RUPALI DEAN travels through South Africa to get an insight into how Emirates creates menus to relish from producer to flight.
Ken Forrester
The country house itself is a highlight of the trip, set in the heart of South Africa’s most distinguished wine region, Stellenbosch, on the hills of the Helderberg Mountain. Ken Forrester, the king of Chenin Blanc, makes other fabulously good wines as well but when he acquired the neglected farm in 1993, it was Chenin grapes that he found planted.
Forrester reveals his passion for Chenin Blanc and Rhône style red wines, first with a drive through the vineyards and then at his cosy on-site tasting room with outstanding alpine views. Here, I also meet Stephen Towler, Senior Beverage Advisor, Emirates who I am to embark on this trip with. We try the wines together with good food down the road at the award-winning 96 Winery Road Restaurant. The calamari here is effortlessly crisp, and achingly tender and the steaks a must-have with Ken’s Red, a blend of Grenache and Shiraz.
Fair view wine and cheesery
What’s wine without a chunk of creamy cheese? Over a cheese appreciation workshop at the Beryl Back tasting room we sample the other regional cheeses that make up the cheese board on flights from South Africa, paired beautifully with wines. My favourite is the vat-fermented Lands’ End Syrah paired with the velvety red pepper and tomato cream cheese. Goats play a major role in the cheese and one cannot leave without peeking into the famous Goat tower.
Boekenhouts kloof
Sharing the table with us is Marc Kent, Managing Partner and driving force behind this famously, dynamic property in Franschhoek. Having joined the historic farm in 1994, the winery produces several brands; however my favourite is the The Chocolate Block, and a few from their Swartland project, Porseleinberg. The vineyard tour here is a first for me. We meander through a wooden bridge created surrounding a rainforest kind of an ambience, and the walk is much needed too, after a delicious lunch of local produce lovingly prepared by Marc’s PA.
Waterkloof wine estate
A tractor down with Paul Boutinot and his team takes us to explore this biodynamic estate that houses a stable as well as a ‘restaurant in the sky’, fashionably appointed in a 10 metre high glass cliff flowing from the slick tasting lounge and gravitational cellar, where refined contemporary classics marry stylish wines for a raised food and wine experience. I am sipping into False Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2016, aromas of citrus and gooseberries engulf my nose followed by a crisp palate. I am fighting clichés as I drive past hills of insurmountable beauty. It isn’t a surprise it boasts a Champion Status by the World Wildlife Fund’s Biodiversity & Wine Initiative.
Ostriland
We head here for an All Ostrich Affair and have our taste buds tantalised with the various canapés showcasing the adaptability of the Ostriland Deli Meat Range, trailed by a Main Course of Ostrich Fillet and Ostrich Steak which I also find on my menu back on the Cape Town to Dubai flight.
Bushmans Kloof
We are now on our way to Bushman’s Kloof, and, as we get another dose of the lush green forests, Manna Talib from Emirates, who has been my constant companion, tells me how families come to have fun here. This is usually a weekend of eating and drinking and you can see hundreds of happy people dotting the lush cape. A game drive later we move into the exclusive restaurant where we are going to taste Amarula and dine. Next morning, we celebrate the sun with setting a table outdoors for breakfast in the bush coupled with Amarula coffee for breakfast.
Rooibos
As we drive past the mountains, by now pretty used to the deep green landscape, the morning is clear and the sunglasses are out. We make a quick stop for a tour of the factory followed by a cupping session led by the Quality Assurance team to determine quality, taste, aroma, briskness, body and colour. Rooibos tea is also used to flavour many dishes and in various forms on the Emirates menu.
Ginger & lime cooking studio
We check in at the One & Only in Cape Town overlooking the Table Mountain. I am more interested in the culinary challenge that is to happen before dinner. Inside the cooking studio a 10-minute drive from the hotel, I look in awe at the ambience. This is where we get a demo, a sampling of the effort behind Emirates menus and we also cook to compete….and the winner… yours truly! Post this whirlwind trip, I leave in style aboard business class. I don’t resist the offer of an extra slice of cheese, knowing it has come from Fairview, but I do resist filling my neighbour in on the source of the place it came from. The world is already a better place, and I don’t even need to rebel.