Out of Africa

Down in the crypt of Fortnum & Mason I waited. Empty bottles of the world's most sought after wines lined the antique shelves... Petrus, Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau d'Yquem... I was in heaven. But, I was not in the crypt for a wine tasting, this time I was joining a small group for an African coffee workshop!

Together we learnt about the life of the coffee bean and how it evolves into coffee. I tend to take wine tastings for granted, discerning the nuances and subtleties between a New Zealand and Loire Sauvignon Blanc, and coming up with suitable terms to best describe the little grape, but with coffee I was back to square one. Sniffing, swirling, tasting... all the elements of a wine tsting, but, what did I get on the nose? On the palate? Roast caramel? Leather? Chocolate? Citrus? Floral notes? Me.... I got coffee. And coffee. And, yes... coffee!

Our little beans came all the way from the east African countries of Kenya and Tanzania to the Geisha monutains in Ethiopia. One legendary coffee - a very special treat we were told - came from a particular part of Panama. Very special indeed. Our host was so excited at sharing this speciality with us, that we oohed and aahed along with him. Indeed... it smelt like, er... coffee. And tasted like coffee. At least it was not the rare Indonesian Kopi Luwak that has reputedly passed through the digestive system of a civet!

Coffee tasting at F&M.

What was interesting was comparing tastings of the same coffee, but using different brewing methods. How some techniques resulted in a smoother, less bitter finish and others brought out a stronger roast element.

I am not much of a coffee drinker. I adore the smell, but hot drinks have ever really been my thing. But I have noticed that, as a social group, we no longer purchase jars of Nescafe or Kenco 'gold' instant, but brew a ground cafetiere style coffee. Next up the ladder is buying the roasted bean and grinding for an even fresher result, but for now I will try out my Jubilee Blend Coffee, which is a special new blend of coffee that uses the finest beans from old and new members of the Commonwealth in celebration of the Queen's Jubilee. A little Fortnum & Mason treat for me. At least now I will appreciate the effort and time spent to make this blend, to create a coffee with aromas and flavours fit for a Queen. God save our Queen!

Overberg wine adventure

In Decanter's January 2012 edition, there is an article about South Africa's new guard of winemakers - highlighting some of the 'young guns' setting South Africa's wine scene alight with their drive, passion, modern approach, with the result of producing some world class wines.

As luck would have it, I was holidaying only a short drive from some of these vineyards, so, as soon as the cellar doors re-opened from their New Year hangovers, we set off to explore the Overberg and Elgin Valley.

Cape Vintage Port on tap at Beaumont Wines

Our first stop was Beaumont Wines in Bot River. This family run farm is headed by viticulturist and winemaker Sebastian Beaumont and has come a long way since my first visit many years ago, where I fell in love with their Ariane, a classic Bordeaux blend. This is the oldest cellar in the Overberg and is a delight for any visitor.

But, for me, their most alluring wine is their celebrated Hope Marguerite Chenin Blanc. Oh my God, if I could be drip fed this heavenly nectar for the rest of my days I would be a VERY happy woman! This is a truly outstanding wine, with hints of dried apricot on the nose and green apple and on the palate, again that luscious apricot, beautifully balanced by being barrelled in oak. This 2010 vintage is a definite five star wine and I can't wait to attack the bottles I bought (R145/bottle). The new generation of South African Chenin Blancs are really doing to South Africa what Malbec is doing to Argentina and what Sauvignon Blanc did to New Zealand. These are sophisticated, finessed wines that are exciting and seductive!

Also worth mentioning are the interesting results from their Mourvedre style wines. I succumbed to the 2009 Shiraz/Mourvedre (R125) - a fragrant, spicy blend and promptly bought 2 more bottles for my collection. I couldnt help notice the large barrel standing just inside the cellar door. Scribbled across a chalk board was an offer selling their Foot Stomped 2005 Cape Vintage Port on tap - a 50/50 blend of Tinta Barocca and Pinotage. Not as refined or elegant as their 2006 vintage, but what the hell - sign me up for a few more cases please!

Next up on our fabulous adventure was Wildekrans Wine Estate, which has been under new ownership since 2007 and has about 56 hectares under vines. I slowly worked my way through their full selection at their tasting room in the farming village of Grabouw.

I wasn't wild about their white wines as a whole, although the 2011 Directors Blend (R65) and 2010 Osiris Barrel Selection Chenin Blanc (R120) were notable. What was exciting were their reds - easy to drink and great value for money. The 2009 Merlot (R64) and 2009 Cabernet Franc/Merlot (£63) were both delightful. The former so easily quaffible with hints of chocolate and vanilla on the nose and lovely ripe blackberries on the palate. Six bottles please. The latter was perhaps even more enjoyable, with the Cabernet Franc backbone. A right plum of a wine and 4 more bottles for my collection! Finally, I bought 2 bottles of their maiden vintage 2009 Wildekrans Osiris Shiraz Barrel Selection (R130), which showed off black cherries and silky dark chocolate. I'm not sure if any of these wines will develop as they mature.... Only time will tell!

Oak Valley Wines tasting room

Oak Valley Wines in Elgin is another wonderful destination worth visiting. I don't think I've ever had a poor wine from this cellar and their current selection is no exception, showing yet another stonker of a vintage! They only have 5 wines to taste and buy, but each wine was better than the previous as I moved from the silky-green Sauvignon Blanc, to a beautifully balanced multiple, award-winning Chardonnay, and on to their superb reds... their 2009 Oak Valley Pinot Noir and a super Bordeaux blend - a 2006 Oak Valley Merlot Cabernet Blend (51% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon). This is an expressive blend showing plump plums and red berries. Mocha and even a hint of mint... makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Even though only a 2006 wine, this is still a young wine and so of course I had to buy some bottles to keep for another occasion.

Thankfully I was not in charge of driving, but as the boot of the car was not working, Iwas carefully packed away on the back seat, surrounded by boxes and boxes of my newly acquired wines. Life is good. I am happy.

More info can be found at:
Beaumont Wines www.beaumont.co.za
Wildekrans Wine Estate www.wildekrans.com
Oak Valley Wines www.oakvalleywines.com
Overberg wine information www.overbergwine.com

Phillippa Cheifitz's Cape Grape Cake

A boyfriend once gave me Phillippa Cheifitz's Cape Town Food cookbook. Over the years I have taken inspiration from many of her recipes and I see now that she is a contributor to the Woolworth's Taste magazine.

Now I am no baker. Never have been. Baking is so scientfic in approach. I love the results of the chemistry between flour, butter and sugar, but I have little patience in sifting and measuring and mixing and timing and not confusing my teaspoons with my tablespoons.

Which is why I so love this recipe. Not to mention the cup of dessert wine required in this wonderfully simple, moist cake that is an absolute winner with men and women alike. Especially now that once the bottle of dessert wine has been opened, someone has to finish it!

This Cape Grape Cake - and the dessert wines - are just so YUM!

This link takes you to the Google books website for the recipe. And do please let me know if you know why the grapes sometimes sink, or sometimes stay on the top of the cake... this time around they sank.

Tasting notes:
2007 Antinori Muffato Della Sala IGT, Umbria, Italy
My first note is that I did NOT use this wine in the cake! After a bit of a Google search, I am glad I didn't as this is a limited quantity, experimental wine by Antinori. It's a blend of 60% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Grechetto, Traminer and Riesling, and is pale gold in colour with floral, honey and citrus notes and flavours, intesified on the palate - and with a smooth and finessed wine. It is produced from botrytised grapes and 6 months in French oak.

2002 Chateau Terfort, Sainte-Croix-du-Mont, France
This golden Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle blend from the Entre-Deux-Mers region of Bordeaux bursts with caremel and honey and is a lovely rich, yet silky wine that is also a result of botrysis.

Beheading dangerous snowmen

I don't know if you noticed that literally hours after the 2-inch snow we had in south-west London during February, that our snowmen had been beheaded. "Who had so savagely chopped off their heads?" I wondered with a melting heart.

Apparently, it was our local councils. I'm yet to find out who's job spec this all-important role belongs to and how our tax money pays for this service.

Sadly, we are victim to the apparent safeguarding of our parks and grasslands, where a beheaded snowman will melt faster AND - believe it or not - were also being destroyed for health and safety reasons!

Headless snowmen lying broken across our common

Resilient forever, but handle with care

I've spent the past few months catching up with old friends... housemates, schoolmates, play mates. Great friends - some that I've gotten to know over many years, people that know my secrets and I their's. Friends that I've laughed and cried with. And friends that I don't always see enough of.

It's fair to say that many friends have married and settled into roles of husband, wife, mother, and father, so their lives have shifted and evolved, sadly, often away from mine. Many have new friends, from maternity classes, through their partners, and more recently their kids' schools. They juggle work, travelling spouses, dinner parties, and weekend social and sporting events. I am constantly in awe at how resilient we humans are. How deep-down there is that reserve energy and somehow everyone keeps it together and survives another day and another week. I feel exhausted just listening to some routines and yet impressed at so many achievements.

I on the other hand am meant to be living this social life, free from commitment and responsibilty, of dancing on tables and going to bed as the first birds start their morning chatter. I don't think I've ever danced on a table. Maybe I should! But, there's no fun in cracking open a bottle of wine unless you are in the company of friends, to toast to old memories, drown out others, and hope for great adventures ahead. Friends, to be your family when your family are thousands of miles away, to share your dreams and your pains, laugh at our stupidy and commend our bravery!

Under all this tireless resilience we are sensitive to comment, criticism, rejection, and exclusion. It's a fragile network that needs to be handled with care. This little family of friends that forever shifts as the patterns of our lives change.

As a person living in London, you never need to be alone, but you can be lonely. I think I can say the same for friends in relationships, who can also feel alone in their challenges to balance their lives, to be an individual in their own right and yet find the right level of compromise with their partner and children. Maybe we get too distracted on what we are striving for, rather that pausing on our journeys, to stop, exhale, crack open a bottle of wine, dance on a table and enjoy time with our friends... before diving back into our crazy lives.

Proper olives!

I used to hate olives. Now they are the perfect nibble to partner a glass of wine or enjoy at the start of a meal. Recently my friends and I came across these wonderful big green olives - they are are brightest of green, they are fat and succulent, and we want more!!

Jamie Oliver's amazing whole Verdi Mammoth olives! 

I am not sure why you can't buy them in our local supermarkets, but I have found them at the following places:

BYRON Burger - order a bowl of their "Proper olives" for £2.75 and of course try out their great burgers! YUM!

byronhamburgers.com

Jamie Oliver's RECIPEASE in Clapham - selling their amazing green Verdi Mammoth olives from Pulgia for £3.95

jamieoliver.com/recipease




Afternoon high-tea celebration

A little afternoon spoil for my female cousins and I to get together to celebrate my aunt's 70th birthday.

Out of the boxes came my pretty little tea-cups, tea pots, and cake stands. Into the fridge went the bubbly, cream and caviar (I just can't enough of this yummy salty, mouth-popping roe!).

Jo and I spent the morning preparing a lovely afternoon treat of dainty cucumber sandwiches, salmon on a dill and spring-onion cream-cheese spread topped with caviar, hot out-of-the-oven savoury scones as well as plain scones with clotted cream and black-cherry jam, profiteroles stuffed full of cream and vanilla custard, and baby goats cheese and beetroot thyme tarts. Served with pots of Yorkshire Gold tea, fresh mint & lemon water, and a glass of two of Charles Heidsieck Champagne.

Savoury scones, profiteroles & cucumber sandwiches

Salmon on a dill and spring-onion cream-cheese spread topped with caviar

We left the men to their own devices, which no doubt involved beer and rugby.