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Japan
My blog will be posted early Feb 2010. in the meantime I have inserted a picture of Sake and a glass Sake set which is used when serving sake cold.
Sake glass bottle and cups
A very good Sake that went in the bottle and cups
Sake
Filed under: World
Tasting wine
We obtain information about the taste of food eaten through small structures called ‘taste buds’ on the upper surface of the tongue. There are six known elements of taste ’salty’ ’sour’ ‘bitter’ ’sweet’ ’spicy’ ’savoury’
When we taste wine we are using the above elements to determine its flavour. It depends on the age and condition of each individual’s tongue as to the taste they determine. On that basis its possible that one person will taste wine and get a completely different taste than another. Yet whenever I have been involved in wine tasting most people tend to agree on similar characteristics. The most frequent response being ‘i like it’ or ‘i don’t like it’
So I prefer to stick with the like it don’t like it view.
If we look at each element and try to combine it with one or more of the other’s then we get good combinations for example ‘Sweet- Sour’ ‘Sweet- Spicy’. In fact its possible that all combinations of the six produce acceptable results.
And where is this leading to you might ask?
All combinations of wine with food will work. for example
Red wines combine with Chocolate. The best being heavy reds such as port but even heavy burgundies produce interesting results.
So now with the above knowledge in mind we go looking for combinations.
Filed under: Featured
Portugal
PORTUGAL FOOD AND WINES
The wines of Portugal are so diverse and the number of producers so extensive it’s a wonder how any one can write a structured blog about them. So I am not going to try. This blog sets the scene to be followed by blogs of the area’s and producers
Portuguese wines are known by their origin.
Port is a great example but as the port producers diversified, new wines as ‘blush’ red or deep rose, wines which are lighter versions than port came on the scene.
The traditional producers are producing great red wines. These are from single ‘Quinta ‘ vineyards.
Douro Valley
I like the rose white port made by Johnny Graham. It’s a light rose in colour and can be drank any time. I will go into more detail in my next post on Portugal.
Port producers point out the many varieties of port and one of their favourites is tawny port made by a different process to vintage port. A good old vintage with a velvety taste and richness still takes some beating but is considered heavy in these times.
Port is produced in the North, as is Vinho Verde and Rose. Mateus by the way is nothing like the original sweet wine produced many years ago. The dry variation is worth trying.
As we go south we come to the Bairrada and Dao regions
The Dao region is set inland in its own unique climate great wine is being made there. I will tell you more about the wonderful wines produced by Luís Lourenço at Quinta das Rochas. I will tell you which wine he likes with fried eggs!! I have to mention Peter Viktor Eckert’s boutique winery Quinta das Marias. He very kindly showed me round his winery whilst the new grapes were being stomped in the larger. The concentration of flavour in his wine is astonishing.
Bairrada is the home of some great innovators of wine Louis Pato being the most prominent. But its sparkling wines are a revelation, [sorry champagne]
Ribatejo [meaning on the banks of the Tagus river] is next south followed by the area around Lisbon and Setubal.
The Alentajo [meaning beyond the Tagus river] runs inland from Lisbon and south towards the Algarve. Its wines reflect the hot dry sunny conditions full of power fruit and structure. Zambujeio is a classic example, The wines of Herdade Grous are exceptional and made in an innovative way.
Richard Mayson continues to develop his wines at Pedra Basta. His 2007 is balanced with potential to develop but the newly bottled 2008 has lots of promise.
Last is the Algarve with its developing wines.
Winter sunset in Algarve
Virtually the whole country produces wines. Each region uses a comprehensive variety of grapes. The result is a stunning array of wines available. There are wines for every taste.
Portugal is famous for fish. The meat is fresh and tasty as are the vegetables.
My next page will be about Great wines and interesting food of Portugal.
Filed under: Portugal
Madeira
MADEIRA
In May 2008 I visited Madeira to try the food and wine in particular the Madeira fortified wines unique to the island.
We stayed in the wonderful Quinta de Bela Vista in Funchal.
Over the next three days we visited several wine lodges and ate in some great restaurants.
First visit was to see the Madeira wine Story in the Old Blandy Wine Lodge in the centre of Funchal. Their museum has many historical items [letters from Winston Churchill ] and artefacts on winemaking in Madeira. Wine is still made in the lodge and we followed the progress of the production of the wine with the added pleasure of wonderful smells coming from the maturing wine in the barrels.
Madeira wines are named after the main grape used to produce it. The basic grapes used in the making of Madeira are Sercial, Verdelho Bual and Malmsey. Tinta Negra Mole grape is the most produced on Madeira and is mostly used as the base for blends and younger wines.
After separation of the must from the skins the individual grape types are fermented for a time and when the decided level of natural sugar is converted into alcohol the fermentation process is stopped by the addition of a grape brandy. Each style has different levels of sweetness and if you want to learn more the Madeira wine web sites provide plenty of good information.
But the next stage of the wine making process developed from shipping the wines to customers through the tropics. The effect of the increased temperature developed a mellowed character and increased the time that the wine could be kept.
The process ESTUFAGEM , the heating of the wines was introduced and is the method being used today.
Once opened a bottle of Madeira will last for years. It is like a good brandy which never deteriorates. I saw many Bual wines ranging to over 100 years old and have tasted wines made in the 1920’s which were fresh and very tasty to drink.
After a good buffet lunch at Hotel Porto Santa Maria the afternoon was spent visiting the sub tropical gardens at Monte Palace returning to town via the toboggan. Then onto the restaurant Mohle an interesting concept Restaurant and club by the Harbour in Funchal. The food was very good and the evening finished with a Madeira back at the Quinta de Bela Vista for an after dinner drink of course.
The next day we tasted the amazing wines of Barbeito presented by Ricardo Diogo one of the family. They decided, some years ago not to add caramel to the wines. The result is light coloured wines with fresh vibrant flavours. The star of the tasting was a 100 year old Malmsey from his mothers cellar.
Look at the colour of the wines
We tasted the wine at the lodges of Pereira d’Oliveira , Barros de Sousa and Henriques & Henriques. Wonderful meals were enjoyed at the Restaurante do forte, Vila da Carne with the final dinner at Reid’s Hotel. Pate foi gras was a frequent on the menus. The restaurants in the centre of the Island serve traditional Portuguese style food. The chicken was delicious.
Madeira is a beautiful island and one tour I enjoyed was by taking the coast road along the spectacular north side of the island, via Seixal and Sao Vincente to Porto Moniz.
Porto Moniz from the coast road
We stopped on the way for a glass of the local liquor after lunch in the only restaurant at Chao da Ribeira. We followed the road round to Ponta do Pargo, the island’s most westerly point then returned to Funchal by Estreito da Calheta to enjoy the evening sky.
Sunset over Funchal A painting by Katrina Rose
The next trip was up the mountain road to the Paul da Serra plateau and back down to Encumeada, lunch at Pousada dos Vinhaticos and Ribeira Brava. We then followed the old coast road through the vineyards at Quinta Grande and Estreita de Camara de Lobos to Camara de Lobos.
Then continued along the coast road back to Funchal for Gala Dinner at Reid’s Palace
The road network on Madeira has been improved by the new motorways. You can travel easily round the island from the tropical sea shores to the tundra like centre In a reasonable time. For those with Caravans and Mobile homes. Madeira can be reached by ferry from Portamao in southern Portugal.
Filed under: Madeira
Food and Wine World
Explore the world of Food and Wine. We will travel to many countries and learn about the different foods there and how wines vary and compliment food.
First stop is Madeira an island in the Atlantic that produces a unique wine created from a discovery of the way the wines reacted to the heat of the tropics whilst being shipped to the far east. Madeira is the Portuguese name for wood as the island was covered by trees when it was discovered.
We will then look at Portugal, but in the meantime I travel to Hong Kong a world of food and wine ! Down to the Cook Islands to sample more fusion cuisine then back to europe via Australia and Macao. Look for news in the new year and my notes on France and Spain.
Filed under: Madeira