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Creation Wines launched its highly anticipated autumn menu, an innovative dining experience that represents the pinnacle of Creation’s 2025 theme: Celebrating the ‘Culture’ in Agri-CULTURE.

The menu shares its inspiration with an acclaimed short film by Creation, celebrating the profound connection between nature, land, wine, and the arts. Entirely produced using local talent and resources, the film artfully weaves winemaking and food pairing with ballet, music, high fashion, cinematography and craftsmanship. It beautifully encapsulates Creation’s belief that each glass of wine represents generations of accumulated wisdom, seasonal attentiveness and patient cultivation – the same elements that nurture artistic expression.

Please watch the film here.

‘The same care that goes into our vineyards goes into every dish and wine pairing we serve,’ says Creation co-founder and creative director Carolyn Martin. ‘Nature inspires both our wines and the dishes we pair with them. We source 80% of our ingredients locally because we believe what grows together goes together. It’s not only about freshness and sustainability, but also about telling our region’s story.’

A Fusion of Tradition and Innovation
Like an artist honing his or her unique expression, the philosophy of Creation’s culinary team is to respect classics while trying novel approaches. They also collaborate with integrative medical practitioner Dr Julienne Fenwick and Nicola Cunningham, a Cordon Bleu-trained chef with Natural Medicine and Herbalism qualifications, to incorporate Ayurvedic wellness principles into their seasonal, mostly plant-based menus.

Just as Creation’s wines reflect the terroir and changing seasons, Ayurveda recognises that our bodies have changing needs throughout the year. In autumn, to balance the dry, airy, cool and changeable qualities of the Vata dosha, the food that we eat should be grounding, warming and nourishing. For this reason, Creation’s new pairing menu features mostly cooked rather than raw dishes, and warming spices including cinnamon and ginger.

A Sensory Journey Through Five Chapters
As a Warm Welcome, you’ll be invited to enjoy a hand cleansing ceremony, a simple yet profound moment of transition combining Creation’s Agri-CULTURE philosophy with Ayurvedic wisdom. It will refresh and relax you before your meal begins, awakening your senses while nourishing your skin against the dryness of the season. You will also be offered a warm Olive Elixir Tonic alongside a glass of Creation Sauvignon Blanc with its refreshingly clean minerality.

Then, Chapter 1 – ‘Ocean’s Gift’ – sees Creation Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon paired with a plant-based and immune-boosting dish of Shiitake Carpaccio, where the wine’s crisp freshness balances the ozone-like aroma and umami flavour of the mushrooms, like the ocean meeting the earth on your palate.

‘Rain in a Herb Garden’ is the title of Chapter 2, showcasing Creation Roussanne Grenache Blanc – a wine that evokes that magical ‘petrichor’ moment when rain meets dry soil – alongside a Tomato, Cannellini & Basil Soup with Bratzeli, a soulful dish with hearty substance and remarkable depth as well as bright aromatic herbal notes.

Chapter 3 – ‘ABC (Absolutely Brilliant Chardonnay)’ – pairs the silken Creation Reserve Chardonnay or Creation Art of Chardonnay, depending on your choice of menu, alongside either meltingly tender Cured Trout with Kimchi Beurre Blanc or Chickpea Tempeh with Purple Sauerkraut. The fermented components provide umami notes and a wonderful complexity that echoes that of the wines, whose vibrant acidity cuts through the richness of the dishes.

‘Red Velvet’ is Chapter 4’, which sees Creation Reserve Pinot Noir or Creation Art of Pinot Noir matched with either Beef Cheeks and Polenta or Sweet Potato Miso Gnocchi. Both are comforting and satisfying dishes that complement the velvety texture of the wine, with aromatic sage added to provide herbal notes while helping to improve digestion and warm the body from within.

Although Chapter 5 is called ‘Sweet Temptation’ thanks to the indulgent pairing of Creation Fine Cape Vintage with Ginger Tofu Cremeux and Poached Plums, there is also a savoury alternative: Creation Elation sparkling wine served alongside a Trio of Goat Cheese (plant-based cheeses also available). Of course, you are more than welcome to enjoy both (for an additional fee), secure in the knowledge that both options have health benefits: easily digestible proteins, healthy fats, and components that support gut flora, boost cardiovascular health and/or reduce inflammation.

More Than a Meal: A Community Investment
What makes the Creation experience truly exceptional extends beyond the plate and glass. Each visitor who enjoys the pairing menu creates 11 extended jobs in the local community for the day of their visit. Additionally, every guest’s experience provides six meals or a donation to the Pebbles Hemel-en-Aarde Education Project, enriching the lives of previously disadvantaged children and young adults.

'At Creation, we’re not merely serving a meal; we’re inviting you on a sensory journey that engages all eight senses to connect you to our land, our creativity, and our story,’ says Martin. ‘Each sip and every bite is a celebration of Agri-CULTURE – where farming meets art, dining becomes an unforgettable memory, and your visit creates meaningful impact in our community.’

Creation’s Autumn Pairing Menu is available for R1460 per person, or R1570 per person with Art of Creation wines. Alcohol-free pairings are available for drivers or those abstaining. À la carte, breakfast, and children’s menus are also offered.

Please remember that reservations are essential, especially over the school holidays and Easter weekend. Phone +27 (0)28 212 1107, email reservations@creationwines.com or book via Dineplan.