Do you want to do a tasting with a difference?
Stellenbosch Hills offers a wine tasting paired with biltong and droëwors; my 3 favourite things!
Firstly for the non-South Africans we need to explain what is biltong and droëwors.
- Droëwors literally translates into “dry sausage”. It is made from normal thin sausage made from spiced minced beef also known as boerewors. This sausage is dried quickly in a warm method as oppose to cured sausage like salami, which is done in a humid cool method.
- Biltong is a type of cured meat where, beef, ostrich or different types of game meat were spiced and then dried out. It was first made by early settlers at the Cape that had no refrigeration and required food that would last for a long period of time. The Voortrekkers used biltong as a durable food source when they migrated North-East during The Groot Trek.
In short; droëwors and biltong is a delicious savoury, meaty snack spiced in many different ways as well as range from being moist to dry.
The Place:
Just outside Stellenbosch on the Baden Powel Drive (R310) lies Stellenbosch Hills. Inside the reception, tasting room and the art galley is intriguing combination of stylish modern and old world. Both the tasting room and the art gallery is situated inside an old cement wine tank.
The Tasting:
We were presented with six wines all with a specific snack to pair with it.
- Springbok Biltong & Stellenbosch Hills 1707 Reserve White – 70% Chardonnay, 20% Semillon, 10% Viognier. The wine’s rich buttery flavours and fresh apricots characters pairs well with the gaminess of the springbok.
- Moist Beef Biltong & Stellenbosch Hills Pokadraai Pinotage / Merlot. This is a very pleasant drinkable blend 70% / 30%.
- Ostrich Droëwors & Stellenbosch Hills Merlot. A very mild flavoured meat to pair with a milder red wine.
- Smoked Beef Biltong & Stellenbosch Hills Shiraz. Great spicy flavours from the meat pairs well with the chocolate, plum and pepper characters of the wine.
- Kudu Droëwors & Stellenbosch Hills Cabernet. (My favourite) Even though the wine was matured for 16 months in French oak (30% first fill, the rest in second and third fill) the wood characters were not overwhelming.
- Traditional Beef Droëwors & Stellenbosch Hills 1707 Reserve Red – 50% Shiraz, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot. 11% Petit Verdot. The coriander in the biltong paired very well with this premium red blend, which have been matured in a combination of French and American oak.
Check out Stellenbosh Hills’ website and note that you have to reserve a tasting for the Biltong and Droëwors Adventure.
From stellenbosch-hills.co.za
