Recently my cousin shared a tasting of foie gras with a glass of Groot Constantia. The traditional wine pairing with foie gras would be a sweet wine like a sauterne or a Gewürztraminer, to create a luxurious balance with the rich buttery flavour. I found the new pairing with worked very well.
Made predominately from white Muscat de Frontignan with a small perecentage of red grapes. The wine is renowned for rich aromas of honey, apricot, caramel, and Turkish delight, balanced by natural acidity for an elegant finish. Aged in oak barrels it was famously faavoured by Napoleon Bonaparte. The wine comes from South Africa’s oldest wine producing farm, founded in 1685, a provincial heritage site in Cape Town.
I reached out to Daniel Keudler, Groot Constantia’s Cellar Master for his thoughts on the pairing “Traditionally, most chefs pair the Grand Constance with dessert,” he says “a pairing that I strongly disagree with, as I find that a sweet dessert often overpowers the wine. (plus you have sweet + sweet, which makes you instantly full).
“To be honest, I have never tried our Grand Constance with Foie Gras,” he admits, “but your pairing got me very interested. I can imagine that the two would be a very good combination between the rich flavours of the wine and the Foie Gras! The Grand Constance traditionally has a higher acidity (to balance out the sweetness of the wine) that will complement the Foie Gras even further.”
“Foie gras isn’t readily available in South Africa,” he adds “My kids recently started enjoying Skilpadjies, a traditional South African dish of sheep’s liver and caul fat. Coriander, chopped onion, salt and Worcestershire sauce,is added then wrap ba secured it with a toothpick. Inspired by your tasting I will try with the wine”
Daniel came back to me after his family tasting to say “I thought the flavours worked very well together, with the liver taste being well balanced by the complexity of the flavours of the wine. I did feel that the wine overpowered the liver a little bit. The more intense flavours of the Foie Gras will possibly overcome this. I will keep an eye out for some Foie Gras and do the pairing again.” Possibly we have found a South African liver alternative to foie gras to pair with Groot Constantia.
My foie gras mentor was the Michael Ginor. I interviewed him and enjoyed his cooking annually 2007-2009 at World Gourmet Festival, hosted by Four Seasons Bangkok which I wrote about for Prestige Thailand magazine. I can vividly remember his 2 minutes foie gras cooking class, that was the time needed to sear both sides to perfection. Sadly he passed away on 25th November 2022.
When I approached Hudson Bay Foie Gras for their tasting comments, his son Jordan who had done the tasting coonected me with his father’s No 1 Chef Lenny Messina, Executive Chef and Partner at Restaurant LOLA ( www.restaurantlola.com) and the Culinary Director at Hudson Valley Farms (www.hudsonvalleyfoiegras.com). He played a central role in shaping LOLA into one of the region’s most admired dining destinations, known for refined cuisine and thoughtful hospitality.
“I have been fortunate enough to try this pairing,”says Lenny, and it is spectacular! It perfectly complements the subtle nutty flavour of the foie gras while cutting through some of the richness.”
Yes the pairing does work and personally it was so encouraging when such a culinary voices echoes my tasting comments.
A discovery journey with Laurence Civil of his best tasting experiences 
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