Wines shown on the night:
Glenelly “Unoaked” Chardonnay 2013
Paul Cluver Sauvignon Blanc 2014
Paul Cluver Pinot Noir 2013
Vergelegen Cabernet/ Merlot 2010
Kaapzicht Pinotage 2011
All those wines are coming from South Africa, let’s explain a bit about wine in South Africa.
It is a New World wine country, they have been producing it for centuries now. It was a German gentleman who settled in SA and brought some vines to plant them there. The quality was not the one expected. After few years of trying, a popular family from France arrived and help this man.
The Huguenot family had to run away from France. The Huguenots were members of the French Protestant Church, many of whom, before the French Revolution of 1789, left their homes in France to escape persecution. They brought vines with them as well. As French would not leave there country without a little something!!
This is how the quality of the wines start to be ameliorated. The two part worked together and start to create what is now the wines in South Africa.
The cheeses shown on the night:
Cornish Yarg (Cornwall)
Mont Enebro (Valencia)
Pont l’Eveque (Normandie)
Brillat Savarin ( Normandie)
Lancashire Bomb (Lancashire)
Let start with the first pairing:
Glenelly Unoaked Chardonnay is a very elegant chardonnay, untouched by oak. It spend a bit of time on the lees. It has very nice length, refreshing, the balance is perfect with lively acidity. Stone fruit and a light minerality on the palate.
The time spending on the lees will bring a light roundness to the wine.
Cornish Yarg is cow milk made as a Cheddar style and rapped in wild nettle leaves, it is very mild and creamy with a crumbly aspect served with apricot jam.
The two together worked very well, the fruitiness of the wine with the mildness of the cheese. It is just very refreshing and summery!
Second Pairing:
Paul Cluver Sauvignon Blanc, it has that particularity of having New World and European style in the same time. The nose has that freshness and passion fruit flavours with a little hint of gooseberry. But then, the palate is citrusy, lemon, grapefruit and on the finish a bit of pineapple.
Mont Enebro is produced in Spain, Avilla. It is a fresh goat cheese with roqueferti bacteria spread on the rind. It has that zesty and creaminess on the middle, but when you have a bit of the middle with rind, it is another adventure. The rind will give more flavour. But very pleasant, be careful of the strength of that cheese. Goat lovers this will be your cheese!!!
I chose as the garnish honey and hazelnut. The wine and the cheese was scary as both has strong flavour but it worked very well, the acidity of the wine goes away to blend with the creaminess of the cheese. The honey envelop the palate with that lovely sweetness. It was great! Your mouth is discovering flavours after flavours!!!
Third pairing:
Paul Cluver Pinot Noir is light bodied red wine. It has a developed nose of red berry (strawberry), candies and smoked. On the palate the attack is very smooth with the red cherry notes and a smoky finish. It has spent a bit of time in oak.
Pont l’Eveque is a cow milk cheese with washed rind, unpasteurised as I chose it to be a farmer one (Au lait cru). It is apparently one of the oldest cheese of Basse Normandie. Made by the monk in the middle age.
We had it young, and it was absolutely gorgeous. The creaminess of the middle with hazy and nutty note of the rind was perfect with the wine which had those lovely red berries and smokiness on the palate.
Fourth pairing:
Veregelegen Cabernet / Merlot is produced in Stellenbosch. It has a medium bodied, on the nose the Merlot brings red plum and the Cabernet Sauvignon that lovely black currant note, mixed with a touch of oak. It has a very charming nose. The mouth has more attack, the tannin and acidity are more present than the previous one. On the palate the juiciness of the plum and strength of the blackcurrant appeared nicely with a long finish.
Brillat Savarin is produced in Normandie and made of cow milk. It is called after a politician who was food writer and Epicurean. The particularity of this cheese is triple milk, 75% fat content. If you are in diet I do not recommend it! It is sooooo creamy, the rind is mouldy but very light. The garnish I chose was wild blueberry jam, it went superbly well with the cheese and the wine. The creaminess of the cheese cut the tannin but the lovely acidity of the wine and jam went well. The fruit side of the jam blended with the flavours of the wine are matching perfectly.
Fifth pairing:
Kaapzicht Pinotage produced in Stellenbosh, made with the unique grape variety called Pinotage. It is a cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsault known in South Africa Hermitage. It has the finesse of the pinot Noir and the juiciness and strength of the cinsault. I will say Pinotage is a bit like Marmite, you like or not!
Kaapzicht means in African “View of the Cape” it is situated on the table cape Mountain which has certain altitude and where they have an unbelievable view of the Cape.
It is a full bodied wine, with spiced, liquorice, dark chocolate, and of course black berries notes. The mouth is mouthful with well-balanced tannin and acidity. It has a very nice and long finish.
Lancashire Bomb is produced in Lancashire, it is a cow milk and vegetarian. Yes cheese can be vegetarian. They are using to create the curd into cheese fruit or vegetable.
It is heaven, one of my favourite cheese!!!!
It is strong and creamy, the acidity of the usual Cheddar do not exist in this cheese. It is all about cream!
Well once again, the wines & cheese pairing was just perfect!!