Muratie Wine Estate was established in 1685, nestled in the beautiful Knorhoek Valley, north of Stellenbosch and it’s one of the oldest farms in South Africa. With this age comes a remarkable legacy passed on by the many extraordinary characters from the farm’s colourful past.
Thanks to the Melck family’s passionate guardianship, this memorable legacy lives on at Muratie, where ‘Every Day is Heritage Day’.
The Muratie estate is one of the most authentic treasures of the Cape Winelands. With magnificent oak trees guarding over the estate and a white gabled memorial celebrating all the previous owners through the decades, greeting you on arrival and sets a scene for an enchanting experience.
Annatjie Melck, chatelaine of Muratie, a well-known Stellenbosch personality and a highly acclaimed foodie, together with her daughter-in-law Kim Melck, an accomplished cook, have ensured that Muratie’s food and wine tradition is embodied in Muratie’s popular Farm Kitchen Restaurant where all the lunch dishes have suggested wine pairings.
At Muratie the culture of food and wine is an essential ingredient of the Melck family’s history, and life at Muratie today. The culinary duo, Annatjie Melck and her daughter-in-law Kim Melck are celebrating heritage month by sharing recipes of two of their favourite traditional dishes that can be enjoyed with Muratie wines.
- Waterblommetjie Bredie – to serve with Muratie’s Laurens Campher White Blend
- Slow-Braised Karoo-Style Lamb Shanks – to enjoy with Muratie’s Martin Melck Cabernet Sauvignon
Waterblommetjie Bredie paired with Muratie’s Laurens Campher white blend:
Waterblommetjie Bredie is a traditional Cape gem that was first prepared by the Khoikhoi people. It is cooked typically with lamb, the waterblommetjies (‘little water flowers’) grow in dams and ponds in the Cape during winter and spring. Through long, slow cooking, the meat becomes extremely tender, perfectly complementing the subtle yet flavourful waterblommetjies and potatoes.
Recipe:
- 1kg lamb (a mixture of flatrib and thick rib)
- 15ml brown vinegar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- A sprinkle of nutmeg
- 2 big onions, roughly cut
- 2 garlic gloves, finely chopped
- 2,5kg waterblommetjies, thoroughly washed/cleaned
- 500g potatoes, peeled and sliced in wedges
- 250ml warm water
- Lemon wedges for serving
How to clean the waterblommetjies:
Soak the waterblommetjies overnight in salt water. Rinse and clean thoroughly, removing any sand as well as any hard parts from the flowers and the leaves.
Do the following:
- Sprinkle the vinegar over the meat and flavour with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Place the meat in a heavy bottomed pot with a little water, the onions and the garlic and braise the meat until it is nearly soft.
- Add the waterblommetjies to the meat and place the potato wedges on top of that. Flavour with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
- Add the hot water, cover the pot with the lid and let the stew cook slowly until the waterblommetjies and the potato wedges are soft.
- Keep boiling water on standby in case you might need more liquid, as the stew should not be cooked dry, and neither should it be like a pot of soup. Do not stir the bredie during the cooking process.
- Only stir the bredie prior to serving in order to mix together the waterblommetjies, potato and meat.
- Serve with white rice and lemon wedges
- Perfect with a chilled glass of Muratie Laurens Campher
Winemaker’s notes: This unique white blend of predominantly Chenin Blanc with smaller amounts of Sauvignon Blanc, Verdehlo and Viognier, is barrel fermented and judiciously oaked in a combination of new and older 500L French Oak barrels for 11 months. An elegant yet intense wine, it shows gorgeous stone fruit flavours of peach and apricot, hints of citrus and fresh acidity all wrapped in creamy oak.
Purchase: Muratie Laurens Campher 2019 is available at the estate, online at https://www.muratie.co.za/wine/buy-wine/ and at select fine wine merchants around the country. Approximate retail price: R198
Slow-braised karoo-style lamb shanks paired with Muratie’s Martin Melck cabernet sauvignon:
In celebration of local food, what could be more apt than some delicious South African lamb. Here is Kim Melck’s recipe for her famous fall-off-the-bone lamb shanks, a huge favourite at Muratie’s Farm Kitchen restaurant.
Recipe:
- 4 x lamb shanks – each should weigh about 360g
- Oven roasting bag
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup oil
- Medium coarse salt
- White pepper
- Fresh spring or two of rosemary
Do the following:
- Pop the 4 shanks into the roasting bag, liberally sprinkle with the coarse salt and white pepper, be generous!!
- Add the water, oil and vinegar to the bag as well as the rosemary.
- Press any excess air out of the bag and tie with a bag tie or just knot.
- Lay the cooking bag containing the shanks in an oven roasting pan and roast at 180 degrees until soft to the touch and beautifully brown.
- Serve on a heap of creamy mashed potatoes, with sweet carrots on the side and green beans or baby peas.
- Even more delicious with a glass of Muratie’s Martin Melck Cabernet Sauvignon
Winemaker’s notes: Classically styled and restrained, concentrated dark fruit (black cherries, berries and plums) are underscored by fresh acidity, and framed by cedar wood and spice notes from 20 months in French oak (10% new). This is a full-bodied and complex wine, a wine of integration, balance and great length true to its terroir. This authoritative wine will reward cellaring for at least another 6 years.
Purchase: Muratie Martin Melck Cabernet Sauvignon is available at the estate, online at https://www.muratie.co.za/wine/buy-wine/ and at select fine wine merchants around the country. Approximate retail price: R240
There’s also an abundance of events and activities at the estate that keep visitors returning, such as wine tasting and the Farm Kitchen. Muratie offers wine and chocolate pairings, delicious homemade goodies, wine, food and music festivals for the whole family, amazing trails for mountain biking, hiking and trail running, exhibitions of contemporary culture at the MOK Gallery, accommodation in George Paul Canitz’s original art studio and event curation in an exquisite marquee or on their verdant terrace beneath the ancient oak trees.
Picture: Supplied / Facebook / Muratie Wine Estate