Wikus Human, head sommelier for The Marble Group, has been awarded top honours by the South African Sommeliers Association and named as the Best Sommelier in SA for 2021. The finals were held at Blaauwklippen wine estate recently.
Seven of SA’s top sommeliers competed against each other in the annual competition, and had to complete a theory paper, blind-tasting assessment, food and wine pairing, aperitif service and wine service.
“Wikus has demonstrated an extremely high level of professionalism in a competition with very high standards. He richly deserves his recognition as SA’s Best Sommelier for 2021,” said Mike Ratcliffe, chair of Stellenbosch Wine Routes.
Here, Human shares three of his current favourite wines with food pairings to match:
NV COLMANT BRUT RESERVE
Situated in Franschhoek, Colmant is dedicated to the production of cap classique and is run by Jean-Philippe Colmant (owner) and Paul Gerber (winemaker). This fresh style of cap classique is a blend of pinot noir and chardonnay and is matured for 30 months before being released. On the nose, the MCC has pronounced nuances of brioche, fresh stone fruits and citrus that follow through on the palate. The wine is very well balanced with a crisp acidity, round creamy mid-palate and smooth finish making it the ideal compliment to fresh oysters.
Price: R245
Pair with: fresh oysters
2020 CRYSTALLUM THE AGNES CHARDONNAY
Produced by Tim Atkins’s Winemaker of the Year, Peter-Allan Finlayson, this chardonnay is sourced from vineyards situated in the Hemel-en-Aarde valley and Overberg regions. It’s a chardonnay that shows nuances of jasmine, lemon grass and ripe yellow stone fruits. The palate is concentrated with fresh yellow stone fruits and just the right balance oak. Refined on the entry, creamy mid-palate with a linear long finish — for me it’s almost Burgundian like.
Price: R266
Pair with: Creamy pasta dishes
2019 STORM VREDE PINOT NOIR
Hannes Storm, the ex-winemaker for Hamilton Russell, started his own wine label in 2012. Focusing solely on the production of chardonnay and pinot noir from the Hemel-en-Aarde region, he shows the different expressions of chardonnay and pinot noir grown at different altitudes and in different soil types. The Vrede vineyard, planted on stony, clay-rich Bokkeveld soils, expresses flavours of rose petals, fresh red fruits and elegant spice on both the nose and palate. Medium-bodied on the palate with a fine tannin, perfect for pairing with duck and game dishes.
Price: R625
Pair with: duck and game
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