A wine bar in London Bridge is bringing the spirit of South African barbecue to the city through a one-hour tasting experience.
With restaurants in London Bridge and Farringdon, Vivat Bacchus has launched Passport to South Africa, which pairs a flight of three wines with two traditional braai (barbecue) dishes.
The £29.70-per-person session is led by one of the chain’s wine staff and opens with an Amarula-inspired amuse-bouche, before moving into the three main wines.
First was the 2023 Bartinney Chardonnay from Stellenbosch, which I found to be sharp but with enough lightness to not leave an aftertaste like the two which followed.
Next, we tried the 2022 Kaapzicht Rooiland Pinotage, which I definitely found to be the strongest of the three and was quite acidic, which did pair well with the “meatiness” of the vegetable croquette.
The last of the three main wines was the 2022 Vergelegen Cabernet Sauvignon, also from Stellenbosch, which was still quite strong and had a deep, dark fruit flavour.
It was deemed to be one of the worst wines in the world by sommeliers at the time of its testing back in the 1960s, but it has gained an acquired appreciation since its revision.
As mentioned earlier, I had a Cape Malay bobotie-stuffed cabbage, which was very soft and smelled very earthy, so you could tell it was well-seasoned.
The spiced filling, as well as how tightly-packed the lettuce was, made the dish hearty without becoming heavy on the stomach.
While the croquette had a near-impossible act to follow, I still found it quite enjoyable.
It was slightly too oily, but it was really nice when you take some of the sauce from the bobotie, as it provides the crunch of the croquette with a sweet but spicy softness.
Overall, if you have ever been curious to try South African wine or food, but have never known where to begin, Vivat Bacchus is a warm and relaxed place to start.
Passport to South Africa runs at Vivat Bacchus once a month, and tickets are available via Eventbrite.
Featured image credit: Jacob Antigha
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