For lovers of the grape in Dar, one of the highlights of the week culminating to the Wine Festival was the fabulous Spier Wines Evening at Karambezi Café.
Red N’ White, importers and distributers of the award-winning bottles from South Africa’s Spier Wine Farm in Stellenbosch, hosted the exclusive occasion for their partners and loyal customers.
Johan Jordaan, Spier’s Senior Winemaker, was present to share valuable insights and offered guided tasting. The wines were paired with delicious hors d’oeuvres from the Karambezi kitchen and an impressive range of Brown’s Cheeses.
As we arrived at the fabulous seaside venue, we were welcomed with the Spier Signature Method Cap Classique. This sparkling wine, made by the classical method used in the Champagne region, offers all the joys of the great producers of French bubbly but at a fraction of the price. Waiters passed round garlic and herb focaccia which was a great match for the sparkling wine.
Johan then guided guests through eight wines from three of the Spier Wine Farm ranges. First, the Spier Signature range which is a classic but ‘everyday’ range. Next 21 Gables, an award-winning range named after the farm’s unique architectural feature – 21 Cape Dutch Gables. Finally, the Creative Block range which are creatively blended varietals from select vineyard blocks that was curiously inspired by an art project.
All the bottles were beautifully displayed on tables for guests to view before the tasting begun. First up for the whites was the Spier Signature Sauvignon Blanc, a crisp and fruity medium bodied wine that would be perfect on its own but was equally good paired with the marinated prawns and cream cheese with chives. Fans of un-wooded wines really enjoyed this wine.
Then to the Spier Signature Chardonnay which is crisp, creamy and fruity. It is elegantly wooded and was ideal for the fish fingers and tartar sauce. The cheese choice for this was Gouda.
The final white was the award winning Spier 21 Gables Chenin Blanc. Johan explained that this rich, complex, wooded wine is created from vineyards that are over 40 years old. They produce grapes with thicker skins than normal crops, which gives the wine an intense flavour. It is a delightful off-dry wine which has hints of citrus, pineapple, stewed fruit, and spicy clove. This popular offering was perfectly paired with fried calamari rings and goat’s Gouda cheese. Johan suggested that this wine will also be perfect with mild curries.
Johan also had something for the sweet wine lovers in a form of the Spier Signature Sweet Rose. This was paired with the chicken spring rolls and Bleu de Brun Cheese.
It was then time for the Spier’s reds to shine. Johan started us on our red wine journey with the Spier Signature Cabernet Sauvignon. Johan shared that the vineyard was committed to making quality wines that capture each grape variety’s unique flavour. And this Cabernet Sauvignon is the perfect example of how that is achieved. It had the typical Cab Sav ripe blackcurrant, cherry and oak spice flavours. The wine was paired with mini pizzas and the mature Cheddar.
Spier 21 Gables Pinotage is one of the best expressions of the varietal that I have had the pleasure of tasting. It is rich, elegant and full-bodied. The Pinotage was elegantly paired with beef meatballs that were served with tomato and basil dip sauce. Johan explained it was definitely a wine for food ̶ and he was right.
The grilled marinated beef skewers were a perfect match to the Spier Creative Block 3, a fantastic blend created from Shiraz, Mourvedre and Viognier grapes. The beef really enhanced the black fruits and herbs flavours of the wine inspired by the wine of France’s Rhone region.
I love Bordeaux-style blends. The Spier Creative Block 5 is a blend superstar! It is a beautiful, complex combination of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Johan won the prestigious South African Diners’ Club Winemaker of the Year award in 2011 for this wine. It has also won numerous other international wine accolades. The roasted chicken breast with cranberry sauce pairing beautifully complemented the wine’s plum, cinnamon and cloves flavours. My favourite pairing of the night.
