Pairing wine and the usual gourmet dishes invariably holds out exciting possibilities for the palate, but it is rather intriguing that a gap still exists when it comes to exploring similar matches with traditional African dishes.

African cuisine seems to take the back seat to the more fancied western culinary dishes.

Budding winemaker Mahalia Matshete, a 25-year-old viticulture and oenology graduate from Elsenburg Agricultural College and the University of Stellenbosch, wants to change all that by cultivating interest in the pairing of local wines with African dishes.

The Vosloorus-born trainee winemaker, born of teetotaller parents who were shocked at her choice of career, is earmarking Shiraz for her food-and-wine experiment - a grape she describes as "flashy" and the most versatile of all winemaking grapes.

"I like township traditional dishes such as mogodu, stews, samp and dumpling, and intend to create some interesting Shiraz wines to accompany such dishes and other popular African delicacies," Matshete says.

She is being trained by top winemaker Louis Strydom of Ernie Els wines in Stellenbosch, one of the premier producers of Shiraz wines.

"Working with Louis, I have been exposed to good Shiraz wines and winemaking methods," says Matshete.

"Shiraz is a very flashy cultivar and, as a result, you can do so much with it while playing around with different styles. Next year, I would like to make my own Shiraz."

Shiraz, a variety of French origin also planted in SA and elsewhere, is also better known as Syrah abroad.

Depending on which winemaker one talks to,  local practice is to use the name Syrah on a Shiraz wine made according to the subdued classic style rather than the ripe juicy style of New World countries such as SA, Australia, Chile and Argentina.

Shiraz generally is recognisable by deep purple smoky and spicy characteristics.

Shiraz SA, an association of winemakers passionate about the grape, quotes local gastronomy guru Katinka van Niekerk as saying food that can be paired with Shiraz falls into four taste categories:

lFood with powerful flavours: stews, casseroles and SA's very own "potjies". Slow-cooked, full-flavoured dishes also pair well;

lGame: Venison pie, kudu or ostrich steak, roast duck, rabbit or springbok;

lGrilled, braaied food: Shiraz's typical smokiness gels with braaied meats as well as with sweet sauces, jellies and relishes; and

lCheese: Recommended are hard cow's milk cheeses, blue cheese, aged Cheddar and slightly aged goat's cheese.

Matshete is one of four black youths being trained under a protégé programme run by the cream of local winemakers and the Cape Winemakers Guild, who hosted the Nedbank CWG auction wine show in Sandton last Thursday.

The wine show featured 100 wines to be exclusively sold at the CWG auction at Spier Hotel and Conference Centre on October 3.

The wine show revealed a few trends to guide wine shoppers and tourists.

As the show revealed,  die-hard Shiraz fans  can look to exciting labels of the same grape from Hartenberg, Luddite, Boschkloof, Boekenhoutskloof, Saronsberg, Groot Constantia, Simonsig, Ernie Els and Cederberg. 

Matshete is right on the tracks of powerful black female winemakers already stamping their authority in the Cape winelands. 

SPEAK LIKE A PRO:

MADERISED refers to a wine that is oxidised and flat, and has brownish colour, often as a fault during storing.