Food & Home Entertaining

“Wherever you are in the world, it’s the

ingredients – not the recipe – that make

the dish different and particular to that

place,” she smiles. Michélle sources

grass-fed beef from Ryan Boon and the

farm has its own vegetable-and-herb

garden which, though relatively new, is

already rewarding Michélle, particularly

with her new favourite squash called

Turk’s Turban. “We also make our own

butter with cream from Camelot Dairy,”

Michélle enthuses.

“AsIgetnewthingsin,Iputnew

dishes on [the menu]. I’ve also always

builtmymenusinsuchawaythatIcan

caterforeveryone,sothedishescan

easily become vegetarian or vegan –

for example, with the lamb dish, I use

vegetablestockinsteadoflambstock

for the barley risotto. We also make our

own vegan cheese from cashew nuts.”

Dessert arrives and it’s a moment of

total theatre. There’s the Anna Pavlova –

a pile of meringue cigars housing cream-

cheese custard fillings with green-tea

sablés [shortbread cookies], matcha-

coated milk “rocks” and strawberries-

and-cream ice cream. Pastry chef,

Corien Hatting, says, “The inspiration

behindthesedessertscamefromthe

Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova and her

stunning ballet tutus.”

There’s also a chocolate and edible-

gold-foiled Fabergé egg [a jewelled egg

created by the House of Fabergé in

St Petersburg, Russia] that comes with

its own hammer to smash it open. Corien

comments on this one, too: “Hazendal

isknownfortheowners’extensive

collection of Fabergé eggs, so we

thoughtitwouldbeinterestingtodo a

signature dessert inspired by them, and

theflavourswillchangeregularly.”

After enjoying Hazendal Chardonnay

atlunch,Imakemywaytothetasting

room on the other side of my dining

spot to chat to winemaker Clarise. The

double-volume space features oil

portraitsofalltheestate’sowners

displayed over the entrance.

Clarise, a South African with Italian

heritage, is an Elsenburg graduate who

cut her teeth at Avondale and Eaglevlei

wine estates before she found herself

making the wines at Hazendal. They are

currently buying in all their grapes while

theywaitfortheirnewlyplanted

vineyards to mature (the inaugural

harvest is predicted for 2020). “I buy in

only the cultivars we’ve planted and

I source locally – I don’t want the style of

wine to change once we are using our

own vineyards,” Clarise explains over a

glass of the estate’s MCC, Scarlet Sails.

“It’s a dream project for a winemaker;

I’ve basically planted my wish list of

cultivars that suit this region,” she beams.

Their white cultivars include sauvignon

blanc, chenin blanc, marsanne, rousanne

and even albariño (a Spanish varietal);

while the red category has pinot noir,

shiraz, cabernet, carignan, carménère

and Pinotage. “Dr Voloshin loves

Pinotage,” she says emphatically. “I’ve

made him a small consignment of

Pinotage MCC before.” The foiled labels

of the Hazendal range are beautiful and

the owners have played a large part

in the conception of the design. “They

know what they want,” Clarise smiles.

Next up is the whimsical lifestyle wine

range called Christoffel Hazenwinkel,

which features a white and red blend, as

well as a rosé. Each bottle shows a hare

in a different pose which, Clarise says,

are actual photos – a special hare’s head

was made for a person to pose in.

On my way out, I stop at the Marvol

Gallery which, according to Ina, should

be a catalyst for the discovery of the

Russian culture while forging connections

between Russian and South African

artists. “I want to reach out to the wider

community and support conversations

on many different topics that are relevant

to both traditions,” she says. “In the long

term, [I want] to build a Russian cultural

centre that not only exhibits art but also

provides many different experiences

with artists, thinkers, musicians and

literary figures.”

As I leave, carefully placing the pieces

together like the aforementioned

matryoshka doll, I think the experience

here resembles this Russian symbol for

another reason: the doll can be opened

to reveal more dolls, each nestled inside

one another. The number of figurines

nesting in one matryoshka doll usually

rangesfromthreetotwelve,andit’ssaid

the dolls represent future generations

which,inturn,fittinglysymbolisehope

and the value of family – a lot like Mark’s

vision for his family farm.

BOTTELARY ROAD, STELLENBOSCH;

021-903-5034; HAZENDAL.CO.ZA

WINEMAKER, CLARISE

SCIOCATTI-LANGEVELDT

WITH A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF

PINOT NOIR TO CHARDONNAY,

HAZENDAL’S MCC, SCARLET SAILS,

LEADS WITH TOASTY BRIOCHE NOTES

FOLLOWED BY BAKED GREEN APPLE

AND CITRUS

66 APRIL 2019

STELLENBOSCH DINING