Rugby – “A hooligan’s game played by gentlemen” The Times, January 30, 1953
England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France and Italy: what on earth do these gladiatorial teams have to do with a wine column, you may ask. Surely rugby men are renowned for their beer drinking prowess rather than what some might consider the rather more elegant practice of savouring wine? Read on, there is a connection......
France and Italy are the two biggest wine-producing nations in the world and are, therefore, scarcely in need of any wine recommendations from us, as they will have been weaned on wine from their own region from their earliest years.
If you have a sneaking admiration for “les bleus” and want to show your support from the sofa, you could do worse than a wine produced by former French international Gerard Bertrand. His family business was wine-making long before he represented his country on the rugby pitch and since hanging up his boots he has been making a suitably muscular range of hearty reds in the Languedoc region of southern France. Waitrose stock Gerard Bertrand Minervois red for £6.99.
Leaving these wine-making giants to one side, we are going to suggest wines inspired by the national characteristics of the English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish sides.
“In my time, I’ve had my knee out, broken my collarbone, had my nose smashed, a rib broken, lost a few teeth, and ricked my back; but as soon as I get a bit of bad luck I’m going to quit the game”. Jason Robinson
England: Well we do have a bit of help here already as there are lots of vineyards that have developed over the last twenty odd years in the south of this green and pleasant land. In Surrey itself we have Denbies vineyard, whose Surrey Gold white wine is served in the House of Commons (I wonder which party partakes the most?).
If there is cause for celebration at an England performance this season, then popping the cork on something fizzy and English would be entirely appropriate. Ridgeview, based in Sussex, make an impressive array of Champagne-style sparklers, available from Waitrose starting at around the £20 mark. Nyetimber, based near Chichester, have the distinction of their wines being served at official banquets at Buckingham Palace. If it’s good enough for her Maj… Nyetimber Classic Cuvée is £24.99 at Waitrose.
With the effects of climate change and warmer weather our vines should produce more and higher quality fruit, making England a real contender on the international wine stage. Sadly, our native English oak is, apparently, too tightly grained to make barrels in which to age wine. However, there are adventurous souls willing to have a go at making wine in the most unlikely of places.
Watch our for HA's upcoming report of a tasting at The Urban wine company in Wandsworth, London, which is showcasing wines made from grapes grown in individual gardens, allotments and window boxes in inner London and which are, apparently, more than drinkable. Dig for Victory for the 21st century.... Come on England!
Ireland: To match the lyrically inclined, silver-tongued Irish we have to go for something really smooth, with a charm that trips off the tongue, travels well and can compete with Guinness. It has to be a deep ruby-coloured Shiraz, slightly spicy and ideally biodynamic to match the green-ness of the “emerald Isle”. You could tackle Yalumba's Organic Shiraz 2008, £7.99 from Waitrose for a full-on red wine experience. Or you could demonstrate your allegiance by winkling out a bottle of syrah-dominated Domaine des Anges 2007, £11.75 at www.bigredwine.co.uk, made in the Ventoux region of the southern Rhône by Irishman Ciaran Rooney.
Wales: Land of leeks and dragons, choirs and coalmines, and of course fiercely patriotic and passionate men in red. The Welsh team may show their loyalty to Brains beer on their shirts, but we think the clever money is on sauvignon blanc as a wonderfully harmonious match with leeks in Caerphilly cheese sauce. South Africa makes some great sauvignons, giving you a non-partisan option for the Six Nations, and Majestic's current offer on Danie de Wet Sauvignon Blanc 2009, bringing it down to £5.99 a bottle if you buy two, makes it unbeatable. A song of a wine.
Scotland: Better known for its long standing affair with fiery whisky, which is really the only drink that could stand up to the rigours of the Scottish national dish of haggis, neeps and tatties. But other native produce (no, not deep-fried Mars bars) is very wine-friendly: grouse, partridge and pheasant, and of course venison. Game is showed off to good effect by the silky skills of a perfumed pinot noir. Jackson Estate Vintage Widow Pinot Noir 2007, £14.99 from Waitrose, has all the haunting perfume you would want, with an elegant, muscular structure. Not cheap, but then supporting the Scottish rugby team demands nothing if not commitment.
“The only trophy we won this day, was the blood and sweat we left on the pitch.....and it was enough”. Anon
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
Friday, 12 March 2010
Spring into Mother's Day
“Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.” Anon
Spring officially arrives on 21st March, the Vernal Equinox, meaning “moving towards the light”. And the following week we adjust our clocks to “spring forwards” to take advantage of the longer daylight hours. Whether you live in the city or countryside you can’t but help be affected by the yearly springtime renewal of life showing in the green shoots of plants, busy birds tending their nests and the arrival of lambs and a stirring of new life. Mother Nature, defined as life giving and nurturing of fertility and fecundity, is magnificently in evidence.
Cybele was the mother of the Greek gods and the festival to celebrate her was traditionally held in Asia Minor and Rome during the Ides of March - from 15th to 18th of March. In England we also celebrate motherhood at this time, always on a Sunday, which this year is 14th March. Nowadays Mothering Sunday is known as a “Hallmark Holiday” meaning it has an overriding commercial purpose which was, unsurprisingly, created in the USA. Over here Mothering Sunday has been celebrated since the 16th century and is also known as “Simnel Sunday” because of a tradition of baking Simnel cakes. It is also called Laetare and this day in the church calendar was dedicated to the honour of the Virgin Mary and the “mother church”. This day was – and still is – marked by giving token gifts to the mother and also the relinquishing of certain traditional female tasks such as cooking and cleaning which were allocated to other family members as a gesture of appreciation. So following tradition, and because she is unique to you, a gift for your mum wouldn’t go amiss.
“I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food!” W.C. Fields
Women love wine. A bit of a sweeping statement we know, but according to fairly exhaustive surveys this is increasingly the case (excuse the pun). It can be a good idea to find out the lady’s preference beforehand, but fear not if you haven’t a clue. Underneath the mumsy exterior of most women lies an adventurous Warrior Princess, (well she brought you up and that must have been something of a battle), who is ready to try anything – within reason.
It was a woman who drove me to drink, and I didn’t have the decency to thank her for it. W.C. Fields
It is often assumed, particularly by men, that women prefer a light white wine. (Quite possibly this image has been proliferated by the quaint idea of compliant, sweet and rather dotty- “lightweight” in today’s parlance - little women). This assumption has been turned upside down by recent surveys by Vinexpo, Decanter and Living.com in the UK whose findings surprisingly and definitively state that women prefer red! Bang goes that stereotype.
Wine is often described as masculine or feminine. Take for example French Burgundy and Bordeaux: just by looking at the bottles you can guess their gender. The Burgundy bottle is gently curved whilst Bordeaux has strong shoulders and straight lines. Red Burgundy is made from pinot noir, a variety often given feminine-sounding descriptions – it has “silky tannins” and is “hauntingly perfumed”. Red Bordeaux, by contrast, if often talked of as “earthy” with “brisk tannins” and a “lean body”. Is it all just auto-suggestion? Certainly some of it must be, but the French take these things very seriously and many a Frenchman could spend all day arguing the gender-related nuances of a particular wine.
So if you’d like to treat a red wine loving mum, we’d recommend the soft tannins and lively fruit of a pinot noir. New Zealand, and particularly Central Otago, produces some delicious ones. Jackson Estate Vintage Widow Pinot Noir 2007 (Marlborough, New Zealand) is £14.99 at Waitrose, who also list Mount Difficulty Pinot Noir 2007 (Central Otago) for £19.99. One of the great things about pinot noir is that it is a versatile food match and would happily accompany all sorts of things from roast chicken to a boeuf bourgignon. But its soft tannic structure also mean that it is also fabulous to drink on its own, particularly with feet up on Mother’s Day whilst the chores and a gourmet meal are prepared by other family members.
We don’t know many women who would turn their noses up at a glass of Champagne, and our recommendations for the best offers at the moment are, starting at the budget end of the scale:
Lindauer Special Reserve NV (New Zealand again) - £11.99, or £6.99 when you buy 2 bottles at Majestic. Not technically Champagne of course, as it’s made not just outside the Champagne region, but across the other side of the world in New Zealand. But it does use the same grape varieties and method as Champagne. This is an ever-reliable performer and a real bargain at the discounted price. It’s not a rosé, but does have a hint of negligée pink about it, along with delicious, crisp strawberry fruit.
Ridgeview Merrett Fitzrovia Rosé 2005/6 - £20.99 at Waitrose. A pink sparkler from Sussex! One of the best of the ever-improving English sparkling wines – celebrate all things English along with Mother’s Day.
Taittinger Brut Reserve NV - £25 on special offer until 22nd March also at Majestic. Returning to an earlier theme, this is one of the more feminine Champagne marques, with a high percentage of chardonnay in the blend. Light, frothy and floral – who could resist?
Further gift ideas are to give with the wine a beautiful glass or decanter, there are many lovely wine related gift items to be found on a link via our website: www.redwhiteandrose.co.uk/wine_gifts. Also of course some great wine offers which as mothers ourselves we know are just the ticket to please. However for the ultimate treat you could go for our Wine & Dine Service which takes all the burden of choice, organizing and sheer hard work out of the equation for you. Your mother will feel truly loved and pampered to find that you have given her a tailor-made wine and food matched and themed extravaganza. See www.redwhiteandrose.co.uk/wine_and_dine for details. Our speciality, for your pleasure.
Wear a smile and you may find it grows on you.
“God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers.” Jewish proverb
Monday, 22 February 2010
Dinner party dilemmas - sometimes the best invitation is a reservation
Are you one of those people who love the idea of entertaining but stress out with the reality of actually doing it? It is, after all, an exercise in planning, lots of work and, not least of all, you are psychologically baring your culinary soul and exposing your personal interpretation of style. Of course you will also be fretting over whether your guests will get along together, plus all the other house and home related items that you will need to tick off, such as oven space, timing etc. No wonder we sometimes want to give it all a miss!
All this will be running through your mind before you even give a thought to whether the wine you serve will turn the fruits of your kitchen labour into a heavenly match or render your repast a sour discordant hotch-potch. The right wine to accompany your food, even a burnt offering (better bring the brandy out for this one), can really enhance the pleasure and taste of the dish, whether it be a simple pasta supper or cuisine that is more haute style.
Entertaining at home can be great fun, and is certainly a warm and wonderful way to spend quality time with friends. It is, after all, opening up your heart (and inevitably your purse), not just your home.
Anyway, enough chat.....get cooking. Actually, first things first, get planning. In our opinion there is nothing worse as a guest than to be sat at table whilst your host (read hostess most frequently!), constantly jumps up and down in the vain effort to be everything to everyone. Relax: you are not a restaurant, your guests want your company, that’s why they are there. So here are a few guidelines to make it simple and memorable.
1. PPPPP, that’s right five P’s. Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance. This can be applied to all sorts of things in life, but don’t get carried away, serendipity still has a part to play. So, sit down, glass of wine in hand (come on, the whole process should be exciting and enjoyable), and write not just the shopping list, but also a detailed plan of action. Imagine how your recipes will taste and what wine will complement the epicurean extravaganza you will produce to astound your guests.
2. Keep it simple and use quality ingredients. Make just one fantastic dish, either preceded by drinks and canapés, or followed by a couple of distinctive and well kept cheeses. We feel champagne or sparkling wine are a sure way to put guests in the party mood. Prosecco makes a fine aperitif with savoury nibbles – try Majestic's Prosecco La Marca Extra Dry NV, £7.99 if you buy two or more bottles. However if, in your opinion, only Champagne will do, check out www.quaffersoffers.co.uk to find out if your favourite bubbles are on offer somewhere on the High Street, - the big names usually are. If you're looking for a smart Champagne without paying the premium for a grande marque, then search out good value alternatives such as Bredon Brut NV. It's made for Waitrose, but has no mention of a supermarket on the label and is just under £20 a bottle. Alternatively, you can never go wrong with white Burgundy, and the delicious Rully 2008 from Jean-Baptiste Ponsot combines a nutty savouriness with a touch of lime. From our Dinner Party Selection.
3. It is always a good idea to stick to a theme. For example, if the main course is of Italian influence, such as lasagne, or osso buco, then the cheeses should follow suit. A deliciously ripe Gorgonzola or Dolcelatte, contrasted with a hard cheese such as the classic Parmigiano served with figs or other small fruits, fresh or dried: Bella, bella, bella! Our cheese-friendly wine suggestion is Salentein Reserve Pinot Noir 2007, from Argentina. Brace yourself for the bouquet, this is a trendy purple Argentine 15% proof cracker. It has a suave nuttiness and will seduce you with its mellow latin charm. Also part of our Dinner Party selection.
4. Put the wine on the table - and tell everyone to help themselves. That is unless you have splashed out for “staff”! Forget doing the topping up yourself, no-one wants to see you madly jumping up and down like the proverbial Jack-in-the-box: we all drink at different rates and need to feel comfortable with our consumption. (One assumes that nowadays taxis home are a pre-requisite). And remember that, while you might have selected just the right red wine to complement your duck cassoulet, guests will have their own preference for red or white, so make sure you always have both on offer.
5. Be generous. Your gesture and effort will be appreciated and will no doubt open doors literally and figuratively. You will feel good and your guests will feel treasured by your hospitality.
6. Don’t Panic – actually a bit of stage-fright nerves isn’t a bad thing, it shows you are concentrating and caring. But if it is all just too much, Get Help! The Red White and Rosé Wine Events team can solve your problems from the viniculous to the sublime.
If you love the idea of entertaining at home, but would rather not face all the planning, cooking and wine sourcing (not to mention the washing-up afterwards!), then our wine and dine service could be for you. Details are on our website: http://www.redwhiteandrose.co.uk/Wine_and_Dine.
If you love to cook, but find the wine selection a chore, then our Dinner Party wine case could be just what you need. Two bottles each of three tried and trusted wines to suit most occasions, along with tasting notes and food matching suggestions. Delivered free in and around Guildford for £74.99. More information and online ordering at: http://www.redwhiteandrose.co.uk/Wine_offers.
Finally, remember that not everyone is good at everything: you may be a rocket scientist, but that doesn’t necessarily make you a decent cook! Restaurants are sometimes the perfect solution.
Bon Appétit!
All this will be running through your mind before you even give a thought to whether the wine you serve will turn the fruits of your kitchen labour into a heavenly match or render your repast a sour discordant hotch-potch. The right wine to accompany your food, even a burnt offering (better bring the brandy out for this one), can really enhance the pleasure and taste of the dish, whether it be a simple pasta supper or cuisine that is more haute style.
Entertaining at home can be great fun, and is certainly a warm and wonderful way to spend quality time with friends. It is, after all, opening up your heart (and inevitably your purse), not just your home.
Anyway, enough chat.....get cooking. Actually, first things first, get planning. In our opinion there is nothing worse as a guest than to be sat at table whilst your host (read hostess most frequently!), constantly jumps up and down in the vain effort to be everything to everyone. Relax: you are not a restaurant, your guests want your company, that’s why they are there. So here are a few guidelines to make it simple and memorable.
1. PPPPP, that’s right five P’s. Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance. This can be applied to all sorts of things in life, but don’t get carried away, serendipity still has a part to play. So, sit down, glass of wine in hand (come on, the whole process should be exciting and enjoyable), and write not just the shopping list, but also a detailed plan of action. Imagine how your recipes will taste and what wine will complement the epicurean extravaganza you will produce to astound your guests.
2. Keep it simple and use quality ingredients. Make just one fantastic dish, either preceded by drinks and canapés, or followed by a couple of distinctive and well kept cheeses. We feel champagne or sparkling wine are a sure way to put guests in the party mood. Prosecco makes a fine aperitif with savoury nibbles – try Majestic's Prosecco La Marca Extra Dry NV, £7.99 if you buy two or more bottles. However if, in your opinion, only Champagne will do, check out www.quaffersoffers.co.uk to find out if your favourite bubbles are on offer somewhere on the High Street, - the big names usually are. If you're looking for a smart Champagne without paying the premium for a grande marque, then search out good value alternatives such as Bredon Brut NV. It's made for Waitrose, but has no mention of a supermarket on the label and is just under £20 a bottle. Alternatively, you can never go wrong with white Burgundy, and the delicious Rully 2008 from Jean-Baptiste Ponsot combines a nutty savouriness with a touch of lime. From our Dinner Party Selection.
3. It is always a good idea to stick to a theme. For example, if the main course is of Italian influence, such as lasagne, or osso buco, then the cheeses should follow suit. A deliciously ripe Gorgonzola or Dolcelatte, contrasted with a hard cheese such as the classic Parmigiano served with figs or other small fruits, fresh or dried: Bella, bella, bella! Our cheese-friendly wine suggestion is Salentein Reserve Pinot Noir 2007, from Argentina. Brace yourself for the bouquet, this is a trendy purple Argentine 15% proof cracker. It has a suave nuttiness and will seduce you with its mellow latin charm. Also part of our Dinner Party selection.
4. Put the wine on the table - and tell everyone to help themselves. That is unless you have splashed out for “staff”! Forget doing the topping up yourself, no-one wants to see you madly jumping up and down like the proverbial Jack-in-the-box: we all drink at different rates and need to feel comfortable with our consumption. (One assumes that nowadays taxis home are a pre-requisite). And remember that, while you might have selected just the right red wine to complement your duck cassoulet, guests will have their own preference for red or white, so make sure you always have both on offer.
5. Be generous. Your gesture and effort will be appreciated and will no doubt open doors literally and figuratively. You will feel good and your guests will feel treasured by your hospitality.
6. Don’t Panic – actually a bit of stage-fright nerves isn’t a bad thing, it shows you are concentrating and caring. But if it is all just too much, Get Help! The Red White and Rosé Wine Events team can solve your problems from the viniculous to the sublime.
If you love the idea of entertaining at home, but would rather not face all the planning, cooking and wine sourcing (not to mention the washing-up afterwards!), then our wine and dine service could be for you. Details are on our website: http://www.redwhiteandrose.co.uk/Wine_and_Dine.
If you love to cook, but find the wine selection a chore, then our Dinner Party wine case could be just what you need. Two bottles each of three tried and trusted wines to suit most occasions, along with tasting notes and food matching suggestions. Delivered free in and around Guildford for £74.99. More information and online ordering at: http://www.redwhiteandrose.co.uk/Wine_offers.
Finally, remember that not everyone is good at everything: you may be a rocket scientist, but that doesn’t necessarily make you a decent cook! Restaurants are sometimes the perfect solution.
Bon Appétit!
Tuesday, 9 February 2010
Great (and grape) expectations
“Love is the greatest refreshment in life” ~ Pablo Picasso
“Love, a wildly misunderstood although highly desirable malfunction of the heart, which weakens the brain, causes eyes to sparkle, cheeks to glow, blood pressure to rise and the lips to pucker.” Anon. Is this love, or is this alcohol?
We were wondering if we could get away without mentioning the V word, as THAT DAY is fast approaching and setting hearts aflutter and stress levels soaring. No chance! The much hyped Valentines day, when anyone who does not receive a card, a bunch of flowers or a teddy emblazoned with those unimaginative, mystical, but so powerful three words, feels like they must be an unlovely freak of nature.
If this is you – just relax, you are beautiful and you deserve to celebrate yourself with a glass or several of whatever tipple takes your fancy, and don’t worry, we will be suggesting a few. Just think, you will be smugly happy whilst so many poor pairs are perspiring over a pricey dinner in pseudo pressured passion and will possibly be rueing the commercialization of what was once regarded as a day of secret trysts.
How did Valentine’s Day originate? Firstly, the timing co-incides with the ancient pagan festival of Lupercalia, celebrating the start of spring and fertility. Saint Valentine himself was said to be a priest in Roman times: he was killed and gained martyr status, because of his illicit practice of marrying couples to prevent the young men being conscripted into the army....not really very romantic.
In 1929 during the era of alcohol prohibition in America, bootleggers and profiteer mobsters such as Al Capone thrived with their strong arm, bloody and lawless tactics. (Let this be a dire warning to keep the wine flowing!) The “Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre” is also relevant if you eat the typical gift of chocolate and champagne together. If you want to match your chocolates with wine HD declares there is really only one choice, PX Sherry. Intensely sweet grapes left to raisin, then fermented, fortified and aged for years to produce the stickiest, smooth and nutty liquid. You could also use it to make a sensuous treat of a pudding – pour it over the best quality vanilla ice cream, add a few raisins if you feel like it. Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference PX is just £6.99.
“What I do and what I dream include thee, as the wine must taste of its’ own grapes”. ~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
The Saatchi Gallery in London was transformed this week as all the priceless pictures were removed from the walls and thousands of litres of wine from around the world brought in. A different type of culture indeed. This was “open day” on a grand scale and mobbed by the cognoscenti and ignorati alike! Amongst the madness we made sure that on your behalf we sampled a few bottles – some of them pink – to make recommendations for your delectation on said14th, whether for sole use or à deux, (or more). As it is a celebration and a not very serious one at that, we felt that bubbles were appropriate. So we tasted from the sublime to the ridiculous. Our “afternoon delight” was Laurent-Perrier Grande Siècle Brut, and the Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé, followed up with Krug Grande Cuvée, all of which we sipped, savoured and didn’t spit! These “mistress tipples” (much enjoyed by Madame Pompadour, the celebrated, enterprising and long-time mistress to King Louis XV), range in price from £90 to £180, not everyday drinking for most.
Good value at a fraction of this cost is Sainsbury’s award-winning Blanc de Noirs Brut NV at just £16.98 a bottle. However, if that you feel that flashing a supermarket label just won’t do, then Majestic’s offer on classy Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV could be just the job. It costs £24.99 if you buy two or more bottles.
“Your words are my food, your breath my wine” ~ Sarah Bernhardt
Aphrodisiacs come in many forms and classically oysters with champagne are renowned for their sensual heightening properties. However, there are many other foods that claim to be libido boosting, such as the Avocado, which in Aztec language was known as the “testicle tree”.....note the shape. Ginger, nutmeg, vanilla, saffron and chilli (curry anyone?) also lay claim to have a heating effect on parts not reached by the likes of fish and chips or shepherds pie.
We suggest that to go with your curry you should forego the usual lager, and try a softly structured and fruity red such as Beaujolais-Villages Hospice de Beaujeu 2007/8 from Waitrose at £7.99: a non obvious but nevertheless great match. Or for something a little more conventional an off-dry German Riesling Pfalz 2007 by Bassermann-Jordan, also from Waitrose, at £8.99 would be really simpatico.
You could of course stick to Champagne which famously goes with anything, though perhaps this has more to do with its ability to convey celebration and a sense of occasion, rather than any innate food matching quality. However, at the risk of overstatement, a well chosen glass of wine swirled and sniffed appreciatively, left to linger on the tongue, then allowed to glide gratefully down your throat hits the spot, and the pheromones.
Other than the above our advice would be simply to avoid arguments.
We are probably all romantics at heart so enjoy this day and whatever you believe love to be, and drink an un-cynical toast to - love makes the world go round.....
“And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make”
The Beatles ~ Abbey Road.
With love
“Love, a wildly misunderstood although highly desirable malfunction of the heart, which weakens the brain, causes eyes to sparkle, cheeks to glow, blood pressure to rise and the lips to pucker.” Anon. Is this love, or is this alcohol?
We were wondering if we could get away without mentioning the V word, as THAT DAY is fast approaching and setting hearts aflutter and stress levels soaring. No chance! The much hyped Valentines day, when anyone who does not receive a card, a bunch of flowers or a teddy emblazoned with those unimaginative, mystical, but so powerful three words, feels like they must be an unlovely freak of nature.
If this is you – just relax, you are beautiful and you deserve to celebrate yourself with a glass or several of whatever tipple takes your fancy, and don’t worry, we will be suggesting a few. Just think, you will be smugly happy whilst so many poor pairs are perspiring over a pricey dinner in pseudo pressured passion and will possibly be rueing the commercialization of what was once regarded as a day of secret trysts.
How did Valentine’s Day originate? Firstly, the timing co-incides with the ancient pagan festival of Lupercalia, celebrating the start of spring and fertility. Saint Valentine himself was said to be a priest in Roman times: he was killed and gained martyr status, because of his illicit practice of marrying couples to prevent the young men being conscripted into the army....not really very romantic.
In 1929 during the era of alcohol prohibition in America, bootleggers and profiteer mobsters such as Al Capone thrived with their strong arm, bloody and lawless tactics. (Let this be a dire warning to keep the wine flowing!) The “Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre” is also relevant if you eat the typical gift of chocolate and champagne together. If you want to match your chocolates with wine HD declares there is really only one choice, PX Sherry. Intensely sweet grapes left to raisin, then fermented, fortified and aged for years to produce the stickiest, smooth and nutty liquid. You could also use it to make a sensuous treat of a pudding – pour it over the best quality vanilla ice cream, add a few raisins if you feel like it. Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference PX is just £6.99.
“What I do and what I dream include thee, as the wine must taste of its’ own grapes”. ~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
The Saatchi Gallery in London was transformed this week as all the priceless pictures were removed from the walls and thousands of litres of wine from around the world brought in. A different type of culture indeed. This was “open day” on a grand scale and mobbed by the cognoscenti and ignorati alike! Amongst the madness we made sure that on your behalf we sampled a few bottles – some of them pink – to make recommendations for your delectation on said14th, whether for sole use or à deux, (or more). As it is a celebration and a not very serious one at that, we felt that bubbles were appropriate. So we tasted from the sublime to the ridiculous. Our “afternoon delight” was Laurent-Perrier Grande Siècle Brut, and the Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé, followed up with Krug Grande Cuvée, all of which we sipped, savoured and didn’t spit! These “mistress tipples” (much enjoyed by Madame Pompadour, the celebrated, enterprising and long-time mistress to King Louis XV), range in price from £90 to £180, not everyday drinking for most.
Good value at a fraction of this cost is Sainsbury’s award-winning Blanc de Noirs Brut NV at just £16.98 a bottle. However, if that you feel that flashing a supermarket label just won’t do, then Majestic’s offer on classy Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV could be just the job. It costs £24.99 if you buy two or more bottles.
“Your words are my food, your breath my wine” ~ Sarah Bernhardt
Aphrodisiacs come in many forms and classically oysters with champagne are renowned for their sensual heightening properties. However, there are many other foods that claim to be libido boosting, such as the Avocado, which in Aztec language was known as the “testicle tree”.....note the shape. Ginger, nutmeg, vanilla, saffron and chilli (curry anyone?) also lay claim to have a heating effect on parts not reached by the likes of fish and chips or shepherds pie.
We suggest that to go with your curry you should forego the usual lager, and try a softly structured and fruity red such as Beaujolais-Villages Hospice de Beaujeu 2007/8 from Waitrose at £7.99: a non obvious but nevertheless great match. Or for something a little more conventional an off-dry German Riesling Pfalz 2007 by Bassermann-Jordan, also from Waitrose, at £8.99 would be really simpatico.
You could of course stick to Champagne which famously goes with anything, though perhaps this has more to do with its ability to convey celebration and a sense of occasion, rather than any innate food matching quality. However, at the risk of overstatement, a well chosen glass of wine swirled and sniffed appreciatively, left to linger on the tongue, then allowed to glide gratefully down your throat hits the spot, and the pheromones.
Other than the above our advice would be simply to avoid arguments.
We are probably all romantics at heart so enjoy this day and whatever you believe love to be, and drink an un-cynical toast to - love makes the world go round.....
“And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make”
The Beatles ~ Abbey Road.
With love
Monday, 25 January 2010
Eiswein anyone?
Written in the white-out!
NASA Terra satellite pictures show the UK blanketed in snow from head to toe, the heaviest snowfall in fifty years apparently. All of the media suggest we stay inside, and here in the provinces the silence is palpable from the lack of traffic. The Scandinavians call it “hyggelig” which translates to being cosy, snug, friendly and home. Most of us, especially children and dogs, love the adventure of gambolling in the snow, discovering wild animal tracks, and the myriad games to play with the unaccustomed white ingredient.
If, like HA, you live in a village blessed with a plethora of pubs, wine bars and restaurants, the atmosphere is virtually après- ski. Brightly adorned jolly snow revellers can be seen trudging to the local watering holes to regale their cohorts with tales of their snowboard and tobogganing prowess on the local golf course. Suddenly we are transported back to times when just being local was the norm, with it being a rarity and a brave soul who travelled outside the village environs. Community spirit seems to have been awakened in these adverse weather conditions and bonhomie is blooming. Long may it last after the snow is but a memory.
While we frolic, in Germany and Austria as the first light of day dawns, intrepid pickers snip frozen grapes from the vine for the small, expensive and renowned harvest which makes Eiswein. The grapes are crushed whilst still frozen to produce this very sweet, highly acidic and much prized wine. This same process is carried out in Canada and other seasonally chilled climes where the result is termed Icewine. We think this would be an unusual and rather appropriate gift to take to a party this month. Waitrose lists Weingut Heribert Boch, Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Eiswein 2004 – a mouthful in more ways than one. Its luscious sweetness and lipsmacking acidity are great for lemon roulade or fruit pavlovas. The price is eyewatering too, at £29.99 for a half bottle.
It will be interesting to see if our English vineyards are able to take advantage of the freeze, minimise wastage and tap into the Icewine practice. Keep your eyes peeled for the English version later this year. ....What could it be called....”Frozen wastes” or perhaps “Surrey Cold”!
Both Heathers agree that a good big red helps keep the cold at bay, and in fact it seems the natural beverage to imbibe at this time of year. HA was given a wonderful selection of South African reds as a Christmas gift – Galpin Peak 2008, a pinot noir from Walker Bay near Hermanus, produced by the Bouchard Finlayson Winery on this sunny Western Cape is an accomplished reflection of the fertile terroir. Something different is Whole Berry Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, grown, made and bottled on the Springfield Estate “by 9th generation Huguenots”. This wine claims to be harvested and developed by the ancestral (ie by hand) method, and developed using a gravity flow system with no pumps or crushers involved. This traditional method of production, using only the natural yeasts, and which is unfiltered and unfined, results in softer tannins and complex characteristics. Shipped by Bibendum and selling for £10.73 a bottle, this is definitely worthy of your palate.
Alternative, economic, invigorating, unusual (any more vowels?): this describes some of the wines we have tasted recently and from which we have selected some delicious examples to offer you. These non-supermarket wines represent real value and interest to the most discerning connoisseur. A six bottle around the world case for just £49.99. A real January re-juvenator.
We are delighted to get your feedback on the above and almost any vinous subject. Next we will be looking at restaurants and wine bars and would be delighted to receive your views on local hotspots, heroes and villains. We will be giving you our unbiased, un-pc views in the next edition of our Surrey Advertiser column. Trinny and Susannah have got nothing on us!!!
NASA Terra satellite pictures show the UK blanketed in snow from head to toe, the heaviest snowfall in fifty years apparently. All of the media suggest we stay inside, and here in the provinces the silence is palpable from the lack of traffic. The Scandinavians call it “hyggelig” which translates to being cosy, snug, friendly and home. Most of us, especially children and dogs, love the adventure of gambolling in the snow, discovering wild animal tracks, and the myriad games to play with the unaccustomed white ingredient.
If, like HA, you live in a village blessed with a plethora of pubs, wine bars and restaurants, the atmosphere is virtually après- ski. Brightly adorned jolly snow revellers can be seen trudging to the local watering holes to regale their cohorts with tales of their snowboard and tobogganing prowess on the local golf course. Suddenly we are transported back to times when just being local was the norm, with it being a rarity and a brave soul who travelled outside the village environs. Community spirit seems to have been awakened in these adverse weather conditions and bonhomie is blooming. Long may it last after the snow is but a memory.
While we frolic, in Germany and Austria as the first light of day dawns, intrepid pickers snip frozen grapes from the vine for the small, expensive and renowned harvest which makes Eiswein. The grapes are crushed whilst still frozen to produce this very sweet, highly acidic and much prized wine. This same process is carried out in Canada and other seasonally chilled climes where the result is termed Icewine. We think this would be an unusual and rather appropriate gift to take to a party this month. Waitrose lists Weingut Heribert Boch, Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Eiswein 2004 – a mouthful in more ways than one. Its luscious sweetness and lipsmacking acidity are great for lemon roulade or fruit pavlovas. The price is eyewatering too, at £29.99 for a half bottle.
It will be interesting to see if our English vineyards are able to take advantage of the freeze, minimise wastage and tap into the Icewine practice. Keep your eyes peeled for the English version later this year. ....What could it be called....”Frozen wastes” or perhaps “Surrey Cold”!
Both Heathers agree that a good big red helps keep the cold at bay, and in fact it seems the natural beverage to imbibe at this time of year. HA was given a wonderful selection of South African reds as a Christmas gift – Galpin Peak 2008, a pinot noir from Walker Bay near Hermanus, produced by the Bouchard Finlayson Winery on this sunny Western Cape is an accomplished reflection of the fertile terroir. Something different is Whole Berry Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, grown, made and bottled on the Springfield Estate “by 9th generation Huguenots”. This wine claims to be harvested and developed by the ancestral (ie by hand) method, and developed using a gravity flow system with no pumps or crushers involved. This traditional method of production, using only the natural yeasts, and which is unfiltered and unfined, results in softer tannins and complex characteristics. Shipped by Bibendum and selling for £10.73 a bottle, this is definitely worthy of your palate.
Alternative, economic, invigorating, unusual (any more vowels?): this describes some of the wines we have tasted recently and from which we have selected some delicious examples to offer you. These non-supermarket wines represent real value and interest to the most discerning connoisseur. A six bottle around the world case for just £49.99. A real January re-juvenator.
We are delighted to get your feedback on the above and almost any vinous subject. Next we will be looking at restaurants and wine bars and would be delighted to receive your views on local hotspots, heroes and villains. We will be giving you our unbiased, un-pc views in the next edition of our Surrey Advertiser column. Trinny and Susannah have got nothing on us!!!
Monday, 11 January 2010
Wine doesn't make you fat....
...it makes you lean
....against tables, chairs, floors and walls!
It’s the time for New Year’s resolutions and for many this will include the wish to lose a few pounds in weight and improve their fitness. Wonderful and well done, but such a bore. January is dreary enough anyway without any depressing dieting regimes. The good news is that you can shed the pounds and be happy too - the advice is to drink red wine to burn off the fat!
The English have obesity rates which were recently calculated to be in excess of one in five adults, whilst conversely our neighbours the French seem to stay enviably slim even though they eat delicious calorie laden meals. Why is this? The secret is known as The French Paradox. Professor Roger Corder in his book “The Wine Diet”, talks of harnessing the power of red wine which contains procyanidins and other polyphenol-rich substances to help the slimming process. We think that “polyphenol” will become the new fashion buzz word in 2010 and will be used in conjunction with all things desirably healthy of which red wine is professed to be one.......mark my words!
It has also been found that high levels of a chemical substance called resveratrol found in red wine could help in the process of losing weight and perhaps even more excitingly has an effect on the decline of heart function associated with ageing. Get that bottle open!
As we are not writing a scientific manuscript we are happy for you to do your own research, but would just add from the wine lover’s point of view that judicious use of the red beverage will help if nothing else to lift your spirits, surely an important aid in the fight against flab.
At the start of a new year it is interesting to look back at past events and passing fashions and as in all things alcohol has been presented to the public in some memorable ways. Does anyone remember Paris Hilton advertising “Prosecco in a can”? Bet you didn’t buy any of it though.
Just a few days ago (back in 2009), HA saw in Guildford one of the big chain of coffee houses advertising “egg-nog flavoured latte” ..Yuk! This was a reminder of childhood when at Christmas maiden aunts would venture away from the customary thimble-full of Sherry and go wild on a drink inexplicably called “snowball”. This weird runny omelette tipple was the egg-nog Dutch Advocaat, topped up with lemonade - remember the TV advert: “Eveninks and morninks, I drink Warninks”? A drink with kitsch appeal has now been reborn as a coffee additive! Now you can enjoy all the sickly and slimy appeal of Advocaat, but without any pesky alcohol to make the experience even mildly enjoyable.
The best coffee is (to our taste), Brazilian, and served in cups a quarter the size of the high street vast, American exports.(but we digress.) So if Advocaat is back, what’s next? Equally horrid concoctions spring to mind: HD remembers fond hours working behind the student union bar at University dishing out pints of Guinness and black(currant), or Guinness snakebite and black (Guinness, cider and blackcurrant) – ever popular with the Goth crowd, who always went for colour over taste.
These nostalgic ramblings are not going to be any help whatsoever in choosing your next bottle of vino, but we feel that a bit of time taken in retrospective thought can sometimes clarify the mind for the present. So, here is your horoscope prediction for 2010: “There will be a continuing trend of converts to decent wines, and a growing fan club for the 2 Heathers wine columns”! We would add that perhaps due to the fact that more people are choosing to buy wine to enjoy at home rather than just to sip in restaurants, interest and discernment will be enhanced.
We think that particularly in the cold winter evenings a glass of room temperature red, sipped ideally by a roaring fire can wonderfully waft your imagination away to warmer climes. Try a Rioja, vibrant garnet-red Spanish sunshine in a glass with a hint of the tack room, leather, chestnuts and a lean fruitiness. Think Hemmingway, passion, and plan your get-away. Rioja Urbina Crianza 2004 at £10.50 a bottle, (but you will want to buy the case of six), does the trick. Similarly Rioja Bodega Navajas 2008 at £7 a bottle will help you save for the holiday fund.
As always we have your best interests dear reader at heart (where did we get that phrase), and will be presenting you with our wonderful winter wine offer in our next article to help keep the cold at bay and a song in your soul. If you just can’t wait, call us 01483892678 or look online www.redwhiteandrose.co.uk and we will do our best to oblige. Otherwise we look forward with you in anticipation of the pleasures supplied by us to come your way.
We wish you a wonderful wine-time in 2010 and don’t forget the polyphenols, vitamins, minerals, sunshine and health you will be conferring upon your stressed out winter body by giving it what it craves.
Health and Happiness
In vino veritas
Heather and Heather
X X
....against tables, chairs, floors and walls!
It’s the time for New Year’s resolutions and for many this will include the wish to lose a few pounds in weight and improve their fitness. Wonderful and well done, but such a bore. January is dreary enough anyway without any depressing dieting regimes. The good news is that you can shed the pounds and be happy too - the advice is to drink red wine to burn off the fat!
The English have obesity rates which were recently calculated to be in excess of one in five adults, whilst conversely our neighbours the French seem to stay enviably slim even though they eat delicious calorie laden meals. Why is this? The secret is known as The French Paradox. Professor Roger Corder in his book “The Wine Diet”, talks of harnessing the power of red wine which contains procyanidins and other polyphenol-rich substances to help the slimming process. We think that “polyphenol” will become the new fashion buzz word in 2010 and will be used in conjunction with all things desirably healthy of which red wine is professed to be one.......mark my words!
It has also been found that high levels of a chemical substance called resveratrol found in red wine could help in the process of losing weight and perhaps even more excitingly has an effect on the decline of heart function associated with ageing. Get that bottle open!
As we are not writing a scientific manuscript we are happy for you to do your own research, but would just add from the wine lover’s point of view that judicious use of the red beverage will help if nothing else to lift your spirits, surely an important aid in the fight against flab.
At the start of a new year it is interesting to look back at past events and passing fashions and as in all things alcohol has been presented to the public in some memorable ways. Does anyone remember Paris Hilton advertising “Prosecco in a can”? Bet you didn’t buy any of it though.
Just a few days ago (back in 2009), HA saw in Guildford one of the big chain of coffee houses advertising “egg-nog flavoured latte” ..Yuk! This was a reminder of childhood when at Christmas maiden aunts would venture away from the customary thimble-full of Sherry and go wild on a drink inexplicably called “snowball”. This weird runny omelette tipple was the egg-nog Dutch Advocaat, topped up with lemonade - remember the TV advert: “Eveninks and morninks, I drink Warninks”? A drink with kitsch appeal has now been reborn as a coffee additive! Now you can enjoy all the sickly and slimy appeal of Advocaat, but without any pesky alcohol to make the experience even mildly enjoyable.
The best coffee is (to our taste), Brazilian, and served in cups a quarter the size of the high street vast, American exports.(but we digress.) So if Advocaat is back, what’s next? Equally horrid concoctions spring to mind: HD remembers fond hours working behind the student union bar at University dishing out pints of Guinness and black(currant), or Guinness snakebite and black (Guinness, cider and blackcurrant) – ever popular with the Goth crowd, who always went for colour over taste.
These nostalgic ramblings are not going to be any help whatsoever in choosing your next bottle of vino, but we feel that a bit of time taken in retrospective thought can sometimes clarify the mind for the present. So, here is your horoscope prediction for 2010: “There will be a continuing trend of converts to decent wines, and a growing fan club for the 2 Heathers wine columns”! We would add that perhaps due to the fact that more people are choosing to buy wine to enjoy at home rather than just to sip in restaurants, interest and discernment will be enhanced.
We think that particularly in the cold winter evenings a glass of room temperature red, sipped ideally by a roaring fire can wonderfully waft your imagination away to warmer climes. Try a Rioja, vibrant garnet-red Spanish sunshine in a glass with a hint of the tack room, leather, chestnuts and a lean fruitiness. Think Hemmingway, passion, and plan your get-away. Rioja Urbina Crianza 2004 at £10.50 a bottle, (but you will want to buy the case of six), does the trick. Similarly Rioja Bodega Navajas 2008 at £7 a bottle will help you save for the holiday fund.
As always we have your best interests dear reader at heart (where did we get that phrase), and will be presenting you with our wonderful winter wine offer in our next article to help keep the cold at bay and a song in your soul. If you just can’t wait, call us 01483892678 or look online www.redwhiteandrose.co.uk and we will do our best to oblige. Otherwise we look forward with you in anticipation of the pleasures supplied by us to come your way.
We wish you a wonderful wine-time in 2010 and don’t forget the polyphenols, vitamins, minerals, sunshine and health you will be conferring upon your stressed out winter body by giving it what it craves.
Health and Happiness
In vino veritas
Heather and Heather
X X
Friday, 11 December 2009
Chablis and culture shock in Italy
This week the two Heathers have been dipping their toes in culture – and getting culture shock – all in the pursuit of their love of wine.
Heather Aitken
So there I was in the Royal Opera House Covent garden, soaking up the atmosphere from under a crystalline chandelier. The cast – mostly French - were singing the praises of the star of the show, that well-known and ancient export from northern Burgundy – Chablis.
The first time the wine Chablis was recorded was 312AD, so it has been around a very long time. It is made purely from the Chardonnay grape variety grown on limestone soil formed in the Kimmerigian period, which retains a wealth of fossilized oyster shells from this upper Jurassic era. This soil imparts the acidity and the sun gives the balance of the fruitiness to the wine. There is a village in Dorset called Kimmeridge which is well known by geologists for its rich fossil finds but to my knowledge this area does not produce wine.
The Chablis symposium was held in magnificent splendour and we the delegates were talked and tasted through Petit to Grand Cru.....little to big quite literally, that is French vineyard speak! As they say “it’s a hard job but someone’s got to do it!”
It is worth noting here that the word “symposium” , now taken to mean some sort of educational teaching and discourse, actually comes from the Greek word sympotein which translates “to drink together”, so very apt in this instance. Next time your partner says that he or she is going to be late home as they are at a symposium - take it that they are in the pub!
After the symposium there was the opportunity to talk with the growers and exporters of Chablis and the chance to try the often distinctly different styles of this wine. I learnt that the four appellations of Chablis, Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru and Chablis Grand Cru are grouped around the river Serein, with arguably the best wine found on the right bank. Within these appellations there are distinctive differences in taste and longevity.
Maud Manfredini –Mullard (doesn’t sound French to me) of Lamblin & Fils was very informative and in her opinion Petit Chablis is at its best at 2 years old, Chablis at 5 years old, Premier Cru 6 to 8 years and the Grand Cru 15 maximum. Some people will tell you that these wines will last for longer, but they would have to be of exceptional vintage.
Daniel Etienne Defaix owns one of the most ancient estates in Chablis and his first claim to fame is that the Romans regarded this stretch of land so highly that they built a road around it rather than crossing it in a straight line as was their usual practice! His more recent claim to fame is that he supplies many Michelin restaurants such as the Roux brothers with his wines
Biodynamics is the new buzz word for natural methods of cultivation, really a throw back to the ways our ancestors observed. In a nutshell, plants are treated with only natural products such as cow manure and medicinal plants, and as much as possible the rhythms of the solar system are followed to perform certain tasks. The idea is to be in harmony with nature. Well I’m all for it as Joseph Drouhin has produced some magnificent quality wines which have benefited enormously from this old, but newly re-instigated practice.
Finally and most importantly a quick word on the compatibility of the different types of Chablis with food. Petit Chablis is perfect with aperitifs and goes wonderfully well with Chevre, goats cheese. Chablis is great with seafood and fish, and also complements swiss cheese and mature cheddar. Chablis Premier Cru can accompany chicken dishes, ham and is renowned for being the perfect foil for the famous Burgundian cheese Epoisses. Chablis Grand Cru works well with creamy dishes, but as it is a special wine it really deserves to be drunk with its equals – foie gras and lobster.
Life is short, enjoy its pleasures. To quote that famous poet, Anon, “Life is too short to drink bad wine”!
Alto Adige – It’s Italy, but not as we know it….
Heather Dougherty
While Heather A was getting cultural at the Royal Opera House, I was jetting off to what I thought was Italy. Well we landed in Verona, that’s definitely Italian, no problem there. But after a two hour drive north, we were in the Italian Dolomites in the region that is officially known as either Alto Adige, or Südtirol – and there lies the clue.
Most people here are native German speakers (though they are all bi-lingual); the scenery is most definitely Alpine; I spotted men in Lederhosen; our welcome address was outside in the cold and dark because “it’s good for the heart”. I put it to you m’lud, that Alto Adige is not Italian at all, but a long lost bit of Austria.
This most northerly part of Italy borders Austria and clearly has much in common with that country – indeed it was part of the Austrian Empire until as recently as 1919. I went to bed feeling rather confused.
The next day dawned and there were the mountains – but equally, I spotted fig trees, cypresses and the odd olive tree. They may be gearing up for the ski season now, but in the summer this place can be hotter than Rome…maybe it is Italy after all.
The wines are a fascinating mix of those Alpine and Mediterranean cross currents – mostly white, clean and crisp, but with a sense of warmth and ripeness to the fruit. Look out for Pinot Grigio with character and shape, the usually overlooked Pinot Bianco, stunning Gewurtraminers and occasionally thrilling Rieslings. They even take Müller-Thurgau seriously here – the grape forever damned for its part in creating lolly-water Liebfraumilch. You might also find a smattering of Pinot Nero (aka Pinot Noir) reaching the UK.
Heather Aitken
So there I was in the Royal Opera House Covent garden, soaking up the atmosphere from under a crystalline chandelier. The cast – mostly French - were singing the praises of the star of the show, that well-known and ancient export from northern Burgundy – Chablis.
The first time the wine Chablis was recorded was 312AD, so it has been around a very long time. It is made purely from the Chardonnay grape variety grown on limestone soil formed in the Kimmerigian period, which retains a wealth of fossilized oyster shells from this upper Jurassic era. This soil imparts the acidity and the sun gives the balance of the fruitiness to the wine. There is a village in Dorset called Kimmeridge which is well known by geologists for its rich fossil finds but to my knowledge this area does not produce wine.
The Chablis symposium was held in magnificent splendour and we the delegates were talked and tasted through Petit to Grand Cru.....little to big quite literally, that is French vineyard speak! As they say “it’s a hard job but someone’s got to do it!”
It is worth noting here that the word “symposium” , now taken to mean some sort of educational teaching and discourse, actually comes from the Greek word sympotein which translates “to drink together”, so very apt in this instance. Next time your partner says that he or she is going to be late home as they are at a symposium - take it that they are in the pub!
After the symposium there was the opportunity to talk with the growers and exporters of Chablis and the chance to try the often distinctly different styles of this wine. I learnt that the four appellations of Chablis, Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru and Chablis Grand Cru are grouped around the river Serein, with arguably the best wine found on the right bank. Within these appellations there are distinctive differences in taste and longevity.
Maud Manfredini –Mullard (doesn’t sound French to me) of Lamblin & Fils was very informative and in her opinion Petit Chablis is at its best at 2 years old, Chablis at 5 years old, Premier Cru 6 to 8 years and the Grand Cru 15 maximum. Some people will tell you that these wines will last for longer, but they would have to be of exceptional vintage.
Daniel Etienne Defaix owns one of the most ancient estates in Chablis and his first claim to fame is that the Romans regarded this stretch of land so highly that they built a road around it rather than crossing it in a straight line as was their usual practice! His more recent claim to fame is that he supplies many Michelin restaurants such as the Roux brothers with his wines
Biodynamics is the new buzz word for natural methods of cultivation, really a throw back to the ways our ancestors observed. In a nutshell, plants are treated with only natural products such as cow manure and medicinal plants, and as much as possible the rhythms of the solar system are followed to perform certain tasks. The idea is to be in harmony with nature. Well I’m all for it as Joseph Drouhin has produced some magnificent quality wines which have benefited enormously from this old, but newly re-instigated practice.
Finally and most importantly a quick word on the compatibility of the different types of Chablis with food. Petit Chablis is perfect with aperitifs and goes wonderfully well with Chevre, goats cheese. Chablis is great with seafood and fish, and also complements swiss cheese and mature cheddar. Chablis Premier Cru can accompany chicken dishes, ham and is renowned for being the perfect foil for the famous Burgundian cheese Epoisses. Chablis Grand Cru works well with creamy dishes, but as it is a special wine it really deserves to be drunk with its equals – foie gras and lobster.
Life is short, enjoy its pleasures. To quote that famous poet, Anon, “Life is too short to drink bad wine”!
Alto Adige – It’s Italy, but not as we know it….
Heather Dougherty
While Heather A was getting cultural at the Royal Opera House, I was jetting off to what I thought was Italy. Well we landed in Verona, that’s definitely Italian, no problem there. But after a two hour drive north, we were in the Italian Dolomites in the region that is officially known as either Alto Adige, or Südtirol – and there lies the clue.
Most people here are native German speakers (though they are all bi-lingual); the scenery is most definitely Alpine; I spotted men in Lederhosen; our welcome address was outside in the cold and dark because “it’s good for the heart”. I put it to you m’lud, that Alto Adige is not Italian at all, but a long lost bit of Austria.
This most northerly part of Italy borders Austria and clearly has much in common with that country – indeed it was part of the Austrian Empire until as recently as 1919. I went to bed feeling rather confused.
The next day dawned and there were the mountains – but equally, I spotted fig trees, cypresses and the odd olive tree. They may be gearing up for the ski season now, but in the summer this place can be hotter than Rome…maybe it is Italy after all.
The wines are a fascinating mix of those Alpine and Mediterranean cross currents – mostly white, clean and crisp, but with a sense of warmth and ripeness to the fruit. Look out for Pinot Grigio with character and shape, the usually overlooked Pinot Bianco, stunning Gewurtraminers and occasionally thrilling Rieslings. They even take Müller-Thurgau seriously here – the grape forever damned for its part in creating lolly-water Liebfraumilch. You might also find a smattering of Pinot Nero (aka Pinot Noir) reaching the UK.
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