Sloe Gin is a fine gin spirit or liqueur flavoured with sloe (blackthorn) berries, which are a small fruit relative of the plum. Sloe gin has an alcohol content between 15 and 30 percent by volume and is produced by many small boutique wineries and distillers. The traditional way of making sloe gin is to infuse gin with the berries, sugar is required to ensure the sloe juices are extracted from the fruit. Almond or cinnamon flavouring is sometimes also added. Many commercial sloe gins today are made by flavouring less expensive neutral grain spirits, and produce a fruit cordial effect, although a number of long-established, reputable manufacturers still use the traditional method.

To make Sloe Gin, the sloe berries must be ripe. In the Northern Hemisphere, they were traditionally picked in late October or early November after the first frost of the winter. Each berry is pricked and a vat or barrel is part filled with the pricked berries, then the vat or barrel is filled with gin and sugar, adding a few cloves and a small stick of cinnamon. The vat or barrel is sealed and mixed several times by turning, then stored in a cool, dark place. It is usually mixed by turning every day for the first two weeks, then each week, until at least three months have passed. The gin will now be a deep ruby red. The liqueur is poured off and the berries and spices discarded.

Some great examples of Sloe Gins and Liqueurs

Sloe Gin Liqueur, Foxdenton Estate, Buckinghamshire

Sloe Gin Liqueur, Bramble & Gage, Gloucestershire

Sloe Gin Liqueur, Sloemotion, North Yorkshire

Sloe Gin Liqueur, Moniack Castle, Highland Wineries

Sloe Gin Liqueur, Scottish Liqueur Centre

Sloe Gin Reserve Liqueur, Lyme Bay Winery, Devon

Sloe Gin Liqueur, Gordons, London

Sloe Gin Liqueur, Sipsmith, London

Sloe Gin Liqueur, Plymouth, Devon

 Sloe Gin Liqueur, Condessa, Isle of Anglesey

BLACK NOBLE , A Great Dessert Wine from Riverina, NSW, Australia

Black Noble is made from Botrytised Semillon that is fortified and aged in old oak barrels for an average of eight years. Created by Darren De Bortoli, it was inspired by a 1930’s wine made by Vittorio De Bortoli. The wine is unique but has been compared to wines of the Jerez region of Spain.

The wine has been aged in barrel and is designed for current consumption but will keep in the bottle for several years.

It is a deep amber colour with green gold edges. Concentrated, complex array of flavours and aromas including coffee/toffee and anise with aged character from maturation in oak for an average of 8 years, long luscious finish.

Black Noble is the perfect end to a meal with an espresso and dark chocolate or a platter of cheeses, dried fruits  and nuts, rich chocolate desserts.

HAPPY BLACK NOBLE DAYS

DEL

FOOD and WINE PAIRING—Cold Meats (continuation from blog  “ Food and Wine pairing”  dated 10 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:—–Many tasty Cold Meats can be left over from Christmas and New Years Day. If we focus on Poultry, Game Birds and Pork, then there are numerous wine options available for consideration. Cold Pork Pies or Game Bird pies can also be considered under the following recommendations. 

CHALLENGES:—–Be careful that strong Pickles and Chutneys such as Piccalilli or strong mustard based sauces may conflict with some of the wines recommended. Fruit chutneys and mild sauces will not be a major problem.

 RECOMMENDATIONS:—–The first recommendation which will accompany all the meats in question and is not too powerful, Rose D’Anjou  from the Loire, a refreshing wine for any time of the day or night. Many heavy reds will overpower most cold white meats, therefore for red wine lovers , a perfect match would be a light fruity Pinot Noir from Australia, Pirie South Pinot Noir,Tasmania. My final recommendation is a full bodied white wine from the Rhone , Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc , the long lasting spicy flavours match well both cold meats, pork pies or game pies.   
 
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:—–Wild Game including Venison and Wild Boar

HAPPY COLD MEATS PAIRING DAYS

Graham D

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

The earliest Cape Liqueur of South Africa

An inimitable tangerine flavoured liqueur, Butlers Van Der Hum Liqueur is produced in the Cape winelands of South Africa. A blend of aged potstill brandy, wine distillate, tangerine peel, herbs and secret spices. The extracts are sweetened with glucose and cane sugar syrup.

When the first European settlement was established at the foot of Table Mountain by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, it was found that the climate and soil were ideally suited to the cultivation of grapes. Soon the first wines were being produced and brandy distilled. One drink that found particular favour, also among the early mariners following the Cape Sea Route, was this distinctive master blenders liqueur.

Try a warming sip-mix 1 shot of Butlers Van Der Hum Tangerine Liqueur with 1 shot of Sandeman Imperial Spanish Jerez Brandy.Relax and Enjoy.

HAPPY BUTLERS VAN DER HUM LIQUEUR 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

CAPE NORTH VODKA

Cape North is an ultra premium single grain vodka from a family owned company in Sweden.Cape North is small batch distilled five times and is the only Scandinavian vodka produced from a specified grain and in this case a specially selected highest quality wheat grain cultivated in France. The water comes from Porla, which is the most famous spring water in Sweden, renown for centuries for its purity, which is carefully filtered through diatomaceous soil using a kieselguhr filter rather than charcoal in order to preserve the delicate flavours and aromas. Cape North Vodka was launched in Sweden four years ago where it is now the leading ultra premium vodka and following its launch in London, it has achieved the favour and respect of top Uk bartenders and Spirit Journalists.

“One of the best vodkas I have ever encountered. It’s creamy-smooth on the palate with subtle flavours of citrus, vanilla and wheat grain perfect drunk neat or in a Martini with a twist of lemon.” – Paul Wootton, Editor of Class Magazine.

Winner of Silver Medal, International Wine & Spirit Competiton

Vodka does not get much better than this.

HAPPY VODKA 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

We are new to the world of blogging and will be populating our wine blog over the coming weeks. Please check back regulary to see what we have been up to.