The Cape Winelands is home to many hidden gems, and tucked away along Sir Lowry’s Pass in the far south of Stellenbosch is Idiom Wines. The established winery is launching their new seasonal menu that includes a hand-picked wine pairing of in-house produced wines.
Idiom Wine Estate was founded by the Bottega family, with the first vines planted in 1999 by Italian founder Alberto Bottega. The first commercial vintage of Idiom was produced in 2004, and the estate is renowned for its production of premier wines.
Driving up into the estate is a beautifully winding journey as you wait in anticipation to feast your eyes on the architectural wonder where old meets new with an Italian influence. Idiom’s restuarant and tasting room are a visual treat, and only a precursor to what will delight your palate as the day unfolds.
The restaurant and tasting centre offers 180-degree panoramic views of the mountainous area as it is nestled on the upper slopes of the Helderberg Basin, and the fine cuisine is themed to contemporary dining.
Head of developing the signature Idiom tasting centre, Roberto Botegga, explains what their in-house restaurant offers. “We offer a contemporary dinning experience, which is a two and three-course seasonal menu, with a recommended wine pairing for each dish. We want customers to have a memorable visit to Idiom,” he said.
The menu is constructed to pair with an Idiom wine and the culinary options are tailored to reflect and enhance the flavour of the wines, and is guided by a colour spectrum.
This season’s two-course menu costs R315 per person and the three-course is R390 per person. Wine can be paired with each course on the menu and can cost an additional R30 – R90 per course.
Bottega also divulged what his current favourites on the new seasonal menu are.”The cured trout starter paired with Idiom Viognier and the lamb ragu paccheri paired with Idiom Zinfandel are two of my current favorites on our chef’s new menu.
Head Chef, Calum Anderson is an established culinary professional, with a food philosophy based on ensuring that all elements are presented in a dish.
“Visually, dishes should be natural and beautiful to the eye but not overly complicated as I believe this is my expression of how I see and feel about food,” says Anderson.
The menu offers a wholesome experience to fine-dinning, from their unique use of black beluga lentils to the flavoursome sea bass. The restaurant also caters to both vegans and vegetarians.
The menu offers a variety of tastes for dessert, from decadent chocolate and raspberry to a cheese board inspired soufflé.
A summer experience of macaroon and wine pairing is available at Idiom wines for R 180 per person.
A one-of-a-kind Italian wine tasting experience is available at the Vinotria Italian wine room, where there are tutored lessons available to learn more about the history of the European wine, and boasts 250 wines from more than 40 benchmark Italian wineries.
Upcoming events at Idiom
The sophisticated restaurant and tasting centre hosts an array of public events throughout the year with the Italian Festival being the largest one, hosting 3 000 people in 2018.
Italian Festival
A celebration of all things ‘Bellissimo’ and Italian is celebrated at the Italian festival hosted at the grounds of Idiom. The local Italian community of Cape Town gathers together and provides an array of food, drink and craft stalls on the day.
Date: 2-3 March 2019
Tickets: Purchase tickets at Webtickets.
Prosecco Weekend
The first Prosecco weekend will be hosted this year, offering a tasting of of different Proseccos produced by the Veneto and Friuli regions. Specially made canapés will be served during the afternoon aperitivo session.
Date: 24 -25 November 2018
Time: 10am – 12pm and 2pm – 6pm
Tickets: Purchase tickets at Webtickets.
Stellenbosch Sculpture Weekend
The inaugural and grand Sculpture Weekend at Idiom will host leading sculptor artists such as Anton Smit and Stanislaw Tzerbinski.
Date: 8 – 9 December 2018
Picture: Supplied