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On Thursday 12 March, Creation Wines will launch its latest seasonal pairing menu, In Harmony with Nature, a sensory journey through the most extraordinary moment in the viticultural year: Harvest.

Creation co-owner and creative director Carolyn Martin explains: ‘This is the season when nature reveals what it has been nurturing all year, when terroir is not an abstract concept but visible, tangible, alive. The vines are at their most abundant, some still heavy with fruit. The air carries the scent of fermenting juice, pelargonium and fynbos. You can see the grapes being brought in and feel the energy of a working estate.

‘At Creation, nature leads and innovation follows. Every pairing, every sensory element, every story you hear at the table connects you to this season, this land, and the generations of winemaking wisdom that shape our wines.

‘Because wine is the constant at Creation – the purest expression of our Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge terroir, shaped by ancient soils and ocean breezes – the menu follows a wine-first approach. Every dish has been crafted in response to what the wine is saying, and to honour it. Each ingredient on the plate exists because of something happening in the glass.’

How the journey unfolds ...

After a hand-cleansing ceremony incorporating lime essential oil to prepare you for the plant-forward harvest journey ahead, the welcome pairing combines Creation Sauvignon Blanc with a light and fluffy Green Sattvic Soup made from leeks, parsley, spinach and potato. The wine’s bright herbaceous character and citrus acidity find their natural partner in the soup’s aromatic warmth, while a pumpkin seed crisp provides a nutty, textural counterpoint.

Chapter 1 opens with Creation Sauvignon Blanc Sémillon, a wine of extraordinary freshness and saline minerality that calls for a dish that is green, coastal and cleansing. The answer is Kohlrabi Ceviche with Dune Spinach, Samphire, Deep-Fried Capers, Kombucha Cream and Herb Oil. The kohlrabi is cured in lime for balancing acidity; samphire’s natural salinity mirrors the wine’s minerality; and dune spinach connects directly to the coastal fynbos of our terroir. ‘This dish is the Atlantic Ocean meeting the Ridge, just as the wine is shaped by both,’ says Carolyn.

Chapter 2 is an expression of gratitude, pairing Creation Chardonnay (a choice of either our Ridge or flagship Art of Chardonnay) with a dish that has enough delicate richness to match the wine’s silky texture and elegance. Inspired by the saying that ‘there are only two things a Mexican bows down to: God and Taco’, we invite guests to use their hands to enjoy a Soft Taco containing either Smoked Yellowtail or Mungbean Tofu with Celeriac, Fennel Salsa, Tahini Dressing, Lemon Preserve, a Lime Segment and Carrot Flowers, pausing to be grateful for the food, the wine, the company, and the moment.

The tactile taco experience is followed by a pelargonium hand cleansing ceremony to cleanse, calm and reset the senses. ‘Pelargonium is the scent of harvest at Creation,’ explains Carolyn. ‘It grows wild on the Ridge and is at its most fragrant in late summer. We then pour Creation Rosé without food for a moment of stillness between the energy of the taco and the depth of the Pinot Noir pairing to come.’

Chapter 3 is Creation Pinot Noir (a choice of either our Ridge or flagship Art of Pinot Noir). The cool-climate maritime elegance, mineral complexity, fine-grained tannins, and violet, red fruit and forest-floor aromatics of both wines call for a dish that is earthy, savoury and grounding: either plant-based Oyster Mushroom and Chickpea Tempeh or Springbok Loin served with Samp Risotto, Spinach, Radish, Dune Spinach, Celery, Fynbos, Violets and Nori – ingredients sourced from the same landscape that shapes the wine.

Chapter 4 is ‘home ground’ for cellarmaster Jean-Claude Martin, serving Creation Syrah Grenache (‘a fireside wine, generous and warm’) alongside a rich Brinjal and Basil Melanzane with Withered Olive Crumb, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Roasted Vine Tomatoes, Rosemary and Nori Salt, all presented on a wooden board with Pecorino on the side. ‘This is food built on the simplest and best ingredients, treated with love,’ says Carolyn. ‘It’s also the most personal chapter of the meal, allowing us to tell the story of JC’s Swiss-Italian family.’

The journey culminates in Chapter 5, where there is a difficult choice to be made between Creation Cape White, our fortified Viognier dessert wine, paired with Ridge Apple Cake and Goat’s Milk Cheese Gelato, or Creation Cape Vintage, our port-style Syrah, paired with Dark Chocolate and Fig Cake with Fig and Nutmeg Gelato. Alternatively, guests who prefer a savoury close to the meal will enjoy our Creation Elation Cap Classique with a Ridge Cheese Plate of Three Cheeses, Olives, Amaranth Bread, Amaranth Flower and Walnuts. ‘Whatever choice you make, this is the culmination of the meal, of the harvest, of nature’s generosity,’ concludes Carolyn.

Good for you, good to know ...

As always, our new five-course menu has been prepared in collaboration with an integrative medical consultant. It is intentionally structured not only for flavour progression, but also to work in harmony with human digestive physiology, nervous system regulation, and metabolic balance. ‘Despite enjoying multiple courses and wine pairings, our guests usually leave feeling light and energised rather than heavy and sluggish,’ says Carolyn.

She adds: ‘In every interaction, every gesture, every moment of care, we aim to go beyond what guests expect, creating moments they would never anticipate.’

The Harvest Pairing Menu is available for R1495 per person, or R1605 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.