The Launch of The Cardinal Pinot Noir

The Cardinal, Pinot Noir - "Vanity"

Wine is often seen as an intimidating beverage. The swirl and sniff and leery commentary about "body" and "legs" has left many a person feeling like a right old putts. Until now...

David Wibberly of the Bordeaux Room is a passionate, knowledgeable and enthusiastic wine connoisseur with a keen palate and a-nose-that-knows. By translating his amorous wiles for the grape juice into a labour of love by teaching anyone with an interest about the subtleties of wine appreciation, he has become one of the lucky few who has got to create a career from a place of natural interest and in this case, a healthy obsession.

This week Dave and his business partner, Matthew Battle, celebrated the launch of their very own label, The Cardinal, at the Dutch Manor Antique Hotel set at the foothills of the cobble-stoned Bo Kaap. Their Pinot Noir, The Vanity, is a definitive crowd pleaser. The juicy, delicate red complexion gives way to a wine that is youthful, fruity and most importantly, accessible. 

The Dutch Manor Antique Hotel

So where there is wine by Wibberly, there is food paired by Anthony. This young team seem to be doing an incredible job at wowing private dinner parties in and around Cape Town. Having been to dinner with these two, I can assure you that besides being welcoming and generous hosts, they know a thing or three about the happy marriage between food and wine. 

Now, I've come to realise that where there is Wibberly, there is often a bit of ...um....wobberly, so The Monsieur and I were chuft when we were invited to stay the night at The Dutch Manor Antique Hotel. The solid wooden floors, original four poster beds, Egyptian cotton linen and thee most beautiful pieces of hand crafted furniture created the perfect context for the evening and were a dream to wake up to. And with breakfast being prepared by one of Silwood's finest, it goes without saying that we felt like royalty.