The perfect match

Done cheese, chocolate, biltong and cupcakes with your wine? Try these new pairings, which hit just the right notes

➊ MACARONS (pictured above) At Idiom, near Somerset West, you can try a chamomile macaron with Romeo & Juliet Prosecco, a lemon macaron with Late Harvest Viognier and a blueberry macaron with a Merlot ‘raisin wine’. They’re bound to be the prettiest sweets you’ll see this summer, decorated with flowers, chocolate, jellies, gold dust and even bee pollen. R150 pp, weekends only. 021-858-1088

➋ FUDGE At Stellenbosch Hills, just west of town, there’s Fizz & Fudge (pictured right) – think traditional butter fudge with a Pinot Noir sparkling rosé and a Sauvignon Blanc brut with chocolate malt fudge. R40 pp. 021-881-3828 ➌ PESTO Neil Ellis Wines, on the Helshoogte Pass in Stellenbosch, is offering ‘Pesto & Wine Play’, in which you experiment and choose your own combos. The four pestos are chickpea curry, beetroot and almond, mint and pecan and kale and cashew; it’s up to you to decide which of the four wines goes best with each. R100 pp. 021-887-0649

➍ ICE CREAM Clos Malverne in Stellenbosch’s Devon Valley was the pioneer of this craze for unique pairings, and each summer there’s a new batch of ice creams to match the estate’s bubbly, Pinotage and Chardonnay. This year it’s banana-coconut curry, peppermint-chocolate chip, sweetcorn, chilli and coriander, and darkchocolate, coffee-meringue and caramel. R98 pp, Tuesdays to Saturdays. 021-865-2022 Available only until the end of February, and booking is essential.