A Burgundy blind tasting

My 'wine man' included a few bottles Burgundy in my last delivery, and after recently enjoying a week's holiday exploring the appellations of Bourgogne and the joys and secrets of the Chardonnay grape, I was interested in comparing a few different wines.

I invited some friends and put them in charge of our meal, which turned out to be a succulent roast chicken with pork stuffing, glorious roast potatoes and salad.

I had prepared the wines in advance, wrapping them in tinfoil and giving each a number from one to four so that 1) we could guess which wine was which, and 2) find out who liked what wine. I have to admit that none of us guessed all four wines correctly, but we all had a mutual favourite, that being the Saint Veran.

The results of our Burgundy blind tasting - you can see which ones were the most popular!

Tasting notes (from left to right):

1.  2006 Saint Veran, Verget, Appellation Saint Veran Contrôlée (13% vol):
This was our favourite wine! It's a pale-yellow wine and I adored the clean minerally, lemon nose and the citrus on the palate with a smooth, not tart, finish. As per the photo above, it was guzzled without much further thought! Splendid.
2. 2007 Macon-Uchizy, Cave Talmard, Mallory & Benjamin (Paul Mallory), Appellation Macon-Villages Contrôlée (13% vol):

Golden-yellow with caramel, honeysuckle, and oak on the nose. A good food wine and perfect with our roast chicken. Reminded me of days as a child sniffing the honeysuckle flowers in my gran's garden - that wonderfully hedonistic scent.

3. 2010 White Burgundy, Marks & Spencer, Appellation Bourgogne Contrôlée (13% vol):

A pale wine with a light, clean nose. Mineral and citrus on the palate - slightly astringent compared to the others tasted. A good value Burgundy. I included this £6.49 M&S wine as I was interested to see how it stacked up against the others. I would happily recommend this with a yummy roast chicken - it's a bargin!

4. 2006 Simonnet-Febvre Chablis, Appellation Chablis Contrôlée (13% vol):

Another pale wine with a touch of peach on the nose - very slightly floral. Lemons. A bit tart and lean on the palate. This is the wine that confused us as we didn't think it was a Chablis.

April showers, chasing sticks

It's that time of the year when today I wear my flower-print top and pumps and tomorrow I'm back in my knee-high boots and hooded-coat. Spring. Winter. Summer temptations. All this indecision. It drives me nuts. Especially as I don't have enough space to have both summer and winter wardrobes out of the backs and tops of cupboards!

These April showers, a term commonly used to reflect the unsettled spring weather of the UK, followed an unseasonably mild March - promising an early summer.
But, really, April is a great time of the year... bright yellow daffodils and colourful spring flowers bob around in the morning sun. Granny is out on the common with her little dog, chasing sticks and balls. The dog, not granny. And then there is granny, sitting on the common bench catching her breath. It's all too sweet.

I see daylight both on my way to AND from work. And at this time of the year the colours create that brilliant, almost black and white effect as the light breaks through between buildings, over bridges and races across the Thames water. It's all rather glorious.

I suppose it can be said that spring is a time for new beginnings, for growth and making sure the year is on track against those New Year ideals we committed to all three, going on four months ago. Instead, it kinda freaks me out knowing that the past months have disappeared and I'm yet to get off the starting blocks. The odd thing is that I am so busy. If it's not mountains of work, then it's social events, family commitments, the odd course or activity, or catching up with friends visiting London... so when exactly does one start the year and future? I guess I am in my future?

Maybe I'm that little dog in the common, chasing sticks and my little furry tail? Dashing round and round in circles. For a brief moment, it's a nice thought. All that freedom and not a care in the world other than catching that stick. But not for a second would I trade my dinner for a tin of Husky chunks and some crunchy treats! Back to my future I will go...

Ceviche & Pisco Sours

Ceviche is a Peruvian restaurant and Pisco bar in Soho - one of the new kids on the block.

I had never tasted a Pisco Sour before and was not really anticipating anything too fabulous, so I was pleasantly surprised when this not too sweet, not too sour or tart drink was presented to me. It has this wonderful lightness and smooth silkiness from the egg whites that seduces you like a Latin lover.

Pisco is a type of brandy and the drink is prepared by blending 3 ice cubes, 50ml Pisco, 1 tbs sugar, 1 tbs lime and 1 tsp egg white. Serve it with a splash of Angostura bitters.

From the Ceviche bar - we enjoyed delicious and seductive treats of seabass ceviche, the pulpo al olivo - braised octopus with a smooth olive paste, light and crunchy cancha - a peruvian corn. We ordered more of those crunchy gems!

Off the list of Anticuchos - grilled skewers - the perfectly medium-rare rump was served with a aji panca chilli anticucho marinade. The Corazon, beef heart!!!, was also tasty - thinly sliced so not too rich, and still palatable for those like us eating heart for the first time. The confit duck on a bed of dark beer rice was also great.

Personally, I would have worked my way through the entire ceviche list! And then finished with the rump anticuchos. Complimented by a Pisco Sour or 5!

Ceviche, in short, is freshly prepared seafood that is marinated in a lime, aji amarillo chilli (a yellow pepper), onion, salt & pepper mix. The citric acids of the limes "cook" the raw fish by changing the protein structure of the fish - almost as if it has been cooked. It is deliciously light and refreshing. Serving this with the crunchy large-kernal corn is a wonderful compliment to this dish and typical of Peru.

The restaurant was busy and vibey - lots of chat and laughter against a chilled-out soundtrack. The staff were friendly and desparately trying to keep pace with the rhythm of the evening and orders. A place to revisit.