The Wine Centre

 Taste of New Zealand

 Another excellent NZ evening spent with friends of The Wine Centre, thank you everyone and well done again Tony Bell for excellent culinary workmanship  and Peter Rowe for a brave presentation! We had some cracking food-wine matches again, in particular the Riesling with Asian spiced prawn starter. Here are the wines we tasted: 

 This is the line up we enjoyed at our last supper evening. I thought the Rabbit Ranch matched the fragrance of the fresh salmon-salad starter superbly (incredible aromas/flavours in the salad, by the way, well done Tony), the Dreadnought a terrific match with the spiced beef and the Aria sweet wine, superb with the cheeses! But best most truly memorable wine on the night for me was the Bel Canto! Amazing.

Chilean, Montes Alpha Chardonnay 2009, Montes Alpha Syrah 2008 , this iconic premium wine maker has set the bench mark for others to follow ! This pair will make a fantastic gift. £36.49

In the pink ! £19.99  Wooden presentation gift box comprising of Santa Carolina, Cabernet Sauvignon Rose 2010 75cl, Strawberry Shortbread Rings 200g and Hider, White chocolate coated freeze dried strawberries 100g.

Wine with classic British Food

British cuisine is not what it used to be: in the last decade it has improved beyond recognition!

 We have fantastic food served up in pubs, some of the best restaurants in the world and we eat better and healthier in our homes as well. The changes have been brought about in part because of dynamic individuals who promote good food and healthy eating such as Jamie Oliver. The power of the media has worked to encourage cooking at home and, as a result, a great many more of us are experimenting and eating a good, balanced diet.  We have a choice of foods from around the world now, giving us greater scope to try out international dishes which continue to influence the way we cook and eat. And these we discover as we travel more frequently and wider than ever before, returning to recreate those dishes here in Britain. We enjoy the diversity and collectively we are broadening our horizons. All this is great news for Britain: no longer can the French sneer at “la mauvaise cuisine d’anglais”!  Moreover, the growing trend for drinking wine with food has burgeoned as the world of wine has simultaneously opened up to more of us – and now even the average pub-restaurants are offering a range of wines by the glass. The clammer for good wine and food in Britain has been a cultural explosion synonymous with the new multi-racial society we have become. However: most recently, in these last few years, we have witnessed a small about-turn in the trend for internationalism: an instinctive return and yearning to return to our roots and for what is quintessentially British food and local produce.  We are seeing the return of the seasonal veggie box, a new spate of cries to Buy British, consumer demands for information about the raw product, the raising of our animals and the desire for organic, then there`s the carbon count; all these factors have led to the return of our classic dishes as we have never seen them before. Nowadays a more discerning and demanding consumer has insisted on quality and the best of British food can be counted amongst the greatest cuisine in the world. Now acknowledging this return to our roots I felt it  time to look again at our classic dishes and the wines to serve with them. No longer pie and chips swimming in gravy washed down with brown ale…. this is a bold new world.

Seafood & Fish

I suppose it has to be said, our national dish as seen by the world outside of Britain is probably still  ‘fish and chips’ served in a newspaper! Well I`ve not had a newspaper wrapping for a long time, have you? More`s the point, the fish and chips are better than ever. With the very necessary batter and grease and salt and vinegar your only hope as a wine match is a crisp, acidic dry white which will cut through it all and cleanse the palate. If the occasion warrants it – on the beach at Aldeburgh perhaps? – pop open a bottle of bubbly and spare no expense: there is a certain hedonism like no other in slumming it with `fish and chips` and fine Champagne! Otherwise Sauvignon Blanc or Dry Riesling are great – or for the Englishness of the occasion, Bacchus English dry white!  Oysters are a local famous dish here in Colchester with which I have enjoyed all the above wines, though Chablis remains textbook.   

Wine match: Poco Mas Sauvignon, Wild Earth Dry Riesling, Greywacke Sauvignon, Cordoniu Clasico or Louis Roederer.

Casseroles

Traditional chicken casserole has a good deal of hearty root vegetables, turnips, carrots and onions, and the most scrummy, herby dumplings. Its French counterpart is Coq au Vin:  Louis Latour Valmoissine Pinot Noir.  If it`s Lancashire hotpot or lamb casserole: Goats do Roam (red), Coto de Imaz Rioja. With beef stew, a heavier dish, I would go a notch bigger Entity Syrah… and with game stew no holds barred: Le Clos du Caillou Cotes du Rhone, possibly the delicious Faiveley Nuits-Saint-Georges. 

Roast Dinners

Typically our Sunday Roast, when family get together: deserving of good wine and great feast. Where chicken and turkey are concerned there are usually so many mixed flavours on the palate it can be a glorious assault of the senses. Best whites are Chardonnays Louis Latour or Faiveley wines  but I tend to lean toward light, fruity reds to wash over everything: Poco Mas Merlot, Louis Latour Valmoissine Pinot Noir. Roast lamb warrants a weightier wine Goats do Roam (red), Coto de Imaz Rioja but if you can afford it this is the one to enjoy with Faiveley Nuits-Saint-Georges. Claret is also text book – see my article food & wine matching, the effect of seasoning.

Roast Beef deserves a more substantial red: I love good Syrah Entity Syrah but red burgundy and good Bordeaux also perfect Faiveley Nuits-Saint-Georges, Chateau Rochebelle St Emilion Grand Cru.

Beef steak with all the trimmings (I like chips & salad, but tomatoes & mushrooms instead of salad is topper)  Entity Syrah

Steak & Kidney pudding likewise.

Game

Game takes us back to our ancestor`s with atavistic gusto: duck, rabbit, pheasant, venison, grouse: Pasquiers Grenache Noir, Terrazas Malbec, BCrux, Allegrini Palazzo delle Torre, Entity Syrah. Game pie – we are a pie nation after all – deserves a special wine: Faiveley Nuits-Saint-Georges

Curry

Though the spices which give us curry are not home grown, the dish has a place in British psyche and surely therefore deserves a place in this list. Frankly lager can be bloating and anyway an Aspalls cider would be a better choice of the two, but for a wine choice I would recommend Goats do Roam (white) or Plexus  or Turckheim Pinot Gris. With a red meat curry, however,  I would choose Louis Latour Valmoissine Pinot Noir or Goats do Roam (red).  NB. These wines serve well for spicy foods generally, though incidentally with Thai and Chinese spicy foods I would suggest Wild Earth Dry Riesling or Greywacke Sauvignon or Louis Latour Valmoissine Pinot Noir.

Seasonal Vegetables

Our seasonal vegetables have given rise to some of our classic dishes – but one particular vegetable is often served as the centre piece of the dish in its own right and we look forward to its arrival with a degree of anticipation:  asparagus. The first asparagus with a pinch of salt, a nub of butter, possibly a shaving of parmesan or even our own cheddar, is sublime. Sauvignon Blanc works perfectly for the occasion – Poco Mas Sauvignon, Greywacke Sauvignon but if you are doing things all English try Carter`s Bacchus, its elderflower and citrus character works a treat as well.

Puds, Fruits, Nuts & Cheeses…

Most anticipated British fruit goes to the Strawberry! The one fruit we really look forward to – and rightly on this list, a classic, with meringue and cream.   Apples are also so very British, aren`t they? Any true Brit sees red at the mere sight of all the foreign imports of apples on our supermarket shelves. Apple pie is a classic like no other, served hot with vanilla ice cream or help-yourself cold out of the fridge!  And my second best sweet pie goes to Bakewell Tart, the combination of strawberry, cherry or raspberry jam with almond so irresistible – the sweet, low-alcohol slightly sparkling Moscato from Italy again so perfect, perhaps even more so for the much-loved-by-Brits almond element.  From our seasonal list highly recommended  Muscat de Beaumes de Venise.

Apples and pears, baked and poached, are delicious traditional farmhouse fodder, the apples often spiced with cloves and cinnamon for the festive aromas – but also these fruits served with cheeses make a splendid cheese platter (one or other fruit) and a chance to show off our fine British cheddars and stiltons. Sweet Vouvray, Late Harvest Riesling and Sauternes are explosive combinations.  See our website for cheese matchings. From our list 10 year Tawny Port Quinta do Infantado.

Nuts – both autumnal and festive, at Christmas, are an old British favourite – best enjoyed with an old British fancy: Sherry Amontillado or Deliciosa Manzanilla.

Finally, puds – the great Christmas pud, packed full of nuts, dried fruits and laced with brandy; the treakle pud, spotted dick and bread-and-butter pud – all so gloriously British and heavenly … for which I would match with a dark, sweet liquid such as Pedro Ximenez, Maury or Tawny port 10 year Tawny Port Quinta do Infantado.

Conclusion

The best part about returning to our roots is we can do so with experience and an open mind to develop them into better dishes than they ever were. It is good to reminisce – to hanker for a smell,  flavour and texture which we crave for comfort and satisfaction. But we can do so without regressing. This is being proven in our greatest, award winning British food restaurants and we can be proud. The best are traditional – classic – but still innovative and delivered with flare. Coming to Colchester is Paul Boorman, head chef at the Firstsite`s new visual arts facility, with a great reputation for producing great British food. We are delighted to be supplying the wines, from which we have drawn our list of recommendations listed in mauve. Paul will be drawing himself on some of the old classics listed here, but he will be presenting the dishes in new ways and, of course, all that is British and good is not limited to these few old classics. We have a great range of local produce – and the best of these can complimented with both experience and product from overseas, in part reflecting our new multi-cultural society, enhancing not diminishing what is quintessentially new, modern day Britain.

Food for thought

Anthony Borges

Wines of Chile voted The Wine Centre one of Britain`s five best independent wine merchants, the prize a trip to Chile in January 2012 for all five merchants, one representative from each company, who will together go on a fact-finding mission travelling the vineyards of Chile. The award was the result of a national campaign promoting Chilean wines. 

Please scroll down to view our selection of wines.

In collaboration with Wines of Chile we are delighted to showcase Chilean wines, an expression of their quality, diversity and affinity to food. In the last ten years the Chileans have perfected both varietal definition (essence of the grape) and terroir: “real wines with a sense of belonging”.

With the Andes Mountain Range and the Pacific Ocean as backdrop, Chile’s geography, climate and valleys are unique, offering agricultural products with unique characteristics and superb quality. Slowly but surely, the wines of the world’s most southern lands have started to capture the fancy of the international market. Today, any enthusiast can enjoy Chilean wines in virtually any place on earth.

Chilean Wines September 2011 At The Wine Centre

White

• Montgras Chilano Chardonnay Sauvignon, Central Valley 2009 £6.99
• De Gras Sauvignon Blanc Reserva, San Antonio Valley 2009 £9.99
• Cousino-Macul Sauvignon Gris, Maipo Valley 2009 £9.99
• Ventisquero Sauvignon Reserva, Casablanca Valley 2010 £8.99
• Ventisquero Sauvignon Blanc Clasico, Central Valley 2011 £6.99
• J. Bouchon Sauvignon Blanc, Maule Valley 2009 £7.99
• Poco Mas Sauvignon Blanc, Central Valley 2010 £6.99
• Queulat Chardonnay Gran Reserva, Casablanca Valley 2008 £10.99
• Grey Chardonnay, Tapihue Vineyard, Casablanca Valley 2008 £13.99
• O Fournier Centauri Sauvignon Blanc, Leyda Valley 2009 £13.99
• Clos des Fous Chardonnay, Traiguen (200 km south of Bio Bio) 2010 £13.99
• Santa Carolina Chardonnay, Central Valley 2010 £4.99
• L`Artista Sauvignon Blanc, Central Valley 2010 £5.99
• Vina Arboleda Marsanne-Viognier-Roussane“, Aconcagua 2009 £15.99
• L`Artista Chardonnay, Central Valley 2010 £5.99
• Montes Alpha Chardonnay, Casablanca Valley 2010 £13.99

Rose

• Vina Chocolan, Syrah-Petit Verdot Rose, Maipo Valley 2009 £9.99
• Ventisquero Merlot Rose, Central Valley 2010 £6.99
• Santa Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon Rose, Central Valley 2010 £4.99
• L`Artista Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Rose,  2011 £5.49
• Paso Del Sol Cabernet Shiraz Rosé, Central Valley 2010 £6.99
• Montes Cherub Rose Syrah, Colchagua 2009 £9.99

Red

• Heru Pinot Noir, Casablanca 2008 £23.99
• Veranda Pinot Noir, Bio Bio 2007 £14.99
• Pangea, Apalta Vineyards Syrah 2006 £29.99
• Vina Chocolan Carmenere Seleccion, Maipo Valley 2009 £9.99
• J. Bouchon Cabernet Sauvignon, Maule Valley 2006 £7.99
• Calbuco Merlot, Central Valley 2008 £7.99
• L`Artista Merlot, Central Valley 2010 £5.49
• Poco Mas Merlot, Central Valley 2008 £6.49
• Poco Mas Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Valley 2009 £6.49
• Vertice, Apalta/ Colchagua, (Carmenere Syrah) 2007 (37.5cl) £12.99
• Ventisquero Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva, Colchagua Valley 2007 £8.99
• Ventisquero Carmenere Reserva, Colchagua Valley 2008 £8.99
• Ventisquero Cabernet Sauvignon Clasico, Central Valley 2009 £6.99
• Queulat Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva, Maipo Valley 2008 £10.99
• Grey Cabernet Sauvignon, Ventisquero, Maipo Valley 2005 £13.99
• Ventisquero Pinot Noir Reserva, Casablanca Valley 2009 £8.99
• Ventisquero Merlot Reserva, Maipo Valley 2008 £8.99
• Ventisquero Merlot Clasico, Central Valley 2010 £6.99
• Queulat Pinot Noir Gran Reserva, Ventisquero, Casablanca Valley 2006 £10.99
• Grey Premium Carmenere, Maipo Valley 2008 £13.99
• Grey Merlot, Apalta Vineyard, Colchagua Valley 2007 £13.99
• Haras Elegance, Maipo Valley (63% Cab Sauv, 32% Cab Franc, 5% Syrah) 2007 £23.99
• Albis, Maipo Valley (70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Carmenere) 2002 £35.99
• Santa Carolina Merlot, Central Valley 2010 £4.99
• Santa Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Valley 2010 £4.99
• TerraMater Vineyard Reserve Zinfandel Shiraz, Maipo Valley 2009 £8.99
• TerraMater Vineyard Reserve Cabernet Carmenere, Curico Valley 2009 £8.99
• TerraMater Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir, Leyda Valley 2009 £10.99
• TerraMater Limited Reserve Sangiovese, Maipo Valley 2006 £12.99
• Altum Cabernet Sauvignon (Single Vineyard), Curico Valley 2006 £14.99
• Montes Folly Syrah, Apalta Valley Vineyard 2006 £31.99
• Montes Alpha Syrah, Colchuagua Valley 2009 £12.99

Sweet

• Late Harvest Gewurztraminer Moscatel de Alejandria, Limari (500ml) 2009, £8.99

Carménère, Chile’s Standout Variety

There’s something about Carménère—something magical that makes it different from all other varieties. It’s the surprising fact that, for many years, everyone thought it was extinct. Later, people confused it with Merlot. Today, even though it’s native to France, Carménère is associated with Chile. Thanks to Chile’s climactic conditions and favorable soil, Carménère has taken root and is now known around the world for its high quality and singular characteristics.

Our history of this variety, originally known as Grande Vidure, begins in the 19th century in Bordeaux, France, where it was mixed with other reds like Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon to produce aromatic, complex flavors.

However, in 1860, a pest known as Phylloxera attacked vineyards all over France, Spain, and Italy. Carménère crops were wiped out across Europe, and other vines less vulnerable to the plague, such as Merlot, were planted in its place.

Conventional wisdom had it that Carménère would never grow again. But not all was lost: vineyards had been planted throughout South America since the 16th century. Carménère had been brought to Chile during that time, and unbeknownst to Europeans, it had flourished since.

Nowadays Chilean Carmenere is thought of as the red grape of Chile, indigenous, generous and spicy. While it is enjoyed with grilled and roasted red meats, as you would expect, here`s another take on it:

Chile “Carmenere Made for Curry”

Excerpt from: www.carmeneremadeforcurry.co.uk

“Carmenere is Chile’s signature grape and we have long felt it deserves recognition for its delicious aromatic qualities. We finally turned the heat up on our Carmenere Made for Curry campaign last year with a press tasting at one of London’s top Indian restaurants, Benares, on Berkeley Square. The Executive Chef, Jitin Joshi, created a menu for us which used a range of traditional Indian recipes to show how versatile Carmenere is with so many different spicy dishes. The success of the event cemented our resolve to continue to work with this theme and take it to a wider audience”

Think again before ordering a pint of lager……………..

Here`s a recipe from the website to whet your taste buds:

Xanthe Clay – Coconut Chicken with Spinach and Mustard Seeds

Pair a lovely Carmenere with this tangy, mildly spiced coconut chicken. Go easy on the salt to taste the wine at its best.

Serves 4-6

• 800g skinless, boneless chicken thigh fillets
• 3tbsp korma curry paste
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2tbsp brown mustard seeds
• 2 bunches spring onions, sliced
• 1 stick of lemon grass, outer leaves removed and tender centre finely sliced
• 400g tin coconut milk
• a double handful of young leaf spinach
• 2 limes, cut into quarters

Cut the chicken into chunks and mix with the curry paste. Put to one side.

Heat the oil in a large, wide pan and add the mustard seed. Cook for a few seconds, then add the onion and lemon grass. Cook for two minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the chicken and cook for three to four minutes. Splash in about 7fl oz/200ml water and stir well. Mix in the coconut milk.

Bring to just below boiling point and simmer for fifteen minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is single cream consistency. Taste and squeeze in lime juice to taste.

Just before serving, stir in the spinach, letting it wilt a little. Ladle into deep plates to catch the juices, and eat with basmati rice, with the rest of the lime quarters to squeeze over.

And here`s a tip from our Delia:

“We all know that authentic curry dishes involve a whole array of spices that are first roasted, then ground and blended to bring about all those deep aromas and flavours that charm and beguile us. But, oh dear, the time it takes! The cheat’s task is to short-circuit all that, but still achieve something not far short. How? Find the very best ready-assembled blend of spices that have already been roasted and ground. Not easy, but one comes through with flying colours. Blessed be Sharwood’s, because they have done it. Their hot Madras curry powder is definitely a cut above the rest and, used in the following recipe, I promise it will seem like you’re eating the real thing.”

Try a Carmenere with your favourite curry and let us know what you think of the match.

I should point out – for me personally (and it is personal), I have always enjoyed Carmenere with roasted red meat, barbecued red meat, red meat and gravy in the form of a pie -or steak & kidney in the form of a pudding!  But i`m happy to experiment with curry if you are! 

A little bit about Chile

This narrow strip of land, over 4,000 km long, has the Andes Mountain Range and the Pacific Ocean as its natural boundaries. The peculiar geography of this country makes Chile a kaleidoscope of climates offering everything from deserts, lush valleys and towering volcanoes, to stunning fjords and lakes.

It is in this remote land of unusual beauty that nature creates the picture-perfect environment for vine growing. Here, a great variety of wines can be produced, all of which reflect the diversity of the country’s terroir.

Chile’s wine producing regions spans approximately 1,400 km, scattered from north to south along the Central Valley. Within this area, there are several locations that are currently capturing the attention of winemakers and connoisseurs, thanks to the quality of their wines: the Huasco Valley, the area of Apalta in the Colchagua Valley, the Casablanca Valley, the Maipo Valley and the Leyda Valley.

Great Chile Winemakers

John Duval, an expert in flavours and aromas – and an Aussi!

For most of those who are instructed in the world of wines, the name John Duval is synonymous with international success. This Australian winemaker, who has been in the winemaking business for over four decades, has worked in such diverse places as California, Washington, South Africa and South America, where thanks to its vast knowledge in the area he has advised some of the most important wineries across the planet.

But not only does he devote himself to advising others. At his winery, John Duval Wines, located in the Australian Barossa Valley, this oenologist also produces his own wines, internationally recognised thanks to the legendary Grange, a Syrah which in the nineties broke the established traditions of the time and helped to promote the first exportations of these wines in his country of birth.

This is how he became a legend. “Each winemaker has his own individual approach, but Duval has a degree of intensity that allows him to produce wine exactly as he pleases”, says Allen Shoup, executive of Viña Long Shadows who has had the opportunity to work with the Australian wine professional and praises his precision and determination in the work he does. Now we can taste the result of the great man`s craft at a fraction of the price of Grange: Pangea Syrah (see ratings below).

Felipe Toss, Chief Winemaker Vina Ventisquero

Chief Winemaker Felipe Tosso has become a prominent figure in the international world of winemaking. Many admire him for his sensible approach to winemaking and for the way he so effectively reaches his goals. Some of you may not be aware of this, but Felipe was a civil engineering student for two years, before realising that he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his agronomist parents. When he finally switched fields, he decided to focus on developing expertise in vinegrowing and wines, thanks to the encouragement of his mother. It was also his mother who first invited him to a winetasting with Cesar Fredes and Alvaro Espinoza, a moment that awakened Felipe’s passion for wines.

Felipe’s wine career began at the giant winery Concha y Toro, where he worked as head winemaker at their Peumo cellars, creating some of their best Carménères.
In the year 2000, he joined Viña Ventisquero with the mission of creating and developing a winemaking department with unique capabilities. His arrival soon proved to be an excellent decision – the results were immediately visible in each of the harvests in our estates in Peralillo, Apalta, Trinidad, Tantahue and Casablanca.

At the recent Vinexpo international Wines and Spirits exhibition in France, recognized as the world’s most important wine fair, Viña Ventisquero has just been awarded gold, silver and bronze medals in the Citadelles du Vin competition.
Our ultra premium Syrah Pangea 2007 gained the maximum distinction of the competition, the Trophee Citadelles, the equivalent of a gold medal. Our Vértice 2007 and Ventisquero Grey Syrah 2008 wines received the Trophee Excellence, which is equivalent to a silver medal, while Ventisquero Grey Carmenere 2008 was awarded the equivalent to a bronze, the Trophee Prestige.

In this competition, each wine is subject to a rigorous blind assessment process by wine professionals from across five continents. The wealth of different cultures converges at this event, guaranteeing the legitimacy of its results.
After tasting the samples, the judges carry out an analysis according to strict criteria: such as aromatic type, strength, limpidity and development. Samples are graded individually. The winners are those with the highest marks on a score from 1 to 100, the highest number is considered to represent perfection.

The famous international event Vinexpo France brings together more than 2,400 exhibitors from 47 countries. Around 20 countries covering over 300 different denominations of origin participate in the Citadelles du vin competition.

Pangea

Price: £29.99

Viña Ventisqueros Wine Talk Blog: www.winetalkblog.com

Montes Folly – £36.99

The other top Syrah on our list is Montes Folly from high on the steep hills of Apalta Valley, intense and muscular structure with concentrated, wild sweet black fruits and mocha – vanilla spice. Easily recognisable label design by Ralph Steadman.

Dark, rich Shiraz, intense and powerful with a mix of blackberry and red fruits and a tasty oak and pepper background. Beautifully defined and well balanced. Best food: fillet of beef steak!