1) FESTIVE CANAPÉ PLATTER

(a) Springbok wraps with a rooibos dipping sauce

DIPPING SAUCE

125ml (½ cup) water

4 rooibos teabags

125g sugar

30ml (2 tbsp) hoi sin sauce

15ml (1 tbsp) soy sauce

15ml (1 tbsp) fresh thyme

WRAPS

½ English cucumber

6 spring onions

1 avocado

juice of 1 lemon

6 ready-made Chinese pancakes

80g smoked springbok carpaccio

fresh chives, softened in warm water

fresh chervil, to garnish

(b) Chermoula prawn skewers

12 large prawn tails, cooked

45ml (3 tbsp) chermoula paste

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 fresh mangoes or persimmons

juice of 1 lime

12 fresh mint leaves

(c)Salmon, feta and piquanté pepper squares

½ English cucumber

100g smoked salmon or salmon trout, cut into strips

200g feta, cut into blocks

8 – 10 piquanté peppers, diced

fresh dill, to garnish

TO DRINK (Philip Jonker): Canapés are often tricky to match as so many diverse flavours and textures are usually offered. But you need a drink that can complement both the food and the moment, and to complement the moment there is nothing better than a Cap Classique or Champagne. In this case the canapé flavours are quite strong so I’ll opt for a Vintage, a bubbly that shows more richness. From the four Cap Classiques in the Weltevrede collection my vote would go for the Philip Jonker Brut Aletheia, a barrel matured Cap Classique that spent more than three years on its lees in bottle. Alternatively, if budget allows and you want to be unproudly unSouth African, try Vintage Champagnes from Mailly, Follet-Ramillon, Pol Roger or Krug.
 

2. SUCCULENT SPICED TURKEY

4kg turkey

60g (¼ cup) butter, melted

45ml (3 tbsp) honey

MARINADE

4 litres water

125g castor sugar

80g (⅓ cup) salt

60ml (¼ cup) honey

45ml (3 tbsp) black peppercorns

15ml (1 tbsp) coriander seeds

5ml (1 tsp) cloves

5 star anise

5cm piece root ginger, sliced

2 cinnamon sticks

2 onions, peeled and quartered

2 carrots, roughly chopped

2 oranges, quartered

TO DRINK (Philip Jonker): Be bold, go and search for a forgotten bottle of Gewurztraminer. But it has to be dry or off-dry and preferably three years or older. (Weltevrede has vintages going back to the early 80’s) With the years of ageing the wine should have lost its floral youthfulness and show more black pepper and coriander spiciness, with richness and texture on the palate. The wine may be quite yellow and deemed beyond its best when tried on its own, but be brave and see how this dish brings it to life.

3. PORK FILLET AND ROAST PLUMS STUFFED WITH GORGONZOLA AND NUTS

4 plums, halved and stoned

100g gorgonzola

45ml (3 tbsp) mixed nuts, crushed

1,5kg pork fillet

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

20ml (4 tsp) olive oil

1 red onion, sliced into rings

4 pearl onions, sliced into rings

2 fresh thyme sprigs

30ml (2 tbsp) red wine

10ml (2 tbsp) butter

TO DRINK (Philip Jonker): I would go for a Riesling, the real McCoy. Off-dry or semi-sweet perhaps for the sake of the plums and the gorgonzola. There aren’t many white wines that can age as well as Riesling. You can go quite ancient here. Ten years old or older even. I’d try to find a wine from Germany.

PASTRY

225g flour

5ml (1 tsp) salt

150g butter

60ml (¼ cup) water

1 large egg yolk

FILLING

100g butter

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

500g shiitake mushrooms

100ml sake

350ml sour cream

30ml (2 tbsp) lemon zest

3 large eggs

salt and freshly ground black pepper

450g tinned crab meat

30ml (2 tbsp) fresh parsley, chopped

30ml (2 tbsp) fresh coriander, chopped

SALAD

120g Asian salad greens

30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil

30ml (2 tbsp) pomegranate balsamic reduction (or ordinary sweet balsamic)

TO DRINK (Philip Jonker): Here I will try a little more subtle approach to respect the combination of delicate flavours. While it is the festive season, why not try another Cap Classique. But I wouldn’t go for the matured vintage options here. Maybe a Blanc de Blancs, with virance and minerality, or else a Non-Vintage Brut

7.  THAI ROAST CHICKEN WITH MANGO SALSA

4 baby chickens

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

6 garlic cloves

200g pearl onions

200g cherry tomatoes

2 fresh red chillies

100g butter

150ml sake

THAI STUFFING

100g red chillies, chopped

100g green chillies, chopped

80g garlic, chopped

80g shallots, chopped

100g lemon grass, finely chopped

100g ginger, chopped

80g lime leaves, chopped

150g fresh coriander, chopped

100g fresh parsley, chopped

100ml olive oil

MANGO SALSA

200g firm, barely ripe mango, diced

100g cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

15ml (1 tbsp) fresh red chilli, finely chopped

30ml (2 tbsp) fresh coriander, finely chopped

30ml (2 tbsp) fresh mint, finely chopped

30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil

15ml (1 tbsp) fresh lime or lemon juice

10ml (2 tsp) honey

TO DRINK (Philip Jonker): The roast flavours and hot salsa will demand a wine that is intense with strong flavours. Maybe a Viognier or tropical style Chardonnay, a wine that has flavours of dried fruit and some toastiness to match the roast flavours of the Thai Chicken. Again a few years of bottle age will have helped to intensify the flavours in the wine, a richness the wine may need in this case. Possibly a three or four year old wine.

A few final remarks (Philip Jonker):

With almost all the dishes I felt one could use either Chardonnay or Cap Classique. Truth is that both Chardonnay and Cap Classique are good choices for a wide variety of dishes, especially if the food is spicy and rich. These wines work during the day as well as for dinner. During lunch time it is more important to chill them well though.

Regarding my recommendations of older whites, it remains a risk as the cork may have failed on some older wines spoiling the quality. So best is to open the wine in advance and check it, and keep a backup closeby. Older vintages can be obtained directly from wineries, but you can always ask the wine shops as well. Chances are good that they have a few old bottles that were forgotten on the shelves. You may have to do some research untill you find the right wines, but I can think of worse things to spend time on. Enjoy the challenge!