Last month I joined fellow Dar wine lovers to meet iconic winemaker Ken Forrester for a special tasting of his wines at the magnificent Level 8 Bar of the Hyatt Regency Dar Es Salaam.
Ken is known the world over as the ‘King of Chenin Blanc’, his portfolio has 15 wines and nine of these were served. Firstly, we enjoyed the selection from Ken’s Petit Range. These are easy everyday drinking wines including Rose, Semi Sweet, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinotage and Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot. Essentially these are affordable and very high quality wines. The Ken Forrester Range, from his estate vineyards includes Sauvignon Blanc, Old Vine Reserve Chenin Blanc, Merlot Reserve and Renegade(a medium-bodied, earthy Rhone-style blend). Finally, we were treated to his Icon Range, premium wines made from grapes grown in single vineyards with individual bunch selection and aged in his best barrels. The range consists of his Chenin Blanc masterpiece ̶ The FMC; the Rhone-style blend The Gypsy and Ken Forrester T Noble Late Harvest (a sweet balanced style of Chenin Blanc).
The Hyatt’s Chef Siddhartha created a special menu to create perfect matches for Ken’s bottles. Dishes were sited at mini food stations around Level 8 Bar and the rooftop terrace. Among the most memorable matches was the classic French appetizer rilette of smoked and poached salmon deliciously mixed and perfectly paired with the Ken Forrester Old Vine Reserve Chenin Blanc 2013. This full-bodied Chenin with lots of distinct complex flavours, most notably apple and smooth caramel, is an outstanding wine!
The incredibly fresh raw Lobster cured in citrus juices and spiced with chili peppers became a fantastic ceviche. This Latin American appetizer was a wonderful match for the elegant Ken Forrester Sauvignon Blanc 2013 ̶ a fruity and aromatic wine with ‘mineral impression’ (the rock-like aroma or taste) that creates a wonderful balance to the Ceviche’s crisp acidity.
The superb cauliflower, spring onion and cheddar cheese waffle topped with wild mushroom ragout was splendidly paired with the Petit Pinotage 2013 ̶ a juicy and accessible wine that has a soft palate and delicious fruit concentration.
Chef Siddhartha created a wonderful dish of seared tuna skewers, boiled egg and herb salad dressed in gribiche sauce made with mayonnaise and eggs. This was paired with the Petit Rose 2011. This dry version of Rose has the taste of juicy red berries on the palate but is balanced with good acidity.
One of my favourite wines of the night was the Renegade, the elegant Rhone-style blend of Shiraz, Mourvedre and Grenache oozing with intense elegant spices, hints of nutmeg and savoury black olive on the finish. This was memorably paired with the spicy shikampuri kebab ̶ a Hyderabadi pan-fried lamb kebab served with assorted chutneys of tomato, mint and mango.
I was looking forward to taste the premium wines from the Icon Range and Ken offered a guided tasting of the Gypsy and the FMC. Please see my review of the icon wines in the upcoming post.
To round-off the stunning Ken Forrester evening, Chef Siddhartha created a dessert assortment of hand-made chocolate truffles, macaroons, mixed fruit tarts and pavlova made with a light meringue and topped with tropical fruit.
It was a superb evening and fabulous introduction to the wines of Ken Forrester.
Ken Forrester wines are available at MMI Tanzania, 150 Haile Selassie Road, Dar Es Salaam.
