Food 'n' Drink – Food and Drink news |

Frankly the second half of summer this year has been miserable.  However, now the sunshine has returned and the weather looks set fair and sunny for the next week, it’s not too late to make up for lost time.  Young’s London Gold, a lovely refreshing summery beer which is a light, golden and full flavoured bottle conditioned beer with a refreshing bite, makes the ideal companion to savour these last summery days.

This bottle conditioned beer (alc 4.8 vol) is the closest you’ll get to cask beer, so is ideal for that pub -pulled real beer taste but ideal for entertaining at home, or for picnics, BBQs and al fresco eating with friends and family.

Brewed with the same passion and dedication to quality as the entire Young’s range, London Gold is brewed with 100% farm assured English barley and proudly carries the Red Tractor logo.  Young’s were one of the first beers to be accredited with this accolade because they use only the highest quality English Maris Otter barley, helping to assure the future of local farmers.

London Gold is fresh and slightly floral but with plenty of fruit flavour, so perfect matched with grilled chicken, pasta, tarts and quiches or enjoyed on its own.  London Gold is brewed with natural mineral water from the brewery’s very own well, sunk by the founder, Charles Wells, in the early 1900’s.

Each bottle of beer is made with just four key ingredients – barley, hops, water and yeast, and matures in the bottle for the freshest taste.

Young’s London Gold is available in Sainsbury, Waitrose, Booth’s, Ocado, Morrisons, Budgens  and Londis with a RRP of £1.89 per bottle.

The Internet has helped make wine lovers’ jobs so much easier. The process of finding your favourite bottle now couldn’t be simpler, as with just a few clicks you can have a case sent directly to your door. This is all thanks to mail order wine services. You don’t even have to leave the comfort of your own home to ensure that you’re fully stocked up with enough good wine for every occasion.

One of these occasions might be an upcoming dinner party for which you want to buy red wine, plus a couple of bottles of white, as you know that your guests have individual tastes.

Both grape colours are also needed so that your wine can match the food as closely as is possible; when creating your ideal menu, you should always take the varieties of wine which you have available into account.

There are certain wines that go well with specific dishes, but a good basic rule is that red wines go well with red meats, while white wines match up well with poultry and fish. Therefore, if you’re serving a range of meats across your menu then it may be worth having a different bottle for each course. This will ensure that your wine always perfectly compliments the food that you serve.

If your main course is a classic, like beef wellington or something similar, though, then you can’t go wrong if you just buy Cabernet Sauvignon. This is one of the most widely consumed red grape varieties and, if you know your red wines, then it’s likely that you’ve had a glass of it before.

The Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety is grown in a number of regions around the world and you can take your pick from all of them online. Some of the newer grape regions – including South Africa and Chile – are growing some fantastic produce at the moment and their wines will probably feature heavily in your choice of this deep red. The Brampton Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, which is grown in the Stellenbosch mountain region of South Africa, features a particularly distinctive flavour.

If you’ve never tried a Cabernet Sauvignon before, then your first sip should look out for the taste of blackcurrants and cherries. These fruits don’t only off-set beef well, but also compliment meats such as venison. The wine could even be used in a tasty sauce.

Cabernet Sauvignon is just one of the red wine grape varieties that you can choose from online. If you’re partial to a Merlot or a Pinor Noir, then you can head straight for these red grape varieties. Whichever bottle you choose, you can rest assured that the people at Formula Wine know their stuff – illustrated by their WSET Diploma, the wine trade’s professional qualification.

So, if you’re looking to stock up for an upcoming dinner party or just want to keep your reserves ticking over, head online for a wine choice that will leave you speechless.

Fine wine is a delightful experience if the wine is chosen correctly and those that consume it are able to judge its taste and texture.  There is much more to choosing fine wine then simply reading a label, picking it up, and popping the cork.  This is due to the fact that to truly enjoy fine wine there are a few facts that you need to know.

In general, fine wine sells for around thirty to sixty pounds although the top vintages from notable vineyards can easily sell for thousands of pounds.  However, fine wine in general does not have to extremely expensive in order to be enjoyed.  This is due to the fact that the high priced wine is generally for investment purchases and not for those who simply want to enjoy fine wine.

Before opening a bottle of wine it is important to look over the label carefully due to the fact that some will advise you to allow the wine to breathe for a few hours before consumption, while others will prefer that you open the bottle and serve immediately.  This is due to the fact that different wines are distilled in different manners those in order to enjoy fine wine correctly you need to be sure of what type of wine you are serving and consuming.

However, before you get to serving or consuming wine it is important to ensure that you store it correctly in a suitable location in your home.  Wine is a perishable food item that will sour or lose its distinctive tastes if not properly stored.  It is important to keep all types of wine away from areas in which there are fluctuations in humidity and temperature, as well as any areas that are exposed to a great deal of light or heat.

With this in mind, it is also important to understand when to chill and when to leave wine at room temperature before serving.  Many times the bottle  will offer instruction but in cases of doubt the rule of thumb is that red wine should be served at room temperature and white wine should be served chilled in order to properly enjoy fine wine.

Fine wine is now much easier to find as many leading retailers such as The Drink Shop now offer a plethora of bottles on their shelves for easy complements to a dinner.  In fact, Tesco also has a wine club and wine selections of the month in order to help its customers enjoy the best flavours of wine based on the grape growing seasons which is worth exploring for those who enjoy fine wine.

The results of the 2010 Great Value Wine and Trophy Awards have been announced today.

And there is some great news for England in the shape of Camel Valley Wines (www.camelvalley.com) in Cornwall which has knocked France off its pedestal by scooping top prize, the Sparkling Rosé Trophy, beating other Gold medallists from Champagne and Australia. It also won English Sparkling Trophy for its 2008 Pinot Noir Rosé Brut (£24.95). Overall, France pride was maintained as the top trophy-winning nation, with an impressive 21 trophies.

14 Great Value Awards – judged on style, availability and price – have been awarded in this year’s competition providing consumers with accessible and affordable wines particularly in the supermarkets.  The results are:

• Great Value Sparkling Wine Under £10, Brut Natural 2007, £9.99, South Africa, Marks & Spencer
• Great Value Sparkling Wine between £10 and £15, Lambrusco Reggiano Concerto, 2009, RRP £12, Italy, EH Booth, Everywine.co.uk, Harrods wine shop, Valvona & Crolla, Vinum
• Great Value Sparkling Wine between £15 and £20, Waitrose Champagne Brut NV, £19.99, France, Waitrose
• Great Value White Wine Under £6 Moon Bridge Riesling, 2009, £5.49, Australia, Marks & Spencer
• Great Value Rosé Wine between £6 and £10, Secano Rosé Pinot Noir, 2009, £7.49, Chile, Marks & Spencer
• Great Value White Wine between £6 and £10, Falanghina Campania, 2009, RRP £9.99, Italy, Laytons Wine Merchant, Mondial Wine, Oddbins Fine Wine, Winetraders
• Great Value White Wine between £6 and £10, Domaine Villargeau Sauvignon Blanc, 2009, RRP £9.99, France, Majestic Wine Warehouse, Daniel Lambert Wines, Bristol Wine Co
• Great Value Red Wine Under £6, La Différence Carignan, 2009, £5.81, France, Tesco
• Great Value Red Wine between £6 and £10, Reserve Shiraz, 2008, £8.99, Australia, Waitrose
• Great Value Red Wine between £10 and £15, Cuvée Alexandre Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008, RRP £12.99, Casa Lapostolle, Chile, Berkmann Wine Cellars, The Vineyard, Slurp.co.uk, Hailsham Cellars
• Great Value Sweet Wine between £10 and £15, Tamar Ridge Kayena Vineyard Botrytis Riesling, 2007, £13.99, Australia, Waitrose, Vin du Van Wine Merchants, Topsham Wines, Philglass & Swiggot, Bowland Forest Vintners, Adnams Wine Merchants
• Great Value Fortified Wine under £10, La Gitana Manzanilla NV, £8.39, Spain, Waitrose
• Great Value Fortified Wine Under £10, Fonseca Bin 27 NV, £9.99, Portugal, Morrisons
• Great Value Fortified Wine between £10 and £15, Campbells Rutherglen Muscat NV, RRP £11.49, Australia, Adnams Wine Merchants, Bon Coeur Fine Wines, Christopher Piper Wines, Oddbins

Visit the IWC website www.internationalwinechallenge.com for the full list of winners

With the aim of providing a complete range of products designed to meet every need, EuroCave, the reference in wine cabinets for both professionals and wine enthusiasts in France and around the world, has extended its range further in creating la Petite V2.

The first resolutely designer wine cabinet, La Petite V2 meets the requirements of new, more urban, wine enthusiasts who want a product which is both practical and aesthetic.

The new version of La Petite V2, all in black, is even more functional and attractive: a real gem of a wine cabinet! La Petite V2 brings 12 bottles of wine, white or red, to an ideal serving temperature.

Indispensable for an impromptu dinner, aperitif or family get-together…especially with its glass top, which provides an ingenious and elegant additional support.

Owing to its two oxygen extraction heads, La Petite V2 can store 2 opened bottles of wine for up to 10 days, whilst ensuring that the qualities of the wine remain intact. For ease of handling, the 2 bottle supports make it easy to position the wine bottles under the device.

Moreover, this device constantly monitors the vacuum in the bottle, guaranteeing optimal storage conditions for your opened bottles.

With La Petite V2, you can serve a fine wine by the glass with confidence and also drink a bottle opened at the weekend!

EuroCave has also incorporated a permanent lighting system into La Petite V2: your bottles will be bathed in a gentle amber light, ensuring that they are displayed as effectively as possible. La Petite V2’s full glass door ensures that it is a cut above the rest in terms of design.

Finally, La Petite V2 is a perfect example of EuroCave’s technological expertise: it benefits from an external backlit programming panel with touch controls.

Technical features:

Capacity: 12 bottles

Multi-temperature

Length of time an opened bottle can be stored for: up to 10 days

Dimensions: H850 x W297 x D462mm

Weight: 25 kg

Adjustable feet: 810 – 830mm.

Recommended ambient temperature: 18 – 30°C

Power supplied by independent unit: 100V/240V – 12V.

Recommended retail price: around £1,150 , including VAT.
For real luxury, La Petite V2 is also now available with a a leather finish !

More details: http://www.eurocave.co.uk/

A scientific study by the Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences in Bordeaux (ISVV) into the storage of wine in different forms of packaging has revealed that the bag-in-box®, single-layer PET and small multi-layer PET altered the character of the white wines when stored over 6 months, with oxidation clearly noticeable.

The ISVV is the largest wine research establishment in Europe, and the study featured red and white Bordeaux wine, which the Institute packed into several different packaging materials and stored in laboratory conditions. Researchers analysed the levels of gases (oxygen, carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide) contained in the wine, along with its taste and colour intensity at regular intervals over a period of one year.

Rémy Ghidossi, lecturer at the ISVV, said, “A lot of contradictory information has been circulating in recent months regarding different packaging solutions suitable for wines. It is now necessary to establish the truth, based on scientific information and quantitative data, to determine the legitimacy of each package, as its main function is to preserve the flavour and characteristics of its content.”

The study concluded that the analysis of white wine showed convincing results within six months with significantly increased penetration of oxygen into the wine and a corresponding decrease in levels of carbon dioxide. After six months, the white wine clearly oxidised in single- and multi-layer PET, as well as the bag-in-box®. It did, however, remain stable in the two glass bottles. The chemical analyses were confirmed by the jury of expert and novice tasters, who were unanimous about it tasting of rotten fruit. Some initial signs were beginning to emerge in the red wine, but it was too soon to draw any definite conclusions. Further tests will continue into the second year.

You can download or share the presentation, which details all the research findings, via SlideShare.

Gerard Basset MS, MW, one of the country’s best known Sommeliers and owner of Hotel TerraVina in Hampshire, has won the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI) World’s Best Sommelier Competition, held in Chile from the 12th-15th April 2010.

The competition attracted candidates from each of the ASI’s 51 member countries, and consisted of a quarter final, semi final and the final, in front of an audience with rigorous written and practical exams, including blind tastings and service role plays to test the candidates’ knowledge of wine, spirits, and other beverages and food and wine pairing, as well as their service skills to determine the winner of the competition. It is very well known that the competition is hard, intense and demands complete dedication and commitment to the industry.

French-born Basset, one of the co-founders of the successful Hotel du Vin chain has the distinction of being the only person in the world who is a Master of Wine, Master Sommelier and who has the Wine MBA. He moved to England, 27 years ago, becoming Head Sommelier at Chewton Glen, the Michelin-starred hotel in Hampshire. In 1989 he won UK Sommelier of the year. 1992 he won the Best International Sommelier for French Wines (Paris). In 1996 he won the Best Sommelier of Europe and in 1998, he qualified as a Master of Wine, having already qualified as a Master Sommelier in 1989.

Gerard says “I am absolutely delighted and completely overwhelmed to have won. It’s been a long hard road with many many hours of training for the competition – but to be crowned the World Champion is beyond words”.