This was done a little differently to most food and wine pairings. We turned the equation on its head and started out with wine as our point of departure rather than the food.

JD decided to stick with something suited to the winter season and opted to select the Catharina. As true fans of this red will no doubt be aware, the blend changes from year to year – either in terms of the percentages or the various components used. One thing that never alters is that the Catharina is representative of the best of the vintage – and in 2007 that meant a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Just a splash of Cabernet Franc was added – much like that final sprinkling of salt & pepper on a plate of food. That touch of seasoning rounds the dish off well!

On the subject of seasoning, it obviously fell to BistroSixteen82 Chef Brad Ball (more about him in the next newsletter…) to come up with a suitable match for the Catharina. “Lamb,” was his unequivocal reply. Specifically a slow-braised lamb shoulder with roast garlic and shallot puree, caramelised baby onions with thyme and potato dauphine.

“It’s an incredible combination that really works superbly. We’ve tried a few things but nothing beats the flavour and soft texture of the lamb shoulder. And I’ve also found that it’s all about that little puddle of sauce on the plate…” And that ‘puddle’ is the result of the juices from the cooking process being combined with some Catharina and being reduced to up the intensity of the sauce. It’s finally finished off with a knob of butter. “You don’t need a lot of the sauce on the plate because it is quite intense, but it really makes the food and wine pairing sing.”