On 20 March, the Four Seasons Johannesburg, The Westcliff, hosts an intimate dinner with Atlas Swift, one of South Africa’s most quietly coveted bespoke wine producers.
Husband and wife team, Martin and Welma Smith are the winemakers behind the label, based in Franschhoek, and what they do is as precise as it is rare: they source a single cultivar from five distinct Cape regions, crafting each into a separate wine so that what you taste in the glass is almost entirely a conversation between grape and ground.
From the chalk soils and salt air of the Cape South Coast to the sun-warmed valley floor of Franschhoek, each bottle is a different sentence in the same story. Production is small. Encounters with the range outside of the Cape are rarer still.
A defining example of this philosophy is their celebrated Chardonnay series, where the same grape is expressed across five different Cape terroirs. Each wine reflects its place of origin with remarkable clarity. While the full range explores five regions, a selection will be presented during the evening.
This is one of those rare occasions.
Executive Chef Rudi Liebenberg, formerly of The Mount Nelson and the Saxon, has built a menu around the wines course by course. Crayfish. Duck with truffle. Lamb loin en croute with slow-braised shin and sweetbreads. And a mature cheddar verrine to close.
Welma Smith will be at the table to guide guests through the wines that have been especially chosen for the evening. She will also be available for questions before, during and after the dinner, ensuring a truly personal experience.
“Johannesburg has an extraordinary appetite for food and wine,” says Welma Smith of Atlas Swift. “Bringing our wines from Franschhoek to share alongside Chef Rudi’s cooking feels like a natural meeting of two worlds that both care deeply about craft, hospitality and the pleasure of the table.”
For one night only. Places are limited. Reserve yours at reservations.johannesburg@fourseasons.com or 011 481 6000.
R1 750 per person, including gratuity.