Seasoned winemaker Nic van Aarde calls Oldenburg
Vineyards home. He lives on the farm – situated in
Stellenbosch’s Banghoek Valley – with his wife, Renche
and their two daughters, Nicola (four) and Alexa (two).
“Both my daughters were born during harvest time,”
Nic smiles. “We also have two dogs – Pippa, a black
Labrador, and Cooper, a Weimaraner – who both love
farm life.”HOW DO YOU INTERPRET THE FLAVOUR OF
CHOCOLATE IN WINE?
The taste ranges from sweet milk chocolate to dark
bitter chocolate. Normally, this character comes from
barrel ageing and extended skin contact.
YOUR THOUGHTS ON WINE AND CHOCOLATE
ASA PAIRING?
I’ve found that certain red wines pair well with chocolate- I have paired merlot-based Bordeaux-blends with
chocolate fondant before, which was a great success.
The chocolate must be rich and creamy enough to stand
up to the wine, though.
IS MERLOT A GOOD MATCH FOR CHOCOLATE?
Merlot is very fruit-driven and its flavours are associated
with fresh berries. The combination of dark and red
berries with some mint undertones makes merlot the
ideal wine to be enjoyed with chocolate.
WHAT IS THE SOUTH AFRICAN LANDSCAPE LIKE
FORMERLOT?
Merlotisadifficultvarietytogrowandisverysite
specific.Ifgrowninacoolarea,itcanbevery‘herbal’.
Ontheotherhand,itcanleantowardsjammyflavours
ifgrownonawarmsite.Merlotisthemost-consumed
bottled red wine in SA and it’s loved by wine drinkers
for its fruity flavour profile, soft tannins and juicy notes.
WHAT IS YOUR ULTIMATE DISH-AND-WINE PAIRING
FOREASTER?
My cellar-hand, Hennie Brand, normally brings me home-
madepickled curried fish every year that his mother-in-
lawmakes.It’sfromarecipethat’sbeenpasseddown
from generation to generation. I usually have it for lunch
with a glass of Oldenburg Chenin Blanc.
q&a
ALL DOLLED UP
Disaronno, an almond-flavoured amaretto liqueur, is
delicious served on the rocks or in a variety of cocktails.
This year celebrates the sixth instalment of the Disaronno
Icon project, which sees the brand teaming up with leading
Italian designer labels to “dress” their trademark product.
For the Disaronno Wears Trussardi bottle, inspiration was
drawn from the street art of Milan, with fuchsia, green and
light blue brush strokes framing the brand’s signature label.
Available at ultraliquors.co.za, pnp.co.za, checkers.co.za for
R299,99 and at ngf.co.za for R309 per 750ml bottle. Visit
disaronno.com for more information.Chilling with family and friends
this Easter? Take the time to
savour the taste of yesteryear
and catch up over a bottle
ortwoofFrankie’s.Trythe
new Candy Apple Crush
flavour,whichissuretobe
the life of the party. Other
flavours include Cinnamon
Cola,OldStyleRootBeerand
Original Cream Soda. Available
at leading retail stores for
R9,99 per 400ml bottle. For
more product information,
visit clover.co.za.time
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FOODANDHOME.CO.ZA APRIL 2019 35Photographs supplied. Prices are correct at the time of print and are subject to change without notice