Durbanville Hills Pinotage, Milk & Chocolate
Though we are in September, and officially the first day of Spring, it seems like Winter and Spring are having a massive blow out. Every time you just think Winter has left the room, BOOM!!! She opens the door and says” And OH!!!….another thing!” It is pointless to try and meddle in on this rumpus. So the best way to enjoy this commotion is to sit back and sip some wine infused hot chocolate! I mean after all we are in My Boozy Kitchen and what would hot chocolate be with out a little booze slipped in somewhere?
“But My Boozy Kitchen? Wine and Hot Chocolate? I don’t know… Can something like this work? Milk and Wine and Chocolate? I am not convinced!”
My boozy loving darlings, as my mom always says – Don’t pull your nose up at something unless you tried it.
And believe me – I had the exact some apprehensions.
But it WORKS!! It absolutely works and it is WINEOLICIOUS!
Yes it is a first for the Cape Winelands! HOWEVER Durbanville Hills has pulled it off by combining their love for wine and chocolate (I mean come on… BEST OF BOTH WORLDS!!) in creating a light-hearted hot chocolate and wine tasting!
And no… I haven’t personally experienced the tasting at Durbanville Hills, however I did receive a gorgeous complementary bottle of Durbanville Hills Pinotage with 4 Chocolate Cherry and Turkish Delight Bombs. And what an absolute treat! The best thing ever is when a food & wine pairing just WORKS!
Durbanville Hills Pinotage
The striking Durbanville Hills cellar sits on the side of a series of rolling hills with magnificent views of Table Mountain and Table Bay. What makes Durbanville Hills so unique is its location.
The Durbanville ward is considered one of the Cape’s coolest wine regions, thanks to the sea breezes that drift inland from False Bay and Table Bay and the late afternoon mists that bathe the slopes. These conditions are ideal for the slow ripening of the grapes, allowing them to develop their full-flavoured, intense character.
A selection of different Pinotage blocks throughout the Durbanville wine valley is selected for this wine, showcasing the rich diversity of the area.
The grapes are hand picked during mid-February and mid-March at sugar levels between 24° and 26° Balling.
Durbanville Hills approaches making their Pinotages with the greatest care, gently handling the grapes with the utmost tenderness. The must is fermented on the skins in closed stainless steel tanks until almost dry (50g per litre of sugar left).
At this stage the wine and skins goes through separation to allow fermentation to finish in stainless steel tanks.
Maximum fruit, colour and tannin extraction from the skins are made through possible continuous timer-regulated pump-over cycles. After malolactic fermentation (my favourite technique), the wine is then matured in oak for 12 months using predominantly French oak. Only utilising a small percentage of new oak together with older wood as well as wood alternatives.
This is done to prevent over wooding and by doing so preserves the elegance of the cool climate fruit.
Durbanville Hill Tasting Notes of the Pinotage:
COLOUR
Bright ruby red
NOSE
Abundance of sweet red fruit, sweet wood spice with undertones of vanilla and hints of cedar wood.
TASTE
Medium-bodied wine with a sweet sensation of the palate laced by hints of red cherries and vanilla. Well-balanced wine with an elegant tanning structure.
THE PAIRING
Durbanville Hills Pinotage with Dark Chocolate Cherry and Turkish Delight worked very well with each other. I really felt that the cherry chocolate flavours in the bomb complimented the Cherry notes in the wine. I was honestly surprised at how well this worked, it was completely unexpectedly delicious. Yes a little unconventional but hey sometimes rules are meant to be broken.
Experience Durbanville Hills hot chocolate & wine tasting for only R120
Yes you don’t have to be a blogger to get to experience this wonderful delight. The good news is that YOU can experience Durbanville Hills from now until the end of September, Durbanville Hills will be offering a limited-edition hot chocolate wine tasting of not just one wine BUT four red wines each paired with FOUR different hand-crafted chocolate bombs, to add to steaming milk.
The tasting forms part of the winery’s creative exploration of flavours by pairing their cool climate wines with interesting foods to enrich the appreciation of their award-winning wines.
The silky-smooth indulgence and the depth the wine brings to the hot chocolate, make this an unmissable experience.
The pairing consists of the following:
- Durbanville Hills Cabernet Sauvignon with Coffee and Hazelnut;
- Durbanville Hills Merlot with Dark Chocolate Mint;
- Durbanville Hills Pinotage with Dark Chocolate Cherry and Turkish Delight;
- Durbanville Hills Shiraz with Cinnamon and Nutmeg
Each tasting consists of four wines, four chocolate bombs, and hot steaming milk which you can prepare yourself. Adding hot steaming milk, to the bomb, releases the chocolate and individual flavours when it starts to melt.
How much wine to add? Your choice but a few dashes at the start will reveal the perfect balance of wine and hot chocolate!
Cost: R120 per person
Offering: Now to end September 2022
Bookings: https://www.durbanvillehills.co.za/buying-tasting/cellar-visits/
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