Eat & Drink
Originally published on Sunday, 26th October 2008
Make for Malbec
Burgundy, Merlot, Sherry, and The Square - Urban Junkies has teamed up with wine guru extraordinaire Tom Harrow to bring you the Wine Chap's useful Wine Tips.
ShelfTalk: Make for Malbec
Weeded out of Bordeaux a few decades ago and produced in thankfully small quantities in the Loire Valley, Malbec’s best expression in its native France is from Cahors in the South-West. Its chunky, chalky tannins usually ripen better here and the Prestige Cuvee from Chateau du Cedre , one of the region’s top producers, has long been a spicy, seasonal favourite of mine. When the talk turns to Malbec these days, however, South America is the foremost association. And since being brought to Argentina in the 1800s, the grape has made a fine home for itself among the polo pitches and cattle ranches of Mendoza. Catena Zapata has long been considered top dog in the region but Terrazas is now making an impressively characterful mid-price Reserva and their premium ‘Afincado’ is a ‘monolithic brooding compote of rich and dried fruits stretched around a focused core of earthy minerals that will have you baying for a juicy sirloin’ (according to my notes). Also worth a swallow are This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. efforts: the dodgy label of the basic This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (evidently nicked from the old Jeeves & Wooster opening credits) belying a more complex Malbec than the usual supermarket jam of the same price.
Chateau du Cedre – Lea and Sandeman, various west London branches
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– WineChap will point you in the right direction if interested
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Terrazas Reserva – The Vintage House, 42 Old Compton Street W1 and Harrods, Knightsbridge
Terrazas Afincado – Fortnum & Mason, 181 Picadilly W1
Catena Alta – Majestic Wine Warehouses, everywhere
NB – the latter three are all available at Gaucho Restaurants, in their select London locations.
BoozeBluff: ‘Choosing an ’82 Château Angelus in Casino Royale highlights the none-to-subtle attempts to contemporize traditions in the Bond franchise’
With the new Bond film anticipated at the end of the month, this is a timely reference to the wine drunk previously in the sexually-charged restaurant-car scene with Craig and Green trading barbs like Bogie and Bacall. It happens to be correct but the bluff element here comes from assuming such an esoteric fact is not only common knowledge but clumsily employed to make a point.
In fact in Bond, Fleming created not only a spy, lover, and style icon but, most importantly, a BoozeBluffer without peer. In Dr No, when offered a ’55 Dom Perignon by the eponymous villain, his response, ‘I prefer the ‘53’, immediately denotes a desire to appear more sophisticated. Subsequent dissing of M’s Cognac in Goldfinger (‘indifferently-blended, an overdose of Bon Bois’), and Sake serving-temperature knowledge (98.4F) in You Only Live Twice, further highlight the impressively ruthless snobbery of 007 – Licence To Bluff.
WineMate: Curry Connection
When it comes to choosing accompanying beverages for Indian food, I have found it hard to look beyond a 500ml bottle of Kingfisher or Cobra. However chef Atul Kochhar and his sommelier Costanzo Scala at Benares make you consider other options with their 9-course tasting menu and paired wines. For the full experience head to Berkeley Square, but here are some of the key flavours and wines from their more successful combinations:
Curry Leaf/Tarragon and Lobster Rillet vs. Rousanne showed how the richness of the shellfish and gentle spice of the herbs works well with the slightly over-ripe mango and ginger cream biscuit character of this opulently-styled if unsubtle grape. Chicken Tikka in Mild Tomato and Fenugreek Sauce must be one of the easier dishes to recreate at home and a generously-oaked, lush-fruited New World Chardonnay was a spot-on partner, accentuating the creaminess and mellow acidity of the dish. The most unlikely pairing of the evening was also one of the most successful. Griddled Tiger Prawns and the Mont du Toit 2003, a hedonistic South African Bordeaux/Shiraz blend really shouldn’t have worked. But the earthy, cumin nose of the wine and most importantly its soft tannins played up well to the curry leaf spice of the slightly charred prawns and rich onion sauce, continuing the spicy assault on the mid-palate. As a general observation, try fruity New World or ripe Old World (Southern Rhone, Spain, etc.) whites and reds, with mild acidity and silky tannins as a more sophisticated alternative to lager with your Chicken Bhuna next Sunday night…
