Review: Wine and cheese tasting at Fairview Wine Estate

Review: Wine and cheese tasting at Fairview Wine Estate

Note: for today’s post I am taking over from my fiancé that is ill in bed. It’s her birthday but she is too sick to do the planned review of our visit to Fairview wine estate in the Western Cape. Any vet worth his salt will tell me it will be quicker and easier just to put her down.

During my life I have eaten some cheeses made at Fairview, so it was nice to finally be at the place where the magic happens. ‘Magic’, being the act of letting sour milk rot until fungus grows all over it. I wonder, who was the bright spark that had the idea to let milk rot up to the point that it becomes a solid block and then eat it?

That said, my fiancé and I, like most people, love cheese. Gouda, Feta, Brie, Camembert, Cream Cheese, etc. All the stuff Weight Watchers say you have to stay away from. Fairview produces a whole line of artisanal* cheeses at their cheesery**.

Located close to the idyllic town of Paarl in the Western Cape, Fairview is a dream come true for people coming from Mordor (Gauteng). Lush green fields and vineyards set a dramatic contrast to the Gauteng landscape of burning cars and police officers soliciting bribes from the people burning in the cars.

Driving into Fairview you are greeted by their iconic goat castle. A tall tower structure that only goats have the dexterity to climb. Cows will just fall off and roll into the parking lot.

Lounge in the wine tasting area.

 

Walk past the tower and into the wine tasting area. The wine tasting area is divided into two tasting areas – the casual tasting area and the exclusive tasting area. We headed straight for the exclusive area since you not only get to taste wine, but every wine is paired with a cheese that compliments the wine’s flavour. As a palate cleanser, you are served Ciabatta bread with olive oil produced locally at Fairview.

The waiters serving you are very knowledgeable in not only the wine making techniques used on the farm but also the cheese making process. Question them about anything regarding wine tasting and they will be able to tell you. Skin contact, maturing, oak barrel aging versus something something, honestly, thinking back, I can’t remember much. I assume the wine tasting was a great success.

Oak barrels used to age wine, next to the wine tasting area.

 

Stumbling out of Fairview I reflected how great it is to be in South Africa. The natural beauty, the people and the food makes this one of the greatest countries in the world.

*New word I just learned.

**Another new word I just learned. In fact, not even MS Word spell check knows what a cheesery is.

Date Night Dish Gone...Right

Chicken Cordon Bleu with Herby Potatoes and Feta and Avo Salad

Pan fried baby potatoes with mushrooms and fresh herbs

Me and soon to be hubby (YAY) make time for date nights every week.  This is usually when we try out new recipes, have sushi or make a concoction of our own.  It was Thursday night and date night and the fiancee decided to surprise me with a dish (and a beautiful orchid - now isn't that sweet - and no that doesn't make him a wussy just a man with taste).

 

I was in charge of the side dishes and decided on pan fried mushrooms and baby potatoes covered with herbs fresh from our own herb garden and a nice crisp summer salad.

 

The Chicken Cordon Bleu:

Ingredients:

4 deboned and skinless chicken breast fillets

Gypsy ham

Fairview feta cheese

Calamata olives

Olive oil

Italian herbs

Salt and pepper

 

Prepare the chicken by slicing the breast thinly down the middle, be cautious not to cut it through completely.

Insert the Gypsy ham, Fairview Feta Cheese and Calamata olives into the cavity you just created.

Bind the chicken together with some rope or toothpicks if you can't find that rope staring you right in the eye.

Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the Italian herbs.

Place the chicken pieces in the oiled pan and fry on low heat for about 40 minutes or until done, turning continuously.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

This is date night, so don't get carried away with all the smooching and foreplay that you totally forget about the chicken (luckily we remembered in time).  Rather set the timer for in case things get too hot in the kitchen.

 

Pan fried potatoes and mushrooms with fresh herbs:

Ingredients:

Baby potatoes (as many as you like)

Small button mushrooms

Garlic

Flat leave parsley

Sprigs of Rosemary

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

 

Pre-cook the baby potatoes until they are soft.

Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the potatoes, mushrooms, garlic and some of the herbs to the pan.

Stir often until mushrooms are golden brown.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

The Feta and Avo Salad:

Here you can let the artistic juices flow..... come on, go wild.

This was a nice salad as a side dish. (If I were to serve just salad I would have been more bold and make it as kinky as I can be). 

 

We highly recommend the KWV Shiraz to go with the dish.

 

Go ahead, do a date night, experiment with some new flavours and get jiggy with it.