Come Wine With Us, if you haven’t heard about it, is kind of like a monthly supper club that brings together restaurants and wine estates. It’s a great way to try a multi-course vino-paired meal (usually at an awesome price) as well as meet new people.

Last week myself and Karisa attended CWWU’s second annual Christmas in July event held out at Durbanville Hills. The estate’s restaurant created a special four-course menu carefully paired with the Rhinofields wine collection, a reserve range named after the Renosterveld growing in the area.

The evening also took the giving spirit of ‘Christmas’ in that part of the proceeds from the ticket sales went towards the Durbanville Hills Workers’ Trust creche. (An FYI: A percentage of all the sales of Durbanville Hills wine goes towards the Trust.)

Upon arrival, we were greeted by the farm’s winemaker and cellar master, the gregarious Martin Moore, who filled up in on the wines we’d be drinking, before heading upstairs to the spacious restaurant made cosy by warm bodies and a crackling fireplace.

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Of all the wines I tried, I most enjoyed the crisp yet fruity Rhinofields Sauvignon Blanc (R50) and Rhinofields Merlot (R115), a medium-bodied juicy wine with yummy dark chocolate notes, it’s surprisingly easy to drink.

Food-wise, my friend, Elrico, picked the winner – the grilled rack of lamb served with cumin, cauliflower, a potato phyllo tart – and was kind enough to share.

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Oh! And did I mention that the dress code for the evening was ‘a touch of red’? I pulled on the only red item I own, a tartan-esque dress, which turned out to be pretty much the same outfit my stalkery, Single White Female bestie wore.

On the upside, however, we won a bottle of wine for Best-dressed ‘Twinsies’ which she immediately confiscated. (‘I’m giving this to Kim! You rocked up for pizza last week and then when nobody opened your bottle you took it home! That’s terrible! You’re a terrible person! I’m taking this home to Kim and she and I are going to drink it without you! Ha!’ Please remind me why I am friends with this person?!)

In all, this was a fun, festive evening and I’d happily recommend CWWU’s events as a fab, foodilicious day or evening out. To join in on the next one, keep an eye on their website for upcoming events.

Love, love

Leigh