Allée Bleue Estate near Franschhoek is not only known for their wine, food and hospitality but also for their range of fresh herbs which is supplied to Western Cape retailers on a daily basis.
To celebrate the herbs and wine the Estate has come up with a fresh new idea to offer a unique experience combining these two products in the tasting room.
Wine lovers, foodies, wine clubs, tourists, cookery schools and the general public will enjoy the pairings which have been carefully curated by cellar master Van Zyl du Toit, herb farmer Liezel Smit and chef Gordon Dovey. The wine tasting team has been trained to present the experience and visitors can look forward to a fun and informative pairing which will take around 45 minutes depending on the interaction from visitors.
“I started off by creating pesto’s, salsa’s and sauces highlighting some of the most popular herbs we grow on the farm. Once I had the basics in place, we started pairing these with various wines and after tweaking the flavours quite a bit, I now think we have a winning combo to present to the public,” says Gordon.
Tasters can look forward to pairings like the award-winning Pinotage with a basil, wild rocket and tomato salsa and the flagship white blend Isabeau is full-bodied enough to stand up to the green pesto with coriander and ginger. The popular Cabernet/Merlot is a perfect match for an olive based rosemary tapenade.
Five wines are paired with five herb-based creations all served with some of Chef Gordon’s freshly baked bread, which makes it quite a substantial tasting.
The pairing is on offer for a minimum of 8 guests at a time at R200 pp or a minimum spend of R1600 and has to be pre-booked and pre-paid by contacting Nadia at info@alleebleue.com or +27 21 874-1021. Bookings must be made up to 48 hours beforehand as the herb items are freshly prepared. Hours: 09h00-16h00 daily.
www.alleebleue.com
