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WBW#16 – judging a bottle by its label

by Jeanne Horak on December 7, 2005 No Comments in Wine Blogging Wednesday

47 POund Rooster wine label

Yes, I know, I still haven’t even got round to posting my own EoMEoTE contribution, much less the round-up, and now here I am taking part in a totally different event.  But some events actually have deadlines (!!) so I guess I need to get this post up pretty sharpish if I don’t want to have to do another “non-WBW” post 10 days after the fact…

As you all know, Wine Blogging Wednesday is the blogosphere’s premier alcohol-related event and we have had all kinds of themes, from countries, to grape varieties, to wine colours (think pink!)  But this month’s edition is a total departure from accepted wine-buying wisdom.  We aren’t going to read up and check the grape varieties, country of origin or alcohol content. Noooooo.  This time Derrick has decreed that we should judge the wine by its label and buy a wine based purely on how appealing its label is.  Easy peasy.  One quick trip to Sainsbury’s and I am astonished at the bland sameness of the labels.  Very little actually leaps out at you from the shelf upon shelf of wine labels.  Yes, there are some cute cartoon animals (penguins and porcupines spring to mind) and some sleek aubergine labels with embossed gold lettering, but little that actually yells “buy me ‘cos I’m fab!” (Hmmm, could be a gap in the market here.  How about a red wine labelled in large bold letters “BUY ME, I’M YUMMY”?  Talk about a poke in the eye to wine snobs…!)  But I digress.

What eventually did catch my eye was a bottle of Rex Goliath Pinot Noir.  (Well, whose eye wouldn’t be caught by a bottle of wine featuring a giant, erm, rooster?? ;-)).  So what does a 47lb rooster have to do with the wine?  Absolutely nothing.  Here’s the blurb on the back label:

“At the turn of the 20th century HRM (His Royal Majesty) Rex Goliath was the treasured attraction of a Texas Circus.  People came from far and wide to behold the 47 lb. bird, billed as the ‘World’s Largest Rooster’.  Our label replicates the one of a kind, vintage artwork from the circus banner that hung above Rex’s roost and we proudly honour HRM with our premium varietal wines.”

Let’s first talk about Pinot Noir for a second – the wine that was so idolised by the Miles in the wonderful movie Sideways.  I don’t drink much Pinot Noir and the reason is twofold:  firstly because I often find it a bit too bland for my taste (not as meaty as, say, a Cabernet or Shiraz but not as much fun as a Rose); and secondly because Pinot is pretty much always expensive.  The reason is not hard to find – the Pinot Noir grape is one of the most prissy, fussy, finicky and delicate grapes around!!  For starters, the Pinot Noir grape is genetically unstable and the parent vine may produce offspring that bear fruit that is nothing like the parent’s in size and shape (of berry or cluster) and will frequently have different flavours, aromas or levels of productivity.  Once you get the vine in the soil, you will find that Pinot is susceptible to a host of pests and viruses, often has insufficient leaf cover to protect the berries from birds, and the thin-skinned and tender berries tend to shrivel and dry out quickly if not picked promptly at maturity.  Pinot Noir is also difficult to ferment as its 18 amino acids cause it to ferment violently, often boiling up and out of its container.  And of course, colour retention is a problem with such thin-skinned berries, which accounts for the pale colour of most Pinots.

Pinot Noir’s natural home is in the Burgundy region of France where it is the principal red grape, but it is also famous for being one of the classic Champagne grapes.  California and Oregon in the USA are both producing quality Pinot Noir wines, and New Zealand is an up and coming producer.  And let’s not forget South Africa, where top estates such as Haute Cabriere, Hamilton Russel and Bouchard Finlayson make some fine examples. The other SA connection is,of course,the fact that Pinot Noir was one half of the parentage of Pinotage, the grape variety developed in South Africa from a cross between Pinot and Cinsault.

Back to my giant rooster wine.  The Rex Goliath Pinot Noir is produced and bottled at the Hahn Estates winery in Soledad, Monterey County, by winemaker Adam LaZarre, and comes with a very respectable 13.5% alcohol.  My bottle came from Sainsbury’s and cost a paltry £6.99, which I thought was a bargain for a Californian Pinot.  I served mine with a delicious roast half-shoulder of New Zealand lamb, marinated for a couple of hours in yoghurt, garlic and rosemary, Greek-style, and my favourite sweet potato wedges sprinkled with fleur de sel.    Mmmmm.  It was a good match as nothing in the food was overly spicy to overwhelm the subtle flavours of the wine and I read afterwards that lamb is one of the suggested partners for Pinot – so good guess there!  Here are my tasting notes:

C – a surprisingly vivid and lovely garnet – not the pale hues I’m used to at all!

N – very shy – could be the wine, could be the chilly ambient temperature in London at the moment. Nick also insisted on putting the wine on the windowsill for a while (!).  At a push, I would say it smelt faintly sweet – like strawberries and boiled sweets

P – Mmmmm.  Lots of ripe red fruit – strawberries, cherries and the like.  It had a lovely rounded mouthfeel with very little by way of tannin but enough acid to balance the up-front frutiness nicely.  I doubt that it would stand up to particularly strident food, but with the lamb it was great.  Medium finish with notes of vanilla and cinnamon.  All round, I though it was a delicious example of Pinot Noir at a very reasonable price.  Will buy again!  And if I can find some of the other wines in the range, I’d like to give them a try too,

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Jeanne | Stylish food & travel


Are you a cook... or a baker?
I fall firmly into

Are you a cook... or a baker? 
I fall firmly into the "cook" category. Baking is too precise, too fiddly - and best left to those with an affinity for it, I always say! But every now and then, only a cake will do. Say, for example... when you celebrate your blog's SIXTEENTH birthday!! 🎉🍾 Yes, last month Cooksister.com turned sweet sixteen, and to celebrate I baked this sticky spiced plum upside down cake. It's a very forgiving recipe and it's worth every single calorie 😁. Click on the link in my profile to see the recipe or save this post so you can find it later: https://www.cooksister.com/2020/06/sticky-spiced-plum-upside-down-cake.html

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"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

Anybody else got Lockdown Itchy Feet Syndrome...?? If it isn't an official disorder,  it certainly should be!

I have always been a dreamer, a planner, an explorer. Few things excite me more than stepping onto the soil of a country I have not visited before. When I am going through tough personal times, my go-to self-help therapy has always been to arrange a trip - to throw off the metaphorical bow lines and sail away to a new adventure. 
But then... Corona 😞  I can honestly say that I am enjoying working from home; enjoying having the time to run every day; enjoying cooking proper meals; enjoying my own company; enjoying the lack of FOMO. But OH MAN, I miss travel. 
This image was taken 2 years ago in St George's, Grenada - my first visit to the Caribbean but  certainly not my last. This photo has me dreaming of the day I can throw off those bow lines and travel again... How are you dealing with the lack of travel during this time?

Am I the only one feeling faintly sad at all the S
Am I the only one feeling faintly sad at all the Spring bulbs that were planted last year that have been flowering in parks and public gardens with nobody (or fewer people, anyway...) around to admire them? Spare a thought for the gardeners at Holland's famous Keukenhof who planted SEVEN MILLION bulbs last winter in preparation for the garden's annual 2-month opening... but because of Covid-19 Keukenhof did not open at all in 2020. 
But the good news is that for the first time in its history, Keukenhof was virtually open this year, meaning you can enjoy the best of the Spring flowers virtually, from the comfort of your armchair.  Keukenhof posted an amazing series of videos to their YouTube channel featuring magnificent 360 degree tours of the 2020 flowering bulbs; a run-down of the best photo spots; talks by various Keukenhof gardeners; and even a visit from Spongebob Squarepants!  You can check out their YouTube channel here https://bit.ly/2WWkahW. Or you can visit my blog  https://bit.ly/2zMgrLL  to see more of my Keukenhof images like this one of a river of tulips from when I visited a few years ago.

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When people tell me they don't like Brussels spro
When  people tell me they don't like Brussels sprouts, my inner voice always cries out the same response: oh honey, you're just doing it wrong! Sesame ginger sprouts are nutty, zingy and delicious - the opposite of the overcooked grey stinky sprouts of your youth, and so easy to make! 🔖 Remember to save this post so you can make the recipe later! The recipe is also on my blog - click the live link in my profile. 
For 4 people you need:
500 g Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved and cooked (I roast mine in a hot oven)
1 x 2cm piece of ginger cut into fine matchsticks
2 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
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2 tsp toasted sesame oil
Salt & pepper 
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Have you visited New Zealand’s South Island?  Would you like to?  Let me know in the comments!

"Don't just stand there, let's get to it: strike a
"Don't just stand there, let's get to it: strike a pose there's nothing to it!" (Madonna)

Nicole Kidman's is both hands on hips. Meryl Streep's is only left hand on hip. Victoria Beckham's is right hip out, left foot forward (and no smile!). Mine started as a joke many years ago - the earliest evidence I have is from 2005 😎 Do YOU have a signature pose? Tell me in the comments or DM me a pic!

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Even if you are not a French speaker as such, you
Even if you are not a French speaker as such, you may be surprised by the number of French words you already know: rendezvous, entrepreneur, souvenir and ricochet need no introduction. All have been adopted into English wholesale, with their original French meaning and spelling. Perhaps they should apply for settled status post-Brexit... But sometimes a word’s literal translation in French bears no resemblance to what the word has come to mean, such as canape. Although we know the word as meaning a small piece of pastry or bread with a savoury topping served at drinks receptions, the literal translation is a decorative antique sofa. When a clever chef first came up with the idea, the topping was thought to sit on the bread or pastry like a person reclining on a sofa, and the snacks came to be known half-jokingly as canapes. Fact! 
I enjoyed these very elegant canapes (LOVED the lacy little potato lattices!) with Code Rouge sparkling wine before a jazz dinner at Gerard Bertrand’s flagship wine estate Chateau L’Hospitalet in the Languedoc.  The dinner was as  spectacular as the canapes and you can read all about it on my blog now – click the live link in my profile above.

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2. It's open daily, with over a hundred stalls, but on Wednesday the focus is on fashion & on Thursday the focus is on antiques & vintage.
3. The busiest day is Sunday - get there early to beat the crowds!
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"You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting so... get on your way!" (Dr Seuss)

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There is no finer metaphor for life than a walk in the mountains and I have already made my choice as to how I plan to tackle the mountains of 2020. What's your choice? 
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This particular mountain is in the Austrian Alps where I hiked last summer. Thanks to @thepassionatecook for the 📸!


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Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

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