Virgin.net food & drink

This lifestyle magazine website was launched and became editorially defunct in a short space of time - that's the way it was with new .com and .net editorial platforms back in the day - which now seems a touch ironic: ahead of its time maybe? Anyway, here are four pieces I was commissioned to write in late 2000 and early 2001, for what it's worth!

Wine to go with spicy food

www.virgin.net food & drink 31/01/01

"In the past beer (usually lager) was the automatic choice to drink with spicy food; the only method known to man of quenching that fiery thirst following consumption of a Vindaloo or similar `death by chilli` experience. There`s no denying cold German-style lager, cool, light but hoppy beers or even water are a safe bet: it`s asking a lot of a wine to tackle very hot food like this. But given the diversity and popularity of Asian cuisine and restaurants and the array of exotic ingredients involved, surely wine should be the natural partner?"

My original words:

In the past beer (and in fact lager) was probably the automatic choice to drink with spicy food, when quenching that fiery thirst following consumption of a Vindaloo or similar ‘death by chilli’. And to be honest, in these circumstances cold German-style lager, cool light but hoppy beers or even water are the best bet: there’s hardly a wine capable of tackling very hot food like this. But given the diversity and popularity of Asian cuisine and restaurants and the array of exotic ingredients involved, surely wine is the natural partner? Particularly as we’re not just considering Thai, regional Indian and Pakistani, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Peking, Cantonese, Szechuan etc. but also so-called fusion food, which might combine the flavours of some of these and throw in a bit of Mediterranean for good measure.

“Perfect with spicy food…?”

A couple of ranges of wine have even been launched claiming to be specially made to match Indian - or whatever - food. Do these wines work? Well yes and no. Spice Trail red and white, sourced from Hungary, are quite widely available in restaurants and supermarkets (£3.99 there) and are OK but didn’t make the grade, when tasted with various dishes at the Royal Darbar restaurant (0161 224 4394) in Manchester’s Rusholme ‘district’. The white, made from Pinot Gris/Grigio – sometimes a grape well suited to spice with its rounded, honeyed and aromatic characters – was a bit weedy and the red, made from the obscure Austrian variety Blauer Zweigelt, clashed with the stronger elements highlighting the problem with red wines – more on that shortly.

Another newer range is General Bilimoria, created by the Cobra Beer people, which comprises five wines from the south of France. We tried a few of them with the tasty food served at the Punjab (0161 225 2960, www.punjabtandoorirestaurant.com), also in Rusholme, with mixed results. The best two were: 1999 Marsanne-Roussanne white, which is simple but attractive showing aromatic, floral and exotic fruit flavours with a bit of acidity (acidity is crucial to successful spice-matching). It was quite good with poppadums and sauces and a king prawn and spinach dish, but overpowered by Madras and Bombay sauces.

The ’99 Merlot is soft and fruity with moderate but not dry tannin – only red wines like this seem to work, as the tannins in reds clash with chilli and exaggerate the heat (so the Blauer Zweigelt’s performance was surprising as this grape is low in tannin but high in acidity). The Merlot was actually fairly versatile although similar to the Marsanne-Roussanne in its failings. General Bilimoria wines are widely stocked in Indian restaurants, including fashionable names such as The Tamarind (020 7629 3561) and Chor Bizarre (020 7629 9802) in Central London and Café Spice Namaste (SW11, 020 7738 1717 and E1, 020 7488 9242).

Individual and aromatic

The wine list at Chor Bizarre was selected by wine writer and broadcaster Charles Metcalfe and features more unusual, individual and higher quality wines; in particular fuller flavoured and/or aromatic whites (preferably with good acidity) such as Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and a single estate Soave. This commendable approach was also exemplified by a tasting held at the Chiang Rai Thai restaurant in Didsbury, Manchester (0161 448 2277) at the end of last year.

Here we tried the following whites with various courses. 1998 Pacific Rim Riesling from Bonny Doon in California (£8.40) and 1998 Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett from Germany (£8.60) with Mieng Kum (sweet dip served in a leaf) and Nam prik ong (spicy chicken dip served with prawn crackers). Then came 1999 Picpoul, Domaine Grangette from the south of France (£5.99) and 1998 Gewürztraminer from Domaine Ostertag of Alsace (£11.99) with Gai tom ka (chicken, ginger and coconut soup) and Tom yam kung (hot spicy prawn soup), followed by 1998 Malvasia Bianca from Bonny Doon (£8.40) and 1996 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese made by one of Germany’s top producers, Selbach-Oster (£12.50).

Lastly we had Gaeng keow wan gai (green chicken curry), Tod Kratiam prik thai (stir-fried pork, garlic and peppers), 1998 Wild Boy Chardonnay from California (£11.50) and 1999 Grüner Veltliner from Austria’s Dr. Unger (£8.99). The stars and most successful ‘all-rounders’ were the Rieslings, the Gewürztraminer (although not so good with the sweeter dishes) and the superbly rich but balanced Austrian. These wines are also available at the indicated prices from Carrington’s Fine Wines in Didsbury (0161 446 2546) and Chorlton (0161 881 0099), or Morris & Verdin in London (020 7357 8866).

‘Rules’ and recommendations

So Riesling, that woefully misrepresented and un-hip grape, is flaunting its goods. Those from Germany seem to work especially well with spicy food because of the balance of aromatic mineral characters (turning rich and ‘petrolly’ with age), high acidity and often some sweetness too. Even inexpensive, off-dry brands such as Devil’s Rock or Kendermann (both £3.99 – 4.49 widely available) can prove a sound partnership. Australia is making some excellent Rieslings, which cry out for intensely flavoured food. They come in different styles and qualities but the common denominator is: zesty, dry, (rich) lime flavours and crisp acidity. Jacobs Creek 2000 (£4.99 widely available) goes down well, but why not seek out better quality such as: Tim Gramp (£7.99 Unwins), Pewsey Vale (£4.99 – 5.99 Tesco, Oddbins, Threshers, Victoria Wine, Bottoms Up, Wine Rack), or Knappstein (£6.49 Oddbins).

Gewürztraminer is the perennial ‘spice-favourite’, although not as versatile as its seductive fullness, spice and lychee flavours might suggest. It seems to go best with more powerful Chinese or Indian dishes that are prepared with lots of ginger, for example. Outside of Alsace, try the delicious ‘99 Casablanca Santa Isabel Estate (£6.99 Oddbins and independents). Another exciting ginger match is Torrontés from Argentina; M&S stock 2000 Rio Santos for only £3.99, which is quite elegant and light so not up to too heavily spiced food. Finally, experiment too with wines made from the exotic and alcoholic Viognier grape; New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc; fruity dry rosés; ripe but not oaky Chardonnays; and reds with little tannin but good acidity such as Beaujolais (Villages), Pinot Noir or e.g. 2000 Argentinean Sangiovese from Asda (£3.99).

Fizz for less... cheap Champagne alternatives

www.virgin.net food & drink 12/12/00

"It's true that decent champagne can lift you up and take you to a better place, but unfortunately the price tag very soon brings you back down to earth with a thump. And generally speaking, with cheap champers, and shockingly even some high price brands, you get exactly what you pay for - rather too young, lean and acidic. Luckily nowadays it's easy enough to find alternatives, which still taste good and offer excellent value..."

My original full works:

Nice but at a price

It’s true that decent Champagne can lift you up and take you to a better place, but unfortunately the price tag very soon brings you back down to earth with a thump. And generally speaking with cheap Champers (and shockingly even some high profile, high price brands) you get exactly what you pay for; rather too young, lean and acidic. Luckily nowadays it’s easy enough to find alternatives, which still taste good and offer excellent value.

It’s best to stick to ‘traditional method’ fizz, i.e. those made in same way as Champagne (and sometimes with the same grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier) but somewhere else. This is where the second fermentation that produces the sparkle happens slowly inside the bottle, and the wine is aged on the resultant yeast ‘lees’ before it is removed (dégorgement or ‘disgorging’). This process imparts a distinctive toasty bready taste, richer flavour, finer bubbles and without a doubt makes the best quality.

Cava

These sparkling wines come from north-eastern Spain, the majority from just outside Barcelona, and are made from local grapes such as Parellada, Macebeu and Xarel-lo and/or occasionally Chardonnay. On the whole cheap and cheerful, or worse going by the general standard of Cava tasted over the last year, but there are exceptions. Marks & Spencer’s is OK in a nutty kind of way and currently on offer at only £3.99. More expensive is Chandon Spain, owned by Champagne House Moët, selling for £6.99 (020 7235 9411, www.moet.co.uk); this is of reasonable quality and mouth-wateringly drinkable with clean and crisp, pungent almondy taste. Neither of these will kid you into thinking you’re drinking champers but are gentle on the palate and bank balance.

Not Champagne but still very French

Praiseworthy sparkling wine is produced in many places outside of the Champagne region but by similar method. From the deep south in the western Languedoc we’ve found a 1997 Blanquette de Limoux, Cuvée Princesse d’Aimery (£6.59 Unwins, 01322 272711), which is sound value and lightly toasty balanced by a tinge of acidity. Crémant de Loire rarely disappoints, and Majestic Wine Warehouses (01923 298200, www.majestic.co.uk) sell Langlois Brut and Rosé non-vintage, both for £7.99 (minimum total order 12 bottles) or 25% off if you buy two. The former is made mostly from the Chenin Blanc grape and is ‘leesy’ with light honey and nut flavours; the latter delicate and tarter with shades of strawberries. Drink with subtle flat fish such as sole or plaice cooked with lemon juice and parsley or dill.

Aussie & Kiwi

Seaview is probably a familiar name, and this popular Australian is back on form and elegantly uplifting, with enough yeasty and ripe apple flavours to satisfy. Widely available at £6.49-6.99 but currently on promotion in Waitrose, Oddbins, Morrison’s, Wine Rack, Bottoms Up, Thresher and Victoria Wine, saving up to £2 a bottle. Seaview also makes a superior 1995 vintage Chardonnay / Pinot Noir which is fuller, more complex and costs £8.99. Taltarni Brut Tâché (£8.99-9.99 Wine Cellar (01925 454545) and good independents) is unusual, delicately pink bubbly from Victoria State that successfully combines summer fruits with classy, aged richness.

Chandon Australia produces three exemplary sparkling wines at their winery near Melbourne. The 1997 Green Point Brut Rosé (£12.99 selected Oddbins or ring 020 7235 9411, www.moet.co.uk) is the priciest but delivers top quality and is fashioned from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & Pinot Meunier. It has voluptuous red fruits, rose petal and yeast aromas; followed by milky richness, strawberry sweetness, yeasty / bready depth and cleansing acid balance, finishing dry-ish. “Perfect for dishes strongly influenced by Asian spices” according to the company blurb, but we’ll go along with that.

New Zealand’s Pelorus comes from the same stable as Cloudy Bay and their non-vintage is sensational stuff (let alone the sublime vintage); you’d pay a lot more than about £12 to get a Champagne as good. It has lovely balance of mature richness and youthful poise and is available from Wine Cellar, Unwins, Wine Rack, Bottoms Up, Thresher, Selfridges and Love Saves the Day (Manchester 0161 832 0777).

Argentina is at it too

Believe it or not, Chandon Estates built their first cellars (outside of France obviously) in Argentina in 1960. Now we have a great value and tasty sparkler for ₤7.49 (Waitrose & Safeway), which delighted us with the required toasty yeasty characters but also a tad of tropical fruitiness, almonds and, dare we say, apple and cream! It’s a bit sweeter than the Aussies but still has lingering acidity.

Weirdo red fizz

Not for the faint hearted but could prove a match for chocolate or hearty turkey with all the trimmings, take the plunge and try Banrock Station Sparkling Shiraz (₤7.99 Waitrose, due in soon at Sainsbury’s and Tesco). A peculiar mouthful of blackberries and chocolate with frothy intensity; Australia’s answer to (and big improvement on) red Lambrusco!

Unusual Christmas wines, spirits and liqueurs

www.virgin.net Food & drink 19/12/00

"The festive season is upon us, and the Christmas gastronomic onslaught is about to begin. Some of us might feel the need to get a little merry at some point to cope with the sheer mind-boggling-ness (and some might say hell) of it all. If your relatives are shrieking in your ear, and you need to take the edge off things, why not sit back with a glass of something a bit less commonplace than your usual sweet sherry? We've got the info on the less used-and-abused Christmas spirits and liqueurs..."

Apples galore

Calvados is distilled cider or apple brandy from Normandy and makes a wonderful digestif (as the French say), a post-prandial stomach settler. Traditionally it’s drunk in the region between courses in a similar way to a sorbet to create le trou normand, a ‘hole’ ready to be filled with more food. Mind you, you’d need to if you ate as much tripe, cream and the like as they do! Look out for Calvados from the ‘Pays d’Auge’ sub-region where reputedly the best are made. Most decent supermarkets and wine shops stock one, but it pays not to buy the cheapest.

Not surprisingly we produce something similar in England; the Somerset Cider Brandy Company (01460 240782, www.ciderbrandy.co.uk) sells a lovely smooth spirit. They do a 3, 5 and 10 year old starting at about £11 for a half-bottle, available from their shop, Fortnum & Mason, Harvey Nichols or other quality outlets around the country.

Sweet is sexy

The festive season calls for sticky wines with rich puds, foie gras and smoked salmon; or slurp decadently on their own or dribble liberally in bed as a baby oil / Hagen Daas substitute… From France’s classic golden Sauternes, sweet and sour German Auslese, Aussie Liqueur Muscat ‘treacle’, to light delicate Italian Moscato – less is definitely more.

You could splash out and try Helmut Lang’s esoteric 1994 Austrian (www.austrian.wine.co.at/wine) Eiswein, where the grapes were harvested frozen on 15th January of the following year! The wine’s powerful aromas are compounded by concentrated raisin, honey and orange peel flavours; very sweet and ‘long’ but with a streak of acidity too. It costs about £16 for a half-bottle (Berry Bros & Rudd, London 020 7396 9600 & Basingstoke 01256 323566; Weaver’s of Nottingham 0115 958 0922; Philglass & Swiggot, London 020 7924 4494) but will do four people as it’s so rich. Less intense but more reasonable is a 1998 Pinot Blanc Eiswein (£8.99 37.5cl @ selected Tesco stores), same concept but from the Pfalz region of Germany. It’s quite full, ‘oily’ and marmaladey but aromatic and balanced too; drink with fruity desserts. Matusalem (www.gonzálezbyass.com) very old – aged 30 years – sweet Oloroso can be found at Oddbins, Unwins and selected Waitrose or Sainsbury’s for £10.23 – 11.29 per half-bottle (you couldn’t drink more than that anyway). This massively flavoured sherry should go brilliantly with a rich Christmas pudding; it tastes like cooked Madeira with mounds of pure raisin and fig, but the treacley finish is cut by the alcohol (20%) and acidity. Instead of Port why not drink d’Arenberg’s (www.wineaustralia.com.au/darenberg) 1998 Fortified Shiraz with mature cheddar or similar hard cheese. It comes from McLaren Vale and is big, spicy and fiery – get some at Oddbins, Bibendum (020 7916 7706, www.bibendum-wine.co.uk), Blas Ar Fwyd (North Wales), la Reserve (London) or Noel Young Wines (Cambridge) @ £11.99 for 75cl bottle or £7.99 for 37.5cl.

Alternative brandy

Armagnac is something of a best-kept secret for those in the know i.e. not many of us. It’s made in Gascony in southwest France and is fuller, fruitier and arguably nicer than Cognac, although some (snobs) would say less elegant. It’s also often described as e.g. 5/10/20 year old or even vintage rather than the confusing ‘VS’ or ‘XO’ you see on other brandies. Recommended: Château du Tariquet Vieil Armagnac (£20.75 Waitrose), Sigognac and Château de Laubade (Berry Bros & Rudd has a range priced from £16.50). Janneau 5 Year Old is widely available too at £12.99 per 50cl from Tesco, Safeway, Oddbins & the Co-Op (CRS).

Sloely does it

To publicise his book ‘Spirits & Cocktails’, writer Dave Broom embarked on a gin-tasting road show. We compared Beefeater, a good all-rounder; Plymouth, pungent, well flavoured and macho; and the connoisseur’s choice Bombay Sapphire – grainy, citrus and floral with juniper, aniseed and liquorice flavours. Let alone angelica, coriander, almonds, grains of paradise...

Jason Fendick, ‘mixologist’ at London’s groovy Zeta bar, has created a cunningly Christmassy concoction called the Plymouth Blueberry Gin Fizz cocktail: 25ml Plymouth gin steeped for 2 weeks with 100g pricked blueberries, 10ml lemon juice, 10ml Plymouth Sloe Gin, 10ml sugar syrup – mix, shake and strain – Champagne to top up, 2 blueberries to garnish. Plymouth (www.plymouthgin.com) costs about £13.49; their Sloe Gin is also delicious on its own with ice and is £9.99 at Asda and Safeway.

Top vodka

Most vodka aficionados would agree that the Poles distil the best as demonstrated by Wyborowa (about £12.50 at specialist retailers), which is smooth enough to drink on its own straight from the freezer before or after eating. Not forgetting the Russians or the Swedes, whose easy-to-find Absolut also mixes a mean cocktail. Two favourites, discovered last year at a bartenders’ competition, include ‘Absolut North Star’ from Mojo in Leeds (0113 2446387), spiked with a tad of Ricard. And Atlas in Manchester (0161 834 2124) offers ‘Absolut Hangover’, a variation on a Bloody Mary but with orange juice and fresh basil in addition to the (large) vodka and tom! Both recommended as festive pick-me-ups.

Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!

www.virgin.net food & drink 14/11/00

Guzzling gallons

It’s that time of year again. Apparently nobody can pinpoint when this ominous slogan was first coined, but it was probably in the late 1960s. Beaujolais Nouveau is traditionally the first wine of the vintage to be released in France and in that same year. So what’s all the fuss about?

Indeed. Looking at the figures for the last two years, we don’t seem to be that bothered nowadays – only 740 000 bottles came into the country in ’99 which was 12% less than the previous year. Sounds quite a lot? Well, it’s a mere wee-est of drams compared to our friends in Germany and Japan – they guzzled a whopping 10 and 6 million bottles respectively last November. Not including the French of course, who quaff most of their infantile red themselves.

Southern Hemisphere wine producers have stolen Nouveau’s thunder somewhat (the vintage being 6 months earlier) – we saw 2000 whites and reds from South Africa and Argentina on the shelves way back in April.

Very clever

Is it just me or were certain supermarkets still stacked full of the stuff at Christmas last year? Then again, I’ve always thought that decent Beaujolais Nouveau tastes better after ‘maturing’ for a few weeks in bottle (so why the hurry?). Stop me if I seem a bit cynical, but you can’t help but admire their marketing genius. About a half of each year’s basic Beaujolais production is sold by November of the same year!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to come out of the Beaujolais closet. I like it, particularly better quality Villages or so-called Crus e.g. Brouilly or other lesser known, single commune wines such as Juliénas, Moulin-à-Vent or Morgon. But does drinking Nouveau encourage people to ‘trade up’ and try these?

So what does it taste like and why?

Allegedly in the 19th Century winegrowers in Beaujolais tended to sell their harvest early. The wine would finish fermenting in barrels as it was transported to eager drinkers in the bistros of Lyon (the closest city) and even Paris. Nowadays we understand better the winemaking methods traditionally used here, where whole bunches of grapes are fermented (red grapes are usually crushed so the skins can macerate with the juice to extract colour and tannin). The combination of a short fermentation where contact with the skins and stalks has been minimised and the ‘carbonic maceration’ effect, produces supple fruity wines. The latter is a natural process that occurs within the grapes caused by Carbon Dioxide being released from the bottom of the vat. Thus endeth the biochemistry lesson.

Beaujolais is made from the Gamay grape, which suits this treatment well as it coaxes out plenty of its aromatic fresh red fruit characters. I guess Nouveau has set the standard for youthful, vibrant and fruity styles for immediate drinking – most Gamay isn’t up to keeping anyway, apart from those honourable exceptions mentioned above.

What’s going on this year and where can I get it?

The date Nouveau goes on sale is 16th November, always the third Thursday of the month. The 90s saw less frenetic activity celebrating its launch; it seems the days of car races and parachutists have passed.

Georges Duboeuf is one of the best-known names in Beaujolais and his Nouveau will be available in Majestic Wine Warehouses (head office 01923 298200) for £4.99. The UK agent Berkmann Wine Cellars is “very pleased with the vintage this year; confidence will be restored! Sales are better than expected.” Mind you, Georges himself might not be so pleased. Apparently he normally likes to fly like the wind with a case or two to the States on Concorde, so he’ll be a bit late this year! Still, I doubt he’ll have to slum it in ‘zoo class’ with bottles stuffed under his feet. There’ll also be things going on at French bistros and brasseries in London, including the Chez Gérard group of restaurants. We're told Yorkshire restaurant folk are getting excited about it too – contact Berkmann on 020 7609 4711.

Trumpets

Mommessin, who commission an artist each year to design their Nouveau label, will be dispatching eight trumpeters to various restaurants and retailers in central London to ‘pipe in’ the new wine. This kicks off with a Beaujolais breakfast in the City at 7.15am at The Poet on Middlesex Street, heading west taking in Shiraz on St. Martin’s Lane at 12.30pm and culminating at Selfridges on Oxford St. at 16.00. Contact House of Hallgarten on 01582 722538 for further info. Should be a blast!

Turkey

Paul Boutinot, importer and winemaker based near Manchester, has produced Beaujolais Villages ‘Primeur’ (means the same thing) this year; so it should be a notch up in quality. He’s also enthusiastic about vintage 2000: “It’s delicious now with quite a bit of richness and typical banana fruit,” but recommends it with traditional Christmas lunch too, if you can keep it that long! Available from the following wine shops for around £4.99: Lancs – Booth’s Supermarkets (01772 251701); London – Mill Hill Wines (020 8959 6754), Partridges of Sloane Street (020 7730 0651); Edinburgh & Glasgow – Peckhams (0141 445 4555). Or restaurants: L’Artiste Musclé, W1 (020 7493 6150); Axis, Aldwych (020 7300 1000); Café Istanbul, Manchester (0161 833 9942). Or contact Drinkserve on 0161 908 1300/30.

Both Tesco and Sainsbury are selling their own-label Nouveau(x) for about £3.49. Strangely Oddbins “aren’t listing one for this particular vintage”, even though everybody seems to think it’s one of the best for ages!