AS you will have read – I hope – the preceding post about Nederburg’s new Double Barrel Reserve, you will know how it was made, and what to expect in the bottle. Utter deliciousness. To celebrate its debut, Nederburg hosted a long table lunch in front of its Manor House, emceed by Guy McDonald (pictured below).
It was a glorious autumn day, and the table was decked with flower displays that would make you think it was spring. A number of food collaborators were invited to contribute to the four course menu (not counting “afters”, being cheeses and Noble Late Harvest). Each got the opportunity to tell us a bit about what they do.
First up was Richard Bosman’s charcuterie selection, with Grenache Carignan Rosé 2021. I’m a big Bosman fan, it’s no secret. Since 2009, Richard Bosman’s Quality Cured Meats has been producing exceptional Italian and Spanish style charcuterie using traditional methods of salting and drying. Special partnerships with selected farmers allow the small factory to source the very best pasture-reared animals, delivering superior quality and flavour to the meat. With a philosophy of interfering as little as possible with the meat, Richard and his team rely on quality and time to make the magic happen. The meat is hand-salted, hung and cured for two to 12 months, resulting in delicious, artisanal fare that’s well worth the wait.
The next course was by another favourite of mine, Mmabatho Molefe from Emazulwini restaurant at Makers Landing. I was delighted she served her chicken feet terrine, with onion mayo, amasi dressing, fresh tomatoes, red chillies (sorry, I had to pick those off), and brown vinegar jellies. In the Nederburg video series, I’ll Bring The Wine, with Karen Dudley, Mmabatho was the first guest and she made this dish. It’s not on her current menu so I was happy to be able to taste it, served with 2021 Chardonnay. So yummy.
At Emazulwini, Mmabatho presents traditional Zulu cuisine in a fine dining context. According to her, “it’s the food we grew up eating, prepared in a modern way”. In a nutshell, Mmabatho takes her traditional childhood favourites and transforms them into a fine dining experience. She recently won the 2022 Luxe Restaurant Award for African Restaurant of the Year, and in 2020, she was named Taste magazine’s Chef to Watch.
Known as Cape Town’s ethical butchery with four outlets, Frankie Fenner Meat Merchants (you guessed it, I like them too) is all about eating proper meat. The team believes having a relationship with food really matters. Buying meat is about more than picking up a vacuum-sealed plastic bag. It’s about the farmers. It’s about the animals. And they want you to be part of the process. It’s your right. By working with passionate suppliers (the type who rear healthy, happy animals) they are able to be the step between the farm and your plate. This is clean, ethical, sustainable food. The type you can eat with a clear conscience.
The main course was their beef shin Double Barrel bourguignon with herbed grains; sliced beef bavette with chimichurri; and lamb rump with red onion and parsley salad, served on sharing platters and with sides including hasselback potatoes, butternut, and mixed salad. For this, the Double Barrel Reserve 2020 came out to shine. They also brought out a giant five litre Bordeaux Jerobaum which everyone then posed with, which was very cute. Yes, I did too, and you can see that on Instagram (@biancaleecoleman).
Dr Tapiwa Guzha from Tapi Tapi Ice Cream was not there that day, but he’s also in the video series, which is beautifully shot and produced, and you really should watch it. Dr Guzha is a Zimbabwean molecular biologist, who uses traditional ingredients like blackjack, sorghum, millet, edible clay, hibiscus and baobab to make ice cream. The journey began in 2018 as a self-imposed dare to share a passion for ice cream, and has evolved into an amazing storytelling vehicle.
It’s a unique way to share African folklore, rituals and cultural practices through frozen morsels and crunchy cones; a way to celebrate our diversity and embrace our differences while also realising we’re far more similar than we are different. I once attended a poetry and ice cream pairing with him at The Book Lounge, so that was interesting.
In February 2020, after two years of offering a direct delivery service and pop-up tasting experiences, Dr Guzha established his first walk-in café in Observatory where for the first time, customers were given the chance to taste the ice creams before purchase. It’s been and continues to be a huge success. For dessert we had the Manor’s hot chocolate pudding with roasted sweet potato, nutmeg and cinnamon ice cream. It too was paired with the Double Barrel Reserve.
And then it was time to mingle, catch up, and fill up any space left in the belly with cheeses and Noble Late Harvest. What a fine afternoon, and what a wonderful wine for the upcoming winter months. For more information, click here.
