Food and wine pairings can be divisive; some believe you should drink what you like with whatever feels right to you personally, while others feel strongly that certain wines belong with certain foods. If you’re not a wine connoisseur, then a pairing menu can be an excellent way to understand how certain foods interact with wine. A well-conceived food and wine experience becomes immersive and sensory, engaging not only your palate and olfactory system but your sense of touch, sound, sight and more. This is the belief of Creation Wine’s team, led by co-owner and passionate aficionado, Carolyn Martin. Innovation is what drives change at Creation and the food and wine experiences offered, like the current Community of Taste that will challenge your senses.
Community of Taste Flexitarian Menu
Much thought has gone into the most recent wine-and-dine experience at Creation; Community of Taste is a flexitarian menu that is very specifically designed to take you on a sensory journey from start to finish.
Incorporating Ayurvedic thought, eating in sequence from the heart to lining the stomach – the idea is that you leave feeling nourished and sated, not overfull and uncomfortable.
Much of the menu is plant-based and a fully vegan option is also available at any time. It champions fresh local ingredients and keeps things clean and healthy, a concept that sets it apart from many other similar degustation menus. If you enjoy clean eating but still want to experience a little indulgence, this is the perfect intersection.
A well-conceived food and wine experience becomes immersive and sensory, engaging not only your palate and olfactory system but your sense of touch, sound, sight and more.
Highlights from the Menu
Before you kick off with the menu, which is designed in chapters, your palate is readied with an umami-rich crisp of seaweed paired with Creation Rosé. There is an element of sound here that is designed to enhance the experience. It subtly reminds you that you are a mere 20 minutes from the coastline, even when perched up on the hillside of the valley.
Chapter One
Chapter One included a heat chakra celery soup and a salad that has reignited an interest in patty pans, an oft-sidelined but actually lovely little squash that was pickled and served with baby marrow, rocket, pine nuts and dairy-free hard cheese. Both paired with Creation Sauvignon Blanc, with its heady nose of passion fruit and balanced acidity.
Next Chapters
Chapter Two was a very special local Baardskeedersbos Trout, with housemade teriyaki made with Viognier. Glazed, cooked to perfection and served with a spoonful of maze-gohan – a Japanese savoury wild and white rice mixed with seasonal veggies. With this was Creation’s Viognier, which Carolyn describes as ‘Vivaldi in a glass’.
The Hemel-en-Aarde valley is known for its Pinot Noir and Creation Reserve Pinot Noir (aptly described as red velvet) accompanied this course of confit duck leg, which was positively fall-off-the-bone tender, served with cauliflower purée and smoked paprika hummus. Not wanting to give too much away, this course involves an element of tactility, where you’ll see how what you touch affects the mouthfeel of what’s in your glass.
Oh So Umami!
Chapter Five is designed to give pause to eating and again draw on the senses to elevate the experience. Paired with Creation Syrah Grenache are three deeply umami-intense flavours and each will stimulate a different conversation at the table.
Even when you are eating consciously, a menu has to finish on a sweet note. Creations Fine Cape Vintage is served with a black bean fig brownie and pink peppercorn gelato – a delight!
The Community of Taste is a 6-course menu in total and also showcases Creation Sauvignon Blanc and Reserve Chardonnay, so you will get to experience many of the wines in the range, however, to detail them all would be to give it all away! You need to book your experience in order to enjoy each chapter as the story unfolds from beginning to end.
Heaven & Earth
After reflecting on our time at Creation, I realised there really could have been no other name given to this estate – creativity is at its very core. From award-winning wines to alternative tasting menu experiences, the Creation team are continuously striving to stay ahead of the curve. Allow their talented and knowledgeable team to challenge your perception of food and wine and engage your senses in every way with the Community of Taste menu, which will be available throughout the winter season.
Creation Wines, Hemel & Aarde Rd R320, Hermanus
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