Roast Chicken & Grilled Tuna
Winemaker Callan Williams hails from Zimbabwe and set out to become a professional ballet dancer but made a handbrake turn and switched to study viticulture & oenology at Elsenburg agricultural college.
Following stints at Villiera in Stellenbosch, then Iona in the Elgin Valley, Callan now runs her own boutique operation out of rented cellar space near Somerset West.Semillon from an Elgin vineyard 200 metres above sea level and close to the Atlantic ocean and its cooling breezes. Half-and-half fermented in stainless steel tank and used French oak barrels.
Very intense and bright, overall impression is fresh with seriously quenching acidity that balances the smooth, mouth-filling texture. Grip and shape. Grassy, then tropical fruit and umami notes. Very long
Seafood, chicken and spicy dishes
From a 1981 Swartland vineyard and involving three pickings at different levels of ripeness. Matured for 10 months in third- and fourth-fill barrels. Peach, apple, some earth and a little oxidative complexity. Great fruit purity, zippy acidity and a lovely savoury finish. A delight to drink. 91 points Christian Eedes/p>
Creamy Fish and Chicken dishes
The wine is full and dry with well-balanced acid. It has tropical fruit, flintiness and hints of asparagus and figs on the nose that all follow through to the palate. Drink now to really appreciate the fruitiness.
Roast leg of lamb, also great with matured cheese and preserves.
Malbec ripens quite early yielding superior quality fruit with good analysis. The grapes were hand picked and whole bunch sorted over a week, extracting colour and aromas early. A slow fermentation to start, as well as extended time on the skins, further enhanced wine quality. The grapes were pressed at -2° Balling and matured in 40% new French oak barrels for 12 months.
Intense garnet to dark purple in colour with vibrant aromas of violets, cocoa and black pepper. The palete shows richness and roundness with flavours of blakberries and plum.
Pepper steak, Oxtail stew
Optimally ripe grapes are crushed and fermented for 7 days on their skins, then pressed in traditional basket presses before completing primary fermentation in the tank. The average fermentation temperature is 25-30° C. Malolactic fermentation also takes place in the tank. After racking, the wine goes into specially selected 225l oak barrels of which approximately 20% are American and 80% French Nevers. The wine spends 12 months in wood, filtered and bottled.
The wine has a dark plum colour. It shows a ripe berry character complimented by vanilla and spicy flavours – full- bodied, ready for drinking now, will also benefit from bottle ageing for another 5 years.
Goulash, Venison
Medium bodied, cool climate Shiraz, in which balance is more important than power. The wine is fresh and vibrant showing red fruit and perfume aromas and some dried herb notes. The palate shows bright fruit with hints of white pepper, spice with a good structure and grippy tannins to finish. Restraint use of oak.
Serve with salads and light fish dishes, or simply on its own.
A light, crisp, dry wine that is fruit driven and juicy. Unwooded and refreshing with lovely guava and melon flavours rounded off with a hint of freshly cut grass and Packham pear undertones.
Chicken, pork, Thai, salads, most seafood
Made at Vergelegen, this a 90% Semillon and 10% Sauvignon Blanc from Stellenbosch. Only 2443 bottles made. Herby citrus nose. It is dry and crispy with great acidity. Drinking well now but will age well.
Veal, Calamari or Vegetable tart
An upfront herbaceousness is followed by a bombardment of green pepper, fig leaves, passion fruit, star fruit and limey aromas, ending with a distinctive, bright flintiness. This is an expression of the excellent climate and soil on which these grapes were grown. The complexity of the nose is expressed on the palate giving this wine a full, crisp and lively mouth-feel, with an after taste that lingers.
Grilled Lamb Chops
Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec. On the nose there is an explosion of plums and dark berries. Spicy undertones and hints of crushed cashew nuts and fresh mint gives this wine dimension. The palate is all about silky tannins and length. Bright flavours of plum and berries combined with the subtle tannins, makes this a smooth wine on the palate. It finishes with unexpected power and an explosion of chocolate that lingers.
Smoked duck, Pulled Pork, Bobotie
Made by Stefan Basson of Babylons Peak. This Rhone style wine is a balanced ripe fruit. Easy drinking.
brisket, stew, lamb or venison. It might even rich out to a roast duck in plum sauce.
Grown in vineyards that have been described as ‘Shiraz Heaven’, this wine’s luscious fruit was accessorised with French Oak, making a wine so appealing and seductive that it could only be named after the experience one has when drinking it.
A deep, dark ruby red colour. Intense and complex flavours of white pepper, cloves, cinnamon supported by dark fruit flavours on the nose that follows through on the palate. A full-bodied wine with soft ripe tannins and intense spicy flavours.