Amazing May Meanderings - Creation Wines

Amazing May Meanderings
The month of May of course means springtime in Europe and it
was with a spring in their step that Creation’s Carolyn Martin
and Daniela Messina recently put on their globe-trotting boots
– this time hopping some of the hottest cuisine spots in the
UK, Estonia, Finland, Denmark and France.

Top of the itinerary was one of Carolyn’s favourite cities,
Edinburgh, where WOSA (Wines of South Africa) and Fazenda
hosted among others the highly successful ‘Escape to the Cape
at Fazenda’ VIP lunch on 3 May. This was followed by a
consumer tasting that evening which was so popular it was
oversubscribed! Commenting on these events Carolyn says that
it was especially the Viognier, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that
shone and dramatically changed the guests’ and wine writers’
perception of South African wines.

“We enjoyed our stay at Malmaison, the hotel of one of our
clients, situated in Leith. This regenerated area of the
Edinburgh docklands has a truly cool ambience with fantastic
eateries and shops. The hotel stocks Creation Chardonnay and
Pinot Noir and it was good to hear that our wines are very
popular with the hotel guests.

“Another of our favourite clients, Champany Inn, kindly
invited us to a tasting dinner and we stayed overnight. This
charming and unique inn has one of the most amazing cellars I
have ever seen, dedicated to wine and meat, and it was a great
experience,” relates Carolyn.

On this first leg of her trip Carolyn was accompanied by
Creation trainee sommelier, Stephanie van Rooyen, who then
stayed on at Champany Inn to do a 3-week internship with
owners Anne and Jason Davidson before moving on to complete
the rest of her 3-month training trip in the UK.

St Andrews presented another milestone in the Scottish
experience. “I spent a great day with Douglas Williamson from
Bibendum,listing eight of our wines at top establishments such
as St Andrews Wine Shop and St Andrews Golf Hotel,” says an
enthusiastic Carolyn.

Following five hectic days in Edinburgh Carolyn set off for
Manchester where she was joined by Daniela on 8 May. What
follows are comments by the two of them.

  Among the highlights in Manchester was the opportunity to
  meet with the Fazenda team, spending a morning sharing The
  Story of Creation. Our wines evoked great excitement with

comments ranging from the ‘elegance of the Chardonnay’ to
the ‘true to cultivar, at its best, characteristics’ of the
Reserve Merlot. We later met Fazenda
Executive Chef Francisco Martinez, who prepared a special
menu to accompany the Creation range. It was a huge success
with Fazenda founding partners Tomas Maunier and Rob Melman
attending the dinner.

Then it was off to London for two days where our activities
started on a high note with a fabulous lunch at 67 Pall
Mall. One of our dear Creation friends, Heather James, had
just flown in from New York to join us and we had the chance
of tasting some terrific white Rhône wines. We look forward
to hosting a master class at 67 Pall Mall, London later this
year, for those interested click here.

That evening we made our way to the award-winning M
Restaurant in Victoria where we presented a unique Old World
vs New World wine tasting. The feedback was an eye opener
and to our delight the 4 out of 6 Creation wines were
regarded as winners against reputable Old World brands at
similar price points. M Restaurant is of course the home of
Executive Chef Michael Reid and if you’re looking for one of
the best steaks in London, look no further! It is also good
to know that Creation wines are available in the adjacent
wine shop and on the wine list of Threadneedle and
Twikenham.

We also had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with the
Bibendum team at Hammer & Tongs. This was our first synergy

event co-hosted with Tom Hanson-Smith, the UK brand
development manager for Journey’s End. Incidentally, if you
live in London and miss an authentic South African braai,
Hammer & Tongs is the answer, complete with a South African
wine list, including Creation!

Up early the next morning (11 May) to visit one of our
favourite cities: beautiful Tallinn in Estonia. Staying in
the heart of the Old Town we went to our friends at SALT
restaurant for a magnificent evening of wine and food. With
the sun at last out after a very long winter, everyone came
out to celebrate and SALT was buzzing with guests, some of
them even arriving with their own tables and chairs just to
be able to enjoy the food and Creation wines on offer!

The next day saw us attending Pink Saturday at Kristel
Nõmmik’s new wine shop called Carpe Vinum. It was great to
see the interest in the Creation range and we look forward
to hosting more tastings there.

To end a super day we had dinner at sommelier and co-owner
Kristjan’s restaurant, Leib Resto & Aed.Virtually every
ingredient is locally sourced and the listed Creation wines
are incredibly well suited to the dishes they are paired
with. The service is impeccable with the host making us feel
welcome and kindly guiding us through the ingredients that
were new to us.

For our leisure Sunday we spent the morning tasting a
  glorious range of cheeses from Juustupood. Carolyn shared
  her expertise with cheese sommelier Tarmo, perfectly pairing
  the cheese, biscuits and chocolates with the versatile
  Creation range to elicit explosions of wonder and delight.
  The subsequent lunch at Bollywood Restaurant in the Old Town
  was another Tallinn highlight.

Up next was Finland and it was with happy hearts that Carolyn
and Daniela boarded the ferry for Helsinki where more culinary
adventures awaited … But enough for now, we’ll be sharing the
rest of the trip with you next week.