Quality to some can be likened to a rainbow, logically the rainbow must have a beginning and an end but we only see the beautiful and somewhat mystical final arch and not where it begins nor where it ends. Much like rainbows, we as consumers often don’t realize that the mechanisms allowing for quality are hidden beyond the horizon, in the background or at the end of the rainbow.

Creation Wines on the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge is proud to have two of their wines scoring an impressive 96 points (the equivalent of a gold medal) in the recently published 2019 South African Special Report by Tim Atkin MW. The two top achievers are the 2018 Creation Art of Chardonnay and the 2018 Creation Art of Pinot Noir, making Creation the only estate to score 96 for both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from over the 250 wineries that Tim visited.

Once upon a time in a secluded little enclave on the picturesque Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, there was a talented culinary team who loved nothing better than to surprise and delight their guests with a feast of aromas, flavours, textures and colours. To ensure that their offerings remain fresh and always on trend, they introduced a most novel concept in wine and food pairing: the Story of Creation.

Doesn’t time just fly when you’re having fun? Carolyn Martin, of course, loves to travel, always packing her itinerary with new places to see, out of the ordinary things to experience, old and new friends to meet, exciting wines and food to taste … and then some. Here she reports on the Martin family’s recent holiday in Switzerland and Norway and next week we’ll be recounting her adventures in Burgundy.

Ask Carolyn Martin what her favourite red wine is and she answers without hesitation. Yes, it is Pinot Noir which she fondly refers to as ‘Prince Charming wandering through the forest picking wild strawberries’. And which she also dearly loves for its great pairing potential.

Creation’s ‘Leading Lady’, Carolyn Martin, pays tribute to four memorable women whose example and inspiration contributed in various ways to her outlook on life and to the person she has become.

“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” – Nelson Mandela.

Visitors often remark on the unique tableware used to present the Creation wine and food pairings. As with at least 80% of the fresh, seasonal ingredients featured on the menus, pairing guru Carolyn Martin and her team prefer to source their imaginative ceramics from local sources.

Creation Wines in South Africa’s sought-after Hemel-en-Aarde wine region proudly celebrates its place among the 50 top wineries selected at the inaugural 2019 World’s Best Vineyards (WBV) awards.

The exciting news is out: apart from their latest, much-anticipated wine releases the Creation team also recently introduced their first olive oil. The 2019 Creation Extra Virgin Olive Oil was grown in two Hemel-en-Aarde groves planted in 2007 on the Mount Babylon and Vrede farms and covering 1.5 hectare in total. Selected for their suitability to the terroir, the cultivars include four Italian varieties – Coratina, Leccino, Frantoio and Favolosa – as well as a Sicilian cultivar, Nocellare del Belice.