This wine, for that dish

So much wine, so little time. Here are some standout wines I’ve tried this January, paired with delicious recipes from our magazine.

January 2017 Food and Wine Pairing

Limited Release Viognier 2015, R135

This exotic wine is a real treat for viognier fans: heady and layered, think notes of jasmine and lavender, and there’s grapefruit, white peach and apricot too. The white peach follows onto the full-bodied palate, which is textured with spice. Good acidity keeps the whole experience refreshing and clean. This is an excellent food wine.

Pair with: Turmeric and ginger calamari salads

Stark-Condé The Field Blend 2015, R175

Predominantly roussanne this intriguing white wine has been blended with chenin blanc, verdelho and viognier. The roussanne and viognier bring richness and perfume to the blend, while the chenin and verdelho components round it off with fruit and freshness. It’s a glassful of peaches and cream.

Pair with: Salmon carpaccio with lemon dressing

Bosman Bo-Vallei Chenin Blanc 2016, R60

This chenin is a steal. The wine is a result of old and new chenin vineyards being blended together, and this gives it a fair amount of complexity, with plenty of stone fruit, peach and white pear. Good, easy acidity makes this wine very quaffable.

Pair with: Chicken liver parfait with port jelly and crisp almond Melba

Flagstone Free Run Sauvignon Blanc 2015, R88

Typical green pepper leads to an increasingly complex melange of fig, melon and lime. There’s an appealing flintiness, which makes the wine taste very modern, and very slick.

Pair with: Braaied whole fish with fennel and caper butter

Constantia Glen 5 2012, R330

While Constantia is often associated with producing very good white wines, the Bordeaux blends from Constantia Glen are quite special. The flagship, the Constantia Glen 5 (so named for the five varietals: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot, which go in to the blend) is an elegant, silky offering with rich blackcurrant and red berries. It becomes more savoury on the palate, with hints of fynbos and herbs such as wild rosemary.

Pair with: Mushroom tofu pockets or a rack of lamb with lemon and rosemary crust

Written by Malu Lambert, Food and Wine Writer