It’s something I experience when I drink really cheap, preservative laden fruit juices too - I react instantly - in fact I can smell the stuff in both juice and wine and tell you before I drink it that I’m going to react to it.

So what causes the blocked nose?

I always thought it was the Sulphur in wine and the Sodium Benzonate in the juices - but perhaps not.

A recent tweet from myself led @diproc and @sampugh1 to suggest that the main culprit could in fact be the Histamines found in wine. Interesting.

They pointed me to the following article

Wine and Headaches - Maybe not what you think.

and I found one more that is really worth reading:

This wine is making me feel…Sneezy?

What have I concluded from this research? Nothing really - I still don’t know what cause my reaction.

A usefull tip though: if you think you have an allergy to Sulphur - then go and buy a packet of dried apricots and eat them. If you react after eating them - then you are probably allergic to Sulphur.

If not - then it may be the Histamines.

Failing that - just drink better wine!

Spurned on by this recent success I have been entering other competitions at a rate of knots - as they say: you have to be in it to win it.

What a pleasure to discover the following competition - perfect for all us Wine Perverts!

Three readers stand the chance to win fantastic prizes courtesy of Black Knight Wines and Compleat Golfer magazine.

1st prize: a set of Muirfield 1959 and Augusta 1961 wines, both signed by Gary Player. 2 x 2nd prize: a case of Muirfield 1959 wines, valued at R1 800.

To enter, either SMS Player and your name to 34419 (eg Player Michael to 34419) or enter below.

Click Here to Enter!

(Each SMS costs R2, terms and conditions apply)

Good Luck - not sure why I told u guys because I’m hoping to win myself.

Jeanri-Tine
OMG is that a worm in my gnocchi? That’s a big oops Balducci’s. http://twitpic.com/21gwcx

thecru
@JeanriTine that’s a delicacy in some countries. must be fusion cooking by the head chef.

Cathy Marston
@JeanriTine Well, you know what’s worse than finding a worm in your salad don’t you? Half a worm…..

thecru
@CathyMarston @JeanriTine i found someones full finger nail in my ice cream once - sorry I didn’t just find it - i bit into it.

Cathy Marston
@thecru @JeanriTine Nice. Well, we once got ciabattas delivered to the restaurant with a razor blade baked in one of them. Beat that?!

I thought I would write a quick post and ask all of you the following question:

Whats the worst thing you have found in your food?

Leave some comments and/or send me some pics if you have any!

email: thecrusa@gmail.com

When I think about KWV - my immediate thought is “big co-op with no soul” producing mass market wines - harsh, but a reality in my mind and I suspect that of many others.

So when I was sent a bottle of KWV The Mentors Shiraz 2008 I was quite interested in the concept as a whole of The Mentors range of wines.

I think it’s an attempt by KWV to shed that big co -op image  - which is a tough ask - but a noble effort nonetheless.

The whole marketing push for the Mentors Range seems to be centered around the notion of premium, climate and terrior specific wines. The wines are beautifully packaged and the supporting press docs are top notch too. I do think they could have been a little more specific on where the vineyards are though - some mention the estates, others don’t.

You can read more about The Mentors wines here - let’s move on to the wine I was given.

I opened it last night to share with me mates Dave and Custer and of course Lovely Lis. Their reaction at first sip said it all - we had a good wine on our hands.

KWV The Mentors Shiraz 2008

Dark in colour and dark in fruit flavour profile. Plums, coffee, mocha. The standout for this wine is the mouthfeel - sensuous and soft velvet texture with gentle, mouth tickling tannins. Savoury finish.

The wine retails for about R250 - so it’s not cheap. It has won some prestiguous awards recently but I personally wasn’t convinced. While the official tasting note suggests “fresh red berries” I did not experience that - it had a flat note that I can’t put my finger on.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s an excellent wine that will please many (and I have a feeling the ladies in particular) - I just think that for the price point, there are other Shiraz’s from South Africa that express themselves and their terroir with more flamboyance and intrigue.

Perhaps that’s just my taste in wines though - so give the wine a go and let me know what you think.

Which is criminal if you think about it - I live on the doorstep of some of the most spectacular wine scenery in the world. I have an excuse though - for the last year I have had to attend lectures every Saturday morning for 4hrs. Now that that is over it’s back to my wine alcoholism ways!

It was a great day out - good friends, good food, good wine and peachy weather - hard to beat.

We started the day at the Lourensford Farmers Market which had a cool food hall, some second hand clothing stalls, an awesome bird sculptor and a fun “closest to the pin” golf station. The whole market (for me) is a little cheesy and not very farm like at all - so I’m not sure I’ll race back anytime soon.

Onward we marched (with full bellies) to Starke Conde in the Jonkershoek Valley of Stellenbosch. I don’t think many people venture out this way but they should because my goodness the scenery and wine is spectacular.

The standout wine at our tasting at Stark Conde forced the following description out of me - “crisis this wine is sexual”.

Starke Conde Three Pines Syrah 2006

Dark and aromatic . Intense cherry, tar, coffee and violet flavours. Silky smooth tannins with a finish that will leave you with that afterglow satisfaction. In personification it is a Colombian drug lord.

From there we sped off to my favourite wine tasting venue - Camberley.

I have never ever left Camberley feeling disappointed and neither have the friends and family I have continued to take there over the years.

Perhaps it’s the intimacy of the setting, the down to earth nature of host John Nel or the wines he produces that make it all so special - I suspect a combination of all three qualities.

A number of wines stood out for me- namely the Pinotage, Shiraz and Philosophers Stone - but one in particular took the pole position for the incredible value it offers:

Camberley Charisma 2006

Forest floor nose - herbs and a hint of mint. Red fruit flavours. Some cigar box notes. Soft tannins and a seriously long, mouthwatering finish.

Retailing at R70 a bottle - I would buy cases of the stuff.

Time got the better of us and we had to rush off to find a bar to watch the Springboks wallop the Welsh and I guess that just put the cherry on top of a great day out with friends.

On Saturday myself and Lovely Lis went to La Colombe for the first (and certainly not the last) time.

I was really excited about eating at La Colombe - I love food and I’ve heard so much about the place - it is the 12th best restaurant in the world after all.

One can’t help feel a little intimidated when you arrive and sit down at an establishment that is revered by so many. After nervously fumbling and stumbling around a bit we eventually settled and started sniffing our food like cheese addicted mice.

There are three things I would like to say about La Colombe from the outset:

1. I have never experienced such effortless and professional service at a restaurant ever (from booking to leaving the parking lot)  - special mention must be made of our waitor Basil who was really fantastic. He also happened to be an exact clone of Orlando Bloom from Pirates of the Caribbean which obviously made Lovely Lis’ dinner that much more enjoyable!
2. The presentaion of the food alone is almost worth the trip - it’s art on a plate.
3. Not once, throughout the entire 7 or so courses, did we reach for the salt, pepper, olive oil or balsamic vinegar on the table.

We opted for the 5-course  winter special food and wine pairing menu - which was R380 a person.

Well it turned out to be more like 7 courses.

Before we had even consulted the menu we were served home made bread which was simply superb - the focaccia in particular.

We were also served pork crackling with a honey based sauce, foi gras with crispy parmesan dust, springbok carpaccio and a tile of sauces meant to liven up/cleanse the palate (was a bit arb I thought).

We then began our journey through the menu:

Starters

Rabbit, chorizo, lardo and date ballotine, rabbit liver Royale, cep dust, fig puree, cep and sage brioche - served with Cederberg Bukettraube 2009

The food and wine pairing was pitch perfect - the ballotine was a little disappointing and crumbled too much (also not sure what the pistachio’s were doing in there) . The rabbit liver Royale was incredible - I couldn’t get enough of its deep, rich and creamy flavour.

La Colombe’s Beetroot tart, with apple and beet relish, goat cheese fondant, olive and palm sugar tapenade = served with Anura Chardonnay 2009

One of my favourite dishes of the evening - the food and wine paired nicely but I don’t think the wine lived up to the dish. Quite how they got the goats cheese to look like and melt like a blob of of ice cream I don’t know  - excellent. The puff pastry was light and golden and the beetroot cooked to perfection.

Tataki of Tuna, goats cheese and courgette cannelloni, black pickled celeriac, pine nut gremolata and basil cream - served with Quando Chenin blanc/Viogner 2009

Another exceptional food and wine pairing but again the food came out tops. When you find yourself ooohing and aaahing about a 1mm by 1mm block of black stuff on your plate that provides an explosion of flavour one can only guess that you’re in the presence of a chef with great talent. The tuna was perfect and don’t even get me started on the effort required to produce the small little goats cheese and courgette ‘cannelloni” - a light dish with a lot of flavour.

Mains

Pan fried Kingklip, light curry veloute, Thai style quinoa salad, apple and cucumber salsa - served with Signal Hill Grenache Blanc 2007

I must say I was a little disappointed in the mains - in addition the wine was oxidised (but swiftly replaced I must add). It wasn’t the best piece of kingklip I have tasted and the curry veloute in my opinion lacked a bit of punch.

Sous vide beef ribeye, fondant potato and a black pepper bordelaise sauce - served with Klein Constantia Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2007

The wine went well with the dish but again I was left a little disappointed in the dish. Perhaps my expectations had been raised too high from previous courses - but again I found the dish lacked something - although the ‘cooksistered’ onion ring was delicious (at least that’s what I think it was!), so perhaps I’m being harsh.

Dessert

We both agreed that we would go back to La Colombe just for the dessert..

Cashew nut parfait with dark chocolate and orange mousse - served with Joostenberg Noble Late Harvest 2009

Well I dare you to try this dish and attempt to hide the joy on your face. The cashew nut parfait was rich and creamy beyond belief and the dark chocolate wafer was the ‘cherry on top’. Amazing stuff.

Frozen beetroot parfait, beetroot and apple Napoleon, liquorice foam, beetroot and apple sorbet - served with Joostenberg Noble Late Harvest 2009

The food and wine pairing of the evening and a revelation. Anyone who can turn beetroot into a delectable dessert deserves a pat on the back. The dish combined so well with the wine I was astounded and urge u to try it out. The whole dish boggled my mind a bit.

I have been thinking about this meal since I went there on Saturday - going through the dishes and reliving them in my memory. I had high expectations and they were met and exceeded. Great meals live in your memory forever and this was one of them.

Worth every penny.

Last night I was reminded of the beautiful words when Dusan Jelic read a few lines of Ode to Wine at last night’s Eben Sadie tasting at The Roundhouse.

Warning: It will make you want to open a bottle of wine.

Ode to Wine

Day-colored wine,
night-colored wine,
wine with purple feet
or wine with topaz blood,
wine,
starry child
of earth,
wine, smooth
as a golden sword,
soft
as lascivious velvet,
wine, spiral-seashelled
and full of wonder,
amorous,
marine;
never has one goblet contained you,
one song, one man,
you are choral, gregarious,
at the least, you must be shared.
At times
you feed on mortal
memories;
your wave carries us
from tomb to tomb,
stonecutter of icy sepulchers,
and we weep
transitory tears;
your
glorious
spring dress
is different,
blood rises through the shoots,
wind incites the day,
nothing is left
of your immutable soul.
Wine
stirs the spring, happiness
bursts through the earth like a plant,
walls crumble,
and rocky cliffs,
chasms close,
as song is born.
A jug of wine, and thou beside me
in the wilderness,
sang the ancient poet.
Let the wine pitcher
add to the kiss of love its own.

My darling, suddenly
the line of your hip
becomes the brimming curve
of the wine goblet,
your breast is the grape cluster,
your nipples are the grapes,
the gleam of spirits lights your hair,
and your navel is a chaste seal
stamped on the vessel of your belly,
your love an inexhaustible
cascade of wine,
light that illuminates my senses,
the earthly splendor of life.

But you are more than love,
the fiery kiss,
the heat of fire,
more than the wine of life;
you are
the community of man,
translucency,
chorus of discipline,
abundance of flowers.
I like on the table,
when we’re speaking,
the light of a bottle
of intelligent wine.
Drink it,
and remember in every
drop of gold,
in every topaz glass,
in every purple ladle,
that autumn labored
to fill the vessel with wine;
and in the ritual of his office,
let the simple man remember
to think of the soil and of his duty,
to propagate the canticle of the wine.

Not too bad hey Nige!

If you fancy being picked up in a super smart Lexus and driven to and from an Under the Influence wine tasting like a diplomat - then take a look at the list of upcoming tastings below and book early to avoid missing out.

Under the Influence Wine Tastings

I’ll let you know what the Eben Sadie wines are like - worth all the hype and price tag? Lets see…

You will remember that I did not know who the author of that massive list was - well now I do!

So we must give credit where credit is due and send a big thanks to Clare from That Blogger who compiled the massive list for our benefit (see her original list here).

For those of you looking for a bit of guidance when it comes to the specials - Dax from Relax with Dax has posted his Top 10 Specials list here.

You can also read why Dax dislikes restaurant specials here - makes a lot of sense so watch out!

Happy eating everyone!

Cathy from Drunk! suggested I go out and buy a bottle of De Krans Cape Tawny Port - which I did - from my favourite little wine shop Vino Pronto.

I then spent the night with both.

Whilst the category of port is the same - the style and flavour profile of these two ‘Cape Tawnies’ is quite different.

The Boplaas is light, smooth, fruity, sexy and somewhat nutty.

The De Krans on the other hand is darker, more voluptuous and sultry.

De Krans Cape Tawny NV

Dark amber colour - voluptuous, velvet mouth feel - deep, sensuous flavours. Toffee, Cherry, Liquorice and hazelnut. Lingering after glow.

Boplaas = Sexy Model. De Krans = Cougar.

I would suggest having both in your cupboard!