Almenkerk Chardonnay 2019
A class act of Chardonnay
Visiting Almenkerk is like walking into their own home and being greeted with genuine sincerity before they leave you on the deck to take in the breathtaking surrounds. Here lies a commitment to sustainability, surrounded by the meandering valley and Kogelberg Mountains. We love what they do, and it shows in their art and having the family dogs lounging about. We can only recommend a visit to lose yourself in the calls of nature as each wine is introduced as another family member. What is not to love?
Their wines express an old-world style on new world territory, bringing the best together with unreversed elegance, balance, and structure.
The Almenkerk Chardonnay 2019 received the CVC (Cape Vintners Classification) Accolade – Single Vineyard Site Specific Wine. It also won the National Wine Competition 2021: Double Platinum award and Top 100 of South Africa.
Their new cross-fit hiking trail is opening in time for the summer holidays. Adventures lovers can look forward to enjoying beautiful views while being challenged at different cross-fit stations.
“The Chardonnay champions the smart use of oak (almost like scraping fresh vanilla pods), elevating all the intricate nuances of the wine. It is bold yet elegant and certainly up my alley as a sommelier when guests are in search of a wine with attitude and power.” – Georgio Meletiou
The Recipe
Cauliflower steaks with chickpeas, wild rice & a romesco-inspired sauce
Cauliflower steaks shouldn’t merely be regarded as the vegan alternative. Meat eaters will love this dish and- are rewarded with that same satiating feeling. Oven-roasted cauliflower steaks also add drama to a plate, and its sweet, nutty flavours invite an array of wines to the table.
We don’t have a set recipe and often use what is in the house to dress the cauliflower, hence calling the sauce romesco inspired, rather than only romesco. Not a big fan of roast peppers, we also replaced it with Italian tinned tomatoes.
For the cauliflower steaks
- 2 cauliflower heads
- olive oil
- salt and black pepper to taste
- dried thyme and origano
For the chickpeas
- 1 tin of chickpeas, drained
- 1 cup cooked wild rice
- 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice or balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the romesco-inspired sauce
- 1 can whole Italian tomato
- 1/2 cup raw almonds, finely chopped with some to garnish
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- 5 roasted garlic cloves
- A couple of fresh mint leaves
- 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 cup capers
- salt and pepper to taste
To make the cauliflower steaks
Preheat the oven to 220 C and cover a tray with foil. Place a head of cauliflower stem-side up on a cutting board. Cut it in half through the middle of the stem. Trim away the green leaves. Place one half stem-side down and cut a 2-3cm slice off the centre. Repeat with the other half. You will end up with lose florets that you can use the next day for something else. Brush the steaks with olive oil and place them on the oven tray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes. Gently flip them over and roast for 10 more minutes until golden brown on both sides.
For the chickpeas
Mix all the ingredients together and season to taste.
For the sauce
Mix all the ingredients in a food processor until it resembles a pesto in texture. The almonds should still have a noticeable texture.
To serve
Ladle the sauce onto the plates, then a spoon of rice and chickpeas and place the steak on top. Garnish with finely chopped almonds and mint.
FIVE TIPS FOR MATCHMAKING THE ALMENKERK CHARDONNAY 2019 WITH ROASTED CAULIFLOWER STEAKS, WILD RICE, CHICKPEAS, PARSLEY AND A SAVOURY ROMESCO SAUCE
- Cauliflower steaks roasted in the oven adds power to this combination as the caramelised char gives the wine’s acidity a stage to shine.
- We have tweaked the Romesco sauce and left out the peppers as we had plenty of ripe tomatoes to use. Tomatoes can be tricky as they can easily undermine the acidity of a Chardonnay, but as a cool climate wine, it is robust enough to stand up to the sauce.
- Adding mint and capers to the sauce shapes the citrus fruit and hems the wine with a vibrant note.
- Make sure the sauce maintains some texture, especially the almonds, adding volume and contrast.
- You will be surprised how the smoked paprika adds another dimension to the wine and highlights present delicate spice nuances.
Our Experience
What a team!
The decision of this talented Belgium couple to pursue a dream in South Africa was met with great enthusiasm when wine lovers and wine critics tasted their wines for the first time.
As many newcomers (and now it has been almost two decades!) Natalie and Joris van Almenkerk started on what was predominantly an apple farm in 2002. Today they produce world-class wines from 15 hectares under vines and 10 hectares of apple and pear orchards.
Joining forces after Joris completed his master’s degree in Law and Natalie completing hers in communication sciences, life was about to change as they knew it, managing a boutique wine farm in a different country. And now, with their daughters Annabelle & Emma Manon, they will never look back.
The story won’t be complete without mentioning Joris’s father, Joep, the
patriarch of the family who was instrumental in helping them lay the foundation of this dream. Sadly, he passed away from Covid in January this year. We salute him for the visionary and jovial personality the South African food and wine fraternity got to know and love him for.
Life remains beautiful at Almenkerk, and when you take an afternoon drive, a stop at their architectural spectacle should be on the to-do list. Take the N2 over Sir Lowrey’s pass, and just as the Peregrine farmstall pops up on your right, take the first turn down Viljoenshoop Road. Follow the road for 6km until your reach the Van Almenkerk Estate.
Committed to creating an exceptional brand, they have managed to penetrate local and international markets with wines exuding class and often rise to the award-winning podium. They limit interference in the cellar, and it shows in the luminosity of the wine poured in your glass.
Focusing on the Almenkerk Chardonnay, it is the subtleties of this wine that gives it its power. Made from a single vineyard (named Annabella after their eldest daughter), located on the coldest site of the farm, you can imagine special care was taken to put the best wine in bottle. The block is also divided into units as indicated through precision viticulture and satellite photography, managed, and picked according to its vigour and ripeness.
Agitating the wine with a good swirl evokes vivid grapefruit and white peach aromas, releasing a brilliance of lemon-green hues and a dainty orange blossom note.
Spending more time with the wine, you will be further rewarded with green melon, a hit of lemongrass and freshly sliced radish, adding a sweet herbal note indicative of its youth. Delicious lime cordial and kumquat entice you to go back for more. Of course, it would help if you had a big Burgundy glass to enjoy its delicate nuances as the fruit presents itself in powerful layers. Tasting it, the shapely acidity adds structure with a mild salty edge trailing on the long finish. Seamless and elegantly executed to offer you many years of pleasure if you have the willpower to hang on to a couple of bottles.
See it for yourself
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