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Wine, bodybuilding and the Little Jesus in Velvet Knickerbockers

Tipsy tart at Geuwels restaurant. (Photo Anna Trapido)

18 Oct 2024

At Vergenoegd Löw, sommelier George Young sees the world of wine in three-dimensional technicolour.

George Young’s Instagram page is a deliciously daft melange of fine wine and bodybuilding. Almost all the recent images are of Vergenoegd Löw estate’s sommelier savouring Sauvignon Blanc but scroll down and there he is as a Speedo clad study in muscle striation.

The Limpopo-born wine wunderkind — who was recently named South Africa’s Best Young Sommelier for 2024 by the South African Sommeliers Association (SASA) — also kickboxed competitively and played under 19 and under 21 rugby for the Sharks. Which is why when he “came to the Western Cape four years ago, because my wife got a job here, I assumed that there would be all sorts of work opportunities in fitness for me, but somehow it wasn’t happening,” he says.

“I had all this unexpected free time. It was horrible. One Wednesday, I was looking for something to do so I went to a wine tasting and my life changed. Before that I wasn’t a big wine drinker but there I was at Kleine Zalze and the tasting room manager took the time to explain basic winemaking and tasting skills to me. I remember that afternoon as the moment my life changed. The first wine that really inspired me was Vineyard Selection Klein Zalze Chenin. It was transformative. I was fascinated. It was as if for the first time the world existed in three dimensions and in technicolour. Since then, I have been on a quest to learn everything I can.”

Quest is a strong word. It has connotations of an implausibly intense, adventurous pilgrimage through uncharted territories, but when Young says it, the term sounds entirely appropriate. He has thrown himself into wine studies with all the force and focus that he previously applied to sport. He says that “within four years, I have got my WSET Level 3 qualification, a certificate and then a diploma from the Cape Wine Academy. I am a certified SASA Sommelier. Next year I will start my [wine] Masters. I am the first one to admit that I was obsessed and that I still am. I pushed and pushed, and I just keep pushing.”

Vergenoegd Löw indigenous food and wine tasting (Image supplied). Right: Sourdough and mebos butter at Geuwels restaurant. (Photo: Anna Trapido)

Where others see contradictions, he sees similarities, because “I know that all my sport brought me the skills that I have now taken with me into wine. Anyone who plays sport seriously will tell you that you need a sense of drive and competition on and off the field to succeed. You can’t lose focus. Teamwork, whether on a sports field or in a wine cellar, is about noticing the details, understanding everyone, allowing everyone to show at their best. Every wine and every wine drinker must be dealt with differently and part of the job of a sommelier is to find out exactly what this wine and this person require to be at their best.”

He feels that his non-standard route into the world of wine has helped him to connect with customers from all walks of life. He says: “I know what the textbooks say but I also know that everyone has their own unique frame of reference and that when you find your own way with wine it is very exciting. I know that personally. I come from Hoedspruit. My family are plain eaters — pap en sous people. That means that the library of taste and smell experiences in my brain are not the same as most other sommeliers. When some people say dried herbs, I say thatched roof and bushveld grass.”

Perhaps because of his “otherness” in the Stellenbosch space he says he is “drawn to food and wine matches that are non-standard or haven’t been thought of before. Breaking typical go-to pairings is what I find most interesting. Of course, the classic food and wine pairings are wonderful but there is so much more out there. So many possibilities. I am always blown away with excitement when I find a pairing that has never been tried or theoretically shouldn’t work, but then you try it, and it just does.

“I love diverting expectations. Not only because it is fun to play with stereotypes and stimulate the senses with this drink right now but also because once you have made those unusual pairings work once, you know that you can do it again. There is the pleasure today and also the anticipatory pleasure of knowing that it will happen again. And again. It’s special...”

The sommelier’s penchant for unusual but intriguing is exemplified in what he describes as the “Vergenoegd Löw indigenous ingredient tasting board”. This epicurean experience is available to visitors by appointment and features spekboom, dune spinach, amasi (fermented milk), bokkom (salted, dried fish), biltong and mebos (salted, dried apricot). The language pedant in me feels honour bound to point out that while most of the above are heritage, only two are truly indigenous. But who cares? They are definitely all local and lekker. Young is at pains to emphasise that the tasting board is not designed as a pairing but rather as a way for visitors to familiarise themselves with the estate’s food and beverage terroir. There are no right or wrong answers, only personal preference.

Here, for what it’s worth, are the impressions that I took away from the process. The Vergenoegd Löw Chardonnay worked well with the amasi, cutting richness and offering an intriguing similarity in weight and mouthfeel. The same wine produced equally delicious but surprisingly distinct tastes with the bokkoms, where salt in the fish brought out the fresh, fruity characteristics in the Chardonnay.

The Chardonnay and the spekboom did not like each other at all — the wine became flat and bland. And yet, when the same leaves were tasted alongside the Sauvignon Blanc, the wine stood up nicely to the succulent’s peppery sourness. Predictably, the salty, umami-laden biltong was heavenly with the Merlot, Malbec, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. Fruitiness seemed brightened and tannins were modified/ rounded making the wines seem silkier in texture. Mebos almost stumped me, but, when in doubt, say sparkling. I ultimately found that the apricot’s sweet, sour, salty fusion was supported and enlivened by the Livia Chardonnay Blanc de Blanc Cap Classique.

Vergenoegd Löw has two superb restaurants. Both fall within Chef Bertus Basson’s stable, with business partner Drikus Brink as the onsite Executive Chef. Those having the palate and wallet for multicourse, tasting menu posh nosh favour Clara’s Barn. Those seeking something simpler gravitate towards Geuwels bistro. In honour of heritage month, the latter’s September menu was inspired by Errieda du Toit’s excellent homage to South African community cookbooks; Saam/ Share (depending on whether one is reading the Afrikaans or English iteration). I adore everything Errieda du Toit has ever written so, on this occasion, I opted for Geuwels and asked South Africa’s best young sommelier to guide the liquid portion of my lunch.

Marmite and cheese tart at Geuwels restaurant at Vergenoegd Low Estate. (Photo: Anna Trapido)

The menu is made up of the sort of homestyle South African family favourites that are generally considered too simple to be paired with wine. Mince jaffles compete for customer attention with chutney chicken and peppermint crisp tart. Young suggested the estate’s excellent Sauvignon Blanc 2023 for my Huguenot cheese, chive and Marmite tart with an uitpak slaai-style salad. The greens went crunch in all the right ways, but it was when the wine met and matched with our nation’s best sweet, savoury, salty picnic and braai side slice that magic was made. This dish exemplifies all that is glorious about Cape Creole cuisine — we seldom sufficiently celebrate the rounded, layered flavour complexity that is so perfectly demonstrated in what is often dismissed as a ‘tuisgemaak’ tannie tart.

Add the wine and wonderful doesn’t come close to describing the joy. First there was the intriguing sensation of opposites attracting as crisp, fresh acidity on the wine created a foil for the mouth filling, rich generosity of the creamy bake. Then the leafy, zesty aromatics did all sorts of pretty things with the peppery punch of chives. Perhaps I have lived a very sheltered life, but I am not used to thinking of Marmite in the context of a wine pairing. I was charmed and delighted as the erstwhile breakfast toast spread did a lovely, layered, salty umami dance across my mouth, intensifying the wine’s citrus and tropical fruit flavours.

Add Milo ice cream and boeretroos sauce and resistance is futile

Tipsy tart at Geuwels restaurant. (Photo Anna Trapido)

The tart made for a more than adequate lunch — especially after I had devoured so much sour dough and mebos butter before my meal was served — but who can resist tipsy tart? Add in Milo ice cream and boeretroos sauce and all resistance is futile.

A fortified wine is, of course, the classic choice for such stuff, but one that has in recent years fallen out of favour. We are increasingly unfamiliar with sweet on sweet as a moderating force. My instinct when faced with almost any dessert is to ask for an espresso, but one of the tasks of a sommelier is to remind people to think past their prejudices.

So, I was persuaded to pair my pudding with Vergenoegd Löw Cape Tawny. Fortified with brandy, the alcohol in the port-style wine balanced that in the cake batter creating a meeting of firm friends rather than one element overwhelming the other. Similarly, the tawny’s sugar content allowed it to support the tipsy tart, while its core acidity kept the dessert from coming across as cloying. The oxidative coffee, chocolate, sweet, malty caramelly aromas made magic with the Milo ice cream and the strong, sweet, milky boeretroos (farmer’s comfort coffee) sauce.

The French have a fabulous phrase to describe such culinary combinations; ‘ça descend comme le petit Jésus en culotte de velours’ (that goes down like the little Jesus in velvet knickerbockers). At Geuwels, thanks to sommelier George Young and Chef Drikus Brink, I had an opportunity to use these blissful bons mots with every course. It all made me happy beyond any singing of it. Definitely not the lunch of bodybuilders but deeply delicious and perfectly paired, nonetheless. DM

Want more of George Young discussing his homegrown food and wine philosophy? See www.youtube.com/@foodwaysafrica

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