We received an invitation via the The Peninsula All Suite Hotel PR company Communication Services Africa (CSA) to try out their monthly Wine&Dine evening, which they had paired with Nederburg.  It reflected the diversity of the food offered at the hotel’s Sunset Restaurant, paired with the diverse range of Nederburg wines.

We were welcomed with a glass of Nederburg Brut, which we serve as the welcome drink at our Whale Cottage guest houses in summer.  We sat in the lounge area, and met the other guests sitting at our table, including the very bubbly hotel GM Chris Godenir, later joined by his wife Alison, Megan Drury of CSA and her partner Kris Erasmus, and Xandre Redelinghuys from Food24.  Chris  is a cheeky character, with many jokes up his sleeve, and has run the hotel for 12 years.  Kris is a financial services consultant by day, and a The Journey counselor privately.  With this combination of guests at our table, the discussion became very lively but also spiritual, including past lives, quite unexpected.

Wim Truter is the white wine maker at Nederburg, reporting to Cellar Master Razvan Macici, and was a good speaker in representing his brand. In introducing Wim, Hotel Chris said that Nederburg had been a faithful on restaurant winelists in the past, but had lost this standing. Nederburg is now focusing on getting back to where it once was on winelists, and must be hoping that its sponsorship of MasterChef SA will help.  Wim worked in Australia’s Barossa Valley and the Californian Napa valley before he joined Nederburg. He said that Nederburg is a big brand made with passion, with a tradition in winemaking which goes back to 1791. They are showcasing the focus, attention to detail, and innovation in their winemaking.  The Winemaster’s Reserve is their core range.

The Winemaster’s Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2013 was paired with a starter of Blue cheese and leek phyllo rolls, which were served with a glaze of onion marmalade and a watercress salad.  The Sauvignon Blanc grapes come from Durbanville, Darling, and Stellenbosch, and the wine has aromas of gooseberry and guava. The intermediate course was an interesting and spicy gremolata (chopped lemon zest, garlic, and parsley, with olive oil) marinated fish on hot Bombay potatoes with a cucumber yoghurt, which was paired with 56 Hundred Chenin Blanc 2012,  the newest Nederburg wine range. The name of the range comes from the price which Philippus Wolvaardt, the first owner of Nederburg, paid for the farm in Paarl, as its TV commercial informs.  The palate cleanser was  a pomegranate and vanilla sorbet.

The Winemaster’s Reserve Shiraz 2011 was paired with Slow cooked sirloin and brisket alongside an eggplant parmigianna, champ mash, buttered carrots,  and fine beans with a roasted demi-glace, a very hearty serving.  Wim told us that the grapes were sourced from Philidelphia, one of the best areas for Shiraz grapes, as well as from Paarl, the wine having spicy flavours, with black pepper and coriander on the nose.  The massive dessert consisted of Chocolate brownie, walnut biscotti, and Amarula ice-cream, which was paired with the Winemaster’s Reserve Special Late Harvest 2012, with a residual sugar of 90g per litre.

Chatting at his table after the dinner, Wim shared what it was like to have shared their wine estate with the producers of MasterChef SA.  Despite working for the sponsor Nederburg, and having the MasterChef SA kitchen on their wine estate, the Nederburg staff know nothing, and do not know who will win.  Security is extremely strict he said, especially when the fleet of VW Touaregs arrive or depart.  Chef Pete Goffe-Wood, one of three MasterChef SA judges, has done food and wine pairings for their international sales team. To tie in with season 2 of MasterChef SA, Nederburg has its own Winemaster’s Classes in food and wine pairing, presented by Razvan Macici and offered on its website every fortnight.  Wim said it was unbelievable how much time goes into setting up shoots that they do for the Winemaster’s Classes.  He is confident that there will be another two seasons of MasterChef SA.  Nederburg paid for the installation of the TV show kitchen, and appears to have made its money back already from wine sales.

At R225 the monthly 5-course Peninsula Wine&Dine evenings prepared by Executive Chef Anees Behardien are good value, and allow one to connect with the winemakers of top wine estates, and to taste their wines.

Sunset Restaurant, The Peninsula All Suite Hotel, Beach Road, Sea Point, Cape Town.  Tel (021)  430-7777   www.peninsula.co.za   Twitter: @PenHotel

Nederburg Wines, Sonstraal Road, Daljosafat, Paarl.   Tel (021) 862-3104.  www.nederburg.co.za  Twitter: @Nederburg

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www,whalecottage.com   Twitter: @WhaleCottage