Travelling the World in Lockdown

Mrs M read today in The Telegraph an article about how the 1% are spending their time in Lockdown. This caught her eye:

Martin Reith, chairman of luxury PR firm Luchford, who is locked down at Essenden, his country estate has been steadily working his way through the wine list from Hedonism, a fine wine boutique. “What an amazing way to travel the world in lockdown,” he says.

This enthused Mrs M who wanted to know how many countries are represented in my cellar. I reckon 20 including 5 US States, or 21 if you count Madeira as a separate country*.

She wants to go a step further with matching dishes and national flags on the table. She wanted me to make a Bobotie for South Africa. I replied that it was a stupid idea, which did not amuse her at all, so -- not wishing to go to all the hard work involved with making Bobotie -- I countered with Nando's, and I think I've got away with it.

Tomorrow already planned is roast beef. Well, that's English, so I have had to 'un-drink' the Cava I'd already selected to replace it with an SEW** as aperitif. I don't have an English red wine, and the last one we had was so execrable we poured it down the sink, so we'll have claret since Aquitaine was ruled by the English kings for over 300 years until the perfidious French king expanded his kingdom. And I have an English flag somewhere....

We'll carry on 'till she has forgotten the idea.

In the meantime, I need an Indian wine for an upcoming curry....

*Countries
• South Africa
• France
• USA
o California
o Virginia
o Arizona
o Texas
o North Carolina
• Italy
• Portugal
o Madeira
• Spain
• New Zealand
• United Kingdom
• Canada
• Greece
• Australia
• Chile
• Argentina
• Lebanon
• Mexico
• Austria
• Hungary
• Thailand
• Turkey
• Ukraine

**SEW - Sparkling English Wine

This was it:

20210123-Weekend-Wines-sun1-2.jpg

20210123-Weekend-Wines-sun2-2.jpg

with claret

20210123-Weekend-Wines-sun2.jpg

[David M. Bueker]

Looks pretty good to me!

How was the Bordeaux?

How was the Bordeaux?

Delish. Just perfect claret to have with roast beef. I seem to recall that 2012 wasn't a great vintage but I've been buying Batailley since the '70s every vintage - good and not so good - on EP.

But that was the last of the 2012s

How was the Bordeaux?

Delish. Just perfect claret to have with roast beef. I seem to recall that 2012 wasn't a great vintage but I've been buying Batailley since the '70s every vintage - good and not so good - on EP.

But that was the last of the 2012s

I like 2012 claret. They are mostly accessible and charming. Maybe not "great" wines built for the long haul but they give a lot of pleasure right now.

[Jenise]

Peter, first of all I think your wife's idea is splendid and it was cruddy of you to think a bobotie was too much trouble.

Impressive list, though I'm surprised that you have wines from those non-wine states but nothing from Oregon or Washington. You *do* have more wine from a few more places than I do, though I have Armenia and Baja California where you don't, presuming that Baja wouldn't be included in your Mexico.

[quote="Peter May"]Mrs M read today in The Telegraph an article about how the 1% are spending their time in Lockdown. This caught her eye:

[quote]Martin Reith, chairman of luxury PR firm Luchford, who is locked down at Essenden, his country estate has been steadily working his way through the wine list from Hedonism, a fine wine boutique. “What an amazing way to travel the world in lockdown,” he says.

This enthused Mrs M who wanted to know how many countries are represented in my cellar. I reckon 20 including 5 US States, or 21 if you count Madeira as a separate country*.

In the meantime, I need an Indian wine for an upcoming curry....

*Countries
• South Africa (Chenin Blanc)
• France (Loire Chenin Blanc, Sancerre; Cotes du Rhone Blanc, Rhone Marsanne)
• USA
o California
o Virginia
o Arizona
o Texas
o North Carolina
• Italy
• Portugal
o Madeira
• Spain
• New Zealand (Sauvignon Blanc)
• United Kingdom
• Canada
• Greece
• Australia
• Chile (Sauvignon Blanc, Especially Casablanca)
• Argentina (Torrontes)
• Lebanon
• Mexico
• Austria
• Hungary
• Thailand
• Turkey
• Ukraine

Not Indian wines, but few ideas, most of which we have had. Depends on how spicy the curry is...

Hope this is helpful.

I'm surprised that you have wines from those non-wine states but nothing from Oregon or Washington. You *do* have more wine from a few more places than I do, though I have Armenia and Baja California where you don't, presuming that Baja wouldn't be included in your Mexico.

I've drunk the Oregon and Washington wines I had. We don't get many US wines here outside of cheap Gallos in supermarkets, and decent one are pricey. Most Oregon and Washington wines here are Pinot Noir and since Mrs M will not drink PN I don't have any. Only Oregon and WA non-Pinot wines listed by The Wine Society are white (Chard/P Blanc/Riesling) which I'm not interested in.

I'm not sure why Texas and Virginia are non-wine states...according to Wikipedia (so it must be true)

There are more than 400 wineries in Texas making it the fifth-largest wine producing state in the nation. That puts Texas behind California, New York, Washington, and Oregon respectively

and there are almost 300 wineries in Virginia. I think some terrific wine is being made there..

I did have Cetto wines from Mexico, they were widely distributed here but I've not seen them for some time. Their Petite Sirah and Nebbiolo was good. The Mexican wines I do have are from Baja California.

I went to an Armenian tasting a couple of years ago where I tasted some terrific wines from local varieties, but I don't have any

In the time I've been using CT I see I have owned bottles from the following American states:
(in descending order of amount of bottles)

California
Virginia
Missouri
New York
Washington
Texas
North Carolina
Oregon
Arizona
Massachusetts
Minnesota
New Jersey
New Mexico
Georgia
Alabama
Connecticut
Vermont

Not Indian wines, but few ideas, most of which we have had. Depends on how spicy the curry is...

I'm very tolerant of chillies, so I've not had one that is too hot for me. What reds do you suggest?

[Jenise]

I'm surprised there are that many wineries in Texas and Virginia. Even with those numbers, production's tiny. Whatever they do make is often suspect, and most of it is sold locally. None of their wines ever win awards. The wines aren't taken seriously in the wine world. They're like Temecula. They don't compete with the big boys from CA, OR and WA. That's a non-wine state.

Not Indian wines, but few ideas, most of which we have had. Depends on how spicy the curry is...

I'm very tolerant of chillies, so I've not had one that is too hot for me. What reds do you suggest?

I would choose light- to medium-bodied reds. Acidity and even a touch of residual sugar has worked for us. Examples:

First choices:
Cotes du Rhone reds
Pinot Noir & Rose' of PN (lightly chill the Rose')
Carmenere

Alternatives:
Beaujolais
Rioja
Saumur Cab Franc

Please let us know what pairings work best for you....curious.

Last night we were in Country No. 2, South Africa, Western Cape Province.

Wine was the superb

20210126_Cape-malay-curry-wine.jpg

2014 Beeslaar Pinotage (South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch)
Abrie Beeslaar is winemaker at Kanonkop, this is his personal venture.

And the food was a Cape Malay curry of Butternut Squash, Chickpeas and Lentils

20210126_Cape-malay-curry.jpg

Just ladled onto the plate: no artful presentation in an individual potjie, no banana slices rolled in desiccated coconut and no Mrs Balls Chutney (!) so authenticity only went so far...


I was in Durban on business the first time I ever saw butternut. I got a small pot of boiled golden cubes to accompany the meal (can't remember what that was) and I had to ask the waitron what the golden cubes were. Six months later butternut was stocked by supermarkets back home and its now a permanent feature.

[David M. Bueker]

That curry sounds good Peter. Recipe?

That's a very diverse list Peter.
You have more states than I do!
And more countries!

Your plan sounds fun. I'd consult with Jenise re what to cook for WA But would have to research some others

My CT is not accurate. I tend not to enter a lot of wines, especially if not planning on cellaring (more likely to enter a Bdx or Burg I plan on keeping for decades, but even then I miss a few).

France 64.0%
Bordeaux 25.3%
Burgundy 24.2%
Loire Valley 7.2%
Rhône 2.6%
Champagne 2.3%
Alsace 2.2%
Southwest France 9.1%
Corsica 0.1%
Provence 0.0%

Germany 14.9%
Mosel Saar Ruwer 9.4%
Nahe 3.3%
Rheingau 1.5%
Rheinhessen 0.4%
Pfalz 0.3%
Franken 0.0%

Italy 9.9%
Piedmont 8.2%
Tuscany 0.9%
Campania 0.2%
Veneto 0.2%
Sicily 0.2%
Abruzzi 0.1%
Lombardia 0.1%
Umbria 0.1%
Latium 0.0%

USA 7.1%
California 6.9%
Oregon 0.2%
Washington 0.0%

Austria 2.0%
Niederösterreich 2.0%
Burgenland 0.0%

Spain 1.5%
La Rioja 1.5%

Portugal 0.2%
Douro 0.2%
Madeira 0.0%

Australia 0.2%
South Australia 0.2%
Victoria 0.0%

Argentina 0.0%
Mendoza 0.0%

Lebanon 0.0%
Bekaa Valley 0.0%

I would choose light- to medium-bodied reds. Acidity and even a touch of residual sugar has worked for us. Examples:

First choices:
Cotes du Rhone reds
Pinot Noir & Rose' of PN (lightly chill the Rose')
Carmenere

Alternatives:
Beaujolais
Rioja
Saumur Cab Franc

Please let us know what pairings work best for you....curious.

Thanks Pat

Curry is a catch all name; I personally like Indian ones in which I can taste chillies, so I have Jalfrezi or in the past year a delivery of Garlic Chilli Chicken Masala (tandoor cooked chicken chunks cooked with garlic and fresh green chillies in a spicy hot sauce) from the very pared down Chez Mumtaj take away menu. Mrs M goes either for Tikka Masala which is not hot, or Shashlik which is just a tandoor cooked skewer of meat, peppers and onions.

We usually have Pinotage. The natural sweetness of the grape - even in a completely dry wine - matches well, and Johan Krige, own of Kanonkop, says that's why sales of Kanonkop Pinotage are so strong in SE Asia and Hong Kong.

Other wines we have are Zinfandel when dining in Chez Mumtaj, Cotes du Rhone or Rioja in places that don't have the first two. I prefer a heavy spicy wine.

I haven't seen Carmenere on wine lists at Indian restaurants we go to, but it's very similar to Merlot and we've had St Emilion in the past.

We'd never have Pinot Noir because Mrs M will not touch it, and I think Beaujolais and Loire Cab Franc are too light.

But I think it more important to have one one enjoys, rather than one a food & wine matching 'expert' says is the 'correct' match.

That curry sounds good Peter. Recipe?

I got it from our Sunday newspaper, here's a link to it
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/recipes/0/i ... up-recipe/

It's said to be a soup. I used less liquid than stated to make it thicker. I followed the method exactly, except that I used butternut instead of pumpkin which I couldn't get and I didn't use brown cardamom pods, again because I couldn't get them. Instead of two dried Kashmiri chillies (which I didn't have ) I used two teaspoons of Kashmiri chilli powder. This is mild, and primarily gives colour.

I served it with rice instead of yoghurt

Next time I make it, I'll not make a onion paste which was a real faff, just use a finely chopped onion, and the same with the garlic and ginger. I'll use half the quantity (the soup recipe as given is for six) of ingredients, except for the tomatoes and I'll not add any liquid unless it's too dry.

Wednesday night we travelled to our third country, Italy, and had a classic wine:

20210127-pollo-alla-pizizaiola-wine.jpg

2019 Collezione di Paolo Chianti (Italy, Tuscany, Chianti)

Chianti has fallen out of fashion, at least in our house, and I don’t know why. We used to drink a lot of (what I expect was cheap cash & carry ones) in Italian restaurants when we were younger.
This was delicious, 95% Sangiovese and so drinkable, as claret lovers this was like a ripe claret.

With it we had

20210127-pollo-alla-pizizaiola.jpg

Pollo alla Pizzaiola.
This was a dish I frequently ordered in the small family run and award winning Italian restaurant in Snorbens then one day I thought “I can make that at home”.

I put a layer of tomato sauce in a baking tray, lay the chicken breasts on top - these are breast strips - sprinkle with capers and halved stoned olives, cover with another layer of tomato sauce, then bake in fan oven for 30 mins at 180C.

Served with steamed sugar snap peas and olive oil sautéed halved new potatoes and baby sweetcorn (the sweetcorn and peas were ordered by mistake in our supermarket delivery so I thought I’d better use them).

Greece was Country No. 4 last night on our vinous tour of the world…

20210201_Weekday-wines-Mon.jpg

N.V. Greek Wine Cellars (D. Kourtakis) Retsina of Attica (Greece, Attica)

Many decades ago we travelled with a company that flew to Greek islands that had just opened their military airfield to tourists. There was one plane a week from the UK and the islands were remote and had seen virtually no tourists.

Tavernas were basic and served local dishes. One was beans served on the island of ανάμνηση that I tried without success to recreate back home. Then one year I saw a recipe in an airline magazine, and I’ve made it ever since.

We call it Greek Beans. It’s dried cannelloni, lately with a few butter beans, cooked for hours with lots of olive oil, onions carrots, celery and tomatoes till the onions vanish leaving the beans in a thick pale orange sauce.

20210201_Greek_Beans.jpg

This time, instead of the usual beans, a mixed pack of ten types of beans were used; this makes the dish look different, but it tasted good. Served with a chunk of granary bread, mixed salad and retsina

[Jenise]

Interesting, Peter! I'd have never thought of beans as Greek food (though why not). Nice pairing.

I'd have never thought of beans as Greek food (though why not).

Not sure about the lineage of Peter's dish, but fava/broad beans are a classic Greek ingredient.

The beans I had was in a small village taverna, it was a long long time ago but I really enjoyed them. The beans take on a new flavour and texture by absorbing olive oil.

Other dishes I remember were moussaka - which I've made in past but no longer do so, fish caught that day and simply grilled by the fisherman's wife at their cottage, and a whole sheep brought down from the hills skinned hanging from a pole carried on the shoulders of two men, this was at lunchtime. They put it on a spit over a fire and dinner that evening was chunks cut off the roasted sheep. Other dishes as well, but it was all peasant food and there were no freezers or pre-prepared foods.

Salads varied as to what was ripe in people gardens that day. I remember being disappointed while in Kos not having the lettuce named after it 'Cos lettuce' (USA name Romaine) but it wasn't in season.

These were islands hosting tourists for the first time. The only way previously to get to them was via inter-island ferry and the ones far out saw very few tourists as it took such a long time to get to them from the mainland.

[Jenise]

Pretty neat travels, Peter. There's a lot of humble charm in what you describe of a type few of us have been witness to. Why do you no longer make moussaka?

"Thanks Pat

Curry is a catch all name; I personally like Indian ones in which I can taste chillies, so I have Jalfrezi or in the past year a delivery of Garlic Chilli Chicken Masala (tandoor cooked chicken chunks cooked with garlic and fresh green chillies in a spicy hot sauce) from the very pared down Chez Mumtaj take away menu. Mrs M goes either for Tikka Masala which is not hot, or Shashlik which is just a tandoor cooked skewer of meat, peppers and onions.

We usually have Pinotage. The natural sweetness of the grape - even in a completely dry wine - matches well, and Johan Krige, own of Kanonkop, says that's why sales of Kanonkop Pinotage are so strong in SE Asia and Hong Kong.

Other wines we have are Zinfandel when dining in Chez Mumtaj, Cotes du Rhone or Rioja in places that don't have the first two. I prefer a heavy spicy wine.

I haven't seen Carmenere on wine lists at Indian restaurants we go to, but it's very similar to Merlot and we've had St Emilion in the past.

We'd never have Pinot Noir because Mrs M will not touch it, and I think Beaujolais and Loire Cab Franc are too light.

But I think it more important to have one one enjoys, rather than one a food & wine matching 'expert' says is the 'correct' match."

I absolutely agree with your last comment. If it works for you, great. And the interesting thing I find when I research is there are so many ideas/recommendations available. Trying to weed through them and find things that resonate for us can be a challenge. And everyone's palate is different. A fun journey.

We do enjoy South African Pinotage & Chenin Blanc. The country is a great source of wine values.

We do enjoy South African Pinotage & Chenin Blanc. The country is a great source of wine values.

No argument from me there!

I can't see where you are based, but there's some excellent Pinotage being made in California and Virginia (other states too, but most choice from those two). I don't think they re easily obtainable but South African Pinotage isn't the beginning and the end of the variety.