Wine and food pairing at the Sankara

To be perfectly honest, I can’t say that I’m much of a wine connoisseur. My mantra has always been, “if I like it, I’ll drink it.”

So, on receiving an invitation to Sankara’s Meerlust Wine and Food Pairing event last week, I was skeptical.

For me, there has always been a level of pretention associated with wine connoisseurship, but I decided that my preconceptions are partly due to my own ignorance on the matter. So I accepted. And let’s just say I was pleasantly surprised.

The Sankara’s Gallery Bar has earned itself a great reputation as a home of some of the best wines in Nairobi having won the Wine Spectator Award for Excellence in 2011.

And this was the third time a visiting master winemaker has showcased at the Sankara.

The Meerlust Wine tasting presented itself as a wonderful opportunity to personally meet Hannes Myburg, the eighth generation owner of the Meerlust Estate and Chris Williams, the estate’s Cellar Master (better known as wine maker).

The Meerlust estate is situated just 15 km away from the famous South African wine region of Stellenbosch, and is privy to an unusual coastal climate that produces wines with unique varietal flavours.

We had the privilege of hearing first hand about the Meerlust Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and the Merlot.

The Chardonnay was my personal favourite. Light, crisp and flavoured with a delicate citrus taste which then developed into a creamy finish. This was paired with a beautiful avocado and lobster roll.

We moved onto the Pinot Noir, a deliciously medium bodied red with berry notes and a rich spicey aftertaste which perfectly paired with a duck breast and macerated orange and saffron endive.

The last was the Meerlust Merlot, a rich full- bodied red with dark chocolate and damson notes accompanied by a delightful Medley of Blue Cheese, cinnamon poached and rich chocolate tart.

Interestingly, this experience may not have converted me into a die-hard connoisseur (trust me, some of the guys in the room were), but it did demystify the concept of connoisseurship.

For more information, visit eatout.co.ke/sankara.