I have read enough wine-pairing guides written from European countryside libraries to know they don't reach my kitchen.
This one is written from mine — a Highveld kitchen in Secunda, where the food we cook is the food we cook, and the wine has to keep up. Nine Morara wines. The food I would pour each one with, on the days I would pour it.
The two rules I follow
- Match weight to weight. Heavy food (oxtail, ribeye, lamb potjie) wants a heavy wine. Light food (oysters, summer salad, grilled fish) wants a light wine. If the wine is heavier than the food it bullies the plate; if it's lighter the food drowns it.
- Match what the food does to the wine. Sweet food likes sweet wine. Spicy food likes off-dry. Acidic food (citrus, vinegar) likes acidic wine. Salty food likes anything that cuts through it.
The pairings below all run those two rules underneath. Where I have learned a specific exception worth knowing, I've noted it.
Morara Sweet Shiraz
The off-dry red. The bottle I open when the room is mixed and I want everyone in it.
- Sticky braai ribs — the sweetness in the marinade meets the sweetness in the wine, they don't fight, they meet
- Lamb curry with coconut milk and just enough heat
- Sticky shisanyama wings — honestly the best pairing in the catalogue
- Mature cheddar and dark chocolate after dinner
- Sweet-and-sour pork if you cook Chinese on Sunday nights
Morara Shiraz
The classic dry full-bodied red. The bottle for Sunday lunches when there are five things on the table.
- Beef braai — sirloin, T-bone, ribeye, anything off open flame
- Oxtail stew, especially with red wine in the pot
- Lamb chops with rosemary and garlic
- Biltong board with mature cheese and dark chocolate
- Peppered steak — the pepper in the wine doubles the pepper on the plate
Morara Cabernet Sauvignon
The serious red. For meals that have been planned, not improvised.
- Aged Karoo lamb — the classic SA pairing for a reason
- Rib-eye steak done right (medium-rare, rested 10 minutes)
- Slow-roasted beef with rosemary, garlic, red wine jus
- Sosaties with sweetness in the marinade
- Mature gouda at room temperature
Morara Merlot
The medium-bodied friendly red. The weeknight dinner wine.
- Roast chicken with herbs
- Mushroom risotto — mushrooms and Merlot have always been friends
- Beef stew with red wine in it
- Pasta with rich tomato sauce (bolognese, arrabbiata)
- Roasted veg for vegetarian nights — butternut, beetroot, sweet potato
Morara Pinotage
South Africa's own grape. The wine I open when someone wants to know what SA wine tastes like.
- Boerewors — there is no closer pairing in the country
- Sosaties with sweet marinade
- Lamb potjie slow-cooked over fire
- Ostrich steak done medium
- Biltong on its own
Morara Coffee Pinotage
The mocha-style red. The wine I open after dinner instead of dessert wine.
- Malva pudding with custard
- Chocolate brownies with vanilla ice cream
- Sticky braai ribs with sweet glaze — if dinner is dessert-adjacent
- Coffee and dark chocolate on its own
- Mature blue cheese with a drizzle of honey
Morara Chardonnay
The most-planted white in the world, given Stellenbosch expression.
- Grilled chicken with lemon and herbs
- Prawn pasta with cream
- Creamy risottos — mushroom, asparagus, butternut
- Sushi, especially salmon and tuna nigiri
- Soft cheeses — brie, camembert
- Summer salads with roasted veg and goat's cheese
Morara Chenin Blanc
South Africa's flagship white. The wine for spicy food and sunny afternoons.
- Cape Malay curry with mild spice
- Grilled fish — hake, kingklip, snoek
- Calamari with lemon and garlic
- Chicken espetada with peri-peri
- Soft creamy cheeses and fresh fruit
- Bunny chow on a Sunday lunch
Morara Sauvignon Blanc
The aromatic crisp white. For hot afternoons.
- Goat's cheese with fresh tomato and basil
- Fresh oysters with lemon
- Grilled fish — lighter touch than the Chenin pairing
- Summer salads — anything with citrus dressing
- Sushi — especially anything with avocado
- Lemon chicken with green herbs
The shortcut version
If you don't want to read the whole guide, here are the seven shortcuts:
- Braai meat → Shiraz or Pinotage
- Sticky braai with sweet glaze → Sweet Shiraz
- Sunday lunch with five things on the table → Shiraz
- Special-occasion red meat dinner → Cabernet Sauvignon
- Weeknight dinner → Merlot
- Spicy food → Chenin Blanc
- Hot afternoon, light food → Sauvignon Blanc
- After-dinner indulgence → Coffee Pinotage
A note on glasses
You don't need fancy glassware. Any wine glass with a thin rim and a wide-enough bowl that you can swirl without spilling is fine. The pour matters more than the glass. Pour halfway up the bowl, never to the rim — you want air above the wine for the aromas.
A note on temperature
The single most under-respected thing in South African wine drinking. Reds should be served cooler than room temperature in summer (drop into the fridge for 20 minutes before pouring). Whites should not be served straight from a cold fridge — give them five minutes on the counter first. Both extremes ruin the wine.
The honest closer
I do not believe in wine pairing rules that say this wine can only be served with this food. I believe in pairings that make a Tuesday dinner feel like a Friday dinner, or a Friday dinner feel like a celebration. The list above is what works in my house. Try it in yours. Tell me what you change.
If you want to taste through several wines on one evening so the pairings stop being theoretical, that's what Friday Night Taste & Test exists for.
— Portia Modiehi Mokoena
Morara Winery
Secunda