This self-confessed Francophile, Pieter Ferreira may love classical French food and cooking: the rich reductions, the cream-based sauces. But his first choice is Mediterranean cuisine: fresh, light, flavourful, seasonal. And food infiltrates most of his leasures, from his favourite movie (Babette's Feast) to what little time he spends in front of the television watching MasterChef programmes.
Visits to some of the world's finest purveyors of cutting-edge cuisine are high on the list of his most treasured moments. 'We'd been on the waiting list with our reservation at Ferran Adrià's elBulli in Spain for over a year. Thank goodness they slotted us in before he shut up shop for good!' Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck in Berkshire, England awaits.
But it's still the simple pleasures that Pieter most appreciates. 'Literally, just going home, sitting down, putting my feet up. Or the odd weekend at our Pearly Beach cottage with the kids and their friends, and our annual family hike, roughing it on unofficial trails, with fellow Robertson winemaker Abrie Bruwer and his family.'
Pieter also balances unavoidable food and wine excesses with mountain biking and bodyboarding, new pastimes he shares with his university student son. Turns out both are body-board big leaguers: Boland trialists with Ferreira Senior in the 'masters', Ferreira Junior making it to SA champs.
'I suppose I AM competitive. You have to be; it keeps you on top of your game; living life to the full.'
On the wine side: 'Back in 1991 we set out to make between 25 000 to 30 000 cases (360 000 bottles) of bubbly, a white blend and a red blend. In 2011 we found ourselves bottling a million bottles of bubbly alone; we’ve been showing a 12 to 14 percent growth year-on-year in bubbly!'
The next step involves working with small pockets of vineyards and parcels of gapes he enjoys hunting down across the Winelands. 'I’d eventually like to be able to start bottling Cap Classiques that express different vineyards, that are recognisable as being distinctive of a particular terroir or region. We've come close to finding the perfect bubble with Cuvée Clive [named after the late Graham Beck's eldest son Clive, who died tragically in his thirties]. But there’s something beyond that.' His conversation attests to an innately inclusive nature; it's 'we' and seldom 'I'. It encompasses the Beck family, the winemakers he works with (including John Loubser, cellarmaster at Beck-owned Steenberg in Constantia), and his own family.
Pieter is also exploring the possibility of making a Champagne in collaboration with a French grower. He's worked several vintages in Champagne, including at Mumm and Moët & Chandon.
Beef fillet with polenta and salsa verde recipe by Pieter Ferreira paired with The Ridge Syrah wine....
Seared salmon with olive oil and caramelised vinegar dressing recipe by Pieter Ferreira....