SMAAK!!

THI STH EFRIKAANERS ARIN TAAN ... Sorry I mean the South Africaners are in town and by that I mean Smaak! the team promoting South African wines (www.smaakZA.com) in Malaysia going round doing in-depth "masterclasses" to promote the wines and wine regions of South Africa, parnered by South African Airways (SAA), the largest African airline. So South Africa, contrary to popular belief, isn't JUST about football!

Smaak means "taste" in Afrikaans, and the team, represented by Entwine Consultancy from KL, have been or are going all over: to Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu, Ipoh and a few other big towns. Here in Penang they did the "Wine and Dine" dinner at The Brasserie in Traders Hotel led by certified sommerlier Thomas Ling.

We started with a couple of whites: Neethlingshof Sauvignon Blanc, gorgeous crisp bouquet with an excellent aftertaste, which went well with the Modern Caesar Salad in Cheese Net, after that a fruity Chardonnay from the prestigious Fleur du Cap "cellar in the mountain" to accompany the Sweet Bean Soup.

Unfortunately I just cannot mix my wines, so I couldn't really tuck into the reds which followed: another Neethlingshof "The Owl Post Pinotage" which was served with the Duo Meat Sampler - Beef and Lamb although I did sneak in a little just to see how it went with the meats. All in the course of duty, I hasten to add ...

With the Spiced Tea Cake, we finished off with the Amarula Fruit Cream, a delicious, silky liqueur made from the fruit of the wild Marula tree which grows wild in the subequatorial Savannah. It's a bit like Baileys but lighter and fruitier, and was excellent iced. It will make a good little aperitif too I think.

New world wines, although I wonder why they are referred to that cos some of them have been producing wines for centuries, have rapidly established themselves as worthy rivals of the more traditional producers, some even overtaking the quantity and at time quality of the old countries.

During the evening Thomas tooks us through an interesting slide show trying to teach us a bit about the wines and regions but not sure how much we learnt cos we were too busy imbibing and chatting and enjoying the good food, but the important thing is we had great fun. And well done to Traders Executive Chef who was able to whizz up the mainly South African food from just recipes provided.

And will definitely will look out for them in the shops now.