In the Tasting room: Leopards Leap

Its Bastille weekend and myself and my sidekick, Nicky, are doing what we do best over the 14th of July weekend... Drinking wine! This time of year finds us doing our annual pilgrimage into the usually sleepy village of Franschhoek. It's a weekend of good wine, good food and French flair. 

One of my favourite spots is Leopards Leap. They have recently added 'Restaurant' to their repertoire and I was keen for a peek around. We actually ended up summoning the family from Cape Town to come and join us at the Rotisserie for lunch but more about that later...

Back to the tasting room. We opted to start with the cheese and wine pairing (obviously!) and were treated to two of the Leopards leap range wines paired perfectly with some French cheeses. 

The Chardonnay was paired with a fancy pants French goats cheese called Sainte-Maure de Touraine. This is a full aft goats cheese rolled in vegetable ash to preserve it. The creamy texture of the cheese was beautifully balanced by the Chardonnay. A match made in Heaven!

Next we tasted the Leopard's Leap Shiraz paired with a hard style French cheese called Comte. Similar to a Gruyere, this cheese has a lovely nutty flavour. It was well complimented by the Shiraz. 

Another addition to the Leopards leap family is the Culinaria Collection of wines. Slightly more premium that their Flagship range, these wines were perfectly crafted to be enjoyed with food. Each as unique, flavorsome and full bodied as the last, there are 6 wines in this range. The Culinaria Collection is available exclusively at Leopard’s Leap Family Vineyards

Culinaria Brut MéTHODE CAP CLASSIQUE- Zesty and crisp with citrus aromas.

2012 Culinaria Chenin Blanc Grenache Blanc- Loire style- creamy with white peach and pineapple on the nose.

2012 Culinaria Pinot Noir Chardonnay-Soft and subtle, and excellent 'food'wine.

2010 Culinaria Grand Vin-Bordeaux style red, blackberries and cherries with a nutmeg, caramel tones.

2010 Culinaria Shiraz Grenache-Black pepper and cherries, smokey finish- Delicious with red meat.

Culinaria Muscat de Frontignan-Rose water and turkish delight. Soft and delicate. The perfect partner to smoked salmon.

 

We bought a bottle of each! 

(recipes and food pairing ideas to follow soon)

 

 

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Constantia Glen - Cape Town

 We are so lucky here in the Constantia valley to be surrounded by such beautiful wine estates. From the larger, more commercial tourist spot, Groot Constantia, to the smaller, more boutique wineries and of course my very favourite spot in the valley, Constantia Glen. For those of you that haven't yet visited this charming wine farm, do yourselves a favour and put it on your to do list! Its definitely one of Constantia's best kept secrets!

Its more of an experience than a wine tasting.  As soon as you arrive you are made to feel at home, and the staff go out of their way to ensure that you have the very best wine tasting experience possible. They are incredibly knowledgeable and very passionate about their wines. Home to the Constantia Glen range as well as their second label, Constantia Saddle, there is a wine for everybody. The cherry on top of the entire experience is the selection of tasty cheese and charcuterie platters perfectly designed to compliment the wines.

First wine to try is the Constantia Glen Sauvignon Blanc. This is by far my favourite! The 2012 is a typical Constantia Sauvignon Blanc - a lot of tropical fruit, and flinty minerality. Its intensely pleasant with a lingering follow through.

Next on the list is the Constantia Glen Two. Currently unavailable for tasting at the tasting room but do yourself a favour and grab a bottle to drink at home with a good prawn risotto or grilled salmon (both tried and tested!). Its a luxurious blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, barrel fermented, with both fruit and minerality components. Drink now (like me) or keep for a few years.

On to the reds, starting with the Constantia Glen Three. This is a classic Constantia blend of the three most revered Bordeaux varieties:Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. This is a lovely cool climate red, full of flavour and delicious with a fillet steak on the braai!

The final wine in the Constantia Glen range is the Five. This is their flagship wine and its not hard to see (taste!) why. By far my very favourite South African Bordeaux style red, it contains all five of the archetypal Bordeaux varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Its smooth, smokey and simply divine. Enjoy this bottle with a lamb stew or a good blue cheese!

Constantia Glen tasting room is open weekdays from 10h00 - 17h00. Saturdays and Sundays from 10h00 - 16h00.
Tel: +27 (0)21 795 5639 

 

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