For our weekend in the Hemel and Aarde, we made a reservation for lunch at Creation Wine Estate
Our family friend Angela from London had been there before and wanted so much to visit again
Storm damage to the slopes of the Babilonstoren mountain
We are pleased to announce that the valley is now open for business at both the Hermanus and the Caledon ends
While many farms in the area were closed, Creation is always open and buzzing with customers and activity
We were warmly welcomed by the staff
This year they have garnered three more impressive awards
They are one of the Top 5 World's Best Vineyards
Great Wine Capitals (GWC) announced the winners of their 2024 Regional Best of Wine Tourism Awards
Wine Tourism Services and Art and Culture
and, most recently, Creation has been awarded one-star status at the prestigious Eat Out Awards
and the Creation Wines team has won in two of the Western Cape categories
The menu
We chose the wine and food pairing menu which began with a welcome,
their 2023 pale, pale pink Peace Rosé made from 70% Grenache Noir, 25% Syrah, 5% Viognier
Blossoms on the nose with a hint of fynbos, strawberry and raspberry
A tingle on the tongue of long cherry, berry and mulberry flavours
The menu starts with Chapter 1 Minerality Rules and so a taste of the Creation Sauvignon Blanc
with green and tropical notes on the nose of green pepper, guava and granadilla
Crisp and tight with some chalky minerality, opening up nicely with green favours
and a background of granadilla and elderflower on the end
Following this a tasting of Sauvignon Blanc Semillon (80/20) blend, Ocean's Gift
Very elegant on the nose, some sea aromas, classic and a little shy
Rounded on the perfect palate with green pepper, fig, crisp and satisfying
with Semillon fatness on the roof of the mouth giving body to the Sauvignon Blanc
So integrated, so subtle, so French. So delicious
The food paired with these two wines was a Cucumber soup booster and a slice of seared Zucchini,
topped with a nasturtium pesto, creamy fresh goats' milk cheese and sorrel
The shell is for you to listen to the sound of the sea
We were joined for a while by Cellarmaster Jean-Claude Martin
and we chatted about the new vintages, the storm and the future
His wife Carolyn was not available that week; we did miss her, but understand that she had a very special engagement
Chapter 2 starts with a favourite, the 2023 Creation Viognier Vivaldi in a Glass
Perfumed with jasmine, ripe white peach, nectarine and pears in layers
On the palate, layers of golden summer fruit with length and depth and a balance of crisp lime
The 2021 blend of Viognier Roussanne Fun with Finesse has a very attractive nose of jasmine, honey and golden peach
Golden stone fruit in layers with some good structure - delicious and moreish
The food paired is a pickled olive stuffed with peppadew, an anchovy wrapped sundried tomato
and a perfectly cooked quail's egg
Lemon zest to add to the good Creation olive oil and a tiny slice of seed loaf to dip into the oil
Lots of umami and acidity, which was countered by the soft egg
Chapter 3 Creation Reserve 2022 Chardonnay Absolutely Brilliant Chardonnay
Vanilla & honey, oak on the nose with cinnamon, 30% spent 10 months in new oak, the rest in older barrels
Sweet nectarines, some plum and peach, crisp and satisfying with a long finish
Superb seared freshwater trout from Stanford topped with aioli and trout caviar, a seared slice of lime,
shredded kohlrabi and fennel and a basil and parsley pesto
Lynne says she could eat a huge plate of this....
A beautiful king protea graced the table
Artwell our sommelier is so well named, friendly, informed and very patient with us,
especially John, who kept disappearing with the bottles so he could photograph them all
Chapter 4 Creation Reserve 2022 Pinot Noir Red Velvet
This wine is so special. On the nose, incense wood supporting the beautiful fruit, cherries and raspberries
And it does have "the texture of a velvet sleeve and a silk scarf" as described by Artwell, on the palate
Layers of dark berry fruit and elegance
The arrival of the paired food was a surprise presentation
The dish of maize pap (creamy polenta) dressed with spicy chakalaka sauce
topped with green beans, sans meat, arrives and then the smoking hot potjie appears,
grilling the springbok meat to your personal satisfaction on two skewers
Chapter 5 Creation 2022 Syrah Grenache (80/20) Oh So Umami
One of their best-selling wines, it's irresistible
Dark plum in colour, with geranium leaf, dark plum, black cherry, umami and spice on the complex full nose
Chalky tannins, grippy, lovely dark berry fruit, lots of black pepper and spice. A food wine par excellence
Served with a tiny millet taco/roti filled with shredded lamb, waterblom, tomato and a fruity num num gel
The cumin in the lamb gives this a middle Eastern flavour profile, so well paired with the wine
Chapter 6 takes us to Creations 2022 Fine Cape Vintage Port style wine, Sweet Temptation
Made from Syrah with KWV brandy, it has morello cherry, dark chocolate, a hint of ginger and a whiff of wood on the nose
Sweet dark fruit, chocolate, spice, warmth, length, complexity and enjoyment, a classic in its class
Made to pair with desserts and cheese
Paired with another South African classic
Tipsy Tart in the shape of a Twinky, with wild guava ice cream and an orange gel
The tart is very gingerbread-like with a herbal cream in the centre and the orange gel sets it off so well
Another amazing meal at Creation. No wonder they keep winning international awards
They are now into their Summer menu, so go and try the next new experience
You can also enjoy a Plant-based tasting with these wines
A flower in the Fynbos garden, among the statues
All our stories can be seen in the Blog Archive near the top of the column on the right
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