“Everything you need to know about local wines”, sums up the famous Platter’s South African Wines guide and the 2013 edition (the 33rd since its inception in 1980), is the most comprehensive who’s who in the South African wine industry. The bright tangerine cover also states that it’s ‘The Guide to Cellars, Vineyards, Winemakers, Restaurants and Accommodation’. That’s a whole lot of information in one fat little book!
In latter years the guide’s narrative has taken on a theme; Sustainability in 2011 and Innovation in 2012. In 2013, it was this phrase that inspired the focus, “every bottle of wine has a tale to tell.” The idea was to dig below the surface and reveal some of the untold stories behind the cellars, people and brands.
Cape Grace Hotel and Signal Restaurant are mentioned in the guide; “Explore Cape Town’s tastes and flavours in masterly mixes of herbs, spices and sustainable local ingredients……offering wine-pairing from an excellent, terrior-orientated winelist.”
It’s true, we’ve made it easy to pair dishes from our delicious menu with Platter’s top rated wines, so that you can enjoy 5-star food and wine in a 5-star setting!
With our Cape Malay shellfish broth, we recommend the Rall White 2011 blend, which Platter’s says is “possibly the best yet. Excellent vintage conditions produced a fine balance of opulent stonefruit and vibrant acidity.”
A delectable starter on the à La Carte Menu is a dish of poached prawn, citrus-soy, toasted coriander and lemon-cured salmon; what better accompaniment than Spice Route Chenin 2011 – “lush and silky, offering a kaleidoscope of flavours including crème brûlée, lemon, honey and vanilla.”
Another sublime starter is the portobello mushroom tart with red onion marmalade, sheep’s milk yoghurt mousse, confit garlic, olives and balsamic syrup. This is superbly suited to the Jordan Nine Yards 2011 Chardonnay, described as only the Platter’s guide can as, “buttered toast and clementine preserve, kept fresh and focused by a seam of limy acidity.”
Moving onto Main courses and Signal serves up a little bit of tradition with the pan roasted chicken, gem squash puree, potatoes, peas and mustard veloute. Even though it’s no relation to Signal Restaurant, Signal Hill’s Clos d’Oranje 2006 Shiraz awarded 5-stars in the 2012 guide is a magnificent fit.
Voted South Africa’s 2010 wine of the year, the De Trafford Shiraz 2008 with its rich spicy blackberry nose, great complexity and soft tannins, is the perfect partner for our grilled fillet of chalmar beef, potato fondant, caramelised onion tart and truffled wild mushroom sauce… it makes you hungry just thinking about it!
Voted winner of the V&A Waterfront ‘Master of the Trade Route’ competition just last year, Executive Chef Malika van Reenen pulls out all the stops with her bobotie-spiced springbok loin served with parsnip puree, spiced mango pickle, almond crumble and rooibos-scented lentil jus. And what wine should you serve with this triumphant dish? The Miles Mossop Max 2007 red blend of course! It oozes fresh Christmas cake, dark berry, roasted fennel bulb and mint on the nose and offers a full, rich and lingering palate. Absolute perfection!
Your mouth must be watering by now, so drop us an email or call Signal on +27 21 410 7080 to make a reservation and experience the dishes and wines for yourself. Also take a look at our previous blog post on Top 5 Summer wines and since you are a wine-lover, see if you agree with the experts on the Cork vs Screw Cap debate! Let us know your thoughts.
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