Who says dessert is strictly reserved for sweet dessert wine? With Creation’s versatile and food friendly range at your disposal, many a sumptuous surprise awaits you … Thus celeb Chef Coco Reinarhz has paired the (definitely dry) Creation Merlot with his luxurious Frozen Chocolate Parfait with Pear Compote and voilà: a pairing that is as unexpected as it is irresistible!

This truly delectable pairing received the ultimate stamp of approval when Creation’s cellarmaster Jean-Claude Martin cleaned his plate – completely unheard of as JC is not normally fond of dessert! The dark chocolate and caramelised pears combine seamlessly with the Creation Merlot in what is best described as a harmonious horizontal pairing – a marriage of textures and flavours.

Multi-facetted like a finely cut ruby in the glass, the 2013 Creation Merlot entices with a bounty of fruity and spicy aromas. On the palate, rewarding dark chocolate and mocha combine with generous ripe berry flavours, supported by the firm structure derived from judicious maturation in French oak barriques. Click here for the recipe and here to order Creation Merlot 2013 now.

Wine Word of the Week: Pigeage/Punchdown This is the process of mixing the skins back into the juice during red wine fermentation. The carbon dioxide that is released during fermentation pushes the skins and pips up to form a cap above the wine. If the cap is left dry and exposed to oxygen the winemaker runs the risk of ascetic acid being produced, resulting in volatile acidity: a wine fault. To prevent this, the skins were traditionally mixed through by foot. One of the added benefits, and one which is actively sought by winemakers, is the increased extraction of colour, flavour and tannin that pigeage encourages. In modern times this process is done manually with special tools or mechanically with pneumatic punch-down machines.