Monday, December 8, 2014

Gabrielskloof Wine and Chocolate pairing

It was a Monday morning after a fun filled weekend and I needed something to help with the post-weekend blues! I decided to drive out to Gabrielskloof as its been ages since I visited them.

Beautiful court yard

Gabrielskloof is a beautiful estate situated in the middle of the canola fields. They produce quality wine and was the host to my fathers 50th birthday party so they will always be a special place for me.

I decided to enjoy their wine and chocolate pairing as a glass of Gabrielskloof wine never disappoints. The grounds and buildings of Gabrielkloof are beautiful and it's equally enjoyable to sit inside or outside during your wine tasting experience. It was a lovely sunny day so we decided to sit on the 'stoep'.

The lovely stoep to relax on
 
 
 
Tasting room inside

The Gabrielskloof wine is paired with Honest Chocolate. Honest chocolate is raw chocolate. This makes them the perfect accompaniments to the wine so that no artificial elements interfere with the taste of it. They use raw and organic cocao from Ecuador  which is high in anti-oxidants. The chocolate contains no sugar, stabilisers ect.

Here are the pairings

  • Gabrielskloof Viognier with 72% orange chocolate. This was our favourite pairing as well as my favourite wine. We loved it as it was the sweetest combination out of all.
  • Gabrielskloof The blend with 72% with mint. The wine is a Bordeaux blend, my favourite, which is led by Cabarnet Sauvignon.
  • Gabrielskloof Shiraz with 72% Kalahari Desert salt. I am a big fan of sweet and salt combination desserts. Although Honest chocolate is not naturally sweet the above combo was still a treat.
  • Gabrielskloof Five arches with 88% Dark. Five arches is also a Bordeaux blend with Cabarnet Franc as the leader. This combination unfortunately was too heavy for me.
  • Gabrielskloof Swartrivier Shiraz with 72% grains or paradise(spicy citrus pepper from Ghana). This was my other favourite pairing. The pepper in the chocolate worked well with the pepper flavour in the wine.

Honest chocolate
 
Pre-wine
 
Awesome pairing
 
My tasting companions

At R60pp this was an awesome experience. Next on my to do list is the food and wine pairing that they now offer at the following prices
  • White wines only (4) - R60
  • Red wine only (4) - R70
  • Complete tasting - R130
Current food and wine pairing menu


You can also just enjoy winetasting at R30pp and the fee is wavered if you purchase any wine. It has been a while since I've dined at their restaurant but all my previous experiences have been excellent, hearty food at reasonable prices.

Also remember about their Our Favourite Things Market the 12th&13th December that I've mentioned in a previous post.

As you can see Gabrielskloof has a lot to offer. My suggestion would be to enjoy one of the wine pairings and then head over for lunch or dessert at the restaurant. You will definitely want to spend as much time as possible here.

For more information visit their website
When to visit
  • December
    • Restaurant
      • 09:00-17:00 everyday
    • Wine tasting
      • 10:00-16:00 everyday
  • January-November
    • Restaurant
      • Wednesday-Monday 09:00-17:00
    • Wine tasting
      • Monday-Friday 09:00-17:00
      • Saturday 11:00-15:00
      • Sunday closed
Tweet them @Gabrielskloof
Like them on Facebook
Located near Botrivier(R43).(map link)

Honest chocolate

For more information visit their website
Tweet them @HonestChoc
Like them on Facebook
Instagram honestchocolate
Visit their newly opened store at 64A Wale street, Cape Town

2 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Pleasure! Very excited about your food and wine pairing! Will def do it before the vacation ends!

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