Archive for the ‘South Africa’ Category

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

 

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

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

 

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.

 

Some people perceive Viognier grapes to be relatively new to the South African wine market. Viognier became popular in South Africa in the 1990s as the reputation of this Rhône Valley grape grew for both for blending purposes and for making single varietal wines.

Viognier wines are well-known for their floral aromas, due to terpenes, which are also found in Muscat and Riesling wines.

The colour and the aroma of the wine suggest a sweet wine but Viognier wines are predominantly dry, although sweet late-harvest dessert wines have been made. It is a grape with low acidity; it is sometimes used to soften red wines. In addition to its softening qualities, the grape also adds a stabilising agent and enhanced perfume to the red wine.

 The distinctive aromas of peaches and apricots make it one of the easiest varieties to identify in blends.

South Africa has a few great single varietal and blended Viognier wines and the Welmoed Viognier is one such an example. This excellent wine as a pale straw colour. Lively tropical aromas of peach blossoms and lime with floral and perfume notes. Palate is delicately textured with a smooth, yet fresh acidity and excellent balance. Elegant, medium bodied wine with satisfying finish.

Source: food24.com

Who should be held responsible for under-age liquor purchases as the trend seems to be to point fingers at everyone else? The truth is, the responsibility lies with each and every one of us as individuals. In light of this ongoing issue and challenge, the Industry Association for Responsible Alcohol Use (ARA) has launched their newly designed in-store sticker campaign titled RU18 to assist in increasing awareness amongst retailers and the public alike and combating the current stream of underage alcohol purchases.

“The aim is to reinforce the ARA message of responsible drinking by keeping the legal age limit top of mind for both the purchaser and the distributor as well as discouraging adults from sending underage buyers to buy alcohol for them,” says ARA spokesperson Adrian Botha.

Creating awareness regarding the role that traders play in driving a reduction of alcohol abuse in their respective communities is key to stemming the problem. Internationally published author of the LifeTalk books, Izabella Little Gates commented, “underage drinking is a real problem the world over, not just in South Africa and it is up to us as parents and communities to put a stop to the problem at the root, limiting underage children access to purchasing alcohol.

Children and teenagers are faced with a variety of difficult challenges while growing up, most importantly the effect of peer pressure and it is up to parents and communities at large to instill a sense of responsibility and awareness in their children so that they make the right choices when they are put in these situations.”

“The ARA acknowledges underage drinking as a huge problem. It is only with the assistance of the distributing outlets and by encouraging responsible behavior amongst purchasers that we can reduce the extent to which this is happening. While this campaign is targeted on the purchase of alcohol, we are continually focused on educating adults regarding awareness of the availability of alcohol within the home to underage drinkers” continues Botha.

The ARA is in the process of distributing their in-store point of sale material to various outlets over the next few months and look forward to working alongside store owners and retail employees to create greater awareness around their latest campaign.

So this festive season and on an ongoing basis, do your bit and take responsibility by alerting others to the issue of underage drinking and the extent to which children can access alcohol so that together, we may help curb this problem.

 

 

Welmoed supports the drink responsible efforts of ARA

 

 Read more…

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Welmoed range of premium wines are already known for delivering great value for just about any occasion. These wines confirmed this status of ‘over delivering  for its price point’ by having three wines in Best Value Wine Guide 2012.

 

These three wines will feature in this guide:

 

Welmoed Chardonnay 2011

Welmoed Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

Welmoed Sauvignon Blanc 2011

 

For more info about this guide visit winemag.co.za

Welmoed celebrates centuries of tradition whilst embracing modern times with the launch of stunning new packaging that’s as distinctive as their hand-crafted wines.

The fresh, contemporary labels not only pay tribute to Welmoed’s position on one of Stellenbosch’s most historic farms by featuring the beloved Cape-Dutch gable, they also better showcase the Welmoed range of premium wines, which are already known for delivering great value for just about any occasion – from sundowners and picnics to dinner parties and weddings.

Whether you’re looking for Chardonnay or Shiraz, the new and trendier label for Welmoed makes the varietal of the wine easier to see.

Since Welmoed continuously strives for quality, premium value and craftsmanship, each bottle now showcases the endorsement of the winemaker Bernard Claassen. “As a wine producer we are well-known for our award winning wines and we believe our success relies, in large part, on the handcrafted approach we take to our winemaking,” says Chris O’Shea, Executive Director for Sales and Marketing, at the company of wine people.

Starting in September 2011, the new look will be available on-shelf across the Welmoed’s Heritage Range of wines, which will soon be expanding to include an all-new Viognier option.

 

12 lucky iafrica.com readers could win a contemporary Welmoed wine hamper worth R200!

Simply enter on iafrica.com

Welmoed, the South African wine known for its centuries of handcrafted tradition with a modern twist, simply shined this weekend after scooping up three silver medals at the 21st annual Veritas Awards ceremony.

The Veritas Awards is South Africa’s biggest wine competition, and is widely regarded as its most highly esteemed indicator of quality, market-ready wines.

The three Veritas silver medals were awarded to Welmoed Heyden’s Courage White 2009, which also took silver at the prestigious 2011 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show, Welmoed Heyden’s Courage Red 2009, and finally, Welmoed Sauvignon Blanc 2011, which will also be featured in the 2012 edition of Wine Magazine’s Best Value Wine Guide.

A tribute to one of the farm’s first owners, Jacobus van der Heyden, the Welmoed ‘Heyden’s Courage’ reserve range of wines shun convention with its unique blend of diverse varietals in both Red and White.

Welmoed Heyden’s Courage White 2009 – a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Verdelho, Chardonnay, Viognier and Gewurtztraminer – is a medium-to-full bodied wine characterised by a complex balance of fresh fruit, grassy notes and a tropical nose.

The second silver-awarded wine, the Welmoed Heyden’s Courage Red 2009, is a blend of Cabernet, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. With a deep red colour and ripe blackberry fruit, this wine offers seamless tannins and well integrated oak.

Completing the trio, the Welmoed Sauvignon Blanc 2011 is a fresh, easy-drinking wine that offers excellent value-for-money with its layers of gooseberry, lemongrass and tropical fruit flavours.

“One always wants to be recognised for the good quality of one’s wine, and I’m simply delighted that we’ve managed to win a few accolades along the way,” says proud winemaker Bernard Claassen.

Welmoed Sauvignon Blanc wines sells at approximately R34 in leading outlets, whilst the reserve Welmoed Heyden’s Courage wines are available at chosen boutique wine stores at around R44 per bottle.