The sun’s rays dipped below the horizon to the artificial sound
of electronic shutters. An unposed for
sunset distracted from the very good wine and cheese on show. Alexanderfontein, Ondine and Ormonde came to
Kalmer Karma to show wine and cheese. This
combination fell from the height of sophistication that I had in my youth to a
somewhat hit and miss affair in the current climate of food and wine
pairings. So it was with some
trepidation that I went to the “classic” tasting. I need not have trepidated.
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| Foto from Kalmer Karma's Facebook page. So much the better for me being out of shot |
As starter an Ondine Chenin 2010 (R55). Unwooded, but made to last. Deliberately kept back to show its
complexity.
The first pairing teamed the Top 10 Sauvignon Blanc 2013 Alexanderfontein
Chip Off The Old Block Sauvignon Blanc (a ludicrously low R49 for the quality )
with Skattie. What else would you call a
cheese from Darling? A medium cheese
that worked very well with the SB. The
Chip Off The Old Block range is one tier up from the normal Alexanderfontein
range that should be available in your local supermarket. This, the one with the black label, is
available only at restaurants and, I presume, the farm in Darling.
Next up Ondine Chardonnay that is made from 50% barrel aged
and 50% tank aged wines. At R60 a
bargain and yet another good pairing with cheese from Udderly Delicious. The ciacotta
is a soft jobby that to me added more of texture than taste, but worked very
well. The cheese range available at The Marmalade Cat in Darling and the fresh goods market in town.
That unfortunately the end of the whites for the night. Ormonde is a large operation that also
supplies Sauvignon Blanc grapes to some other well known producers. The different wines aim at different price
points, but CLICHE WARNING: Over delivers at all. So, in order, Alexandefontein, Chip Off The
Old Block, Ondine, Ormonde. With the
latter also containing 2 wines named for the current CEO’s grandfathers to mark
the pinnacle.
A fruity COTOB Merlot (R49) started the reds. This one given to us to enjoy solo. At least one “Oh I don’t like Merlot......but
aaahh this is good”
Cabernet francs not seen too often on its own so this one (R67)
with notes of pepper and sweet cinnamon a CLICHE WARNING: welcome
surprise. The cheese partner a pepper
version of the ciacotta and once again a proper match. On to the Ormonde Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
(R97) that spent 14-16 months in the barrel.
The cheese was the same “normal” ciacotta that we first encountered with
the Chardonnay. And yet again here it
works well. I will try this cheese with
different wines as it seems to neutral enough to enhance quite different
flavours.
The wine finale delivered by the Ormonde Theodore Eksteen 2008
Rhone blend that at R250 a bottle is substantially more expensive than the
rest. And worth it. The Shiraz picked late for fruit and
concentrated flavours while the Grenache gets in a little earlier to add
acidity. Some 2 years in barrels and you
have a wine you can name after your grandfather.
Perhaps the least successful match of night was the Shiraz dunked
ciacotta with this wine. Not a bad
match, but I felt the wine deserved to show on its own.
I thought that was it, but an event with 22 people in total
but only 4 men should end with something sweet.
Handmade toffees flavoured with Shiraz and Cabernet from the farm. Good toffees judging by the speed at which it
disappeared. I've been to many pairing events and expect a 60% hit rate. This one did so much better and restored to my mind the sophistication of cheese and wine.
