Category — Wine Articles

Are all of the social functions that you are invited to attend seem to be reruns. You know the drill: Cocktails, Dinner, Dessert, After-Dinner Drinks…YAWN! Break the mold!

Next time it is your turn to be the host or hostess, opt for a wine-tasting party instead of the same old, same old. Now understand that a wine-tasting party can be as complicated as a five-course meal or as easy as you choose to make it. The degree of difficulty is strictly up to you, but one thing is certain. Your party will not be a rerun of the one you attended last week or last month. Your guests might even actually have fun!

Here are some ideas about how to have a wine-tasting party that will be a big hit:

1.  You might choose bottles of the same wine from different vintage years.

2.  You might choose bottles of the same wine that were bottled in different countries. Choose one wine type and select one bottle from the USA, another from South America, another from Australia, and a traditional European label.

3.  You might remove the labels and have blind taste tests with no hint of type or country or origin.

Which ever wines you choose will be fine and your guests will enjoy the experience of wine tasting. Wine tasting is simply not as complicated as those so-called experts would lead us to believe.

There are basically only five simple steps to wine tasting:

1.  Observe the wine in the glass. Note clarity and color and the presence of sediment.

2.  Smell: Put your nose into the glass and inhale deeply. There should be a pleasant aroma.

3.  Swirl and Smell: Before the wine stops swirling, take another sniff. The aroma should be stronger but still pleasant.

4.  Taste: Take a sip of the wine and move it around in your mouth. You should want another sip.

5.  Evaluate: Only you know whether the wine was a good experience for you. Make your evaluation based on sight, smell, taste, and feel. There are no wrong answers.

There are those who will swear (especially those who live in the Southwest) that the one and only beverage that can possibly be served at an outdoor barbecue is beer…either by the bottle or from a keg….but I beg to differ. First of all, I just HATE the taste (and smell) of beer, and the truth is that wine is a better choice of beverage for an outdoor barbecue  — in the hot summer months, anyway. Wine in general is better, of course, but specifically, zinfandel is better — much better.

Zinfandel is known as California’s heritage grape, and it is just a natural partner with barbecue. Zinfandel is versatile and available in many different styles. It enhances barbecue sauce or marinade when it is added to them, and it adds to the pleasure of eating barbecue when it accompanies the meal. The zinfandel is made from red grapes, but there is also a version known as white zinfandel. White zinfandel has a slightly pink coloring.

Rick Slomka, Canadian Director of the Wine Institute of California, says, “With barbecuing season here, there is no better match than a great Zin paired with spicy, grilled foods. Zinfandels are approachable, easy-drinking reds that reflect the casual, informal appeal of an al fresco get-together.”

Because the red zinfandels are dry, they are a perfect match with spicy food like barbecued meats.

One idea that I really like is to let your guests experiment on their own. The guests will be having fun and decreasing work for you in the process. Set up a table in a nice cool shaded area, open several different bottles of zinfandels, set out some glasses and let your guests try different pairings of meats and wine. Experimentation keeps life (and barbecues) interesting.

Everybody knows (or should) that there is nothing better or more relaxing that sipping a glass of brandy after a hearty meal, and there can arguably be no better brandy to relax with than South African brandy. But South African brandy has other uses, too, as some of the wonderful cooks of the region have demonstrated.

I’m not really sure who to give the credit to for this wonderful dessert but it was posted on the Ethnic/International Recipe Exchange as well as by Maatjie Greeff on another South African recipe directory and several other resources have printed it. If you have missed it so far, here it is:

“Cape Tipsy Tart” South African Date & Nut Pudding
Ingredients:

• 250 g dates, stoned and finely chopped
• 5 ml (1 tsp.) bicarb of soda
• 250 ml (1 cup) boiling water
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) butter
• 250 ml (1 cup) sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 500 g cake flour
• 5 ml (1 tsp.) baking powder
• 2 ml (1/2 tsp.) salt
• 250 ml (1 cup) walnuts or pecans, finely chopped

Sauce

• 250 ml (1 cup) sugar
• 15 ml (1 tbs.) butter
• 150 ml water
• 5 ml (1 tsp.) vanilla essence
• Pinch of salt
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) brandy

Method:
Divide dates into 2 bowls, add bicarb to 1 and pour boiling water over, and leave to cool. Cream butter and sugar together and add eggs, beat well.

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt and fold into creamed mixture. Add dry portion of dates and nuts and mix well to combine. Stir in cooled bicarb-and-date mixture and pour into a greased baking dish (large) and bake in a preheated oven of 180 degrees centigrade (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for about 40 minutes.

For Sauce…
Heat sugar, butter and water together in a pan for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla, salt, and brandy. Pour sauce over pudding as soon as you do take it out of the oven and serve hot (preferable) or cold with thick cream.