Soup + red wine = a match made in Winter heaven
Nothing chases away the mid-Winter chill like a big bowl of soul-warming soup. And for the ultimate comfort food and wine experience, enjoy Roodeberg 1949 with foodie Elmarie Berry’s hearty lentil and lamb soup, guaranteed to warm you on even the chilliest of days.
The wine: Embracing the revival of exciting French and Spanish varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon forms the foundation of this Roodeberg 1949 blend, complemented by Tempranillo, Carignan and Carménère. It’s a gorgeous, generous wine. You’ll smell dark cherry, blackcurrant and vanilla, you’ll taste cinnamon, sweet spice and ripe, juicy dark berry fruit.
The soup: All it takes to make this flavourful lentil and lamb soup are a handful of healthy ingredients and a few easy steps. This recipe easily serves eight.
You’ll need: 2 Tbsp olive oil; 2 large brown onions, coarsely chopped; 2 celery sticks, trimmed, coarsely chopped; 1 large carrot, peeled, coarsely chopped; 900g lamb, cut into 3cm pieces; 400g can diced tomatoes; 1L (4 cups) liquid chicken stock or liquid vegetable stock; 400g can brown lentils, rinsed, drained; fresh coriander to garnish
To make: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion, stirring for two minutes. Add the celery and carrot, stirring for three to four minutes or until the vegetables are light golden.
Add the lamb, stirring for two to three minutes or until just browned. Add the tomato and stock. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for an hour, until lamb is tender. Add the lentils, cover and simmer for another 15 minutes. Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with fresh coriander and some lovely fresh, crusty bread.
Steenberg is synonymous with Sauvignon Blanc, and the estate has just unveiled the top tier 2020 The Black Swan Sauvignon Blanc. Scents of nettle, elderflower and fynbos, which divulge the wine’s Constantia roots, are supported by a palate bursting with fresh lemon zest and hints of stone fruit and asparagus. This is a great food wine and you can order it for R240 a bottle from steenbergfarm.com
A tribute to the feisty Nguni cow that stands proud on every bottle, Survivor Syrah 2019 is a true expression of the hardy Swartland. This big, generous, full-bodied wine brims with luscious layers of spice, violets and blackberries, and just a hint of oak. Winemaker Ben Snyman enjoys it with barbecue chicken, spicy stir-fry pork, leg of lamb or spare ribs on the braai … we plan on doing the same. R200 from survivorwines.com
You had me at Merlot. If you’re the kind of happy, optimistic, glass-half-full kind of person who views the world through rosé-tinted glasses, who knows it isn’t good to keep things bottled up and that life’s too short for sour grapes, you’ll love Winefulness – a brilliant little book that reminds you to ‘stop and smell the rosé’. Crammed with the corniest collection of wine wisdom ever, which you can’t help but laugh at, it’s all about practising positive reinforcement. Pinot? More like Pi-hell-yeah! Octopusbooks.
A trio of cheers for the apple!
An apple a day … is easy when you’ve a trio of delicious options to choose from. ‘From Orchard to Bottle’ is the core of the Ceres Valley Loxtonia Cider promise … home-grown, hand-picked, 100 per cent freshly pressed and naturally fermented apples. For a crisp, dry cider, try the original Loxtonia Crispy Apple Cider – a top contender at the annual International Cider Challenge and with just 58 calories in each bottle (considerably less than most locally available ciders) this low-calorie, natural drink ticks all the right boxes. The Stone Fruit Flavoured Apple Cider is a fruity, medium-sweet cider with bursts of bright, fresh peach, nectarine and apple, while the beer-styled Loxtonia Pale Amber Apple Cider is one of the more intriguing choices in the range … with nuances of caramel that meld into a smooth apple finish, it’s a cider beer lovers will enjoy. Sustainability plays a major role in the making of the ciders, which have a five per cent alcohol content and are gluten-free, vegan-friendly and free of preservatives and artificial additives. You’ll find it at leading outlets or order online for R99.60 for a four-pack of 340ml including delivery on loxtonia.co.za
