- Dom. Noblet 2009 Pouilly Fuisse
- Bret 2007 Pouilly Fuisse
- Mas de Daumas Gassac 2009 White - great fruity taste, low on acid, perhaps a little too fruity for some. Great summer wine
- Domaine D'Estoublon 2007
Monday, May 16, 2011
Favourite White Wines
Sensational Sicily
Location: Marsala, Sicily, Italy.
Food: Sicilian, Seafood
Standout meals: Risotto al Nero di Seppie, Gnocchi, Cassata Siciliana
Dinning Style: Casual, local Sicilian
Cost: 200Euro for 4 people (including copious wine)
Reason to go back: Hospitality, food, selection of local wines, value for money.
Wow rating: wowwwwwwwwww
Reason to go back: Hospitality, food, selection of local wines, value for money.
Wow rating: wowwwwwwwwww
Sapori di Sole is the perfect Italian dinning experience. Its a small and simple, but tastefully decorated restaurant nestled in one of the narrow, cobblestone streets in the small fishing town of Marsala, Sicily.
We stumbled across the restaurant on a Saturday afternoon well into the siesta time. During Siesta, the options for a legitimate lunch are generally scarce, with most shops and stores doors shuttered and padlocked. Even with the lure of an afternoon siesta the owners welcomed us with the doors to their restaurant swung wide open. This was the beginning of a fabulous dinning experience. Imagine being invited into an Italian families home; mamma is the head chief, pappa the manager and son, Valerio the waiter.
We stumbled across the restaurant on a Saturday afternoon well into the siesta time. During Siesta, the options for a legitimate lunch are generally scarce, with most shops and stores doors shuttered and padlocked. Even with the lure of an afternoon siesta the owners welcomed us with the doors to their restaurant swung wide open. This was the beginning of a fabulous dinning experience. Imagine being invited into an Italian families home; mamma is the head chief, pappa the manager and son, Valerio the waiter.
We mused over the menu for a short time and then opted to ask Valerio for his recommendations. He quickly referred to mamma, who suggested the Risotto al Nero di Seppie (blank ink squid risotto), home made gnocchi and a selection of local fish. Thinking back to my last risotto moment in Trinque Terra, Italy, I opted for the risotto. For me this is a risky choice, a restaurant will live and die on whether this dish is great. Along with mozzarella di bufala, its my culinary nirvana.
Fortunately, this Risotto fulfilled my lofty expectations. Even more fortunately, everyone else's entrées were just as good as mine. Given the entrée experience, we left the remainder of the ordering to Valerio. He didn't disappoint with a selection of fresh local fish, busiata (local Western Sicilian pasta) and salads. Rounding off a superb meal, two group members chose the Cassata Siciliana, while the other two wish they had!
Two words, "culinary nirvana".
Three words, "i'll be back"
Fortunately, this Risotto fulfilled my lofty expectations. Even more fortunately, everyone else's entrées were just as good as mine. Given the entrée experience, we left the remainder of the ordering to Valerio. He didn't disappoint with a selection of fresh local fish, busiata (local Western Sicilian pasta) and salads. Rounding off a superb meal, two group members chose the Cassata Siciliana, while the other two wish they had!
Two words, "culinary nirvana".
Three words, "i'll be back"
Culinary Nirvana
What is it? Last updated 29th December 2011 Oven Baked Foie Gras
Culinary, the art of preparing and cooking foods.
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"Nirvāna, the highest happiness", the Supreme Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama.
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Culinary nirvana, the highest form of happiness attributable to eating. When a dish is so expertly prepared you dream about it, you want to relive it, you talk about it as, "that moment...". Every time you see "that dish" on a menu you either order it straight away and hope for the best; or you avoid it, accepting it will never be the same as "that moment". Your expectations become so great that a great attempt isn't quiet good enough.
My culinary nirvana list...
Last updated 29th December 2011
Mozarella di Bufala - but only in Naples, Italy.
Tuna Carpaccio - Favignana, Italy
CoalFish - Mathias Dahlgren Matbaren, Stockholm, Sweden
Risotto al Nero di Seppia - Sapori di Sole, Marsala, Sicily, Italy
Cromesquis de foie gras des Landes bouillon de chataignes et truffes, La Grand' Vigne, Smith Haut Lafitte, Bordeaux, France.
Cromesquis de foie gras des Landes bouillon de chataignes et truffes, La Grand' Vigne, Smith Haut Lafitte, Bordeaux, France.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Which wines for investment? Bordeaux en premier.
Strategy 1 - Bordeaux en premier. This is a five plus year strategy, stick with the historic winners.
The key points:
1) Choose the most traded wines. According to Livex some of the most heavily traded wines include:
2) Choose only a reputable wine merchant. Choose a company which has traded actively for more than just a handful of years and preferably one with a physical shop or warehouse. This will limit your risk of falling foul to wine fraudsters.
Companies House, in the UK, has a searchable registry of companies and, for a small price, you can see more comprehensive information like the companies last annual return. Some reputable wine merchants in the UK are Berry Bros & Rudd and Fine and Rare Wines
3) Choose great vintages over mediocre ones. While Bordeaux will produce high quality wines each year, you want to choose a stand out vintage. Consumers of fine wine know the best years and demand these accordingly. The easiest way to determine the best vintages is to refer to wine experts like Robert Parker or Jancis Robinson.
4) Choose a professional storage facility. Storing your wines in a professional facility not only ensures they age well and drink well, but will also maximise your sale price. Buyers will only purchase wine stored properly - and with proper paperwork. Sotheby’s auction house suggest without the proper paperwork – without provenance – a case of wine can lose 30% of its value.
This means storing your investment grade Bordeaux in a wooden rack next to the fridge is tantamount to heresy. Even if you investment in a professional home storage wine fridge, how can you prove it was kept in optimum conditions?
Happy investing...
My winners for 2009 Bordeaux were:
Wine Cost on Return 12 months
La Fleur Petrus 107.60%
Hosanna 221%
Lynch Bages 36.70%
My losers:
Clarence Haut Brion -6.70%
Cos d'Estournel 4.30%
Strategy 2 - Pick the lower RP scores
The key points:
1) Choose the most traded wines. According to Livex some of the most heavily traded wines include:
Check out of the historic returns of each wine. While history will not guarantee similar future returns, it is an excellent indicator as to which wines are an investment class.
2) Choose only a reputable wine merchant. Choose a company which has traded actively for more than just a handful of years and preferably one with a physical shop or warehouse. This will limit your risk of falling foul to wine fraudsters.
Companies House, in the UK, has a searchable registry of companies and, for a small price, you can see more comprehensive information like the companies last annual return. Some reputable wine merchants in the UK are Berry Bros & Rudd and Fine and Rare Wines
3) Choose great vintages over mediocre ones. While Bordeaux will produce high quality wines each year, you want to choose a stand out vintage. Consumers of fine wine know the best years and demand these accordingly. The easiest way to determine the best vintages is to refer to wine experts like Robert Parker or Jancis Robinson.
4) Choose a professional storage facility. Storing your wines in a professional facility not only ensures they age well and drink well, but will also maximise your sale price. Buyers will only purchase wine stored properly - and with proper paperwork. Sotheby’s auction house suggest without the proper paperwork – without provenance – a case of wine can lose 30% of its value.
This means storing your investment grade Bordeaux in a wooden rack next to the fridge is tantamount to heresy. Even if you investment in a professional home storage wine fridge, how can you prove it was kept in optimum conditions?
Happy investing...
My winners for 2009 Bordeaux were:
Wine Cost on Return 12 months
La Fleur Petrus 107.60%
Hosanna 221%
Lynch Bages 36.70%
My losers:
Clarence Haut Brion -6.70%
Cos d'Estournel 4.30%
Like all investments there are risks and research will only mitigate, not eliminate, this risk. Even if you don't make a decent return, the worst that can happen is you have to drink it!
Strategy 2 - Pick the lower RP scores
Stylish, Sumptuous Sweden
Location: Grand Hotel, Stockholm, Sweden
Name: Mathias Dahlgren Matbaren.
Food: 2 Star Michelin
Standout meals: Coalfish
Dinning Style: Formal
Cost: 1100 Euro for 3 people
If i hadnt had the coalfish i would have been disappointed. this one meal saved the evening for me. The entire experience was great. Id definitely recommend this experience.
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