Yesterday, I was invited to the new home of Four Cousins, a state of the art facility set at the entrance to the town of Robertson, you can’t miss it. Four Cousins is the brainchild of the 3rd generation of Retief farmers from the popular Van Loveren wine estate and as the name suggests is a partnership between the four Retief cousins.
Four Cousins has very cleverly aimed themselves at a new, emerging wine drinking market, who like most of us first started drinking sweeter styled wines before developing a palate for dryer styles. Their tasting center offers the most creative wine and food pairings which are meant to be fun and move away from the seriousness sometimes associated with wine tasting which can be a tad intimidating for those wetting their feet.
Who could possibly resist a food pairing that includes South African childhood favorites like licorice allsorts, a breakfast biscuit, Turkish delight, a strawberry whirl and a zoo biscuit? More savoury options are also available and include classic pairings like cheese, olives, and nuts. Of particular interest to me being 7 months pregnant, were their non-alcoholic pairings; sparkling grape juice paired with tasty morsels like smoked cheese, peri-peri cashews, Brie cheese and cranberry nougat. I decided to go for a full diabetic rush and paired my grape juice with crème caramels, nougat, and a sweetie pie.
The hosts have gone out of their way to make this a family friendly venue, with a non-alcoholic pairing for the kids, a more relaxed dining area for families and a secure playground for the kids. Good news for dads too, there is an onsite brewery where you can sample the Boet beer range on tap. The food was really very good; I started with a 3 cheese flatbread with extra olives and rocket followed by a deconstructed Caesar salad. Helpings were generous, well presented and rather delicious.
There is clearly much more to Four Cousins than I first imagined and suspect this new venue is going to be very popular with families wanting a relaxed and varied Winelands experience. www.fourcousins.co.za