Forced to cry off on a vertical Oldenburg Cabernet Franc tasting in the Banghoek earlier this month (I was blind tasting in Portugal for the annual wine guide I write with Anibal Coutinho and not at all bang) I pondered long and hard on a suitable food match. I think I’ve found it: Mozzarella sushi (below) at Il Leone Mastrantonio in De Waterkant. Here is mine host with the most gorgeous smile, Daniel Toledo, delivering the dish to our table yesterday.

The wine is so elegantly poised, it works with salmon and the colours match, too. Who said its white wine with fish and red with meat anyway? This red is versatile and was also great with veal meat balls (below)

The tomato flavours of the dish make it not suitable at all for a Stellenbosch Cabernet which often taste to me of tomato paste. Better off with a Franc or a Vondeling Cabernet or indeed any Cabernet from Wellington which are more towards the cassis side of the spectrum.

Still Banghoek and Oldenburg in particular are making something of a name for themselves with Franc and its great to see the debate move from the Simonsberg and Helderberg to the other – Franschhoek – side of the mountain.