Wayne Rooney for Casillero del Diablo Red Wine
November 13, 2011I haven’t seen acting that wooden since….ermmmm…..actually, I’ve never seen acting that wooden!
Posted in Funny | Tagged Casillero del Diablo, Chile, Manchester United, Wayne Rooney | Leave a comment //
It’s Mulled Wine Time!
November 12, 2011
Since last night was officially the first night whereby I said “….holy hell it’s cold outside!!!”, I figured there’s probably no better time for me to post my recipe for mulled wine.
I’ve mixed my recipe up a little since last year, and the beautiful thing about mulled wine is that there really is no right or wrong answer! Feel free to change-up the recipe I’ve posted below as much as you see fit.
The history of mulled wine can be traced back to Medieval Europe. When wine went bad, it was often sweetened with honey or sugar, and flavored with spices to make it consumable again. With Europe being so cold in the winter, it also served the purpose of getting you drunk whilst keeping you warm! Bonus! In Sweden it’s known by Glog, in Finland it’s Glogi in Finland, and in Germany it’s Gluhwein; but whatever you want to call it, it’s delicious!
Posted in Facts, News | Tagged Germany, Glog, Gluhwein, how to make mulled wine, Mulled wine, Mulled wine recipe | Leave a comment //Old World Wine vs. New World Wine.
November 12, 2011The Difference Between Old World and New World Wine.
Posted in Facts | Tagged New World, Old World | Leave a comment //
Little James’ Basket Press – A Wine by Louis Barroul.
November 11, 2011
Grapes
100% Grenache
Facts
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Louis Barruol, the winemaker behind the Little James Basket Press is part of the new generation of winemakers in the Southern Rhone region of France, who through years of study and instruction from his winemaking father, has breathed a fair amount of new life into their old family-held estates.
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The Barruol family has a long heritage in winemaking and has been involved with the hugely respected Chateau de St. Cosme vineyard since 1490.
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The Little James’ Basket Press is a 100% basket-pressed wine. The basket press was the first type of mechanized wine press to be developed, and it’s basic design has not changed over the last 1000 years.
A basket press is, you guessed it, a large basket that is filled with grapes. Pressure is applied through a plate that is forced down onto the fruit, usually in the form of a screw, but more often it’s some type of hydraulic device. The juice then flows through openings in the basket. It’s a very "old school" technique (see photo), but "new school" wineries such as Nickel & Nickel / Far Niente and Quintessa are using a more updated version.
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Because the Little James’ Basket Press is essentially a blend of vintages, the wine doesn’t bear a vintage date (as such). Instead it states “Bottled in the year 2010”, rather than listing the year the grapes were harvested. The 2010 is composed of wines dating back to 1999.
Grilled Flank Steak in a Garlic, Balsamic and Red Wine Marinade, Paired with Masseria Pietrosa Salice Salentino.
November 10, 2011
If you’ve been following these food and wine pairings, you’ll know that I ideally like to keep the recipes as quick and simple as possible. This pairing epitomizes that concept.
The wine for this pairing is the Masseria Pietrosa Salice Salentino; yet another European wine which doesn’t do itself any favors with its name or label, so I’ll help explain:
Salice Salentino is actually the town in the Southern Apulia region of Italy (the “heel of the boot”).
A ‘Masseria’ is a farm in the Apulia region, and ‘Pietrosa’ refers to the stony soil found in the area.
The wine is a blend of Negroamaro and Malvasia Nera, grapes that are so obscure that you are more than forgiven if you’ve never heard of them! These are the main grapes found in the Salice Salentino district.
Negroamaro is native to Southern Italy, and is thought to take it’s name from “amaro” being the Italian word for bitter, and “negro” being the Latin word for black.
Malvasia Nera is part of the Malvasia family of grapes, and was thought to originate in Greece. The grape is now found exclusively in the Mediterranean. The name Malvasia is believed to come from a fortress named Monemvasia in Venice.
The Truth About Wine Prices Infographic
November 10, 2011I’m sure there’ll be a little agreement over some of these numbers, but I think it provides quite a cool little basic visualization of what goes into/onto a bottle.
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