A match made in heaven: Pair local wines with your fave food

When it comes to combining wine and food, the right pairing can bring out the best in both food and wine.

Believe it or not, there is always a local wine available to complement every dish to create the perfect pairing and a truly memorable meal.

Food For Mzansi interviewed wine brand owners and connoisseurs to guide you in discovering the ideal wine pairings for this festive season.

Cultural innovation

Founder of Ses’Fikile Wines Nondumiso Pikashe highlights that food and wine pairing is good to engage your taste buds and explore diverse textures and flavours in both the food and wine. She adds that it is also a responsible way to enjoy wine without overindulging.

“What makes Sesfikile’s wine enjoyable is cultural innovation, where you debunk myths about not smelling edible. It also provides the chance to discover the alignment between the dish and the wine,” she says.

“Sesfikile Chenin Blanc Roussanne, paired with Umvubo (crumbly pap and maas), is the best, especially now that it is summer. The experience of balanced acidity and the fruitiness of guava and melon gives the dish a different dimension.”

A match made in heaven: Pair local wines with fave food — Ses’Fikile Wines founder Nondumiso Pikashe advocates for mindful wine enjoyment through diverse food pairings. Photo: Supplied/Ses’Fikile Wines

Elevate culinary enjoyment

Peter Pentz, the communications manager at Groote Post Wines, says pairing local wine with specific dishes is a culinary art that elevates the overall dining experience. He adds how the enjoyment of their Groote Post wines enhances sensory enjoyment, making the meal more memorable.

“The enjoyment of our Groote Post Seasalter Sauvignon Blanc with a meal lies in its nuanced characteristics. Among our array of wines, the Groote Post Seasalter Sauvignon Blanc stands out as our best-selling varietal. Its versatility allows it to pair exceptionally well with seafood, bringing out the wine’s freshness while complementing the natural flavours of the dish,” he explains.

They aim to create a wine pairing experience that transcends the ordinary, elevating the enjoyment to a higher level.

“We aspire to create a refreshing and adventurous journey for the taste buds, where each sip of wine enhances the culinary exploration, leaving a lasting and satisfying impression,” Pentz says.

Harmonising flavours

Siwela Sweetness Masoga, a biotechnologist, winemaker, and owner of Siwela Wines, discusses how wine pairing enriches the flavours and aromas of both the food and the wine, resulting in a more intricate and enjoyable dining experience.

“Our wine is particularly enjoyable with food because of its balanced acidity, which cuts through rich and fatty dishes, and its complex flavours, which complement a variety of flavours in food,” she says.

Their best-selling wine, she explains, is their pinotage, which pairs beautifully with dishes like grilled steak, roast chicken, or mushroom risotto.

“The flavours of the dish and the wine interact in many ways. For example, acidity in the wine can cut through the richness of the food, while tannins in the wine can complement the savoury flavours in the food.”