#wine #winetasting #winemakers #winepairing #closmalverne #icecream #winebar #sparklingwine #stellenbosch
1 – Vineyard and Restaurant
Today we have a meeting with Suzanne at Clos Malverne
Clos Malverne’s sparkling Sauvignon Blanc is our best seller in the UK - we have stocked this wine for many years and it is great to be back on the estate to sample not only their MCC but to taste the new vintages of their other wines.
It is great to see Suzanne again and good to see that the whole place is buzzing after the last two very difficult years.
Today we are also here to sample their Devonet range of wines which is their budget range. We are looking to stock an everyday quality wine to offer our customers - so we enjoyed tasting the range and we have been given some samples to take away to taste with different foods etc.
Chat over and we decide to have the ice cream and wine tasting. The tasting consists of four very different ice creams and Clos Malverne wines to pair with each. All the ice creams on offer are made here by the chef. We are talked through the pairings and settle down to taste each one.
WOW - what a surprise each pairing worked so well and the biggest surprise was a masala with herbs, nuts & spices. The moral of this is - don’t shut your eyes to any food and wine pairing - these surprises can be really rewarding.
The pairings were:
Cookie Monster - Sauvignon Blanc Brut
Poppy seed cheesecake - Sauvignon Blanc
Masala Dukka - Ellie MCC Rosé ( my favourite!)
Lemon Curd - Honeydew
It is a beautiful Autumn day here and so before lunch we take a walk around the vines, take some photos and relax as the work for the day is done and we are staying here to enjoy the full pairing menu int the restaurant.
This restaurant is one of our favourites and we are lucky to be shown to our seat on the stoop overlooking the vines and the stunning mountain background. The view is stunning and we enjoy a glass of sparkling wine while perusing the Menu.
The tasting menu consists of 5 courses - there is a choice for each course and then the experts in the kitchen pair the food with one of the estate wines.
As I said this is a favourite spot of ours and I am always a little nervous- will I be disappointed on this visit?
The answer is no – the food is delicious, beautifully presented and the wines we had were perfect pairings.
Thank you Clos Malverne - we enjoyed our visit greatly.
2nd Restaurant - The Wine Glass – Stellenbosch
The Wine Glass in Hermanus has been open for approximately 4 years and we have visited there on many occasions.
So yesterday when we were exploring the town of Stellenbosch we were surprised to find a second Wine Glass here! We popped in for a wee glass of rosé and found out that this is a new venture and has only been opened for 2 months. We booked a table for 8:30pm.
We are sitting again outside looking at the menu wondering what we are doing after the large meal we had at lunchtime. Do we really need anything?
The Wine Glasses menu was perfect for us -they have a great choice of tapas style food. We make our decision and wait for our food to arrive. Again we enjoy the buzz of an evening in Stellenbosch town - the place comes alive every evening it seems.
The food arrives and we tuck In. As I said we really didn’t need to eat tonight but we are glad we did!
We wish this new venture all the best - definitely a place to visit If you stay in Stellenbosch.
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