A night with Wellington wines.

Have you ever thought about what Indian food and wine taste like? In all my wine days, I have never ever drank wine while eating Indian food. So this was my opportunity to eat and dine in style.

The setting this time was Thava restaurant in Norwood. It’s in a quaint neighbourhood, very little parking if the crossfit is still open. We were placed in the covered patio which was perfect because on a hot night, there was a little breeze coming through.

Xania the Marketing Manager at Wellington Wines was our guest for the day who, believe it or not, was a former Johannesburg dweller. Now living in Wellington in the Western Cape. Xania really took a different route when it came to explaining the wines. We are used to sommeliers, who we know are experts at pairings, but we were treated to a ‘normal person’s’ perspective who now works at the wine farm. In no way am I downplaying her explanations, it’s just that she was able to explain the wine in a more simpler way that even the least knowledgeable person would understand.

Before I start on the pairing, you should know that Xania explained that Wellington Wines are not in any retail stores and I forgot to ask if any restaurants stock their wine. She did say that they provide wine to other farms who bottle it under their names. After refusing to tell us which wines use Wellington grapes, from one hint, I think Warwick is one that uses their grapes/wine. I stand to be corrected though.

The pairing itself was unique, not only because Xania provided her insight but because each pairing consisted of the food, 1 Wellington wine and the same La Cave wine which is part of the Wellington range.

What surprised me the most is how wine can either exacerbate the spicy taste in food or COMPLETELY eliminate the spicy taste. This was the case when an overwhelming spicy dish was paired with a chenin and completely took away the ‘spicyness’. Absolutely incredible, blew my mind away.

So by now you should know that I am obsessed with Red wine but have been exploring rosé’s, sweet whites and MCC’s. My favourite in this collection was their Moscato Frizzante. Moscato is a sweet wine, perfect for summer days. Light on alcohol with a little carbonation added, the taste of hanepoot reminded me of my childhood days of drinking Ceres Hanepoot during lunch breaks.

Finally got to speak to someone I see at a lot of wine events, Lindi a fellow wine lover who attends all these meetups.

Again I say that these meetups are really underrated. People RSVP and not pitch which is not only in bad taste, but someone else could have RSVP’d in your place. The last one for the year will be a champagne and oyster pairing. I can’t wait for that one, but until then… happy drinking!

Post Script: Wellington Wines has no association with Wellington Brandy.

If you would like to order some wine, comment below and I will get you in touch with Xania.