FOOD and WINE PAIRING—Christmas Pudding
(continuation from blog  “ Food and Wine pairing”  dated12 December 2011)

 INTRODUCTION:—–this blog and the many more following will examine the pleasurable and often complex relationship between good food and wine, with the ultimate aim to assist our many discerning customers evolve the convivial bonding of good food and wine.

 FOOD BEING FEATURED:—–We are featuring Christmas Pudding, but the wines recommended also pair well with Christmas Cake , Mince Pies or Chocolate Log and even a rich Sherry Trifle.

 CHALLENGES:—–Fortified wines and full bodied dessert wines are the ones to meet the challenge of rich Puddings and Cakes which could be accompanied by Brandy Sauces, Cream or Custard. Since it is Christmas, be bold and have more than one style of wine available to please your family or/and your special guests.

 RECOMMENDATIONS:—–The first recommendation would be Campbells Rutherglen Muscat, it has the depth and rich sweetness to match any big pudding. Try leaving the wine in the freezer for one or two hours before serving. Another rich full bodied accompaniment would be Pedro Ximenez Sherry, served chilled. Yes it is unusual to chill sherry, but works very well and your guests will be refreshingly and pleasantly surprised. A traditional recommendation has to be a quality Sauternes from the Bordeaux Region, chill a bottle of Chateau Rolland and enjoy a wine with a good balance of rich fruit, acidity and long lingering aftertaste. This wine is also a great companion of Blue Cheese, if you have any room left  
 
MAIN DIRECTORY:—–click on The Marriage of Food and Wine  to access our quick search facility to locate hundreds of other food/wine/food pairing options, including hors-d’oeuvres, starters, soups, main courses and desserts. Also Great Friends-Cheese and Wine  for cheese and wine pairing.
 
NEXT ARTICLE:—–Cold Meats

 HAPPY CHRISTMAS PUDDING PAIRING DAYS

 Graham D

FOOD and WINE PAIRING—Christmas Poultry
(continuation from blog  “ Food and Wine pairing”  dated 12 December 2011)

 INTRODUCTION:—–this blog and the many more following will examine the pleasurable and often complex relationship between good food and wine, with the ultimate aim to assist our many discerning customers evolve the convivial bonding of good food and wine.

 FOOD BEING FEATURED:—–Whether its a traditional roast turkey, or chicken, or goose, or even wild game such as pheasant or partridge, one can easily choose wines that will suitably match all of the meats in question.

 CHALLENGES:—–If the above birds are roasted with the traditional vegetable accompaniments and sauces , then matching appropriate wines will not be a huge challenge. On a special occassion such as Christmas, it often pays to offer more than one style of wine, it will certainly keep all parties very happy.

 RECOMMENDATIONS:—–Listed below are four wines that will make great partners for any of the dishes being featured. One superb wine for white wine lovers would be a classical big rich wine from the Rhone Valley – Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc. Another fine white wine to go with poultry would be a Viognier from Australia, this wine has finesse and distinction and a perfect match for  game birds and turkey or chicken. Moving on to red wines, preference would be to the lighter and more fruity reds such as Fleurie, this fresh vivid red will bring delight to most white meats. Staying with the same theme, a final recommendation would be a plummy Merlot from the New World, Merlot Reserva Santa Cecilia Estate, this wine has depth of flavour with a long fresh fruity aftertaste, but not too overpowering for the delicate and flavoursome white meats being served.   
 
MAIN DIRECTORY:—–click on The Marriage of Food and Wine  to access our quick search facility to locate hundreds of other food/wine/food pairing options, including hors-d’oeuvres, starters, soups, main courses and desserts. Also Great Friends-Cheese and Wine  for cheese and wine pairing.
 
NEXT ARTICLE:—–Christmas Pudding

 HAPPY CHRISTMAS POULTRY PAIRING DAYS

 Graham D

FOOD and WINE PAIRING—Casseroles and Hearty Meat Stews (continuation from blog “ Food and Wine pairing” dated 20 November 2011)

INTRODUCTION:—–this blog and the many more following will examine the pleasurable and often complex relationship between good food and wine, with the ultimate aim to assist our many discerning customers evolve the convivial bonding of good food and wine.

FOOD BEING FEATURED:—–Casseroles and hearty meat stews are often made from cuts from the leg, neck and shoulder. If you are slow braising then shin of beef or older game birds are perfect for providing the rich flavoursome sauces these dishes produce and are often cooked in wine.

CHALLENGES:—–The challenges are not that great-always pair powerful wines with these types of meat dishes that also have powerful flavours, strong aromas and great depth. These wines must take kindly to both the intense meaty flavours and the complexity of the added herbs and spices.

RECOMMENDATIONS:—–For strong and powerful beef, lamb or venison stews (with or without spices) select either a full bodied Bordeaux such as Chateau Haut Pougnan 1er Cotes de Bordeaux or a similar big boy from the Rhone such as Vacqueyras Les Collegiales. If you are considering a casserole utilising games birds such as pheasant or partridge, try Santa Cecilia Merlot from the Maule Valley in Chile or a flavoursome Pirie South Pinot Noir from Tasmania.

MAIN DIRECTORY:—–click on The Marriage of Food and Wine to access our quick search facility to locate hundreds of other food/wine/food pairing options, including hors-d’oeuvres, starters, soups, main courses and desserts. Also Great Friends-Cheese and Wine for cheese and wine pairing.

NEXT ARTICLE:—–Poultry for Christmas

HAPPY CASSEROLES AND HEARTY MEAT STEWS AND WINE PAIRING DAYS

Graham D

THE MAKING OF SANDEMAN BRANDY

Jerez Brandy is a spirit made from distilled wine, produced exclusively in the protected sherry appellation region in the south of spain.

Brandy de Jerez differs from other brandies in several ways. Exclusive to the Jerez area is the traditional production system, the characteristics of the wooden casks in which the wine is aged and the particular climatic conditions of Jerez.

As Sherry wines grew in popularity it became natural for the producers to age their “brandies” in oak casks, using similar maturing processes and conditions. The combination of the purest wine alcohols, the unique conditions of the bodegas of Jerez, and the use of Sherry-aged oak butts in the traditional solera ageing process permitted the creation of this particularly interesting brandy, with characteristics which are profoundly different to brandy from other regions. Brandy de Jerez is a unique Brandy produced exclusively in the Jerez-Sherry-Xeres denomination of origin in the South of Spain.

After distillation, Sandeman Imperial Brandy is aged for one year in Sherry-aged oak casks.

Autumn gold in colour, Sandeman Imperial Brandy de Jerez has complex aromas with oak and vanilla higlights. Well balanced on the palate it is round and full bodied in a contemporary style with the rich lingering flavour of Sherry and the finesse of fine Brandy de Jerez as a digestive in a Cognac glass or try a warming sip-mix 1 shot of Sandeman Imperial Brandy with 1 shot of Butlers Van der Hum Tangerine Liqueur and relax and enjoy.

HAPPY SANDEMAN BRANDY DAYS

Graham D

FOOD and WINE PAIRING—DESSERTS – (continuation from blog “ Food and Wine Pairing” dated 8 November 2011)

INTRODUCTION:—–this blog and the many more following will examine the pleasurable and often complex relationship between good food and wine, with the ultimate aim to assist our many discerning customers evolve the convivial bonding of good food and wine.
FOOD BEING FEATURED:—–DESSERTS, many organises of dinner parties forget or ignore pairing desserts and wine. Making the effort to successfully pair this course will no doubt be a wonderful finale to a great evening.
CHALLENGES:—–The challenges are not too difficult. Play safe and follow convention i.e. pair sweet wine with sweet dessert. The next rule is to select a wine that is sweeter that the dessert being served. Get the balance right and one will not overpower the other, harmony will prevail.
RECOMMENDATIONS:—–To assist wine pairing, three contrasting desserts have been chosen. First a simple fruit salad served with fresh cream, but not ice cream. A tasty fruit salad can be classed as slightly sweet or sweetish – a matching wine would have balanced acidity with sweetness and the recommendation would be a Spatlese from Germany, Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese. Our second dessert is a creme caramel with a crispy sugary top. A perfect match would be a wine with less acidity and more sweetness than the German Spatlese and to fit the bill try Chateau Peyruchet 1er Cotes de Bordeaux Molleux. For the final dessert, we have selected a sweet and heavy flavoured Chocolate and Cafe Roulade – for this rich dessert, we need to match with a full bodied, silky and luscious wine. My recommendation would be either Maury Solera 1928 or Elysium Black Muscat.

MAIN DIRECTORY:—–click on The Marriage of Food and Wine to access our quick search facility to locate hundreds of other food/wine/food pairing options, including hors-d’oeuvres, starters, soups, main courses and desserts. Also Great Friends-Cheese and Wine for cheese and wine pairing.

NEXT ARTICLE:—–Casseroles and hearty meat stews

HAPPY DESSERT AND WINE PAIRING DAYS

Graham D

FOOD and WINE PAIRING—VEGETARIAN DISHES
(continuation from blog “ Food and Wine Pairing” dated 3rd October 2011)

INTRODUCTION:—–this blog and the many more following will examine the pleasurable and often complex relationship between good food and wine, with the ultimate aim to assist our many discerning customers evolve the convivial bonding of good food and wine.

FOOD BEING FEATURED:—–VEGETARIAN DISHES have become much more popular in recent years and restaurant chefs are far more creative with their vegetarian recipes than perhaps a decade ago. With many different and wonderful flavours matching these dishes with wine is now a serious subject.

CHALLENGES:—–The main challenges are identifying what dishes are strong in flavour, such as a nut loaf or caramelised root vegetables or lighter flavoured dishes like salads or spring vegetable soup. Once you have catagorized your dishes then pairing with the right wines become much much easier.

RECOMMENDATIONS:—–With a light tasting soup such as pea or potato why not try a light bodied unoaked white wine such as Luztville Chenin Blanc from South Africa. For pulses like lentiles which have been enriched with cream or butter, go for a medium bodied red wine such as Pinot Noir by Tindall Vineyards in New Zealand. With strong flavoured dishes such as roasted vegetables, a powerful nut roast or stews which contain soya sauce or marmite to replicate meaty flavours, then a full bodied Bordeaux red such as Chateau Semonlon Haut Medoc or a new world wine like Carmenere Reserva from Chile will certainly do the trick.

MAIN DIRECTORY:—–click on The Marriage of Food and Wine to access our quick search facility to locate hundreds of other food/wine/food pairing options, including hors-d’oeuvres, starters, soups, main courses and deserts. Also view Great Friends-Cheese and Wine for cheese and wine pairing.

NEXT ARTICLE:—–Desserts

HAPPY VEGETARIAN DISHES AND WINE PAIRING DAYS

Graham D

Pere Magloire Calvados:- In the early 19th century Gervais Magloire became an Innkeeper in Cagny, a village located on the main road between Paris and Normandy. Besides the excellent food and the comfort of the Inn, he also aged his own Calvados. The high quality of his “eau-de-vie” became famous and soon became know as “le Calvados du pere Magloire”. During the 50 years he operated the Inn, the reputation and renown of the Calvados Pere Magloire grew beyond the borders of Normandy and spread all over France.

Pere Magloire use both methods of distillation to create a distinctive range of styles, both aoc calvados and the more specific calvados pays d’auge. Softer single distillation preserves the essence of apple flavours and aromas, giving the calvados the intense and strong taste of its origin. Double distillation of ciders, on the other hand, leads to the selection of the lightest aromatic esters, and produces spirits with floral notes and delicate aromas.

The unrivalled collection of medals awarded to the range in recent years is a testament to the skill with which the distiller and blender use those two styles to create the sublime calvados.

Pere Magloire Calvados Pays D’Auge VSOP

Double distilled in traditional stills, lengthy ageing in oak casks give a unique aromatic richness

Pere Magloire Pays D’Auge XO

An exceptional blend distilled twice and aged in oak casks with a subtle bouquet of apples and long lasting palate

Gold Medal and Best in Class, International Wine and Spirit Competion (VSOP)

Gold Medal and Best in Class, International Wine and Spirit Competion (XO)

Double Gold Medal and Best Brandy, San Fransisco World Spirit Competion (XO)

Silver Medal and Best in Class, International Wine and Spirit Competion (12yo)

Silver Medal and Best in Class, International Wine and Spirit Competion (20yo)

A great way to taste apples !

Food and Wine Pairings: Pasta dishes (Continued from Blog “Food and Wine Pairing”)

Introduction:- This Blog and the many more following will examine the pleasurable and often complex relationship between good food and wine, with the utlimate aim to assist our many discerning customers evolve the convivial bonding of good food and wine.

Food Being Featured:- Pasta dishes a a big favourite of so many around the world. A favourable feature dishes contain tastey sauces and these sauces create great flexibility regarding the choice of wine.

Challenges:- The challenge of pairing pasta dishes with wine can be exciting and enjoyable because of the accomodating nature of pasta. Many dishes will equally match a red, white, rose or sparkling wine. Where people have preferences, then you may wish to alter choices of different wine when serving you pasta dishes.

Recommendations:- Pasta is synonymos with Italy and convention often suggests serving Italian wines with Italian pasta dishes.Staying with tradition why not select a full bodied Chianti with a rich meat based dish such as lasagne or pasta with meatballs. Staying with the red wines and being a little experimental, why not pair a lite fruity Valpolicella or Brouilly with a seafood pasta dish flavoursome cheese sauce, the match can be perfect. For white wine lovers, try Pinot Grigio with Fellucine, Alfredo or Macaroni Cheese. For Rose wine lovers, try Le Pas de la Rhone, it’s the perfect match.

Main Directory :- Click on The Marriage of Food and Wine to access our quick search facility to locate hundreds of other food/wine/food pairing options, including hors-d’oeurves, starters, soups, main courses and deserts. Also view Great Friends-Cheese and Wine for cheese and wine pairing.

Next Article :- Vegetarian Dishes

Happy Pasta Dishes and Wine Pairing Days

Graham D

Caribbean Rum at its very best

In 1922 , the Barnard family purchased the large sugar estate of Dennery. Ten years after that purchase, the young Denis Barnard founded a distillery at Dennery. The grandson of the original owners of Dennery is still the current Managing Director of St Lucia Distillers, now based at Roseau. The family run factory has been modernised over the years and new technologies and improvements constantly incorporated. A Pot Still was installed in 1998 and has meant that especially high quality flavourful rums which are still being aged , are now being produce. Two more Pot Stills have been introduced, adding to the variety of rums being produced.

Chairman’s Reserve is a blend of doubled distilled pot still and column still rums, aged for up to five years in bourbon barrels. The pot still richness comes through on the nose along with juicy fruits and a hint of honey. A medium bodied palate with a soft feel, a hint of vanilla and spices. Delicious on its own, but works well in a Mojito and many other great drinks.

Chairman’s Reserve Spice is the latest addition to the St Lucia Distillers range. Based on the same high quality spirit, it has been infused with authentic Caribbean spices such as cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and vanilla and richeria grandis which is known locally as “bois bande” to create a genuine St Lucia experience.

Try it over ice with ginger beer or cranberry juice for a refreshing long drink,

Winner of Gold Medal “Best in Class ” International Wine and Spirit Competition, Winner of Double Gold Medal, San Francisco Spirits Competition

Rums of a very special nature

FOOD AND WINE PAIRING – WHITE FISH (continuation from BLOG “FOOD AND WINE PAIRING” dated 2nd December 2010)

INTRODUCTION :- This blog and the many more following will examine the pleasurable and often complex relationship between good food and wine, with the ultimate aim to assist our many discerning customers evolve the convivial bonding of good food and wine

FOOD BEING FEATURED :- WHITE FISH, white fleshed fish such as Lemon Sole, Flounder, Dover Sole, Dab, Turbot, Halibut and Brill have the lightest, sweetish and most delicate flesh of all the fish family

CHALLENGES :- Finding the perfect match for fish can be challenging since a very dry and acidic wine could go well with oily fish like Mackerel or Sardines, but could destroy subtle dishes like Poached Halibut or Sole Meuniere. Go for mellow and fruity white wines with little or no oak. Stay clear of red wines, although light red wines like Fleurie can go well with meaty, dark fleshed oily fish

RECOMMENDATIONS:- It’s not only traditional , but white wine certainly supports most fish dishes, especially white fish. So white wine with pan fried fish like sole or plaice are exceptinally well suited to a good quality Chenin Blanc such as Luztville from South Africa. Poached Halibut in olive oil and match with a Chilean Gewurztraminer from Vina Segu, the slight acidity from this wine works very nicely. Wild Sea Bass will respond well to a firm, fruity Italian white wine like Gavi de Gavi from the Piedmonte region of Italy.

Your choice of sauce or accompaniment can also be influential to a fish dish. A heavy tomato based sauce or a side dish with spice would welcome a white wine with high intensity and substance such as a white Chateauneuf du Pape or a full bodied Chardonnay such as those made in the Barossa Valley, Australia.

MAIN DIRECTORY :- Click on THE MARRIAGE OF FOOD AND WINE to access our quick search facility to locate hundreds of other food/wine/food pairing options, including hors-d’oeuvres, starters, soups, main courses and desserts. Also view GREAT FRIENDS-CHEESE AND WINE for cheese and wine pairing.

NEXT ARTICLE :- PASTA DISHES

HAPPY FISH AND WINE PAIRING DAYS

GRAHAM D