ENTENTE CORDIALE by LIZ MORCOM MW

TOM CANNAVAN'S TOP 50 PORTUGUESE REDS

2011-08-04T15:20:00.026+01:00

The Wine Gang's Tom Cannavan held a trade tasting in Edinburgh recently of his Top 50 Portuguese wines. It took Tom 8 months, many visits and much tasting, to narrow down his selection to 50. He was looking for freshness and elegance and good representation from Portugal's many indigenous grape varieties and wine regions. If you are bored with Bordeaux reds, do try those from the Douro in particular.

Here are the stars of the tasting:

WHITES:

DRY: Esporão Private Selection 2009, £17.95, Great Grog, Edinburgh
A lemony, juicy, buttery white with a hint of oak; made by the talented Australian, David Baverstock.
SWEET: Quinta do Ameal, Special Harvest,2007, £44.99, contact Raymond Reynolds for stockists (www.raymondreynolds.co.uk).
Rather like a vin santo; nutty with hints of apricot and barley sugar.

REDS:
Mouchão 2006, £28.99, Forth Wines, Milnathort
A lovely, spicy, full, fruity red with a long, sappy finish and ripe tannins. Made - surprisingly - with grapes from old Alicante Bouschet vines.
BTT 2009, Luis Pato, £22.99, Raymond Reynolds
An elegant, well-balanced, meaty, stony red, with a touch of mint.
Quinta dos Roques, Touriga Nacional, 2008, £28, Raymond Reynolds
Floral character (violets), some tannin, cherry fruit flavours; very stylish.
Quinta do Portal, Touriga Nacional, 2009, £26,50, Great Grog
Aged for 9 months in new oak; wonderful nose; good acidity; bursting with luscious fruit.
Chryseia 2008, £50, Tanners, Berry Bros & Rudd
A long-time favourite Douro red; inky nose; minerally notes; long and well-balanced.
Pintas 2008, £50, Corney & Barrow
Another Douro red, from a single vineyard and 70-year-old vines; velvet smooth, fragrant; very elegant.

THE LATEST 'BESPOKE' MUST-HAVE

2011-08-04T13:58:00.011+01:00

The wine cellar is apparently the latest 'status room' and a sure way of adding value to your home. But what do you do if you live in a modern house or don't have the space or the right conditions? Several companies now offer a bespoke service which involves drilling down under your house to form a cylindrical cellar, complete with spiral staircase to access your wines easily. This type of cellar can also provide the perfect conditions (stable year-round temperature and humidity, darkness etc.).
For more information, visit the following websites:
www.bespokecellars.com
www.spiralcellars.com

If you don't want the expense of creating your own cellar, but would still like to invest in wine long-term, it is much easier nowadays - and surpisingly reasonable - for private customers to use dedicated wine storage facilities in the UK, such as Vinotheque (www.vinotheque.co.uk) - see also Majestic entry below - and Octavian (www.octavianvaults.co.uk).

MAJESTIC LAUNCHES FINE WINE PLAN

2011-08-04T13:37:00.013+01:00

I have written about the benefits of Fine Wine Plans in the past and am pleased to see that Majestic Wine has just launched its own, in conjunction with mail order and en primeur specialist, Lay & Wheeler, which Majestic acquired in 2009. The Plan is an affordable and simple way to build up your own fine wine collection, based on monthly contributions, from as little as £50. You can also take advantage of good-value wine storage at Vinothèque, an exclusive bonded storage facility in Burton on Trent and advice from Lay & Wheeler's dedicated fine-wine team. As a member of the Fine Wine Plan, you are sent regular, exclusive offers, have on-line access to your collection, free delivery (UK Mainland) when you decide to withdraw a case, a £25 voucher at the end of your first year and a free 6-bottle case of Croix de Beaucaillou 2009, worth £150, added to your reserves, when you commit to a monthly direct debit of £100 or more. Members can stop subscribing when they wish and get a full refund of any outstanding credit. This is a great idea for those wanting to invest in wine who don't have the time or knowledge to do so.
For more information, visit: www.majestic.co.uk.

Two great buys from Majestic - both from New Zealand's Marlborough region - for drinking now:

Southbank Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Wither Hills Chardonnay 2010

Both £7.49 per bottle or Buy 2 save 20% (£5.99)

WINE GANG HITS EDINBURGH

2011-08-04T12:54:00.021+01:00

The Wing Gang, is a fraternity of well-respected wine writers (currently - L-R in photo - Tom Cannavan, Joanna Simon, Anthony Rose, Jane Parkinson and David Williams) who've set up a members-only website with news and reviews from the world of wine. They also put on the occasional wine fair and, for the first time, are holding one in Edinburgh on 12th November, at The Merchant Hall. Basically, they invite a range of wine retailers and you come along and taste your way through the wines on offer - some 300 in all - which will often be discounted on the day. The Gang is also offering free, conducted Wine Walks and a series of Masterclasses. The list of those exhibiting is available on The Gang's Events page (see below for details of the website). Tickets are £15 per person at 'Earlybird' prices, but members pay £14. Masterclasses cost £10. In these, Anthony Rose will be showing some of Argentina's best Malbecs and Tom Cannavan some of his finds from Portugal, while Jane Parkinson will demonstrate Chile's regional diversity and Burgundy guru Martin Strauss will feature a range of Chablis.
Tickets for the Fair and Masteclasses are available from : www.ticketsoup.com/tickets/the-wine-gang-christmas-fair-2011-2011-12925/default.aspx.
For the list of exhibitors and more information on The Wine Gang itself, visit: www.thewinegang.com.

CHEESE AND WINE TASTING IN PERPIGNAN

2011-04-19T19:04:00.012+01:00

The Perpignan wine merchant La Part des Anges is holding a cheese and wine tasting on Thursday 21st April from 6.00-8.30pm in conjunction with the Ferme des Lloses in Font Romeu. You will be able to taste a Chèvre Sec des Pyrenées (dry, local goats' cheese) paired with Monty's Blanc Sec, an organic Salers with Maury Grenat, Domaine Serrelongue, a Brie 'affiné' with Carignan Rouge 'C39', Château de Rey and finally a Tomme de Brebis du Vallespir (local sheep's cheese) with Rouge Les Terrasses, Jean Boucabeille. The tasting costs 5 euros per person, which can then be offset against a wine purchase. A 10% discount is also on offer on any wines from the tasting bought on the evening. Places limited.

For more information visit: www.cavepartdesanges.com, or call +33 4 68 34 10 15.
Cave Part des Anges, 2bis rue des Coquelicots, 66000 Perpignan.

RIEDEL GLASS AND WINE TASTING IN EDINBURGH

2011-03-30T15:59:00.007+01:00

The formidable Maximilian Riedel, CEO of Riedel Crystal of America and tireless ambassador for his family's well-known, Austrian-based glass company, is coming to Edinburgh on 23rd May to conduct a glass and wine tasting, as part of the UK’s First National Wine Month. The tasting, entitled “Make Time for Wine – in the right glass”, will be held at The Mansfield Traquair Centre. Maximilian is not just the voice of Riedel: he also designed the globally successful “O” range and many of Riedels best-selling decanters.

I've attended one of these tastings and they are fascinating, as well as enjoyable. Maximilian demonstrates convincingly the relationship between the shape of a glass and our perception and enjoyment of the wine inside it.

He is also conducting tastings at Vinopolis in London before he comes up to Edinburgh. They all coincide neatly with the launch of the limited edition Maximilian Riedel Signature Mamba decanter, each of which is individually hand-made and with the personal signature of the man himself engraved on the base. These signed pieces are exclusively available to those attending the tastings and will not be available through retail stores.

Date: Monday 23rd May 2011.
Place: The Mansfield Traquair Centre, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh, EH3.
Time: Doors open at 6.00pm, tasting starts promptly at 7.00pm (no late entry) and should finish by 8.30pm.
Organisers: Riedel with Gulp and Inverarity Vaults.
Cost: £65.00 per person, to include £100.00 worth of Riedel glasses to take home; group ticket (for 6): £325.00, with £600.00 worth of glass to take home.

A limited number of VIP 'Grand Cru' passes have also been released at £395.00, to include entrance for 2, plus a signed Mamba Decanter worth £375.00 and £200.00 worth of glasses to take home.

Tickets are available now from www.riedel.co.uk

* Entrants must be aged 18 and over.
* Tickets are non transferable and non refundable.

South African Wine Masterclass and Lunch

2011-02-08T12:55:00.006Z

Where: Hotel du VIn, Edinburgh
Date: Saturday 5th March 2011
Time: 12:30 - 3:30pm
Cost: £55 per person. £5 discount if you book more than one place

One of the most acclaimed South African wine specialists and Master of Wine, Richard Kelley, will be in Edinburgh on 5th March to show a range of wines from a new breed of South African winemakers. Although I was selling South African wines in the 70s, reactions to apartheid almost stopped imports to the UK in the 80s and early 90s. The wines available today are increasingly exciting and reflect the energy and passion with which they are made. This tasting promises 'the best of what the country has ever produced', including wines from the celebrated Eben Sadie, all matched with a 'delicious 4-course lunch'.

ROUSSILLON DESSERT TROPHY FINAL

2011-01-28T16:02:00.012Z

Daniel Kruse (pâtissier) and Jacob Christiansen (sommelier) from Denmark's Michelin-starred Formel B restaurant have won the final of the Wines of Roussillon Dessert Trophy, which took place in Perpignan on 24th January. Their dessert, 'Citrus fruits in all their glory, a homage to the flavours of Roussillon' which was matched with Muscat de Rivesaltes, Domaine Pouderoux, 2009, pipped five other pairings (from Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, UK and Spain) to win this prestigious competition. The panel of judges comprised celebrated chefs, pâtissiers and sommeliers.

The final, which was held at Oliver Bajard's renowned Ecole Internationale de Pâtisserie, coincided with the annual Rencontres Méditerranéennes du Muscat in Perpignan.

INVERARITY ONE-TO-ONE'S NEW WEBSITE

2011-01-17T17:20:00.012Z

The small, independent wine merchant, Inverarity One to One, part of Inverarity Vaults, one of Scotland's leading independent wine companies, has revamped its website: www.inverarity121.com. with a view to helping buyers find more easily the perfect wine and food pairing. A novel 'own label' service is also on offer.

The new website featues 121 wines from the company's portfolio, including its own Timorous Beasties range, along with award-winning whiskies and up-market cigars. Prices range from £5.99 up to £164.86 (for Krug 1998). Each wine listing has a symbol denoting the type of food it suits and there's also a quick food-and-wine matchmaker that pairs wines to ten different dishes. In February, a live Ask the Expert chatroom will take place too, manned by Inverarity's wine team.

The Own Label Service allows you to create your own personalised wine label - such as the one above - for any special occasion - from only £6.99. A gift message and wrapping service is also offered.

There is a One to One retail outlet in Glasgow and a wine bar in Edinburgh.

LA CO-OPERATIVE, RIBERACH, BELESTA

2011-01-13T15:35:00.022Z

Riberach is a new hotel, restaurant and winery located in the old wine co-op in Bélesta, in the hills between the Agly and Têt Valleys, in the Roussillon. The renovation work has been in progress for quite some time and no expense appears to have been spared. It is the brainchild of two architects, Luc Richard, originally from Bélesta and his German wife, Karin Pühringer. The project's new wines have been made since 2006, but the hotel and restaurant only opened in the autumn on 2010. I've already tasted the wines, Hypothèse, Synthèse, Antithèse - all Vins de Pays des Côtes Catalanes - and they impress.

We were hoping for the same reaction to the restaurant - called rather unimaginatively 'La Co-opérative' - when we went before Christmas. It is located in the centre of the long building and, like an atrium, is open right up to the vast roof far above, which still retains its industrial look. This gives the restaurant a rather cavernous and echoey feel. The old co-op's concrete vats are still in situ on either side, albeit titivated with the judicious use of white and crimson paint. Such vats are made of reinforced concrete and are a nightmare to get rid of, so this is where the bedrooms (9) and suites (9) have been located.

The wine list is impressive, with very reasonable prices and plenty of local wines, as well as good offerings from elsewhere. I ordered the white Côtes du Roussillon from excellent and nearby Clot de l'Oum - the only white listed from this domaine and yet the wine waiter tried to impress by asking if I meant the 'Cine Panetone', (the name of the cuvée). The wine service was, frankly very poor. I had ordered the wine, but it was offered it to my partner to taste (ok...that does happen quite a lot, sadly), but then the bottle languished in an ice bucket somewhere out of sight and our waiter never noticed when our glasses were empty. We had to ask for more wine at least three times and the last time I asked I had to remind him yet again a few minutes later, when he came de-crumb our table. If he had been busy, fair enough, but we were the only diners in the restaurant, apart from a couple of men who viewed us with disinterest as we arrived, ate some food from time to time, but spent most of the evening gazing intently at a laptop screen, to which the waitress and wine waiter also gravitated at every opportunity. We learned later that our wine waiter was not really 'the sommelier', who was 'away', but we are still not sure that excused the poor service. The waitress was not much more skilled than her colleague. She managed to be cockily casual and yet very abrupt. She did not remember who had ordered what and at the end, said airily 'who wants the bill?' waving it around and then slapping it down on the table.

To the food: there are menus at 35, 52 and 67 euros. We would normally have chosen a menu, but felt the à la carte options were more interesting and no more expensive. The chef and his chef pâtissier wife come with glowing references and, to be fair, there was much artistry in the presentation of the dishes and, pleasingly, seasonal produce was much in evidence, including some one sees rarely in France, such as topinambour (Jerusalem artichoke) and panais (parsnip). However, most of the starters and main dishes we ordered..and much in the menus as a whole..combined savoury and sweet ingredients. Most of the time, sadly, this just did not work, for example in my foie gras de canard. This was served with 'crème brûlée de patate douce et condiment pomme-miel'; the foie gras was delicious, but the crème brûlée was far too sweet for my liking (and I do like sweet wine with foie gras). Our fish and Coquilles Saint-Jacques, the latter 'piquées de jambon ibérique, rémoulade gourmande de panais et pommes' were, however, cooked to perfection. The chef pâtissier had done her work earlier and consigned each pudding serving to a trolley, which did not impress us much, so only one of our party ordered one - a cheesecake potiron - and pronounced it 'good, but not great...and not a cheesecake'.

We will return, if only to see if staff training has improved and the chef has moved on from his love of sweet and savoury combinations, but, overall, we were underwhelmed.

RIBERACH HÔTEL CAVE RESTAURANT
2 route de Caladroy
66720 Bélesta FRANCE
Tel : +33(0)4 68 50 30 10

FRANCOIS LURTON LAUNCHES "TRAOU DE L'OUILLE"

2011-01-13T11:37:00.009Z

François Lurton has launched the first vintage (2009) of a characterful, oak-aged white Côtes du Rousillon, made in the Agly Valley, from old Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris and Macabeu grapes. These are grown in a single vineyard at his Mas Janeil estate, called ‘Traou de l’Ouille’ - 'traou' meaning 'hole' or 'hollow'and Ouille being the name of a nearby stream.

The estate is on south-facing slopes near Mas Amiel, overshadowed by the rugged Corbières escarpment and the Cathar castle of Quéribus. The poor schistous and granitic soils yield few grapes - only around 25 hl per hectare.

The wine will sell at around £14.50 or 18 euros.

GALVIN LA CHAPELLE TEAM WINS UK FINAL OF ROUSSILLON DESSERT TROPHY

2010-11-02T13:36:00.006Z

Head sommelier, Andrea Briccarello and pastry chef, Daniel Fancett of Galvin La Chapelle have won the UK Final of the Roussillon Dessert Trophy. They created a lemon bavarois and citrus fruit salad which they paired with Muscat de Rivesaltes, Domaine Pouderoux 2009. The Final was held at L'Atelier des Chefs in London. The pair will now go head-to-head with the other European Finalists at the European Final which will be held in Perpignan in January.

WINES OF RIOJA DINNER IN EDINBURGH

2010-10-08T15:34:00.004+01:00

Rioja is known the world over for its wines, but do you know the difference between a Gran Reserva and a Crianza? This wine tasting evening with Stella wine correspondent Susy Atkins was a great opportunity to learn more about this exciting wine region.

Susy teamed up with Wines from Rioja to present a wine tasting evening at one of Edinburgh's top restaurants, Atrium, in October. The evening included a three-course menu designed to match the wines being shown (six carefully selected white, red and rosé Riojas) with comments and guidance from wine expert Susy on each of the wines.

FINALISTS FOR ROUSSILLON DESSERT TROPHY

2010-09-27T13:36:00.005+01:00

The best sommelier and pastry chef partnerships have now been chosen for the UK Final of the Roussillon Dessert Trophy. (See earlier post for more information on the competition). They are from 1 Lombard Street, London EC3, Galvin La Chapelle, London E1, Green's Restaurant and Oyster Bar, London SW1 and Summer Lodge Hotel, Dorset. Each team had to come up with a citrus dessert to partner a Vin Doux Naturel from Roussillon. The teams will now have to create their pairings at L'Atelier des Chefs, Wigmore Street, London W1 on Monday 25th October. The winner will then go to Perpignan for the Grand Final.

BEAUJOLAIS UPS ITS GAME

2010-09-17T23:35:00.009+01:00

In the second half of the 1970s, when I joined the wine trade and was studying for my WSET wine exams, Beaujolais was one of the first wines I was able to pin-point fairly confidently when I tasted it blind. It was some years later that Beaujolais Nouveau began to dominate Beaujolais sales, much to the delight of the producers, who saw the return on their vintage costs before they could blink. As the years went by, I became more and more disillusioned by the quality of Beaujolais. The wines just did not reflect the appealing, juicy, raspberry fruit of the Gamay grape and, that aside, did not even represent good value for money. The reason: overcropping.

Despite some good, recent vintages, I have not really changed my opinion, so it is with relief that I hear that the yields for the 2010 vintage are being drastically reduced to between 32 and 25 hectolitres per hectare. This is a progress indeed, considering that the average authorised yield in the region has approached 52hl/ha. The reasons behind the decision lie in the fact that the French have at last realised that the bottom has dropped out of the Beaujolais Nouveau market (last year the en primeur production was 360,000hl, but only 275,000hl shifted).

Thank goodness some action is at last being taken, which will hopefully mean that Beaujolais will once more taste as if it is actually made from the Gamay grape.

L'Art du Vin, Edinburgh

2010-07-13T16:56:00.030+01:00

This is the first of a series of reviews of independent wine merchants, with an emphasis on those based in Edinburgh. Firstly, I must come clean; I have what could be deemed a vested interest in L'Art du Vin: my niece, Mary Rose Sidgwick, has been working there on and off since last year. She has also helped with the website and started a blog on her travels (she was a cellarhand for the 2010 vintage at Lowe Winery in Mudgee). However, she - and, of course, you my esteemed readers - would want me to be objective, so I shall be.

L'Art du Vin is appropriately based in Leith, where, in times gone by, wine for Edinburgh's elite would arrive by sea, usually in bulk. (The excellent Vintners Rooms restaurant is in a former Leith wine merchant's wine vaults and auction room). L'Art du Vin offers - unsurprisingly - a good range of French wines, some from unusual appellations such as the Cote Roannaise (in the Upper Loire) and the Cotes du Frontonnais (in the South-West) and a very good selection of organic and bio-dynamic wines, such as those from Domaines Schlumberger and Josmeyer in Alsace, although the section dedicated to these could do with more cross-referencing, as origins/appellations are often omitted in the wine descriptions. The company obviously cares about provenance and even has an 'Environmental Policy' - not something one sees very often, even in these eco-conscious times.

Of the three offerings from Roussillon, two are Vins Doux Naturels (from Chateau de Jau and Mas Amiel) - it would be good to see more non-fortified offerings. Those from Spain are good, however, but there is only one such wine from Portugal, Ramos Pinto, Duas Quintas, 2006 (£11) - a good choice, nonetheless. In the New World listings, I was pleased to spot the wines of Vina Leyda (from Chile), Mud House and - coming soon - Clos Henri (from New Zealand), Ken Forrester (from South Africa) and Newton (from Napa).

As a general comment, it would be good to see more recent vintages on some of the whites and roses but, otherwise, the list is eclectic and interesting. On the whole, the website is clear and fairly easy to navigate and it is broken up with plenty of photos and good links. However, despite the presence of my lovely niece, the home page could do with fewer words to make it more instantly eye-catching.

L'Art du Vin, 25 Arthur Street, Leith, Edinburgh, EH6 5DA, tel: 0131 555 6009, email: sales@aduv.co.uk, website: www.aduv.co.uk

Hail hits vineyards in Roussillon's Fenouilledes

2010-06-21T15:01:00.009+01:00

Last Wednesday, 16th June, violent hailstorms hit the areas of Saint-Paul de Fenouillet, Sournia, Caudiès et Lesquerde in Roussillon's Fenouilledes region, not once but several times, between 1.30 and 4.00pm. The hailstones were as large as eggs and have done extensive damage in the vineyards. In Lesquerde, vignerons are estimating that 80% of this year's grape harvest has been lost. The extent of the hail was such that snow plows had to be used to clear the roads. The locales affected are part of the area that is producing some of the region's most exciting wines and this cruel act of nature will have a enormous repercussions.

Roussillon Dessert Trophy 2010

2010-06-21T14:20:00.006+01:00

Calling all budding UK-based pastry chefs and sommeliers - as well as those who know of them. Entries are now being invited for the fourth UK Wines of Roussillon Dessert Trophy. Last year the theme was was chocolate, this year it is citrus fruit and the idea is to come up with the perfect pairing of a Roussillon Vin Doux Naturel (VDN) with a citrus dessert creation. Sommeliers must select a Roussillon VDN - ie from Banyuls, Banyuls Grand Cru, Maury, Muscat de Rivesaltes and Rivesaltes – to match with their pastry chef’s chosen citrus dessert.

Devised by the generic body for Wines of Roussillon (CIVR), this competition is one that I have supported since its inception. I have been a judge in the last two UK competitions and was lucky to be present at the 2009 European Final in Perpignan which was won by the UK team of sommelier Thibaut Panas and chef Anne Coquelin from Le Manoir aux Quat' Saison near Oxford. They chose to pair Rivesaltes, Domaine Gérard Gauby, Caricia 2005 with Manjari Chocolate ‘Sable Breton’ with Black Provençal Fig, which was a wonderful and inventive combination.

If you would like to enter or know of a possible team and can encourage them to do so, competition entry forms are available from Georgie Hope at Focus PR on tel: 020 7845 6624 or email: civr-focuspr@focuspr.co.uk. The deadline for entries is 12th midday on Wednesday 1st September 2010.

The Wines of Roussillon Dessert Trophy 2010 will be presented to the winning team at an exclusive reception, to be held at l'Atelier des Chefs, Wigmore Street, London on Monday 25th October 2010. The European Final will be held in Perpignan on 24th January 2011.

The winning chef will win a 4-day course with world champion pastry chef, Olivier Bajard, at the renowned École Internationale de Pâtisserie in Perpignan, whilst the winning sommelier will spend the four days in a guided tour to visit producers of Roussillon’s finest wines.

THE FOOD ROOM & LIBRARY, LONDON SW1

2010-06-17T17:02:00.018+01:00

UPDATE: The new term at the FOOD ROOM & LIBRARY starts tomorrow, 28th September 2010. Cooking Basics courses will run every Tuesday, Intermediate classes on Wednesdays and Advanced and Ambitious courses every Thursday - between 11.00 and 12.00 or 14.00 and 15.00. Courses cost from £25 per person (up to a maximum of 10) - for 45 minutes of quick-step tips and tricks, a glass of wine/cup of coffee and tasting samples of the food prepared - up to £120 - for demonstrations (on Thursday afternoons between 1.00 p.m. and 3.45 p.m), which are extensive, detailed sessions for up to 6 students, including lunch with wine, coffee/tea and take-home tasting samples, plus use of The Food Library afterwards.

The Food Room & Library is the brainchild of Jane Lunzer Gifford. Trained at Leith’s, Jane has spent the past 30 years cooking and teaching about food. She has also written cookery books, done food photography and created dishes for all sorts of events. 'Maximum impact with minimum effort’ is Jane’s principle – and is the basis for the demonstrations she gives in The Food Room, a beautiful, calm, comfortable and spacious kitchen in Jane's Eccleston Square home. She gives demonstrations either on a one-to-one basis or to groups of up to ten (ranging from £25 to £120 per person) and tailors her lessons to suit her clients’ needs. She teaches how to taste, assess and 'tweak' recipes and stresses the importance of presenting food beautifully. She does not believe in sticking rigidly to a recipe, when it can be just as successful - and much more fun - to go off-piste. Jane believes that with a little coaxing and one or two guidelines, anyone can cook with confidence and panache.

Adjoining The Food Room is a wonderful library of 700 food-related books, a resource which she is happy to share. Guests at the demonstrations or Library subscribers (see below) can drop by, have a cup of coffee and enjoy the thoughts of writers such as MFK Fisher, Jane Grigson, Fergus Henderson and Nigel Slater, explore the esoteric simplicity of Japanese cookery through Shizuo Tsuji or dip into the learned scientific explanations of Harold McGee. Some of the titles in Jane’s collection date as far back as the 1700s and give a fascinating insight into how approaches to food have changed - or not - over time. The Library continues to grow – selectively – and many contemporary publications are for sale at 10% less than cover price. Orders can be placed in advance for books about to be published, and the Library offers a search service on behalf of clients for titles no longer available from the usual sources.

There is also a small selection of some of the best cookery equipment for sale – pieces that Jane considers highly useful. Cards and gift-wrapping are available too.

The Food Library annual membership fee of £200 is inclusive of drop-in use, menu planning and cookery advice, magazines to browse and refreshments. It is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 8.45 am to 11.30am. After hours access is available by appointment, and questions can be emailed at any time – with a response guaranteed within 24 hours. Membership of the library gives individuals a 10% discount on demonstrations.

The Food Room & Library
80 Eccleston Square
London SW1V 1PP
020 7630 6036 / 07920 755 998
www.thefoodroomandlibrary.co.uk

Lay & Wheeler's Bordeaux 2009 Offers

2010-06-17T16:43:00.010+01:00

Wine merchants, Lay & Wheeler, have been assiduous in sending their customers emails to let them know about the release of prices for the 2009 vintage in Bordeaux. I did not taste the wines en primeur and prices are looking on the high side, but, if you want to take a punt, below is maybe one of the wines to opt for, as indeed are many of the 'second wines' of the Grands Vins. L&W say it is "easily the best second wine of Ducru-Beaucaillou that we have ever tasted".

Visit the Lay & Wheeler website at www.laywheeler.com/Bordeaux2009 to see all their Bordeaux 2009 releases to date, or contact one of their wine consultants on 0845 330 1855 to discuss the wines and the vintage.

2009 La Croix de Beaucaillou, St-Julien £297 per 12 bottle case in bond
Very attractive and pure, perfumed, blueberry and blackcurrant nose, with creamy notes and a touch of graphite. On palate the fruit is pure and focused. The tannins are fine and accessible and the finish is fresh and of good fruit length. Gently expressed, very well balanced and likely to represent a fabulous quality to price ratio.
Drink: 2015-2023

CARBON DATING OF WINE

2010-03-31T13:07:00.006+01:00

This is an extract from an article that appeared in Drinks Business....it looks as if the skills of MWs will soon be redundant!

"Scientists searching for a way to spot cheap wines being passed off as fine vintages have developed a method of carbon-dating wine to prevent forgery. The method involves measuring the trace amounts of carbon released into the atmosphere during atomic bomb testing in the 1960s that have been absorbed by vines and into the wine. The technique allows scientists to pinpoint exactly which year the wine was made, with the levels of carbon in the atmosphere having gradually reduced year-on-year since testing ended.

Speaking at the American Chemical Society meeting in San Francisco, Dr Graham Jones from the University of Adelaide, Australia, said that misrepresenting the vintage is a never-ending problem for collectors, with up to 5% of wines sold globally thought to be fake. He said: “The problem goes beyond ordinary consumers being overcharged for a bottle of expensive wine of a famous winery with a great year listed on the label.

The age of a wine can be accurately measured by comparing the amount of carbon-14, which was released by bomb testing in the 1940s to 1960s, to the amount of carbon-12".

WHISKY TASTING IN PERPIGNAN

2010-03-30T17:52:00.007+01:00

We are sadly not going down to Roussillon for Easter, but for those of you who might be, Perpignan drinks retailer, La Part des Anges, is holding a whisky tasting on Friday, 2nd April from 7-9pm, at 2bis rue des Coquelicots, near the Palais des Congres, at which Julian Hutchings will be present. It costs 5 euros. For more information and to subscribe to the Cave La Part des Anges newsletter, write to: cavepartdesanges@gmail.com.

Kinloch Lodge's 'beer flights'

2010-02-24T13:03:00.007Z

Michelin-starred Kinloch Lodge in Sleat on the Isle of Skye, which is owned by bestselling cookery writer Claire Macdonald, has begun to offer ‘beer flights’ to match every dish on its menu. The restaurant already offers ‘wine flights’, ‘malt whisky flights’ and ‘beer and dram chasers’.

Sixteen beers have been selected - fifteen of which are from Scotland – making this one of the most extensive bottled-beer lists of any Scottish restaurant.

Sam Smith’s raspberry beer from Yorkshire is the only English beer. The others come from Skye, Orkney, Arran, Edinburgh, the Black Isle, Alva, Alloa and Fraserburgh. Other ingredients include heather and seaweed, which were used in brewing before the arrival of hops in the 1500s.

Tom Eveling, who manages the restaurant, says the reaction to the ‘beer flights’ has been very positive.

For more information, visit: www.kinloch-lodge.co.uk.

Restaurant La Carmagnole, Perpignan

2010-02-10T20:14:00.006Z

This could not be more of a contrast to the Auberge de l'Ill, but is, nevertheless, a real find, for which we thank the same friends (Mary Ann and Neil) who recommended Le Petit Comptoir in Narbonne (see below). We have now been there twice and have decided we will time our future visits to Perpignan in order to return. Tucked away from the main hustle and bustle, but still in one of the old town's characterful, narrow streets, this is a small (26 covers), unassuming restaurant which is open for lunch only (till 3pm), except on Sundays. Inside, the walls are lined with old photos and prints, but also some rather lurid mosaic tiles, but the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. The menu, scrawled on a blackboard, consists of three starters, three mains, four 'tartes salees' (quiches) and four desserts. Perfectly acceptable wines (from Dom Brial) are served in carafes. Mains, including the quiches, served with salad, are 8.50 euros, but a main plus starter or dessert is a mere 11 euros. All the food is home-cooked (except for bread and ice cream) and simply delicious - just as bistro food should be. Remarkably, it is both cooked and served by the chef/owner - with no help whatsoever - and yet the service is speedy and efficient. On our last visit, we chose tagine de porc aux pruneaux et amandes (tagine of pork with prunes and almonds), a copious plate of tasty, tender pork, infused with a rich, red wine and cinnamon sauce and served with a generous portion of cous cous and lapin sauce moutarde (rabbit in a mustard sauce) which was again a generous portion of tender meat, served with a deliciously piquant sauce and a mash of potato and carrot. For pudding, we chose a tarte a la rhubarbe (rhubarb tart) and tarte aux amandes et au chocolat (almond and chocolate tart). I usually avoid pastry in restaurants, but had spotted that a neighbour's tarte salee looked as if it had a nice, thin crust, so took the plunge. The pastry was not only thin, but crisp and flavoursome. The rhubarb, set in a clafoutis-like filling, was nicely tart. The chocolate in the other tart was good quality and not too sweet and the pastry just as crisp and tasty.

With Ryanair reinstating its flights to Perpignan from Stansted in late March and flights there from other cities with FlyBe (times vary), this beautiful city makes a perfect, reasonably-priced destination for a long weekend.

La Carmagnole, 12 rue de la Revolution Francaise, 66000 Perpignan, tel: +33 4 68 35 44 46.

Alsace is Top Destination

2010-02-10T19:13:00.006Z

I have always loved Alsace and was delighted to see that it had been just singled out by Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2010 as one of the top 10 regions in the world to visit.

Lonely Planet describes Alsace as a “mountainous, vine-ribboned region” and claims a “defining experience” would be “cycling among vineyards and wine cellars along the rural Route du Vin d’Alsace (Alsace Wine Route) one day and overdosing on city culture the next.” I am not sure I'd recommend cycling and wine tasting as a combined activity, but there is certainly a plethora (46) of well-signed wine trails in the vineyards, which are well worth following.

Apart from the appeal of its much-underrated wines, Alsace has, owing to the Vosges mountains, an enviably balmy and dry microclimate. It also has a surfeit of excellent restaurants, amongst which the Auberge de l'Ill at Illhaeusern - photo above - (www.auberge-de-l-ill.com) would certainly rank in my Top 10 eateries in the world.

YALI WINEMAKER'S SELECTION WETLAND SAUVIGNON BLANC 2009

2010-01-23T17:28:00.004Z

Vina Ventisquero's Yali Winemaker's Selection Wetland Sauvignon 2009 is currently on special offer at Majestic (buy 2 or more for £4.49) until 1st February and then at Tesco (down from £6.49 to £4.49 from 2nd-23rd February). It is not as aromatic or gooseberry-laden as its more expensive New Zealand counterparts; it is, nevertheless, fresh and fruity with decent acidity and added depth from lees ageing. It is a bargain at this reduced price. The Yali range is named after the El Yali Wetland Zone, an important wetland ecosystem in central Chile, close to the Vina Ventisquero winery. The wines come in one of the new, lightweight bottles. Carbon emissions from its transportation, although reduced owing to this bottle, are being offset by a programme with ClimateCare. The winery has also joined forces with the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. A donation is made to the Trust for every case of Yali wine sold in the UK.

VINTAGE ROOTS SPECIAL OFFER

2010-01-22T16:24:00.012Z

To celebrate their move exactly a year ago - to a farm in Heckfield, near Hook - Vintage Roots, one of the best organic wine specialists, are offering FREE DELIVERY to customers until NEXT TUESDAY 26TH JANUARY on all orders of a dozen or more bottles. They have also frozen all their prices at pre-VAT increase levels.   If you need more information, call Vintage Roots free on 0800 980 4992, or email info@vintageroots.co.uk. Otherwise, just order from the website: www.vintageroots.co.uk and enter the code VRFD26 on the checkout page.

GLENGOYNE AND MONACHYLE MHOR BREAKS

2010-01-14T13:09:00.004Z

Two well-known, family-owned Scottish names, Glengoyne Distillery and the Monachyle Mhor hotel, have got together to offer two culinary breaks, perfect for food and whisky lovers. The packages on offer are a one-night Whisky Food and Mhor break from £280 per couple or a two-night Master Class with fine food and rare whisky - including The Glengoyne 40 year old, at over £200 per dram - from £684 per couple. The Master Class breaks include two nights dinner, bed and breakfast at Monachyle Mhor , a welcome dram of Glengoyne 21 Years Old, served with a traditional Scottish delicacy, a seasonal cooking demonstration and lunch at the Mhor Fish cafe in Callander, a Master Blender Session at Glengoyne, considered one of Scotland’s most beautiful distilleries, a tour of the Trossachs with a ‘mobile tutored whisky nosing session’ and an evening meal at Monachyle Mhor pairing the best local ingredients with Glengoyne whiskies and Glen Guin wines.

The two-night Master Classes take place four times per year on 6 March, 16 June, 8 September and 10 November.  The one-night Whisky, Food and Mhor break is available all year.

Both Glengoyne and Mhor are set in the spectacular scenery of the Trossachs, within easy reach of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

For further information or to book please visit: www.glengoyne.com or www.mhor.net.

YAPP BROTHERS CASE OFFERS & SALE

2010-01-13T15:57:00.007Z

Yapp Brothers have just announced a new range of mixed case offers for the New Year. Their 'Rhône Rush' sale also continues throughout January (or until stocks last) in which they are offering a 22.5% discount on unsplit cases (of 12 bottles) on selected Rhône and Rhône-related wines. These include Jasmin Cote Rotie and Clape Cornas. Despite the VAT increase, their 2009 prices will remain unchanged until their 2010 list comes out at the end of February.

LE PETIT COMPTOIR, NARBONNE

2010-01-10T16:38:00.010Z

Some friends suggested we meet for Sunday lunch last week at this restaurant in Narbonne, run by Camille and Patrick Pastoret. We were on our way back to Roussillon from a stay at fellow MW, Rosemary George's house near Beziers (have a look at her excellent Blogspot blog - Taste Languedoc). The exterior of Le Petit Comptoir is unassuming, even off-putting. Inside was an empty bar area with a promising, well-stocked effort at a wine bar to one side. We were led down a corridor to the back of the building, with windows giving onto the road behind, where we found a small, crowded restaurant with Art Nouveau style lights, mirrors and panelling. The set menu offered two options for 26 euros: the chef's choice of small starter, with your choice of main course and dessert or your choice of starter and main plus the chef"s choice of small dessert. We all plumped for the latter. A generous amuse-bouche of creamed lentils with mushrooms and a hint of truffle was delicious and well-seasoned. I then opted for Coquilles Saint-Jacques with a cress sauce. The scallops were cooked to perfection and the sauce was just tart enough. Several of us then chose magret d'oie (goose breast) which was cooked pink, as requested, succulent and tasty. Under it were delicious Catalan-style braised leeks. We drank Pinot Noir Camas 2008 from Anne de Joyeuse, which cut through the richness of the goose well. The pudding was announced as 'glace" (ice cream) but turned out to be a slice of creamy, not-too-sweet, caramel bavarois. Petits fours then appeared with our excellent coffee and tisanes. The service was attentive but discreet. There are other cheaper options on the menu, but we all still felt we had had good value for money and will definitely be going back. Le Petit Comptoir, 4 Bd Marechal Joffre, 11100 Narbonne (tel: +33 4 68 42 30 35/68 41 52 71, web: www.petitcomptoir.com).

TORRES' LOW ALCOHOL 'NATUREO'

2010-01-10T13:41:00.007Z

Just in time for the New Year resolutions, Torres has launched a de-alcoholised wine, which they claim to be "low on alchohol but not on flavour". I tasted it with more than a dose scepticism, remembering that all the competition, if one can call it that, had been consigned rather rapidly to the kitchen sink. Natureo has 0.5% alcohol, so legally it cannot be called wine and it certainly does not taste like wine either, but it is not altogether unpleasant. The nose is grapey, with notes of pineapple, of the tinned variety. The palate is akin to a cheap Moscato d'Asti, but the sweetness is not overwhelming. It has some decent acidity too and a surprisingly long, if slightly artificial finish. At 15-20 calories a glass, as opposed to around 90 for a glass of wine, it could certainly help anyone on a diet who hates to give up their daily tipple. And it certainly is the best of its kind on the market.

So how does Torres make it? Firstly, Moscatel grapes are turned into wine in the normal way, with a cool fermentation in stainless steel tanks to retain aroma and freshness. Then most of the alcohol is separated out and extracted, using a technique known as "rotating cone column". This technique retains the aromas and anti-oxidants of the original wine.

Natureo 2008 is currently available from Soho Wine Suppliers (tel: 020 7636 8490, web: www.sohowine.co.uk) at £5.99 a bottle.

VILLA PONCIAGO FOR FELLS

2010-01-09T20:45:00.007Z

Fells have been appointed sole UK agents for Villa Ponciago. The 48 ha Cru Beaujolais domaine - formerly Chateau de Poncie - is now owned by the Henriot family, who aim to produce "the very finest Fleurie". The first wine will be released in April. Let's hope that the Henriots manage to do something to improve the lacklustre image of the Beaujolais Crus. They are already giving support to a long-term project that aims to map out the terroir of the 10 Beaujolais Crus with a view to creating a superior Premier Cru within the next decade.

LAY & WHEELER JANUARY SALE

2010-01-09T20:40:00.002Z

I have just received details of the Lay & Wheeler January sale. As well as a good selection of wines from Bordeaux & Burgundy, there are some interesting offerings from Alsace eg half bottles of older Pinot Gris from the renowned Albert Mann. The Chardonnays from Clayvin Vineyards are worth considering too.
For more information, visit: www.laywheeler.com.