The season of seafood

ummer and seafood seem to complement each other. It’s all about eating outside, staving off the heat with fresh, cool flavours. All the dishes featured here are light and healthy and should be paired with similarly delicate wines for maximum enjoyment. Here are three to consider. The pretty and unusual Van Loveren Perlé de Jean Pinot Grigio Rosé 2018 (R70) is perfect for summer drinking. Pinot grigio is a white grape, but this wine also has a tiny amount of red muscadel, which not only gives a hint of colour but also adds floral aromas and flavours. The wine is named after the matriarch of the Van Loveren family, the late Jean Retief, who created the beautiful gardens on the farm outside Robertson. It’s slightly off-dry, with an appetizing spritz – perfect for sipping in the garden. A great wine to try with all kinds of seafood is the Strandveld First Sighting Sauvignon Blanc 2017 (R80). It’s from the fynbos plains around Elim in the Overberg, where the grapes are buffeted by cool ocean breezes. The wind reduces the yield but increases flavour concentration. First Sighting is a lip-smackingly fresh wine, full of lemon and lime notes. It will go swimmingly with oysters, prawns and sushi. You might think that chardonnay would be too full-bodied to go with seafood, but the Grande Provence Chardonnay 2017 (R155) is here to prove you wrong. Grande Provence in the Franschhoek Valley is known for its rich, oaky chardonnays, but this one has been styled for summer and is much lighter and fresher. The key is the reduced use of oak – the winemaker has opted for only 50 % new wood, which has added some creaminess without overwhelming the flavours of citrus and melon. Try it with a fillet of game fish, or with pan-fried scallops.