Wine of the Week: Lammershoek Terravinum Reserve White 2015
Price: R200 from lammershoek.co.za
The Swartland is the most fashionable wine region in South Africa. And the place to be in it is Riebeek-Kasteel, which has taken over from Greyton as the trendy hamlet and weekend getaway from the Mother City.
Lammershoek is the Karl Lagerfeld of the Swartland, so it makes sense that the farm was recently taken over by a trio of German investors, including soccer legend Franz Beckenbauer (the one you’ve probably heard of).
A new Teutonic influence is clear in the sleekly grey label, as smooth as the bonnet of an Audi. Vorsprung durch technik, as they say in Munich – advancement through technology. So it’s out with those earthy oxidised but charming numbers of the ancien régime and in with the precise flavours of Chenin Blanc, Viognier and Chardonnay.
The Terravinum flavours focus on stone fruit: peaches and nectarines with a squeeze of citrus – more lime than lemon. So a great match with crayfish or even a lamb stew from the Karoo, where a shortage of vegetables in a desert is often compensated for with dried fruit in the recipe.
There is a second label blend – of Viognier, Chardonnay, Hárslevelü and Sauvignon Blanc – called The Innocent, for half the price and with a convenient screw cap rather than a cork, which also saves on corkscrews. The label features Mary’s Little Lamb, which makes it doubly appropriate for our Karoo stew, although reminding diners of what they’re eating is not always a good idea.
Soccer is the national sport, so a wine made by a German football immortal should serve as inspiration to the national team. When will we see a Bafana Bafana blend?
*Chosen by wine steward Hither Nyoni from Dear Me restaurant in Cape Town
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