The late Anthony Hogg who was usually on the money about both wine and cocktails wrote (in the 70s when he was already old) that at a smart lunch, rather than ask what people want when they arrive, just press a glass of chilled champagne into their hand.
Oh, now that's lovely :) There's an interior designer called Nina Campbell who has her drinks table set up in the hall and always gives her guests a drink as soon as they arrive. Then they can make their way to the sitting-room while she deals with the rest of the arrivals. She says people find it easier to break the social ice when they already have a drink.
A bar or a table set as a bar near the entrance of your home when entertaining is a great way to make people feel at home as soon as they arrive and are offered a drink and it looks very inviting!
Evening, fire in the fireplace, hanging and creaking like an old caravel armchair and a book. In addition Martinez LBV 2015 port. Although red, we drink port chilled from small liqueur glasses. In taste and consistency it is a bit like a liqueur.....only better. Martinez was once Porto's biggest exporter to England. But those days are gone. I won't describe the wine itself because I've probably already done that. It is known that Porto is a wine fortified with alcohol with about 20% alcohol. Therefore, you should not drink a lot of it, but it can be stored in the refrigerator after opening for up to 2 months. I also like port bottles with their reusable corks that don't require a corkscrew. Generally I recommend LBV or a vintage Port. They are a bit more expensive but definitely better. 🍷
Interesting. I love port. In the British Isles, it would usually be drunk at room temp. Or indeed warmed. A hot (warmed) port is sometimes recommended by older Irish people if you can't sleep :) Now I know what to get you for Christmas, a set of port glasses! You can use them for sherry too :)
What wine for Christmas? This time it is a very sweet ice wine from 2018. Producer: Rheinberg Kellerei. Interesting bottle, narrow, tall, like in a chemist's. Price a little over €10 for 0.375 l. The cap is metal, but this is now normal for German wines. The wine is so viscous that it resembles (slightly diluted) syrup. There is some similarity with Półtorak mead or multi-star Tokaj. And this is an ordinary Silvaner, i.e. an all-too-common type of grape. Add a sweet cookie, a Christmas babka or faworki and the Christmas dessert is complete. Yum, yum.
End of holidays, end of (sweet) wine. There's still champagne left for New Year's Eve. Then I'll go back to my favorite Bordeaux. Weight gain over the holidays only 1kg this time. Half of it is gone already. The walks helped, but this time we also changed the menu a bit. Yes, for the first time in 35 years, we had Viennese sausages and potato salad, the German national dish, on the table for the holidays. And what? and nothing, it tasted good too. Of course there were other dishes, duck, salmon, herring, mushroom soup, etc. Oh, if the children don't come for Christmas Eve any more, we'll go to a restaurant on Christmas Eve. 🤔 I think so....
"Mis en bouteille a la propriete" writes on a bottle of inexpensive French wine. It also writes "Récolte 2018".This wine is red, closed with a real cork. It comes from the "Vallée du Rhône". And it was produced by "Artisans Vignerons". The wine is called "Big Coq" and on the label there is a tricolor rooster, of course in French colors. What else can we learn from reading the label? For example, that " "No Chickens were harmed in the making of this wine". Well, with all this information you can pour it into a glass and taste it. I will also reveal that it is a dry wine. I will not say more. Taste it for yourself. Cheers.
I thought we would open this bottle to celebrate the liberation of Crimea from russian occupation, but we ran out of patience. What kind of wine is it, of course red semi-sweet Krimsekt Igristoe bought in Germany. No vintage....but It tasted good, mild, with a hint of garden fruit. 10% alcohol, the bubbles lasted for 2 days. Closed with a plastic cork that was difficult to open, and after opening it, some of the wine landed on the floor. Overall though a positive experience and on top of that it says "Hergestellt in Polen" on the bottle.
What is Corsica famous for?...I can only think of one answer. Apart from the Corsican mafia, Corsica is famous for its giants. Apparently, there were people there who were 3 meters tall. Archaeologists have (allegedly) unearthed bones of giants there, which, however, have remained missing to this day. So nobody knows anything... But I discovered something else Corsican. It's a dry red wine. Vintage 2021, the wine is of course "Reserve du President" and has the obligatory inscription "Mis en bouteille a la propriete". I also find the inscription "Niellucciu" which indicates the producer of this wine. Clever Corsicans also wrote "Ile de beaute" on the bottle. I have already tasted the wine, it is a distant relative of Bordeaux in terms of taste. However, I am not surprised that the President (of France) has this wine in reserve....🍷
Asparagus season now and we are having a fine crop. Silvaner is the classic combination but I have been disorganized with my shopping so have paired it with 14.99 Aveleda Vinho Verde, from Biedra. Just 9.5 percent but went really well together
An interesting combination. I've only ever done hollandaise with fish.
With lamb (especially if it's from a hogget and is nearly mutton) try it with capers or anchovies. The salt in them is part of that but both work well with lamb, especially of the animal is a little older.
That or (if it's a joint) paint it with redcurrant jelly (or pretty well any jam) and put some rosemary on.
