Christmas Wines 2009 Part 2: The Whites, Fizz and Stickies

Following part 1 of our Xmas 2009 Wine list (The Reds) we now move on to The Whites, The Fizz and The Stickies.

The Whites

Amayna Sauvignon Blanc Barrel Fermented 2006

Amayna Sauvignon Blanc Barrel Fermented 2006

A surprise, the most expensive Sauvignon Blanc I bought wasn’t from New Zealand, it’s Chilean.  This wine is a Barrel Fermented SB which means it will be slightly more complex than a young SB.  I imagine this is like a Cloudy Bay Te Koko.  Notes on this “92 point” wine can be found here. Price: <£20 from Hailsham Cellars.

Highfield Sauvignon Blanc 2007

Highfield Sauvignon Blanc 2007

Well, it just had to be here didn’t it?  We skipped the 2008 SB (long story) and are waiting for the 2009 to come into stock.  This is our all time favourite SB and in our eyes it beats Cloudy Bay when young.  We don’t need an excuse to drink this wine, it’s excellent and I urge you to try it if you like New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.  Tasting notes here.  Price: ~£12 from Barrels & Bottles.

Yalumba The Virgilius Eden Valley Viognier 2006

Yalumba The Virgilius Eden Valley Viognier 2006

Viognier is a complex wine when done well and apparently the 2006 harvest was excellent.  This is a real unknown for me and I’m pretty excited to try it.  This wine should be at it’s best around now, I’m just not sure what to serve it with.  It’ll be complex and not weedy so it can take some fairly hefty food with it but I don’t want to overpower it.  Maybe this may be a good white accompaniment to our New Years Eve 7 Hour Slow Roasted Shoulder of Pork (bone in)?  Notes on the wine here with tasting notes here.  Price: <£20 from Hailsham Cellars.

Trimbach Gewürztraminer 2004

Trimbach Gewürztraminer 2004

I love a good Gewürztraminer!  It was one of the first wines I really got into.  A good Gewürztraminer will have that lovely lychee, fruity taste which starts sweet and ends dry(-ish).  Perfect aperitif wine or served with Asian foods.  Not sure when we’ll have this but we definitely will be opening it over the festive break, nice and chilled.  I’m actually excited whilst I write this down… Some wine notes here. Price: <£12 at Hailsham Cellars.

Massaya Silver Selection White 2005

Massaya Silver Selection White 2005

When you mention Lebanon and Wine I think Château Musar.  Their red has been one of my all time favourite wines for ages.  We opened some 1991 recently for ITs Food Jnr’s 18th and even with my poor quality cellaring (i.e. a cupboard in a leaky conservatory) it tasted great.  But, we’re in “The Whites” section aren’t we?  Well we have tasted a Château Musar White before and declared it “…a white Red wine” it was so heavy.   But I digress, this isn’t about them, this is about the Massaya Silver Selection White 2005.  A blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, there aren’t many details about this white so this is a pure “trust my brother” wine (which, of course, I do!). Price ~£12 at Hailsham Cellars.

The Fizz

Moët et Chandon Nectar Imperial

Moët et Chandon Nectar Imperial

Over the past few years I have given up on Champagne and moved onto Prosecco.  I find Prosecco easier to drink (smaller bubbles!) and when done well can beat many a Champagne hands down.  It’s also cheaper with a good bottle costing less than £10.  But, I’ve got to admit, I like Moët et Chandon Nectar Imperial.  It’s fruitier and slightly (only just) sweeter than most dry Champagne which I find makes it far more enjoyable to drink.  This will be our tipple as we open our presents on Christmas day.  The Moët website is one of those terrible Flash sites where you can’t link to a specific page but it’s fairly easy to find a nice video of tasting notes for the Nectar Imperial from their Chef De Cave. Price <£30 at Sainsbury’s.

p.s. In case anyone needs to know the only other Champagne I like is Laurent Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut!

Cloudy Bay Pelorus Vintage 2005

Cloudy Bay Pelorus Vintage 2005

A New Zealand champagne?  The other exception to the “I only like Prosecco for fizz” rule.  Cloudy Bay Pelorus is a really nice example of a “sparkling wine” from the New World.  This will be our “Happy New Year!” fizz; the time you want something quite bubbly and tasty to awaken those taste buds as you welcome in the New Year.  Notes on the wine can be found here with tasting notes here.  Price: <£17 at Majestic.

The Stickies

De Bortoli Show Reserve Muscat

De Bortoli Show Reserve Muscat

We first discovered this “fortified wine” about 3-4 years ago at the BBC Good Food Live Show.  De Bortoli had a stand there and Mrs ITs Food (who is a BIG fan of Stickies – sweeter “dessert” wines) thought she’d give this a go.  “Liquid Christmas in a glass!” is how she declared it.  It really is unique, a delicious after dinner drink and especially good for those who don’t like Port.  Tasting notes are here.  Price: <£10 at Majestic.

In fact there is another wine to put here but as it’s a surprise for Mrs ITs Food a blog post about it would give the game away somewhat!

And for afters…

All that remains is for us to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and festive season.  We may blog a little over the break, especially if any of the food and drink is very good (or very bad)!  If we don’t though, have a great time and we’ll see you in 2010.

Christmas Wines 2009 Part 1: The Reds

I decided to splash out this year and spend a little extra on our Xmas wines.  I spoke to my brother who knows far more about wines than me and asked him to suggest a decent red wine to have with the Xmas Turkey.  I was looking for more than the Supermarket “premium” wine which usually costs £10-£15.

One suggestion soon turned into a few more and before I knew it I had an 18 bottle order with Hailsham Cellars.  Adding this massive order to some wines I already had plus some extras from Majestic and Sainsbury’s means that this year we have an excellent selection for the festive season.

Some of the highlights this year are as follows…

Torbreck The Struie 2006

Torbreck The Struie 2006

This is the main wine chosen for our Xmas lunch.  This 100% Shiraz will help cut through any “fatty-ness”.  At 14.5% it’s a heavy duty red which you really need with the calorie-fest that is Xmas lunch.  Tasting notes can be found here.  Price: ~£24 (Hailsham Cellars)

Ridge Geyserville 2005

Ridge Geyserville 2005

You will probably know I’m currently a HUGE fan of Zinfandel.  I was unable to source any Turleys Old Vine Zinfandel so the classic Ridge Vineyards were chosen for their excellent Geyserville.  It’s a blend of 77% Zinfandel, 17% Carignane and 6% Petite Sirah, some simple tasting notes available here. Prince: ~£24 (Hailsham Cellars)

D’Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz 2006

D'Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz 2006

Another BIG Shiraz, this time from D’Arenberg.  I had some of their Laughing Magpie a while back and was not too impressed so this wine was only bought after being described as “fantastic” by my brother.  We will see!  Tasting notes are here. Price ~£24 (Hailsham Cellars)

Bodega Catena Zapata Catena Alta Malbec 2005

Bodega Catena Zapata Catena Alta Malbec 2005

It says a lot for Argentinian wines when the most expensive wine I bought was an Argentinian 100% Malbec.  A lot of you may have picked up a cheap Argentinian Malbec in the past but may have not seen many/any premium brands.  This again is a BIG red so I think this will possibly be our New Year wine to be served with a 7 Hour Slow Roasted Shoulder Of Pork (bone in).  Simple notes on the wine available here.  Price ~£27 (Hailsham Cellars)

Grant Burge The Holy Trinity Grenache Shiraz Mourvèdre 2003

Grant Burge The Holy Trinity Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre 2003

Moving into slightly cheaper waters now (or should that be wines?).  I liked the sound of this blend of 39% Grenache, 36% Shiraz and 25% Mourvedre.  It’s suggested that this is matched with strong game so I may have this with some nice venison or duck, I’m looking forward to trying this.  Tasting notes are here. Price <£15 (Hailsham Cellars)

Shaw and Smith Adelaide Hills Shiraz 2007

Shaw and Smith Adelaide Hills Shiraz 2007

It was at this point that I realised my brother liked his Shiraz!  I love that the notes for this wine mention Macclesfield!  I doubt it’s the one I’m thinking of.  Probably a “back-up” wine but I’m interested to try this some time over the festive season. Price <£15 (Hailsham Cellars)

De Bortoli Yarra Valley Shiraz Viognier 2006

De Bortoli Yarra Valley Shiraz Viognier 2006

Yes, ANOTHER Shiraz for the person who prefers his Merlot’s and Zinfandels…!  This time it’s mixed with Viognier which should add some subtleness to the wine.  Perfect with lamb I reckon.  Wine info here.  Price <£15 (Hailsham Cellars)

Coming next…

The Whites, The Fizz and The Stickies…

Our Top books for Xmas 2009

We wrote our Xmas lists the other week and as usual mine was full of foodie books.  I tend to take inspiration from books rather than try every recipe but some have become real favourites like “Jamie at Home” by Jamie Oliver; “How to be a Domestic Goddess” by Nigella Lawson and the fantastic bargain that is “101 Low-fat Feasts” by BBC Good Food.

The following are the top books on my list for 2009:

The Fat Duck Cookbook by Heston Blumenthal

The Fat Duck Cookbook by Heston Blumenthal

The cheaper version of The Big Fat Duck Cookbook (~£80!).  I don’t think I need to say too much about the genius that is Heston Blumenthal.  I’ve been a fan since his very early days and been lucky enough to visit The Fat Duck three times (see reviews on this blog).  This book shows the story of The Fat Duck and the dishes that have made it famous.  Incredible art from Dave McKean plus amazing photography makes this book the perfect gift for the foodie who likes to read about food.

Tender: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch by Nigel Slater

Tender: v. 1: A Cook and His Vegetable Patch by Nigel Slater

Nigel Slater is a modern foodie icon.  His simple but delicious food goes well with his really “comfortable” TV programs.  I always like to watch this shows, even more so after reading his autobiography “Toast“.  That is one interesting childhood!  He’s a modern day Delia, you just trust his recipes will work although they usually tend to be filed under “comfort eating” rather than “healthy eating”!  This book will be the perfect accompaniment to those of use who now have a weekly Veg Box delivered.

Nutmeg and Custard by Marcus Wareing

Nutmeg and Custard by Marcus Wareing

After a fairly public spat with his ex-friend and boss Gordon Ramsay, one of the most talented British chefs around brings us this strangely titled cookbook.  It’s not just strangely titled, it includes a chapter dedicated to popcorn!  It’s not all weird though, in with the strange there are ~150 recipes including the wonderful sounding monkfish with chorizo crust and spiced beans.  I imagine this is for the enthusiast cook but I reckon there could be the odd dinner party “killer dish” in there which could have all your friends raving about it.

The Hairy Bikers’ Food Tour of Britain

The Hairy Bikers' Food Tour of Britain by Si king and Dave Myers

If you, like me, watched the marathon Hairy Bikers’ Food Tour of Britain TV series then you probably already have this on your list.  Whilst the shows all stuck to the same format I looked forward to watching every one.  When it was a county I knew I looked forward to seeing old favourites (Pakenham Water Mill, Suffolk) and finding out new foodie facts (Bury St Edmunds Purse – steak and cheese!).  When I didn’t know the county the whole program was interesting and full of foodie facts.  A sure fire winner for the British Food Fan!

Stirred But Not Shaken: The Autobiography (Keith Floyd)

Stirred But Not Shaken: The Autobiography by Keith Floyd

With amazing timing, the autobiography of Keith Floyd came out a matter of days after his sad passing.  Whilst Delia maybe was the first modern day TV Cook, Keith Floyd was the first to take cooking out of the kitchen.  In various locations he would have a quick “slurp” then abuse the cameraman whilst cooking.  Whether it was being told off by old women or cooking some strange whale meat Asian fusion dish by a fjord; his shows were always entertaining.  A read foodie icon who led a very interesting life.

The Juice 2010: The Coolest Guide to the Hottest Wines by Matt Skinner

The Juice 2010: The Coolest Guide to the Hottest Wines by Matt Skinner

If you’re like us, a lot of your wine is bought from a Supermarket or high street off license.  This is the book for you.  Matt Skinner picks 100 wines we can all buy which are in the shops now.  These types of “top 100″ books are quite common.  They usually cost £4-£5 and will cover wines for a specific year.  Superplonk by Malcolm Gluck seems to have disappeared but Oz Clarke still releases a few.  I chose Matt Skinner after reading his book “Thirsty Work” which gave a great overview wine from making it to the grapes used.  He’s got a young attitude and although he is a little biased to Australian wines he picks a good selection from both the Old and New world.  Great value book for supermarket wine lovers!

I hope you’ve now got some inspiration for Xmas books for the foodie in your life or maybe something to add to your Xmas list.  All the links to Amazon.co.uk are affiliated which means whilst it costs you no more, if you buy the book after clicking the link we get a few pence of Amazon’s profits.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall at Ely Cathedral

I was lucky enough to go to a Topping & Company book even at Ely Cathedral the other day.  My number one foodie hero, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, was appearing to talk about his new book; River Cottage Everyday.

River Cottage Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

We arrived in Ely on a cold and blustery evening.  The Cathedral is easy to find as it dominates the scenery.  I was unsure how many people would be there as I’d never been to a Topping & Co event before.  I laughed at Mrs ITs Food’s suggestion that there would be “a few hundred”.  I thought maybe 100 or so…

It soon became clear, as we queued to get in, that Mrs ITs Food was spot on.  I reckon there were close to 600+ people there by the time the event started.  On entering we joined the queue to buy a copy of Hugh’s new book for £18 (£7 off RRP, the tickets had cost us £7).  We avoided the complimentary wine, Mrs ITs Food didn’t like the look of it and I was the “designated driver”.  I was more than willing to swap roles though as I wouldn’t have minded a glass, it looked fine to me!

We made your way to some seats to the side of where Hugh would be standing.  Ely Cathedral is amazing.  My inner photographer decided immediately that we’d be coming back soon with camera and tripod in tow.  Have a look at some of the pictures on flickr, I’m sure you’ll agree it is an impressive site.

After a small introduction, Hugh was introduced to much applause.  The sound was good and Hugh spoke loudly and clearly so earlier warnings and worries about poor sound quality were unfounded.  Hugh spoke about the reasons he wrote the book and read a couple of excerpts.  You had to remember the event was all about his new book as obviously there were a lot of mentions of it but they were nicely mixed in with some of Hugh’s other musings.  We then moved on to a small interview with Hugh carried out by someone from Topping & Co.  The interviewer was a little quiet but this section was very interesting with Hugh’s answers being detailed and very long, no terse replies from him!

The final “formal” part of the evening was a Q&A section with members of the audience.  This was excellent.  There was a good mix of serious “food issue” and “River Cottage” fan questions.  At one point Hugh was given some Damson jam!  The most interesting question was from a woman who asked about whether Hugh agreed with The Soil Association that GM crops were the antitheses to Organic.  Both Mrs ITs Food and I at this point thought the questioner would turn out to be an employee of Monsanto or similar!  Hugh gave a long answer giving his reasons for not agreeing with GM crops.  The questioner, unfairly in my opinion, said she thought Hugh avoided answering the question.  I just think he answered it simply (yes, he agreed with The Soil Association view) and then went on to explain why he didn’t trust GM crops.  Hugh suspected the same as us as he said he wondered whether the questioner worked for a GM company.  It turned out she was a scientist and she tried to have a unbiased and analytical view of the whole GM debate.  I personally though she was a little biased towards GM.  Due to time constraints, the host from Topping & Co brought the questioning to an end whilst there were still people queuing to ask a question.  At this point Hugh said that whilst he realised time was getting on there was a little girl waiting at the back and he couldn’t have her disappointed.  She was allowed to ask her question as to whether Hugh ever saved any of his animals from slaughter because he had grown too attached to them.  He quipped that “my spaniel Dolly has so far avoided the pot…”.

Then proceeded the most disorganised part of the evening, the signing.  The whole event had been very professional up to that point but when it was time for the signing it was a “rush and scrum” to get in the queue.  Well, when I say queue, I mean a crowd.  It was about 10 wide by about 30-40 long.  We probably didn’t move for about 30-40 minutes but eventually we made it to the front…

I imagine Hugh thought I was a little “slow” as all I could say was my name followed by nothing.  I was a little star struck I’m afraid.  Luckily the floodgates soon opened and I told Hugh just what an inspiration he was to us.  He seemed especially happy to hear about our chickens and seemed really genuine when he said he was touched by what we’d said.  With that I walked off, guided by Mrs ITs Food, in a bit of a daze having met my number 1 foodie hero.  I was chuffed.

Thanks to Hugh and to Topping & Co for an excellent event.  I will certainly keep any eye out for future events, maybe  a Heston Blumenthal one…? Please

Review: The Fat Duck 2009 (part 4)

Following on from part one, two and three of our review we now move on to part four.

1. Background and arrival
2. The Menu: part 1
3. The Menu: part 2
4. The Bill plus conclusions

First, an Extra bit…

After reading the last part of the review and then looking at the bill (below) I realised I forgot completely to mention that two of us had the extra Cheese course.  Again, this wasn’t as good as last time.  On our previous visit the waiter had taken time to explain all the cheeses then proceeded to arrange them in taste order round the plate.  The cheese this time was still good but there was little that made it special and for £15 it probably wasn’t worth it.  Having said that though,  ITs Food Jnr LOVES cheese and she thought it was excellent!

The Bill plus conclusions

Yes, it was expensive!  We’re by no means “showing off” and saying “look at us, we can pay a fortune for a meal”.  On the contrary, we aren’t rich but we don’t mind paying for quality and a real foodie experience.  A meal at The Fat Duck is indeed both of those things.

As I was feeling slightly “merry” after drinking most of the wine, Mrs ITs Food paid the bill.  It was the next day when I saw it.

Our Fat Duck had a Fat Bill!

This probably was what I thought it would be if I’m honest with you.  I had in mind £200 a head and with the recent rises in the cost of the tasting menu, £640 seemed about the right level.  I’ve been trying to source some Turley Old Vine Zinfandel in the UK and it seems £75 for a bottle isn’t a massive mark up at all!

Was it worth it?

Hmm…  You’ve probably noticed that I mention quite a lot about how “…it was not as good as last time”.  I keep thinking this over and I think the reasons for this are:

1. Last time it was our first time having the Tasting Menu (or in fact our first time having anything like it ever).  Difficult to match that experience.
2. The menu hadn’t changed much.  Rather than being blown away we ended up comparing each dish to the last time we’d tried it.
3. We were all suffering with minor colds and I fully admit I ended up drinking a little too much (as the other two did not drink as much as they would do normally!)

But I must remember the most important thing.  This visit was for ITs Food Jnr’s 18th birthday.  Did she enjoy it? Yes.  Will she remember it forever? Yes.  Was it worth it?

Yes.

If you get a chance to visit The Fat Duck I wholeheartedly recommend it.  The prices are rising and I hear the “a la carte” menu has been discontinued and replaced with the new tasting menu.  It’s a shame the a la carte has gone as that had the “best course ever” on it.  I hear the a la carte will be served in Heston’s new London venture though.

After this particular visit I remember saying that we probably wouldn’t go again unless the tasting menu changed.  Heston changed the tasting menu a couple of months after we’d been!  Time to start saving again…!