The festive season is a special time - it is a time for reflection, family gatherings, laughter, joy and making memories. Sharing a special meal together is one of the greatest joys of Christmas. And there’s no better way to experience it than with a glass of Eikendal Vineyards and a traditional Swiss delicacy.
Grapes and raisins are an important part of traditional Christmas cooking in South Africa and Switzerland. They are used in savoury and sweet dishes, adding flavour and sweetness to the meal. In Switzerland, raisins are used in various types of bread, as well as in desserts. Both countries have a rich tradition of
using raisins in their Christmas cooking, and these ingredients add a touch of flavour to the festive meal. The Saager family, in honour of their Swiss heritage, is pairing the popular Dreikönigskuchen (a sweet dough formed into balls, arranged into a flower shape and flaked with almonds) with their Janina Unwooded Chardonnay’s new 2022 vintage and their 2020 Méthode Cap Classique this festive season.
Unwooded Chardonnay 2022
Eikendal’s acclaimed unwooded Chardonnay Janina – named after the owners’ first granddaughter- lures the senses with green apple, lemon, and fresh pineapple flavours. Nuances of honey and orange blossomsdevelop on the palate, which is carried through mid-palate with a delightful, fresh, flinty, lingering finish. Itattests to Eikendal’s quest for varietal excellence and pairs perfectly with a Caesar salad, brie cheese or seared tuna.
Méthode Cap Classique 2020
No Christmas table is complete without a bottle of Cap Classique. The exuberant Eikendal Méthode CapClassique is made in very small quantities. The Eikendal team takes great care to hand-select the bestChardonnay grapes for their Méthode Cap Classique wines. The resulting wines are complex and elegant, with beautifully balanced acidity. On the nose it bursts with citrus and lime notes, peaches and cream and afresh minerality. The long, slow bottle fermentation produced a very fine, pleasing mousse on the palate.This wine pairs beautifully with pear, goats’ cheese and walnut salad, oysters, raspberry baked brie, orgorgonzola mushrooms.
Eikendal is a mere 40-minute drive from Cape Town and maximizes its favourable terroir and close proximity to False Bay to produce great wines that speak of passion, terroir, and finesse. Perfectlypositioned on the famed ‘golden slopes’ of South Africa’s red wine production area, Eikendal is renownedfor its classic Bordeaux-style red wines and fine Chardonnay – all wines that speak for themselves withunderstated elegance.
Eikendal Janina Unwooded Chardonnay 2022 and Eikendal Méthode Cap Classique 2020
are available via Eikendal Vineyard’s online shop, visit https://www.eikendal.com/ to shop these winesonline.
For more information on Eikendal Vineyards follow Eikendal on Social Media via Instagram:@eikendal_vineyards and Facebook: @Eikendalvineyards.