Dinner in the winelands rewards you with stunning views, amazing wine farms, and restaurants serving excellent food artfully paired with premium wines.
Haskell Vineyards is celebrating its 20th anniversary and honouring this milestone with a Winemaker’s Dinner series. A variety of wines are showcased alongside those of Haskell Vineyards with the theme being to cast light on different terroirs, regions and wines.
Eenzaamheid Wines was the guest for the evening. Situated in the Agter-Paarl winery, it is here that seventh generation farmer Janno Briers-Louw produces award winning, handcrafted wines from old dryland vineyards.
A memorable evening spent at Haskell Vineyards’ Longtable Restaurant as we were welcomed by Rudolph Steenkamp from Haskell Vineyards and seventh generation farmer, Janno Briers-Louw, from Eenzaamheid with a glass of Dombeya Sauvignon Blanc 2022.
The grapes for this wine is sourced from Stellenbosch bush vines found on the Devonvalley, Elgin grapes that keep its natural acidity as well as from the Franschhoek area. Refreshing aromas of black current leave that comes from Elgin, the tropical notes are from Stellenbosch and the lime, lemon characters picked up are from the Franschhoek grapes. A beautiful layered Sauvignon Blanc that is not too acidic but has enough structure and a great wine to enjoy. So refreshing and so delicious that is just soft on the palate.
STARTERS
We started off with Parmesan Risotto, Roasted Cherry Tomato, Herb Oil, Toasted Almond Flakes. It was a bowl of deliciousness, creamy, savoury and the epitome of comfort food.
Paired with: Eenzaamheid Chenin Blanc 2019
100% barrel-fermented with only 8% new oak. A well-balanced acidity supports the youthful, multilayered freshness of this Chenin Blanc, which is energetic. The words “beautiful, smooth, and elegant” spring to mind when thinking about this wine, which went superbly with the Parmesan Risotto.
MAINS
We moved on to Roasted Sirloin Fillet, Garlic Baby Potatoes, Dijon Mustard Aioli, Wild Rocket Leave. There is nothing better than juicy, succulent steak that is accompanied with flavoursome potatoes and wine! All the flavours come together in a delightful, rich, hearty dish thanks to the creamy dijon mustard aioli.
Paired with: Haskell IV 2020 & Eenzaamheid Shiraz 2020
The Eenzaamheid Shiraz 2020 is medium-bodied in style with inviting aromas of fynbos, spice and a hint of pepper. Spice and olive tapenade flavours are elegantly present on the palate. Well balanced with a beautiful finish.
Haskell IV 2020 is a bordeaux blend that consists of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The aroma of this wine is bursting with notes of black currant, cigar box, and dark cherries. A robust, yet refined and graceful, tannin structure is visible on the palate and ends off with a lengthy, dry, savoury aftertaste.
DESSERT
We ended off with Lemon Tart Crème Brulee, Vanilla Chantilly, Sorbet. A delectable dessert for dessert lovers. Light, lemony, and topped with a crunchy caramel brûléed sugar topping. The sorbet was refreshing and it was just happiness on a plate.
Paired with: Haskell Anvil 2020 & Eenzaamheid Cinsaut 2021
The Haskell Anvil 2020 Chardonnay is an excellent Chardonnay. The grapes stem from a 1988-planted block. On the nose, this Chardonnay features hints of apple, white peach, and lemon zest. All of these flavours linger on the palate, finishing with undertones of butter and almond. This wine’s acidity retains a wonderful mid-palate tension and a lengthy finish.
The Cinsaut 2021 from Eenzaamheid is very elegant with a beautiful red fruit profile showing a lot of cherries, raspberries, strawberries, turkish delight and rose petals and a subtle core of spice.
If you missed out on any of the winemaker’s dinners you can still join and celebrate Haskell’s 20th anniversary:
• September 29 – Kat se Snor, the passion project of winemaker Gerhard Smith. His boutique wines are crafted from small parcels of fruit in pursuit of elegant, terroir-driven wines from sites on the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge.
• October 27 – Migliarina Wines, founded by Namibian-born Carsten Migliarina in 2002. A former sommelier, Migliarina earned his winemaking stripes in South Africa, Germany and Romania. Grapes for his wines are sourced from around the Western Cape.
Dinner and information details:
Tickets to the winemaker dinners are R475pp and include the three-course meal with six wines. Each event gets underway at 18h00 for 18h30.
Reservations must be made via Quicket on >>
For more information, call (021) 881 3895, email info@haskellvineyards.co.za or visit www.haskellvineyards.com; and, for the restaurant, email longtable@haskellvineyards.co.za.
Haskell Vineyards is situated off Annandale Road, between Stellenbosch and Somerset West.
Categories: Haskell Vineyards
