A Cultural Revival: Marble Cape Town Unveils a Bold New Cheese and Wine Experience
The 80s was a time of loud fashion, quirky home decor, and questionable food trends (savoury jelly salad anyone?). While the world has thankfully moved on from most of the atrocities to come out of that era, not everything that was popular in the 80s deserved to be binned for good. If I had to make a case for just one thing to save from the 80s it would be the good old fashioned cheese and wine soiree.
As a cheese-adoring child, I would look on with jealous eyes with each invitation my parents received to a cheese and wine function. Some of them were just casual gatherings at a family member’s house but others were hosted at chic venues I longed to visit. To me nothing sounded more exciting than the opportunity to dress up in sparkly dresses and gorge oneself on a selection of exotic cheeses paired with all sorts of other delicious things. But, alas by the time I became old enough to legally attend a cheese and wine everyone had decided it was passé. My chance to revel in the time-honoured tradition never came.
Fast-forward to 2026 and one local gem is breathing life back into the old-fashioned cheese and wine, and if you haven’t been skim reading up until this point you can understand why I’m extremely excited. Marble Cape Town unveiled the bold new cheese and wine experience in December, just in time for the festive season. Now, after visiting myself I can confirm it’s as magical as I had imagined.
A taste of Marble Cape Town’s cheese & wine
For this delicious experience Marble Cape Town invites guests to savour a new chapter in its culinary storytelling: a reimagined cheese and wine pairing experience that celebrates South Africa’s artisanal excellence in two distinct ways.
At the heart of the experience is a trolley curated by celebrated chef and culinary icon Karen Dudley, showcasing South Africa’s finest artisanal cheeses alongside vibrant accompaniments inspired by Cape Malay traditions. Think sour fig konfyt, naartjie spoon sweets, and pineapple mostarda with Tajin — each preserve, pickle, or jam a nod to the region’s heritage of ingenuity and bold flavour.
“Cape Malay cuisine has always been about generosity, ingenuity, and bold flavour,” says Dudley. “We’re honouring that spirit – while having a little fun.”
Guests can enjoy the trolley as a personalised, interactive moment at their table, selecting cheeses and accompaniments to create their own bespoke plate. Highlights include:
· Langbaken Karoo Crumble with cauliflower pickle and cherry mustard
· Dalewood Hugenot with waterblommetjie pickle and guava gochujang jam
· Bel Nori Forest Phantom with watermelon konfyt and green fig preserve
The trolley also features seasonal membrillo, peanut chutney podi, and chaat masala crisps — alongside fresh fruit, oat biscuits, and very seedy crisps. Dudley is currently developing a melon preserve and apricot spoon sweet to join the rotation.
The Pairing Experience
For those seeking a more curated journey, Marble’s sommelier and pastry teams have designed three tastings that marry cheese, preserve, and cracker with rare South African wines not often available by the glass. These are unique, once-in-a-season selections that guests would seldom encounter outside of this experience. The tastings are something truly exceptional that are not to be missed, especially for dessert wine lovers. For a real spoil, try all three pairings or pick just one to enjoy at in the bar lounge over good conversation.
The pairing menu offers 3 choices:
· Dalewood Fromage’s Hugenote with sour fig konfyt, oat cracker, paired with 1988 Tinta Barocca Blend, Overgaauw, Cape Vintage, Stellenbosch.
· Belnori Farms’ Amboseli with guava gochujang, dehydrated mango atchar crisp, oat cracker, paired with 2024 Muscat d’Alexandrie, L’Equinox, Silt, Citrusdal Mountain (Skin Macerated).
· Klein River Farms’ Gruberg Vintage with pear and rosemary jelly, fresh apple, pecan Florentine cracker, paired with 2016 Semillon, Boekenhoutskloof, Noble Late Harvest, Franschhoek.
Together, the cheese trolley and the wine pairing tastings offer guests two distinctly different ways to explore Marble’s cheese culture revival. Guests can choose to enjoy the pairing as a personalised, interactive cheese trolley experience table-side, or at the bar, terrace, or patio as a curated tasting. It’s the ideal post-dinner indulgence or even a fantastic way to enjoy sunset nibbles and drinks with friends at the V&A Waterfront.
It’s safe to say this isn’t the cheese and wine of your parent’s era. It’s far more refined, elevating the idea of what it means to pair exquisite cheeses with sophisticated wines. This tasting experience goes beyond just the enjoyment of cheese. It’s a celebration of South African tradition and taste, where the artistry of preserves meets the elegance of wine, all within the vibrant setting of Marble Cape Town. If you love cheese and wine this is something not to be missed, this experience is a cheese connoisseur’s absolute dream come true.
Marble Cape Town is open Monday to Sunday for lunch and dinner. Booking is recommended. Book online now.
About Marble Cape Town
If you’re yet to visit, Marble Cape Town, is an extraordinary dining destination at the iconic V&A Waterfront. The restaurant is the latest chapter in the celebrated Marble Hospitality’s culinary journey, which began in 2016. Celebrating South Africa’s rich culinary heritage with a fire-driven menu infused with coastal influences, Cape Town seamlessly blends tradition, innovation, and the vibrant energy of the Mother City.
Born out of a shared vision between local entrepreneur Gary Kyriacou and Chef David Higgs, Marble became a phenomenon in Johannesburg. The Cape Town extension of Marble merges the iconic elements of the original Johannesburg restaurant with the coastal influences of the Mother City, adding a touch of seafood to its fire-driven offerings.
Over the years, Marble has nurtured relationships with the country’s finest meat suppliers, ensuring that quality cuts remain at the heart of its menu. The Cape Town iteration expands on this legacy with enhanced fire-based cooking equipment, creating a stage for more diverse menu options.
