South African Winemaker Dinner
South African Winemaker Dinner
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**PLEASE NOTE Ticket price is $150 per person before tax and gratuity. This purchase reserves your seat with a 50% deposit, with the remaining 50% to be paid on the night of the event.**
Tuesday, September 20 - 6:30 pm
We are thrilled to be joined by not one, not two, but three South African winemakers for this very special dinner!
Featuring:
Gynore Fredericks of Great Heart Wines
Peter-Allan Finlayson of Gabriëlskloof
Chris Mullineux of Mullineux
Join us as we learn more about these wineries and the incredible South African wine scene while enjoying 7 beautiful wines, expertly paired with courses prepared by our Head Chef, Kareem Ross.
** Unfortunately we cannot accommodate food substitutions or allergies for this dinner **
Menu
Course 1: Smoked fish stew
Smoked white fish, chickpeas, scallions, garlic, cabbage, roasted peppers
Course 2: Snow pea salad
Couscous, roasted tomatoes, shaved crisp snow peas, mint pesto, cucumber, assorted nuts
Course 3: Aromatic Poached Pears
Butter poached pears, white wine, ricotta foam with crispy prosciutto
Course 4: Duck Rillettes
Confit duck quenelles, rosemary & olive oil toasted focaccia, roasted potato garlic aioli, scallions
Course 5: Braii
Roasted Wild Boar, grilled marinated beef, and grilled sausage served with chakalaka relish
Course 6: Dessert - Straw Wine
Chef prepared petit fours
More about the wineries and winemakers:
MULLINEUX KLOOF STREET & LEEU PASSANT ~ Chris Mullineux will be attending
Mullineux Family Wines was established in 2007 in the Swartland region of South Africa, owned and managed by Chris and Andrea Mullineux. Within a very short time period the winery established itself as one of South Africa’s most celebrated wine brands, both locally and on the international front. The Swartland has a very unique geology which allows for exploration of its various terroirs through Western Cape classic varieties like Chenin Blanc and Syrah, among others. The Mullineuxs are humbled by how winemaking enables them to interact with the ancient history of the mother rock. Growing up in Northern California, Winemaker Andrea Mullineux studied Viticulture and Oenology at UC-Davis before working in Stellenbosch and meeting Chris at a wine festival in Champagne. Chris is the Viticulturist, in charge of the vineyards on their farm on Kasteelberg Mountain as well as fruit sourcing for their value Kloof Street wines. To add to their acclaim, Andrea Mullineux was named Wine Enthusiast’s Winemaker of the Year in 2016. About joining Skurnik, Chris Mullineux said, “We feel our honest, site expressive wines are a perfect fit with the Skurnik philosophy and look forward to broadening the exposure of our bottles to wine lovers in the US market.”
CRYSTALLUM GABRIELSKLOOF ~ Peter-Allan Finlayson will be attending
Brothers Peter-Allan and Andrew are the third generation of Finlayson winemakers, with their father Peter recognized as one of South Africa’s most groundbreaking winemakers thanks to his pivotal role in founding Hamilton Russell Vineyards in 1979 and producing their first vintage of Pinot Noir in 1981. Peter Finlayson went on to form Bouchard Finlayson in 1989 as a collaboration with legendary Burgundy negociant, Paul Bouchard, where he remains as owner today. Both Hamilton Russell Vineyards and Bouchard Finlayson established Hemel-en-Aarde as South Africa’s premier subregion for Pinot Noir production almost 40 years ago and Crystallum honors that tradition today.
While both Andrew and Peter-Allan pursued other interests at university, they ultimately returned to the family business, albeit with a venture of their own. Founded in 2007, the first vintage for Crystallum saw the brothers only produce a few hundred cases of Sauvignon Blanc. In their second vintage, they embraced their father’s legacy and the cool climate of the greater Walker Bay region by beginning to focus solely on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which they’ve now continued on with for over a decade.
Winemaker Peter-Allan Finlayson explains that, “[we] strive to find a balance between using old-world methods and traditions while keeping in tune with the vineyards we source our fruit from. This philosophy is followed through in the cellar, where we nurture what comes off the vines rather than manipulating the fruit to fit a predetermined outcome.” Following a minimal intervention winemaking approach, the brothers allow all of their wines to ferment with native yeasts. Like most producers in South Africa, Crystallum began by sourcing hand-picked fruit from grape growers they trusted in their region of Hemel-en-Aarde and eventually transitioned to the long-term lease of the majority of their vineyards. However, they recently purchased their first vineyard, Shaw’s Mountain, and after grafting Chardonnay onto its old vine Sauvignon Blanc rootstock, they utilized this fruit in the ‘The Agnes’ Chardonnay 2020, which we’ll begin selling later this year.
GREAT HEART ~ Gynor Fredericks will be attending
Great Heart is the staff empowerment project of Mullineux & Leeu Family wines, known for their multi-award winning Leeu Passant and Mullineux wineries. Aimed at improving the livelihoods of those who work for the company as well as their families, the Great Heart wine brand is collectively owned by the winery staff, and a portion fo al sales under this label go directly to them.
