The small town of Calitzdorp was buzzing over the weekend as hundreds of people flocked to the annual ABSA Port Festival.

As part of festival, the Klein Karoo Wine Route presented a feast of Portuguese food on Friday evening, paired with wine crafted from Portuguese cultivars.

Wine producers in Calitzdorp, also known as the Port Capital of South Africa, are well-known for their word-class Port made from traditional Portuguese cultivars. New, innovative blends from these cultivars resulted in the exciting group of dry wines known as Calitzdorp blends.

To introduce the Calitzdorp blends, dishes from the local Portuguese restaurant in Calitzdorp, Porto Deli were paired with the local wines.

The Entrada, a Portuguese seafood soup, was paired with the Boplaas Portuguese White 2014 and the Peter Bayly III 2012. This was followed by the Pratt de Peixe of cream Cod fish paired with De Krans Tritonia 2011 and Du’SwaRoo Sirocco Bin 3.

The Prato de Carne was Portuguese lamb paired with Axe Hill Distinta 2012 and the Boplaas Gamka 2012.

For dessert the De Krans The Last Cape Port 2010 and the Calitzdorp Cape Vintage 2011 were served with Molotof pudding and a Port wine sauce.

During the course of the evening, members of the Klein Karoo Wine Route presented Francois Ferreira of the Francois Ferreira Academy with a donation to contribute to the academy’s funding. The academy is there to equip students with the necessary skills to thrive in a highly competitive and cut-throat hospitality industry.