Another Christmas has passed and as the years go by they seem to be coming up faster and faster. For an 18 year old a year is a long time but as you get older and older a year makes up an increasingly small proportion of your life. All the more reason to enjoy every moment and to drink a decent bottle of wine and eat good food whenever you get the opportunity. The days of drinking poor wine are over for me.
The festive season is full of dangers as far as food is concerned. Many restaurants see it as an opportunity to serve up terrible grub at excessive prices. The dreaded Christmas lunch with your work colleagues can often be a culinary disaster.
I experienced this when we went to a small local café which got out of its depth with the number of punters. For some reason they got our orders wrong and I ended up eating a turkey sandwich after waiting for over an hour and a half. The only saving grace was that the company was good and the wine was also palatable and reasonably priced. However, by the time my lunch arrived I had drunk a little too much so I had to wash down the the turkey with water. The turkey was well garnished and tasted good! I did not complain as the café was trying hard and was not trying to rip anyone off. They also had realised the mistake of getting out of their depth. It was good that I was able to see the funny side of the experience.
For Christmas eve my experience was completely different when we ate locally, in Orpington, which is not far from where we live. We go to Osteria da Fabrizio fairly regularly and we knew that the food would be good on Christmas eve with no corners cut and that the quality would be maintained and that the prices would not be shoved up. We were not disappointed.
After the amuse-gueule accompanied by a glass of prosecco we ate:
Wild boar sausage, venison and beef carpaccio,
Taglioni pasta with marinated lobster,
A rack of lamb,
Chocolate fondant.
This was excellent dining.
All of these dishes were full of flavour and cooked perfectly. The rack of lamb was cooked to the correct strength and was seasoned perfectly and this is a good sign that the cooks know what they are doing. Well done the chef and his staff.
All this was washed down with a bottle of Valpolicella. The staff in the Osteria are from a variety of European countries and the are all friendly and polite and know how to treat the customers. No one ever calls us "guys". Being called "guy" in a restaurant is rude and borders on the insulting. In fact there is no reason to address anyone as "guy" unless he is actually named Guy. Why should I be treated as if I am about to be thrown on a bonfire? Would a waiter or waitress like it if I I said, "come over here "guy"; I am ready to order?
When I go to a restaurant in France or Italy I am treated with respect because the waiters and waitresses know how to behave properly; it is a pity that the English cannot follow suit.
Any way, enough of this rant as we had a great meal at the Osteria. The boss is always friendly and plays great jazz records; even on Christmas eve so three cheers! We did not have to suffer "White Christmas" for the fiftieth time and anyway the outside temperature was 12 degrees celcius. We were set up nicely for a good culinary experience on Christmas Day. Osteria Fabrizio is highly recommended - if you are in the area.
http://www.dafabrizio.co.uk/
Thursday, 7 January 2016
Monday, 14 December 2015
Domaine Toulal Guerrouane rosé 2014
Last weekend we visited France and tried some Domaine Toulal Guerrouane rosé 2014 for an aperitif before we ate. I was quite impressed; some good wine is made in Morocco and Domaine Toulal is no exception it tasted just as good as a rosé from the Rhône valley that we tried the next day.
This wine is perfect for drinking in the garden on a hot summer's day which despite global warming is a rarity in Britain. This is probably why rosé sales are low in Britain and a nice warming Barolo is more suited to a British summer - it is better to stick to the South of France or Tuscany for garden parties.
Moroccan wine is very good value for money and even though it cannot compete with French, Italian or Spanish wine for absolute quality it gives the lower end wines a run for their money. I have never had a bad bottle and all the wines go with Moroccan food.
You can't find these wines easily in the the UK but an outlet can be found on short a short trip across the channel to a French supermarket. Domaine Toulal costs about 3.99 Euro a bottle and for that price why not buy a case? Moroccan red is generally good as well. So the next time you drive to France search some out all the major supermarkets who all stock wines from the Maghreb.
The wines of the Maghreb are produced on the slopes of the Atlas mountains in the north of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia where the Mediterranean influences the climate and produces conditions perfect for viticulture: there is also plenty of hot sun. The quality of wines from the Maghreb is improving all the time now that bulk wine production is being phased out. Export earnings from wine are on the up and France is the main export market.
A substantial proportion of the people who live in the Maghreb consume wine despite the restrictions of religion. Some of my Muslim friends assure me that it is OK for an adherent of Islam to consume wine provided that your character is unaffected by that consumption, so a glass of wine with a meal is not forbidden - this is a moot point and others would claim that a true adherent of the faith should not consume wine or any other form of alcohol for that matter.
http://www.cdiscount.com/vin-champagne/vin-rose/domaine-toulal-rose-x1/f-1293605-toulalrose.html
http://www.wine-navigator.com/wild-and-rare-in-North-Africa
This wine is perfect for drinking in the garden on a hot summer's day which despite global warming is a rarity in Britain. This is probably why rosé sales are low in Britain and a nice warming Barolo is more suited to a British summer - it is better to stick to the South of France or Tuscany for garden parties.
Moroccan wine is very good value for money and even though it cannot compete with French, Italian or Spanish wine for absolute quality it gives the lower end wines a run for their money. I have never had a bad bottle and all the wines go with Moroccan food.
You can't find these wines easily in the the UK but an outlet can be found on short a short trip across the channel to a French supermarket. Domaine Toulal costs about 3.99 Euro a bottle and for that price why not buy a case? Moroccan red is generally good as well. So the next time you drive to France search some out all the major supermarkets who all stock wines from the Maghreb.
The wines of the Maghreb are produced on the slopes of the Atlas mountains in the north of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia where the Mediterranean influences the climate and produces conditions perfect for viticulture: there is also plenty of hot sun. The quality of wines from the Maghreb is improving all the time now that bulk wine production is being phased out. Export earnings from wine are on the up and France is the main export market.
A substantial proportion of the people who live in the Maghreb consume wine despite the restrictions of religion. Some of my Muslim friends assure me that it is OK for an adherent of Islam to consume wine provided that your character is unaffected by that consumption, so a glass of wine with a meal is not forbidden - this is a moot point and others would claim that a true adherent of the faith should not consume wine or any other form of alcohol for that matter.
http://www.cdiscount.com/vin-champagne/vin-rose/domaine-toulal-rose-x1/f-1293605-toulalrose.html
http://www.wine-navigator.com/wild-and-rare-in-North-Africa
Tuesday, 8 December 2015
Sonic Decanters and other methods of "improving" the taste of wine
I shall not be buying any of my wine lover friends a sonic decanter for Christmas. I would rather spend the money on a decent bottle for them. There may be many of you out there who are tempted to ask Santa to deliver me a sonic decanter - thanks a lot but I shall be putting them up for sale on E-bay and use the proceeds to buy a case of 2009 Latour.
There is lots of " hype" surrounding the ultrasonic treatment of wine and plenty of pseudo science to justify why you should give your wine a dose of sound waves.
Some people go for a cheaper solution and put their wine through a blending machine to add oxygen and ultrasonic sound to the treatment.
No one has come up with any good science why you should use ultrasonics or extreme oxygenation to improve any wine even a cheap one.
If you want to keep good or fine wine for any length of time to improve in the the bottle then it is best to avoid vibrating the wine. You should also prevent excessive oxygen from spoiling the wine by keeping it sealed with a cork which only allows extremely small amounts of oxygen to seep into the wine.
The best way to improve the taste of a cheap bottle of wine would be to allow it to breathe for an hour before serving or to decant it. This may well not improve the taste too much but it will not ruin the wine. This is a time honoured practice.
Most supermarkets and wine merchants do not stock poor wines. Occasionally you will buy a wine that is corked or has been oxidised because of a faulty seal. Ultrasonic treatment will not improve a faulty wine . It is best to take the wine back to the supplier for a refund.
There are good winemakers all over the world who make good wine to be sold at a fair price. Most of these winemakers are dedicated people who love their product. Does their wine really have to subjected to ultrasonic treatment for you to appreciate it? Just open their bottle with a good meal and play some Beethoven - no ultrasonics are needed to appreciate the wine or the music.
There is lots of " hype" surrounding the ultrasonic treatment of wine and plenty of pseudo science to justify why you should give your wine a dose of sound waves.
Some people go for a cheaper solution and put their wine through a blending machine to add oxygen and ultrasonic sound to the treatment.
No one has come up with any good science why you should use ultrasonics or extreme oxygenation to improve any wine even a cheap one.
If you want to keep good or fine wine for any length of time to improve in the the bottle then it is best to avoid vibrating the wine. You should also prevent excessive oxygen from spoiling the wine by keeping it sealed with a cork which only allows extremely small amounts of oxygen to seep into the wine.
The best way to improve the taste of a cheap bottle of wine would be to allow it to breathe for an hour before serving or to decant it. This may well not improve the taste too much but it will not ruin the wine. This is a time honoured practice.
Most supermarkets and wine merchants do not stock poor wines. Occasionally you will buy a wine that is corked or has been oxidised because of a faulty seal. Ultrasonic treatment will not improve a faulty wine . It is best to take the wine back to the supplier for a refund.
There are good winemakers all over the world who make good wine to be sold at a fair price. Most of these winemakers are dedicated people who love their product. Does their wine really have to subjected to ultrasonic treatment for you to appreciate it? Just open their bottle with a good meal and play some Beethoven - no ultrasonics are needed to appreciate the wine or the music.
Friday, 27 November 2015
Llivia and The Can Ventura Restaurant
During our September trip to the south of France we paid a visit to the Spanish enclave of Llivia which is situated close to the border of Catalonia, Spain in the French Department of Pyrénées-Orientales. The town of Llivia is very close, about 2 Km, to the French town of Bourge-Madame which itself is situated right on the border with Spain. The municipality is located on a small plain in the hills at an elevation of about 1200m.
There are no border posts and the only way you can tell that you have left France and entered Spain is by the change to the road signs.
Llivia is about 13 sq kilometres in area and it has about 1500 inhabitants and most of them speak Catalan. Many of its citizens also speak French.
http://www.exclave.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7&Itemid=9
We paid a visit on a very sunny Sunday afternoon and dined in the Can Ventura restaurant on Plaza Major. We had a wonderful meal of local saucisson, lamb and creme catalan washed down with a pichet of red Catalan wine.
The service was great and the atmosphere was very friendly. There was a large family eating on our floor but we were not neglected by the waitress. It was apparent that the family straddled the border as half were speaking Catalan and the other half French but French was the lingua franca.
The food and wine deserved a prize especially when it came to value for money; we paid just 60 Euro for one of the best meals that we had on our trip. The restaurant only merits two knives and forks from the Michelin guide but it merits more from me. I guess that it loses a fork or two because it does does not go in for fancy presentation; they are more committed to taste. It's a pity that the Michelin judges don't recognise this more.
http://www.canventura.com/
If ever you are near the Spanish border in the French department of Pyrénées-Orientales then Llivia and the Can Ventura are worth a diversion and a visit.
We walked up to a view point and flying above us was a pair of Lammergeiers perhaps they thought that we had eaten too much and that we were about to expire - they are exquisite fliers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ll%C3%ADvia
There are no border posts and the only way you can tell that you have left France and entered Spain is by the change to the road signs.
Llivia is about 13 sq kilometres in area and it has about 1500 inhabitants and most of them speak Catalan. Many of its citizens also speak French.
http://www.exclave.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7&Itemid=9
We paid a visit on a very sunny Sunday afternoon and dined in the Can Ventura restaurant on Plaza Major. We had a wonderful meal of local saucisson, lamb and creme catalan washed down with a pichet of red Catalan wine.
The service was great and the atmosphere was very friendly. There was a large family eating on our floor but we were not neglected by the waitress. It was apparent that the family straddled the border as half were speaking Catalan and the other half French but French was the lingua franca.
The food and wine deserved a prize especially when it came to value for money; we paid just 60 Euro for one of the best meals that we had on our trip. The restaurant only merits two knives and forks from the Michelin guide but it merits more from me. I guess that it loses a fork or two because it does does not go in for fancy presentation; they are more committed to taste. It's a pity that the Michelin judges don't recognise this more.
http://www.canventura.com/
If ever you are near the Spanish border in the French department of Pyrénées-Orientales then Llivia and the Can Ventura are worth a diversion and a visit.
We walked up to a view point and flying above us was a pair of Lammergeiers perhaps they thought that we had eaten too much and that we were about to expire - they are exquisite fliers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ll%C3%ADvia
Tuesday, 3 November 2015
Château Prieuré-Lichine 4ème Cru Classé Margaux 1998 red and Qupé 2012 Syrah Californian red
We had a dinner party with some relatives, who brought along a bottle of Château Prieuré-Lichine 4ème Cru Classé Margaux red, and some good friends. The Prieuré-Lichine is one of my favourite wines from Margaux. It has typical Margaux taste and concentration and it is silky smooth. This wine went down well with some roast pork.
On such an auspicious occasion I thought that I would open a top quality red wine from the USA - Qupé 2012 Syrah from the Californian Central Coast and this, too, is a favourite wine of mine. My family from France rarely get an opportunity to drink any sort of American wine let alone a very good one. I have never seen Qupé 2012 Syrah on sale anywhere in France. We also drank this wine with the pork as there were six of us.
How can you compare these wines for quality and taste as they are from different countries with different traditions?
The Margaux 1998 had matured much longer and I doubt that the Qupé would be at its best after 17 years. The American wine was designed and produced to be consumed younger.
The Margaux had a taste of its own but of course it was easily recognisable as a fine Bordeaux. The Qupé was reminiscent of a French Syrah from the South of France but it had a quality all of its own with a concentrated red fruit flavour with a little bit of spice.
Both of these wines were made to go with good food and were not meant to be slugged back at a party. It is really difficult to say which was the better wine and it was obvious that the winemakers were proud of their product. The Old world and the New united to produce high quality wines. This is what wine-making is all about: they are little bit more expensive - in the UK the Bordeaux is over £20 pounds a bottle and the Qupé can be found for just under. Of course both these wines are better value for money in their home countries.
We British are lucky, however, as it is easy to find great wines from all over the world - you can't do this in France as easily.
http://www.prieure-lichine.fr/
http://www.wine.com/v6/Qupe-Central-Coast-Syrah-2012/wine/132909/Detail.aspx?state=CA
On such an auspicious occasion I thought that I would open a top quality red wine from the USA - Qupé 2012 Syrah from the Californian Central Coast and this, too, is a favourite wine of mine. My family from France rarely get an opportunity to drink any sort of American wine let alone a very good one. I have never seen Qupé 2012 Syrah on sale anywhere in France. We also drank this wine with the pork as there were six of us.
How can you compare these wines for quality and taste as they are from different countries with different traditions?
The Margaux 1998 had matured much longer and I doubt that the Qupé would be at its best after 17 years. The American wine was designed and produced to be consumed younger.
The Margaux had a taste of its own but of course it was easily recognisable as a fine Bordeaux. The Qupé was reminiscent of a French Syrah from the South of France but it had a quality all of its own with a concentrated red fruit flavour with a little bit of spice.
Both of these wines were made to go with good food and were not meant to be slugged back at a party. It is really difficult to say which was the better wine and it was obvious that the winemakers were proud of their product. The Old world and the New united to produce high quality wines. This is what wine-making is all about: they are little bit more expensive - in the UK the Bordeaux is over £20 pounds a bottle and the Qupé can be found for just under. Of course both these wines are better value for money in their home countries.
We British are lucky, however, as it is easy to find great wines from all over the world - you can't do this in France as easily.
http://www.prieure-lichine.fr/
http://www.wine.com/v6/Qupe-Central-Coast-Syrah-2012/wine/132909/Detail.aspx?state=CA
Wednesday, 28 October 2015
Coulon et Fils Île d'Oléron Sauvignon 2013 VdP
This year we spent a couple of days on the Île d'Oléron on the Atlantic coast of France in early September. The island is due south of La Rochelle and just to the north of the Bordeaux region. It is a great place for a holiday in September when most of the visitors have gone home but there are sufficient people around for the island not to be "dead". Winter is probably not the best time of year to go there because of Atlantic gales sweeping in from the west.
The seafood there was simply wonderful. I had oysters with every meal and there is a good range of Atlantic wet fish on the menu and I particularly liked the Sardines. It is also heaven if you like cockles and mussels. We gathered some lovely fresh cockles from the beach and steamed them until their shells opened and ate them with lemon. We did not need to soak them in water before cooking as they were not full of sand. The water on the beach looked very clean and there were plenty of local people collecting shellfish so we assumed that we were safe. We did not suffer from any after effects.
If you are absolutely certain that your cockles have not been exposed to polluted water then you can eat them raw like other of sorts of clams such as amandes de mer or dog cockles in English!
http://www.thefishsociety.co.uk/shop/amandes-de-mer.html
In Wales, where I was born, cockles are often eaten for breakfast and cooked with bacon and lavabread: you also use lard to fry them. The bacon and lard obviously do not meet the approval of the World Health Organisation. The WHO would also recommend that you only consume 5 ml of wine with this delicious breakfast. I never drink wine in the morning I prefer tea. The next time I eat cockles and bacon it will be in the evening and washed down with with a glass of smoky Sancerre to go with the bacon.
https://www.msc.org/cook-eat-enjoy/recipes/cockles-and-bacon
There was no need to spend a lot of money to go with our fish on the Île d'Oléron because the local wine was perfect.
Coulon et Fils Île d'Oléron Sauvignon 2013 VdP is great white wine even if it is not as celebrated as its Sauvignon Blanc cousins to the south in Bordeaux. You can't find it anywhere in Britain and I have never seen it in a wine merchant other than on the island itself. If you want to try it then why not pay a visit? There are lovely villages on the island and miles of golden sand and oyster beds. It is a gastronomic heaven.
http://www.hachette-vins.com/guide-vins/les-vins/coulon-et-fils-ile-d-oleron-sauvignon-2007-2009/20096681/
The seafood there was simply wonderful. I had oysters with every meal and there is a good range of Atlantic wet fish on the menu and I particularly liked the Sardines. It is also heaven if you like cockles and mussels. We gathered some lovely fresh cockles from the beach and steamed them until their shells opened and ate them with lemon. We did not need to soak them in water before cooking as they were not full of sand. The water on the beach looked very clean and there were plenty of local people collecting shellfish so we assumed that we were safe. We did not suffer from any after effects.
If you are absolutely certain that your cockles have not been exposed to polluted water then you can eat them raw like other of sorts of clams such as amandes de mer or dog cockles in English!
http://www.thefishsociety.co.uk/shop/amandes-de-mer.html
In Wales, where I was born, cockles are often eaten for breakfast and cooked with bacon and lavabread: you also use lard to fry them. The bacon and lard obviously do not meet the approval of the World Health Organisation. The WHO would also recommend that you only consume 5 ml of wine with this delicious breakfast. I never drink wine in the morning I prefer tea. The next time I eat cockles and bacon it will be in the evening and washed down with with a glass of smoky Sancerre to go with the bacon.
https://www.msc.org/cook-eat-enjoy/recipes/cockles-and-bacon
There was no need to spend a lot of money to go with our fish on the Île d'Oléron because the local wine was perfect.
Coulon et Fils Île d'Oléron Sauvignon 2013 VdP is great white wine even if it is not as celebrated as its Sauvignon Blanc cousins to the south in Bordeaux. You can't find it anywhere in Britain and I have never seen it in a wine merchant other than on the island itself. If you want to try it then why not pay a visit? There are lovely villages on the island and miles of golden sand and oyster beds. It is a gastronomic heaven.
http://www.hachette-vins.com/guide-vins/les-vins/coulon-et-fils-ile-d-oleron-sauvignon-2007-2009/20096681/
Monday, 12 October 2015
Faulty wine
We opened a bottle of Fitou the other night and felt a prickling sensation on the tongue. The wine was meant to be a still red. The wine was also undrinkable. It was obviously in poor condition so we poured it down the drain.
There was a production fault in this wine and somehow a secondary fermentation had occurred within the bottle to ruin it. Perhaps the bottles had not been sterilised properly before they had been filled. Whatever the reason the extra fermentation had ruined the feel and taste of the wine.
The wine was bought at a wine fair at a French supermarket and cost about 5 Euro a bottle - not cheap by French supermarket standards. Had we lived in France we would probably have taken the wine back for a refund but we had not lost much money.
It is not often that you buy a bottle of wine with this fault which can spoil even the most expensive wine. If you find yourself with an expensive bottle of wine that sparkles when it should not then do not hesitate to return it.
There was a production fault in this wine and somehow a secondary fermentation had occurred within the bottle to ruin it. Perhaps the bottles had not been sterilised properly before they had been filled. Whatever the reason the extra fermentation had ruined the feel and taste of the wine.
The wine was bought at a wine fair at a French supermarket and cost about 5 Euro a bottle - not cheap by French supermarket standards. Had we lived in France we would probably have taken the wine back for a refund but we had not lost much money.
It is not often that you buy a bottle of wine with this fault which can spoil even the most expensive wine. If you find yourself with an expensive bottle of wine that sparkles when it should not then do not hesitate to return it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)