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It’s an age old tradition to pair wine with food. Everyone’s familiar with the idea of wine and cheese or wine and chocolate, but how about pairing wine with your braai?

 

The basic concept of pairing wine and food is to match the flavour intensity of the food with the wine you drink. For example a lightly flavoured piece of meat is complemented by a mildly flavoured wine. This way the flavour of one doesn’t overpower the flavour of the other.

When talking about the flavours of food, what better to you get than your assorted meats on an open flame? Also, anyone serious about a braai(bbq) knows about flavour, knows about patience, and knows that aroma can be as important as taste.

You have all sorts of braai styles, meats, sauces, wood or charcoal, shapes of the actual braai and of course – many different wines. It’s the perfect pair!

Here are a few thoughts on what works.

 

Try a Muscadel with spicy chicken wings or even with fish.

How about a Welmoed Sauvignon Blanc with grilled chicken?

Welmoed Cabernet Sauvignon pair remarkably well with sauced up ribs.

A Welmoed Merlot can bring out the best in grilled pork chops or a Shiraz with a smoked red meat.

Some do tend to follow the rule that red wines pair well with red meat and white wines with white meat. This is a certainly a helpful hint, but remember there’s nothing wrong with a bit of experimentation.

Next time you light that fire, think of which cork you pop.

 

 

Source: bbq.about.com

 

Welmoed Harvest Update: Pinotage grapes coming in and it’s looking great

We have a few tips on how to make the day of love even more memorable.

 

It’s very simple to follow the norm when it comes to being romantic on the 14^th. You get roses, do dinner and a show, surprise with a necklace and there’s nothing wrong with that. But, maybe you want to spice it up. Make it a night to remember. Just throw the rule book out of the window. Here’s a list to change the game plan a bit.

 

1: Movie

A romantic movie serves well as an aphrodisiac, but not with 50 other people in a cinema. You want it to be exclusive. Get that laptop, rent a classic, relax in the garden under the stars and enjoy embracing each other.

2: Recreate Your First Date

The first date you were on will always be solid in your recollection. The sparks and electricity were dancing in the air. Try to recreate this as close as possible. Wear the same or similar attire. Go to the same event or restaurant and ask for the exact seats. It’s a lovely way to rekindle the flames.

3: An evening in

How about staying home and doing everything you never have time for. Prepare a marvelous elaborate meal together. Use an excess of rose pedals and candles. Give one another a sensual massage while listening to your favourite album.

4: A Personal Tasting

Imaging you’re connoisseurs of wine and cheese. Choose a romantic setting; take a few bottles of wine and a variety of cheeses. Pretend you’re at a tasting and pairing event and exchange pleasant banter.

5: Drive and Walk

Appreciate spontaneity. Get in the car and just start driving nowhere in particular. Once you have reached the ideal place. Just go for a walk. Escaping the buzz and to simply enjoy nature and ones company.

Go on and embrace the unexpected and really just have fun.

Welmoed Wines has made memories more memorable since 1690 so ,this year,  try a Welmoed Merlot or the sensational Welmoed Sauvignon Blanc   to make your day of love more memorable.

 

Source: kirkwood.patch.com

In the romantic month that is upon us, it’s essential to embrace our senses. Walking through a market, we are overwhelmed by the smell of flowers, brand new teddy –bears and helium filled plastic hearts.

How to truly appreciate ones senses, is to pair the two most important things in life – Wine and Chocolate. Some might think the pairing should be handled only by experts, but it’s easy and fun to do it yourself.

So, if you want a quick escape from this month’s busy festivities and do a wine and chocolate pairing from the comfort of your own home, here’s what you do.

Firstly keep in mind, you won’t necessarily find the perfect matches straight away, but that’s the best part. You have to keep on experimenting, which means more wine and chocolate.  A general tip is to match lighter chocolate with lighter-bodied wines and the stronger the chocolate, go with a more full-bodied wine.

Here are a few simple hints to get you started.

 

Try a Sherry with a nice buttery white chocolate.

 

A Pinot Noir or the medium bodied Welmoed Merlot   will compliment milk chocolate, a creamy mousse or even a chocolate accented cheesecake.

 

Muscats do wonders with mild milk chocolates.

The Welmoed Cabernet Sauvignon is a marvelous match with dark chocolate.

To end things off, appreciate a well aged Port with a dark chocolate dessert or a truffle.

That’s the basics. So invite someone over, get creative and enjoy your palate.

 

Excitement is mounting – the first grapes of the season are here! Winemaker Bernard Claassen can’t help himself, he’s out there inspecting the grapes as they’re fed into the destemmer.

Finding new ways to improve on traditional recipes can be a mouth-watering exercise. Here is a ‘improved’ pasta recipe which is sure to impress and delight your friend/ family.

 

Ingredients

• 1 small onion
• 3 slices bacon
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1 pound ground beef chuck
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan plus more, shaved, for serving
• 3 tablespoons bread crumbs
• 1 large egg
• salt and black pepper
• 350g spaghetti
• 3 cups marinara/tomato based pasta  sauce

Directions

1. Heat broiler. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. In a food processor, combine the onion, bacon, garlic, and parsley; pulse until finely chopped, 10 to 15 times. Transfer to a medium bowl, add the beef, Parmesan, bread crumbs, egg, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper, and mix gently to combine.
2. Form the beef mixture into 16 meatballs (about 2 tablespoons each) and place on a foil-lined broilerproof rimmed baking sheet. Broil, turning once, until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
4. Heat the marinara sauce in a large skillet over medium heat, 2 to 3 minutes; add the meatballs and toss gently to coat. Serve over the pasta and sprinkle with the shaved Parmesan.

 

Recommended wine: The versatile Welmoed Rosé will competent this dish.

 

Source: realsimple.com

 

Whether you’re a hardcore resolutionist or you defy any attempt to start fresh on January 1, there’s no denying that the New Year provides an opportunity to take stock and perhaps see where some improvement might be needed. For all of us who take wine seriously enough to think about it, talk about it and spend good money for it, it makes sense to include wine in our New Year’s planning and resolution-making.

1. Life is too short, don’t drink bad wine

Just because a wine is cheap does not mean that it’s bad but we’ve all had a bottle that few can swallow. Spit it out and open a new bottle.

2. Try a new grape varietal every month

There are 24,000 names for varieties of wine grapes, corresponding to between 5,000 and 10,000 actual varieties. However, only about 150 are commercially important. This means that you should stick your neck out and try a different varietal every month. Compare different brands to each other and see which one you preferred. Live a little!

3. Drink bubbly throughout the year, not only on New Year’s eve

Another day on earth means we’ve got a reason to celebrate! Pop open that bottle of sparkling wine where ever and whenever you feel like it. If today is your last day, enjoy every second with a glass of bubbly in hand and cheers to the legacy you’re leaving behind.

4. NEVER EVER drink wine out of a plastic cup

Just don’t! Not on the beach, not at a barbeque, never. It’s just not cool.

5. Drink more wines that support a good cause

Don’t just fill your glass, make a difference and fill other people’s hearts with your love. Look out for wines that support much needed causes. Welmoed supports many good causes including the Wines With Heart Foundation,  a project that raises funds for charities based in South Africa’s Cape Winelands, and WIETA – which is committed to the promotion of ethical trade in the South African wine industry and agriculture as a whole.

Credit: Content adapted from original post on WineTimes.co.za

 

Leg of lamb is one of the traditional South African dishes served at family gathering and Christmas is no exception. There are leg of lamb recipes which have probably been in a family for generations and is prepared and enjoyed this time every year.

Here is a mouth watering leg of lamb recipe which will be perfect for a Christmas dinner.

Ingredients

 

1 lemon, strips of zest removed with a peeler and juice squeezed

6 cloves garlic

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil

salt and black pepper

1 2.5-3kg bone-in leg of lamb

1.4 kg very small carrots, scrubbed

2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 cup fresh mint leaves

6 scallions or onion , chopped

2 teaspoons honey

 

Directions

 -Heat oven to 200° C. In a food processor, pulse the lemon zest, garlic, 2 tablespoons of the oil, and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper until coarsely chopped.

-Place the lamb in a large roasting pan and rub with the lemon mixture. In a large bowl, toss the carrots, 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper; set aside.

-Roast the lamb to the desired doneness, 90 to 105 minutes for medium-, adding the carrots to the pan after the lamb has cooked for 50 minutes. Transfer the lamb to a cutting board, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

-Meanwhile, in the food processor, puree the parsley, mint, scallions, honey, lemon juice, the remaining ½ cup of oil, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Serve with the lamb and carrots.

Recommended wine: The well-balanced Welmoed Cabernet Sauvignon will competent this dish.

 

Source: realsimple.com

 

 

Congratulations to Karien Van Rooyen.

 

She is the winner of the Welmoed Christmas Turkey competition.

Thanks to everyone who entered this competition!

Enjoy the Christmas dinner Karien.

South African wine website, wine.co.za has launched a great initiative. The campaign is calling on every South African living abroad to share a drop of sunshine with a local on 16 December.

We would love every South African out there to open up a bottle of South African wine,
and show your mates just how good our wine is – taste some sunshine, sunshine!

We have chosen the 16th December as it is a very special day for us South Africans, and it is right in the middle of the northern hemispheres winter…
just when they need a little bit of sunshine in their lives – so spread a little bit of our sunshine, sunshine!

Get a great bottle of South African wine and sit down quietly and taste it with your mates.
Let them taste some of our sunshine. And of course, you don’t have to stop there…you could even open up a second bottle and then not so quietly share some of our sunshine.

And for those ex-pats out there in the land of OZ, or down the south of America, they might not need the sunshine, but you have to agree…
they do need to taste some good wine for a change, so get them to taste what makes us shine.

Then, please take some pictures and videos, and show us all what you did by posting them on the social networks (#tastewinesunshine) and at wine.co.za

And please tell us at wine.co.za so that we can organise this again next year.

So sunshine, what great South African wine are you going to taste this year !

South Africans in The Netherlands can pour a few glasses of the popular Welmoed wine range.