There can be but a few places on earth where the natural partnership of wine and food is embraced more wholeheartedly than at Creation Wines on the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge. Pairing guru Carolyn Martin recently proved her considerable skills once again at a demo held as part of the Hermanus FynArts festival.

Titled ‘The Facts & Fun of Wine & Umami Pairing’, the event was held in the Creation Tasting Room on Wednesday 12 June and attracted an enthusiastic audience, eager to learn more about this fascinating subject.

Umami, literally translated, means ‘good taste’ and there are three main types of umami: glutamate which is found in seaweed, guanylate which is found in mushroom and inosinate which is found in fish. As a pairing example Carolyn cited the sensational match of the Creation Reserve Pinot Noir with a dish of Linefish, Beetroot, Beurre Rouge, Radish, Sea Lettuce and Herb Oil.