2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Forrest Estate
Leaving behind careers in medicine and molecular biology, Doctors John and Brigid Forrest established Forrest Estate in Marlborough's stony Wairau River Valley (not a million miles from Cloudy Bay) in 1989. This cheery pair won a coup at their first vintage, scooping a trophy for their Sauvignon at NZ's national wine awards. Crisp, scintillating and irresistibly aromatic, with tangy gooseberry and tropical fruit flavours, this excels with incendiary Thai dishes. "Beautiful passionfruit fragrance, but not in your face at all. A fantastic example of NZ Sauvignon with elegance." Wine & Spirit, May 2008
What do you crave when you’ve had a drink?
It will come as no surprise that pubs and bars know exactly what you’ll fancy when you’ve had a couple of drinks.
Usually, when you’re perusing the menu in front of you in your slightly inebriated state, you’ll find something which takes your fancy and you’ll salivate while you sit at the table waiting for it to arrive!
But how do the pubs know that a toasted cheese sandwich on white bread served with chips on the side is going to satisfy your immediate craving?
It’s quite simple – pretty much everyone who works in or runs a pub is bound to know what they fancy after a few bevvies and that’s how they’ll construct their menu!
Once you’ve had a couple of tipples, the last thing on your mind is healthy eating. You’ve already consumed a fair number of calories so there’s not really much point in them offering you wholemeal bread toast at that point, is there?
Instead, the menu will pretty much consist of stodge and plenty of it. Think great British grub and you’ve got a pub menu right there! There’s nothing better than a yummy steak and kidney pie with mash and gravy to help sober you up.
And if somewhere does proper chips, they make the most perfect drinking snack out there – especially when they’re slathered with mayo and ketchup!
Of course, if you’re drinking at home, your snacks don’t need to be too unhealthy. In fact, I think having some celery and carrot sticks dipped in a variety of dips (perhaps with some crisps as well!) is the ideal accompaniment to a bottle of wine with friends.
There’s no denying though that when it comes to drinking snacks, or all snacks, for that matter, unhealthy things taste so much better!
2008 Chablis, Domaine d’Elise
Facing a plate of oysters? This wine, with its enticing smoky aromas and unusual depth of minerally, citrusy flavour, is the Chablis to choose. Frédéric Prain took over Domaine d'Elise, on slopes in the village of Milly, above the Premier Cru 'Côte de Lechet', in 1983, transforming 13 hectares of stony vineyards with the help of just four workers. Vinification is thorough yet gentle, with the wine allowed to rest on its fine lees for a very long while.
Escondido Torrontes, Gouguenheim, Mendoza
500ml Adnams Lighthouse Pale Ale x12 3.4% Abv
Les Bastions Blanc, Cotes de St Mont, Gascony
Fascinating Gascon grapes make for a complex array of fresh, fruity, floral and herby characters in this appealing dry white. Made by the ultra-reliable team at the Plaimont winery, who have an admirable focus on polishing the finer characters of the region's local grapes (in this case, Arrufiac, Petit Courbu and Manseng), bringing intriguing styles to a wide audience.
Fabulous Tankard Groom
This fabulous Tankard for the Groom makes a wonderful special gift to give him on his wedding day and may even calm his nerves if it is filled with his favourite beer!The tankard is made from glass in a traditional jug style. Already printed is an image of a man in a top hat and morning suit and the word 'Groom'.Due to the nature of this product please note colours may vary and can achieve different results from the images on screen; design has a frosted appearance on the outside of the glass and will appear differently on the inside. However we strive to make our colours as accurate as possible before being despatched. Fabulous Tankard Groom Further Information:Weight: 0.585 KGHeight: 9 CMWidth: 14 CMDepth: 13 CM
RAATS – Original Chenin Blanc 2010 75cl Bottle
Original Chenin celebrates wine at its most natural. Harvested separately from sandstone and granite soil in different pickings over the ripening period to enhance diversity of flavour, vinified separately according to their soil type. Crafted without oak to preserve all the 'original' vibrant freshness. Exploding with succulent green melon, apple, pineapple, citrus and hints of ginger in the mouth, perfectly weighted with a crisp, mineral finish. This is Chenin Blanc to rival any other. 'Bruwer's entry level wine now carries so much class and granite-soaked minerality that it would be anyone else's flagship Chenin Blanc. Ignore it at your peril.' - Matthew Jukes' Top 50 from Cape Wine 2008. Grapes grown from the two soil types are vinified separately, the decomposed granite bringing a lime and mineral character, while the sandstone more fruit and structure. The juice was cold settled for 2-3 days then cold fermented (14 - 18 degrees C ) in stainless steel tanks and aged on the lees for 6 months before bottling. No wood ageing. Can be enjoyed now and will mature well over the next 2-4 years, if stored correctly. An easy-to-pair wine since it has so has a wide flavour profile, but we especially recommend it with curry or similar spicy dishes as well as sushi and oysters Accolades... # 87 point rating in the March 31 issue of Wine Spectator 2010 # 2010 John Platter - 4 Stars (9 consecutive vintages) # Stars out of Africa - Mail & Guardian, UK. 22.01.10 - chosen by Olly Smith as one of the top 5 wine selections from SA