After a long work-week, what better way to end it than on a high note, turning your last meeting into a sensory experience? This summer at Idiom you can explore interesting and unusual wines through the prism of macarons, the dainty confection that shares an Italian heritage with the celebrated Helderberg winery which overlooks False Bay.
It is not widely known that macarons have been produced in Venetian monasteries since the 8th century AD. Only during the Renaissance period, when Catherine de Medici of Florence married Henry ii and became Queen of France, did they become more famous when her personal team of Italian pastry chefs made them for her at the French Royal Court.
This Italian identity also shared by the Bottega Family, owners of Idiom, is showcased at their popular Italian Festival held annually at Idiom during the first weekend of March. The macarons are made by the pastry team at Idiom, with ingredients that showcase the character of the wines being paired. The pairing goes from light and airy to dark and intense.
The first wine in the pairing line-up is an imported Prosecco called Romeo and Juliet, a bubbly sensation from the Veneto region that has been paired with a chamomile macaron. The treat, garnished with white estate flowers, presents ingredients of chamomile jelly, peach buttercream, white chocolate and bee pollen dust.
It is followed by Idiom’s Imperium White Gold, an elegant late harvest viognier served with a lemon macaron. It incorporates caramel cream, honey jelly, lemon curd and candied lemon. The macaron itself is brushed with gold dust and served on crushed almond shortbread alongside yellow flower petals.
The Idiom Imperium Black Gold Hailstorm is the dramatic conclusion. This ‘freak of nature’ raisin wine made from Merlot grapes pairs with a beautiful flower-decorated blueberry
macaron of dark chocolate ganache, violet jelly, blueberry gel and dried blueberry raisins.
The exquisite Idiom Wine & Macaron Experience affords visitors the opportunity to not only sample the wares of true vinous and culinary craft, but also to enjoy spectacular bay views. From its elevated vineyard setting, there are 180-degree panoramic views of both sea and mountain. The vantage point offers a unique coastal perspective of the full profile of the Cape Peninsula across False Bay whilst having the green, windswept vineyards and rugged, fynbos-covered mountainside as a backdrop to this unique Cape Winelands’ destination.
