On Sunday morning I went surfing with a slight hangover. It’s not something I do too often these days, with wine so much a part of my life I tend to be careful with my consumption – but the significance of Sunday (and cause of my surprise) was that I had only consumed a half bottle of sauvignon blanc, with food, the night before.
As I sat in the chilly waters and the occasional wipe-out cleared my head, I began to suspect sulphur as the culprit, not alcohol. My headache had set in on Sunday night already and persisted in the night, so it wasn’t like the morning after ache. Some reading into sulphur additions in wine led to the interesting observation that wines of a lower pH, in other words the more acidic ones (like sauvignon) tend to show their free sulphur more explicitly and the side effects are more noticeable. I checked my wine on their website and it claims a free sulphur of 40mg per litre which is well within the allowable limit of up to 150. But apparently individuals who are sensitive can have adverse reactions at around 45mg… could this be me? A serious handicap indeed.
The wine’s identity shall remain secret, since sulphur use is standard it would be unfair to single it out. As for my relationship with it, I have to admit there has been a blow.
An amusing account of the rise in importance of the chef in NYC, due in no small part to that country USA (though I can see the trend here too), the power of television, and everybody’s new-found biggest hobby: food.
It is interesting to reflect that it wasn’t too long ago when the chef was a mere artisan, pretty much illiterate, who had to get a famous nobleman to pen his ideas and recipes. Now food is theatre, and we, apparently ever more knowledgeable about it, need the chef to be bigger – so that he remains the leader and higher in the chain.
The remarkable is generally found in the edges. It’s also so much easier to stand out on the edges, where the competition is less slavering. The edge doesn’t mean that everyone will like what you do, but it is very likely that they will notice it.
My very first wine launch for the year was a pinotage gig. Hamilton Russell, who usually launch their new vintage chardonnay in early January, this year kicked the calendar off with the new 2004 Ashbourne, a wine that is pinotage but doesn’t use its genetics as a selling point. Presented in a handsome, heavy bottle, the label a clear allusion to France, Ashbourne presents itself as, simply, a serious wine. Continue reading ‘Hamilton Russell Ashbourne 2004′
On the weekend, which saw the Beaumont Wines Open Days take place in conditions that were ideal for swimming in the dam but challenging for enjoying red wines (the chenin was much appreciated however), I heard a very interesting bit of food news…
Chef Richard Carstens, our local “molecular gastronomy” whizz, is leaving Lynton Hall in KwaZulu-Natal where he has been cooking for the last five years – and is coming to Cape Town to cook at Manolo on Kloof Street.
Last I heard, Phil Alcock (of Manolo) is moving to the showroom to cook with Bruce Robertson, a move that should see the showroom able to be more “showy” with Robertson able to be more of a proprietor.
Meanwhile, the arrival of Carstens should shake the scene up considerably, because he is known to be quite a firebrand and not short of confidence or desire to be top of the heap.
Tired of samoosas, curry and rice, dhal? Tired of gold and royal reds and a very worn carpet? It’s actually quite difficult to tire of Indian food in my opinion, but it is still refreshing to come across a new take on it (or any cuisine for that matter) and this is what you will find at Masala Dosa at 167 Long Street. Looks like a box office for an upmarket Indian movie house, posters advertise the menu and while the clean white isn’t too alluring for a sit down dinner, it works for a street-side lunch. Then there’s the food, specialising in “dosas” or crispy rice pancakes, filled. They’re pretty tasty, and as I say, pretty novel this part of the world.
Consider this story, and your own exploits at the bar will need some relative sizing. I know we are living in an age where legendary drinking is frowned upon, but something in me still admires this guy.
Did you know that popcorn eating dates back to the 17th century and probably earlier? A great site for researching the origins of most of what we put into our mouths… The Food Timeline
There is no perfection, but there is a desire to achieve greatness.
For the Hungry Man, who had eaten at The Fat Duck and DOM amongst other Icari in the last year, The Tasting Room was in the same league, which is quite something for a local restaurant. To explain the caveat: No matter how much I want to believe that our good places are on par with the best in the world, I don’t think we have many tables that you could confidently tell internationals to fly over to for a meal. Sure, it is often the ludicrously beautiful setting or the ridiculously good prices that tip the scale positively in our favour, but an experience that is untainted by any whiff of condescension is rare.
So, although I have written about this evening in a previous post, the HM encouraged me to return to my thoughts, and here they are. Continue reading ‘The Tasting Room 20.12.06′
A new blog in town, Beyond the Pass. Written by chefs, and so far written well, it makes the food musings of amateurs (like self) look a little soft boiled. Long may it continue.
It’s the first column for the new year, so why not a recap of some of the memorable wines of 2006? Sauvignon blanc is slowly finding a route to my palate now that the freakishly racy examples are being replaced with delicious nettly, full-bodied wines – that still retain enough freshness for anyone’s desire. The fruit expression is better, and these are standouts: Diemersdal Single Vineyard 2006 and Cape Point 2006 (and sauvignon nuts owe it to themselves to also try the Cape Point Isliedh 2005, with some barrel notes).
Chenin blanc is becoming a stronger and stronger category, at the top end Continue reading ‘Good tastes’
In my last post, I erroneously listed the Solms-Delta Amalie 2005 as a white that I found hard to drink, when it in fact is their Koloni 2006. The Amalie is quite drinkable. Solms-Delta seem to have an incredible marketing ability and it even seems to rub off on columnist errors (they get two mentions!).
Last night a good merlot: Diemersdal Merlot 2004. Elegant and medium-bodied with pure fruit that strikes a good balance with the wood. Since there are so few drinkable merlots around, most extracted to hell and gone as if they were cabs, well worth the find.
The feeling of reality settling like an uncertain new piece of clothing- after the festive season, the year begins. Amazing how important this new year marker is, even though the end point in a year is of course relatively arbitrary.
Some exhaustion after a pretty social time is par for the course. Only two bottles out of dozens was corked, so that’s a pretty good average, and I’d say that a third of the bottles were screw caps. Most drunk would have to the sauvignon blanc and bubbly, with chenin blanc also popular. Favourites? Bruce Jack’s Freerun Sauvignon Blanc 2006 and Welgegund’s Rosé 2006. Misses: Solms-Delta with a red blend called Hiervandaan 2004 that’s really got green flavours and a white blend called Koloni 2006 that is a hardship to drink, so unctuous and rich but not refreshing.
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