Fittingly, we sampled the Heritage Heroes food-and-wine pairing during our visit; a five-course sampling of diverse dishes paired with an exclusive range of specially designed Nederburg wines. Each glass of wine is inspired by a Nederburg wine legend and comes with a mini history lesson. For example, the first wine we sampled, "The Young Airhawk" as explained by Ramsay our knowledgeable waiter, was inspired by Arnold Graue, John Graue's son who followed in his father's winemaking footsteps and greatly improved viticulture standards in South Africa. A fresh and zesty Sauvignon Blanc, this was paired with grilled flat bread topped with asparagus spears and a punchy hollandaise sauce.
The second course was a delicate serving of three homemade and butternut-filled ravioli, dressed with a burnt sage butter and topped with crispy Parma ham. Served with the apricot-flavoured "The Anchorman" Chenin Blanc, named after Nederburg founder Philippus Wolvaart, this was one of my favourite courses. Wonderfully buttery and sumptuous, the fruity Chenin perfectly balanced the silky ravioli.
"The Motorcycle Marvel", the third wine of the pairing, honours winemaker Günter Brözel, a legendary cellar master at Nederburg. This dark and intense blend was paired with Cape Malay lentil bobotie-filled spring rolls, a tomato salsa and apple-and-cinnamon salsa. To be honest, this was my least favourite tasting of the day. The bobotie spring roll lacked spice power and the apple-and-cinnamon salsa overwhelmed all other flavours in this dish.
However, the fourth course, the wonderfully rich lamb cutlet with potato gratin and jus got us right back aboard the tasty train. "The Brewmaster" blend, inspired by Johann Graue the revolutionary winemaker who introduced cold fermenting techniques, excellently accompanied this small but satisfying dish. The wine is used in the making of the jus and gently echoes the full-bodied dark and fruity notes found in the wine.
Dessert is inspired by "The Beautiful Lady", Ilse Graue, wife of Johann Graue and mother of Arnold Graue, whose sweet Gewürztraminer wine with nuances of Turkish delight and pineapple perfectly complemented the rosewater-infused jelly with mandarin and Gewürztraminer custard; a refreshing end to an otherwise sumptuously rich meal. That said, the five courses are all quite delicate - taster samples as opposed to full-on plates of food, so one feels comfortably satisfied as opposed to uncomfortably podged; in fact we even had some space for a delightful cheese-and-cracker board after the pairing.
Nederburg and The Red Table Restaurant have put together a historically and flavourfully rich food and wine pairing that celebrates our local wine legends through exciting and fresh combinations. Even though the setting feels like something out of the 1800s, the food most definitely isn't.
The Heritage Hero's food-and-wine pairing is priced at a reasonable R195 for four courses and R240 for five. While The Heritage Hero range of limited-edition gourmet wines, designed by award-winning Nederburg winemaker Razvan Macici, are available exclusively through specialty wine shops and restaurants.
The Red Table Restaurant is open from Tuesday to Sunday: lunch is served from 11am and the restaurant is available for special evening bookings by prior arrangement.
Tel: +27 (0)21 877 5155
Email: az.oc.grubreden@elbatdereht
Address: Nederburg Wines, Sonstraal Road, Dal Josafat, Paarl, Western Cape
