Constantia Fresh Festival

There are some things that go hand in hand in the food world. Always have. Always will. Bacon and eggs. Fish and chips. Tequila and regret....

Seriously though, for me, food relationships are a bit more complex than that. It's the feeling you get when you're eating/drinking and the surroundings you're doing it in. So yes, fish and chips go well together but it's more about the memories you had as a kid eating them on the rocks at the beach. When I sit down and eat roast chicken I don't only taste the chicken, I taste the memory of how my Mom always makes it. The difference is subtle, but hugely important. (Was that all a bit arty? My apologies.)

One of these food relationships is that between summer and Sauvignon Blanc. Nothing says hello summer like a chilled glass of a beautiful, crisp SB. (I will be calling it SB from now on. Deal with it). The joy of this wine is that I have mostly enjoyed it outdoors. It somehow tastes better that way. So you can imagine I was pretty stoked to hear about the Constantia Fresh Wine Festival which is taking place on the 26th and 27th of Feb. The festival showcases SB in all its glory and participating farms include Constantia Uitsig, Klein Constantia, Groot Constantia, Steenberg, Eagle’s Nest and Buitenverwachting. A huge drawcard for me is the pairing of the wines with canapes prepared by some of our most talented chefs. Look out for Peter Tempelhoff of Cellars-Hohenort, Bertus Basson of Overture, Garth Almazan of Catharina’s at Steenberg, Roland Gorgosilich of Bosman’s at Grande Roche Hotel and Edgar Osojnik of Buitenverwachting.

Tickets for the Friday are R1500 (yeah, that is bloody steep I know) but there are several international farms on display. Personally, I'm going to hit it up on the Saturday where tickets will sting you R400. If you are interested call Jorg on 072 467 5943. Tell him Jamie Who said you should call. He'll give you the tickets for free. Just kidding. I've never met Jorg. 

The festival's strapline is "For the love of Sauvignon Blanc." Me? I'm doing it for the love of summer. 

Cheers,

Jamie Who