Heritage Day and National Braai Day
South Africa celebrated Heritage Day on 24 September. Celebration fires were lit around the country – and I am sure around the world where ex-pats were gathering – to unite around a traditional braai.
We were very fortunate to enjoy the day with three defining South African cultivars: The L’Avenir Single Block Pinotage 2014, the Radfordale Revelation Chenin Blanc 2019 and the Radfordale Cinsault 2019. You will find the last wines as the current releases in selected wine shops, but the L’Avenir is a wine we saved for a special occasion. Made from L’Avenir’s famous Block 2 Pinotage vineyard, this has become a collector’s item, produced in the honour of their former winemaker and a true gentleman close to my heart, Francois Naudé. Being a member of the Stellenbosch Wine Circle wine club, I’ve had the privilege of sharing many Pinotage tales around the table with himself and other great winemakers I regard as mentors, including Neil Ellis and the late Duimpie Bayly.
After more than 7 years in bottle, the wine celebrates that finely tuned integration between oak and rich fruit without either of them having to shy away. Yes, the wine is ripe, but the alcohol is hardly noticeable as it has now reached that perfect equilibrium. Still floral and fragrant with a plusher and slightly stewed blackberry coulis is supported with red fruit holding up the flag for Pinotage’s longevity. The warm spice is comforting, with the acidity bright enough to take on the lamb chops and glide along with the fillet.
Sadly, Georgio had to work, so we tried to replicate his famous stokbrood with thin Grabouw Boerewors. My rendition wasn’t as elegant as Mr G’s always is (my nephew, Alto, concurred), but it brought his energy to our Heritage celebrations as the perfect starter to the meal.
Followed by Karoo lamb chops directly from my uncle and aunt’s farm in Calvina with two beautiful fillets and salads to colour in the food and wine experience, we had plenty of food to sustain us beyond the long weekend.
Roasted Mushrooms & Cashew Salad
Instead of the creamy mushroom sauce that South Africans often resort to, try a mushroom salad served at room temperature to pair with beef fillet’s earthy taste and silky texture. The bit of tartness will add a refreshing lift, and the nuts will add texture. It stands well up to red wines for something as delicate as a mushroom, but a South African Cinsaut is always a winning wine for a traditional South African braai.
The Radfordale Cinsault is made from older bush vines, and for lighter alcohol it’s got great concentration and refreshing acidity for the lamb chops that will also go on the grill. But whatever combination of mushrooms, pumpkin, and meat you have on your plate, this wine will sing with deliberate aromatics, crunchy fruit, and shapely tannins. Unfortunately this wine is sold out.
- 800g Button Mushrooms, sliced
- 8 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 100ml olive oil
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 2 tbs roasted sesame seeds
- 100g baby spinach leaves
- 1 tbs red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- Pan-fry the mushrooms in olive oil until golden but still tender. Add the thyme and shake the pan to coat all the mushrooms.
- In a separate dry pan, toast the cashews and sesame seed, shaking the pan for 3-4 minutes until they have some colour.
- Add the cashews and sesame to the mushrooms with the spinach until just wilted.
- Mix 2 tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, mustard and salt and pepper as a salad dressing.
Flame-grilled butternut and chickpea salad
Here is another salad that you can pass off as a vegetable dish as well. It adds colour to the braai feast, it’s healthy, and it will make your Chenin shine!
Staying with Radfordale, we had a ball of a time with their Revelation Walker Bay Chenin Blanc 2019. You don’t often get to see Chenin Blanc being planted so close to the sea, and now that they have acquired Elgin Ridge in Elgin we will see even more exciting projects coming from this brand. Chenin Blanc is probably the loudest ambassador for quality South African white wines, and Radfordale’s understanding working with this cultivar undoubtedly brought out the best of it. The wine is bright, detailed and utterly delicious. I cannot see my summer braais without it.
- 500g butternut, peeled and cut into wedges
- One can of chickpeas, drained
- 2 cups of baby spinach leaves
- Pumpkin seeds, toasted
- Olive oil to baste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Preheat the oven to 220°C and line a baking tray with foil. Toss the butternut in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast them for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven to complete them on the fire for that charry, smoky flavour. Whisk together the dressing ingredients.
Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry pan. Use a large shallow bowl to scatter the spinach leaves, pack the butternut slices on top of it, drizzle with the dressing and round it off with the pumpkin seeds and chickpeas.
If you have some mint in the garden, it will lift the stone fruit quality in the wine even more, so will the bitter and slightly nutty character of wild rocket.
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