Alcohol use is trending down, but at Creation Wines, situated in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley just outside Hermanus, they’ve taken a whole new approach to wellness
They received an Eat Out star at last year’s Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards, and one look at their menu shows you why – it’s forward-thinking on many levels. On everyone’s lips was the anti-inflammatory tasting menu, paired with wine made from virus-free vines. We chatted to chef Eleanor Coetzee to find out more about the inspiration and philosophy behind this fresh approach.
Virus-free vines and wellness
We’ve heard of organic and pesticide free, and GMO free. But virus-free? Eleanor Coetzee explains: “Virus-free vines live longer, ripen more evenly and express their site more clearly. Over time they tend to gain complexity rather than decline, which is something we see particularly in our Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.”
Because wellness is so important at Creation Wines, their wellness approach starts in the vineyard, long before the grapes are harvested or the wine is made. “Creation was established on land never planted to vines before, and right from the beginning there was a commitment to planting virus-free vines. This required significant investment and careful sourcing of plant material, but it has paid off in terms of vine health and wine quality.”
To maintain this health, their vineyards are monitored regularly in partnership with viticultural specialists from Vititec. “Any suspect vines are removed quickly, and clean material from our blocks can then be used to propagate new plantings, helping to lift the health of vineyards beyond our own farm. Our cuttings are used to produce new clean material for the South African vineyards.”
And of course, it adds to the wellness aspect of the wine: “From a wellness perspective, virus-free vines sit within a regenerative, low-intervention philosophy. We work with cover crops, mulches and compost to support soil life, encourage natural predators and beneficial insects instead of relying on broad-spectrum chemicals, and avoid synthetic herbicides and fungicides wherever possible. Healthy vines grown in living soils need less intervention in the cellar. That allows us to make wines with minimal additives and a very clean profile, which makes it much easier for people who love wine to enjoy it as part of a health-conscious lifestyle.”
The anti-inflammatory tasting menu
Eleanor says the idea came from a simple question: how can guests enjoy a generous, celebratory wine and food experience and still leave feeling clear-headed and energised rather than heavy and tired? “The answer for us lies in bringing wine, food and wellness together, instead of treating them as opposing ideas.”
Eleanor says she doesn’t create the menu on her own. “I work in close collaboration with plant-based specialist chef Nicola Cunningham and integrative medical doctor Dr Julienne Fenwick. We draw on Ayurvedic and lifestyle-medicine principles to design menus that are largely plant-forward, naturally low in refined sugar and overly processed ingredients, and structured in what we call ‘medicinal order’ – early courses gently wake up digestion and later ones ground and satisfy.”
The good news is that this menu is here to stay, and the even better news is that they are improving on it – and the associated menus – for this year.
“For the year ahead, we want to deepen this approach. We are working more and more with ferments and ‘live’ elements that support gut health, like house kombuchas, misos, cultured butters, nut-based preparations and naturally fermented vegetables.”
They are also leaning further into hyper-local and indigenous produce. “Many of the ingredients on our menus come from a close radius in the Overberg – dune spinach, sea lettuce, samphire, kohlrabi, heritage grains, ridge fruit.”
And it’s not just the eating that’s grounded in wellness.
“We are exploring the brain-body side of wellness too: how sound, pacing, texture, temperature and even small rituals like hand-washing and arrival elixirs can help guests move into a calm, rest-and-digest state throughout the experience.”
Try this
If you’re in the area, consider their Power of Love summer pairing. It’s the ideal experience for the month of love, and like the anti-inflammatory menu, the aim is to support blood-sugar balance and reduce inflammation while still feeling like a proper spoil.
“It’s presented as chapters,” Eleanor explains, “each with a different emotional and sensorial note. Guests are welcomed with a cleansing green elixir and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc to freshen the palate and set an intention of wellbeing. The first chapter might be a crisp lettuce ‘taco’ with a riff on caprese, followed by cool-climate trout in two textures with a gluten-free amaranth melba with our Chardonnay, then a playful pincho of quail egg, anchovy, sun-dried tomato and olive with Chenin Blanc. Later comes the main course, which can be swapped out for a vegan version that still pairs beautifully with our Pinot Noir. Dessert can be sweet or savoury, and even when it is a pretty-in-pink raspberry creation, it can be dairy-free, sugar-free and gluten-free, yet still feel utterly decadent.”
Read more at www.creationwines.com.
