My Little Potjie
For the uninitiated, a potjie is ‘small pot’ food cooked over coals, typically in a cast iron pot. In short, it’s kinda like a stew or, if you’ve ever cooked in a ‘dutch oven’ while camping, it’s kind of like that.
Potjies are a staple here in South Africa, and everyone has their own favorite recipe for what to put in them. While I’ve eaten potjie, I have never made one.
That is until about a week ago.
A couple weeks ago I woke up to a text from Kim that started off with the words “BOOK THIS NOW!”. One of our favorite wine farms, Rickety Bridge, was putting on a Potjie and Wine event where it was:
A wine tasting
A potjie and wine paring
An opportunity to make our own potjie and pair it with one of their wines
Needless to say, the answer was “Shut up and take my money!”
So, on a rainy Saturday morning, we toddled out to Rickety Bridge and their potjie and wine experience.
A Masterclass and MasterChef Experience
We arrived and were greeted by Lizzie Groenewald, Rickety Bridge’s Wine Club Manager. She cheerfully welcomed us to the wine farm with a glass of their Sauvignon Blanc and gave us an overview of what the afternoon was going to be like.
As we found out later, Lizzie had some surprises in store for us!
The first part of the day was a masterclass in wine pairing.
Lizzie walked the eight of us through paring the Sauvignon Blanc with each of the above tastes. It was mind blowing how the taste and texture of the wine changed depending on what you paired it with. I mean, I knew that different tastes change the experience of the wine, but I had no idea how much and how different each one was. The one that blew me away the most was the salty (olive), and how it made the wine ‘creamy’.
Once Lizzie finished this portion, it was on to the wine tasting. We got to experience the following:
2018 Rickety Bridge Semillon
2018 Rickety Bridge Chardonnay
2019 Paulina’s Reserve Chenin Blanc (one of my favorites!)
2020 Rickety Bridge Merlot
2020 Rickety Bridge Shiraz
2021 Rickety Bridge Cabernet Sauvignon
We played around with the wines and the different tastes and then it was on to the second part of the day, the potjie pairing.
We experienced three fabulous potjies:
Creamy seafood potjie
Lamb tomato bredie
Spicy beef potjie
Taste Explosion!
We were encouraged to pair what would be considered ‘unusual’ wines with each of the potjies, including pairing the Shiraz with the creamy seafood potjie. Each wine brought out unique notes in the food, things that we probably would never have experienced without Lizzie sharing her knowledge with us.
Finally it was on to the third part of the day, making our own potjie and pairing it with one of the wines.
Lizzie had one more surprise for us…each of our potjie pairings would be judged, MasterChef style.
Oh, and to make it more interesting, the good folks at Rickety Bridge brought out all the wines so we could sip, sample, and drink while we were cooking.
Being the only ‘foreigner’ in the group, there was a lot of good natured ribbing that they couldn’t ‘let the American win’.
I leaned on my Italian heritage and went with a spicy seafood potjie in a tomato based sauce. Making the potjie was the easy part. Choosing which wine to pair it with proved to be difficult. Perhaps it was the pressure of the ‘competition’, or the fact that we were all drinking and tasting each other’s creations, when it came to choosing the wine I, for one, was absolutely stumped. Eventually I went with the Semillon to pair with my potjie.
Don’t worry, South Africa, your reputation is safe…I didn’t win.
In fact, I didn’t even place in the top three…(grumble grumble)
Kim, however, finished second with her creamy chicken and seafood potjie paired with the Chenin Blanc.
I am incredibly proud of how she did and, if you know us, her beating me was good for about 72 hours of good natured gloating.
Yes, honey, you are the sauce goddess.
When all was said and done, we had the opportunity to purchase the wines we experienced in a special mixed case to take home and enjoy. At Lizzie’s insistence (and it really didn’t take much convincing), we came home with two cases and became members of the Rickety Bridge Wine Club.
Best. Experience. Yet.
In the last nearly two years, I’ve experienced a number of amazing things here in South Africa, each more incredible than the last.
The Rickety Bridge Potjie and Wine experience, however, is without a doubt the most amazing experience yet. Lizzie and the staff at Rickety Bridge overdelivered by a country mile. I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to the next couple of RB Wine Club events we will be attending this year.
Visit Rickety Bridge
Rickety Bridge is located in Franschhoek off the R45. They’re open 7 days a week from 10am to 5pm.
Connect with them on:
Bookings are essential, and you can make one by contacting them at:
Tel: +27 (0)21 876 2129
Email: reservations@ricketybridge.com
Click here to book through Dineplan
Their tasting options are:
Tasting Options
Estate Tasting (choice of 5 wines): R75 per person
Printer’s Devil tasting (3 Wines): R95 per person
Paulina's Reserve Tasting (4 wines): R110 per person
Cap Classique Tasting (2 MCCs): R75 per person
Icon Range tasting (choice of 3 wines): R170 per person
Non-Alcoholic Tasting: R90 per person
Kiddies Pairing: R90 per person
When you go, be sure to say “Hi” to Lizzie and enjoy their Panna Cotta and Wine pairing.