac takes this typical traditional pairing up another notch. Here five handcrafted chocolates, two white and three dark, are paired with five wines to deliver a fantastic combination.
The pourings aren’t shy and the wines effortlessly compliment the chocolates which tantalise with unique flavours including white chocolate and pineapple and dark chocolate, cherry and tobacco.
7. Wine and cheesecake at Skilpadvlei
A great family-friendly farm in Stellenbosch, Skilpadvlei beckons with large indoor and outdoor play areas. Keeping the fun theme through to their tasting room, here you can pair two reds, a rose and a white with four bite-sized cheesecakes. One even come with a slice of biltong on top, proving the versatility of this South African favourite.
To keep the kids busy while you sip, there is also a kiddies sweet pairing or a build a biscuit pairing where children have the chance to decorate their own cookies.
8. Indigenous tasting at Vergenoegd Löw
Providing a tasting experience for all the senses, the indigenous pairing at Vergenoegd Löw provides an experience that you truly won’t find elsewhere. Here, unique South African flavours such as bokkoms, biltong, sour fig and other local delicacies are paired with complimentary white, red, and Cap Classique wines.
It’s an authentic experience that will also see you learning all about how the estate’s grapes are grown and harvested and the wine matured and nurtured to deliver the unique combination of flavours you find in your glass, and on your plate.
9. Wine blending at Middelvlei
While not technically a wine and food pairing experience, the wine blending option at Middelvlei is too good not to mention. Sit down here and you’ll be presented with three red varietals, a Shiraz, Pinotage and Merlot, as well as various beakers and glasses so that you can concoct your own red blend.
Book the traditional boerebraai lunch and you’ll get to pair your wine blending experience with a starter of traditional potbrood, homemade preserve and snoek pâté. Sip, swirl and blend the three wines as you see which wine goes best with what and craft your own bottle to take home or enjoy with the main course of lamp chops, chicken kebabs, and boerewors.
