De Wetshof wines a showstopper

ROBERT Louis Stevenson once said that wine is bottled poetry and, as I recently discovered, adding good food to that poetry makes for a gastronomic love affair.

At The Boardwalk Hotel's Kipling's Brasserie Wine and Dine event last week, I fell a little in love with the pairing of chef Paul Bain's culinary delights and wines from the De Wetshof Estate.

Nestled in the Robertson Valley, De Wetshof is a third generation wine estate, specialising in white wines with an emphasis on Chardonnay.

The first course, smoked goats cheese in puff pastry was accompanied by the Bon Vallon Chardonnay, an unwooded wine exuding fresh, fruity flavours.

De Wetshof marketing director Bennie Stipp said the Bon Vallon was great in sweet/sour combinations – and he was right. The tartness of the goats cheese was superbly complimented by the fruity Chardonnay. Bain then brought out a pork belly dish with a spicy sauce, reminiscent of the best Thai dishes.

The wine was a Riesling and Stipp pronounced it a "great all-rounder".

For the third course a red was served and the Naissance Cabernet Sauvignon was my favourite.

Packed with ripe berry flavours the full-bodied wine was the perfect partner for a venison burger. Served on brioche with a red onion marmalade the venison was sublime.

Bain's pumpkin cheesecake was my favourite course for dessert. Not too sweet – my usual complaint with desserts – the De Wetshof Sauvignon Blanc had a subtle ripe fig finish which paired well with the subtle pumpkin flavour. - Angela Daniels