Vinodiversity Blog

Open that Bottle Night

Here is a reprise of an article I wrote  5  years ago 

I don't really know, but I suspect that many (if not most) of the readers of this blog are Baby Boomers. So we are entering the contemplative phase of our lives. Some of us have made wills and we are all busy planning for our retirement.

Many of us have accumulated a few bottles of wine that we regard as special, either for the wine itself, or the memories attached to it. (I have two bottles of a James Joyce Bloomsday Centenary wine, and 1974 Vintage red called "A Certain Grandeur" for example).

But what is going to happen to this glorious plonk when we shuffle off? Is it going to be wasted on the Bacardi Breezer generation? Not a pleasant thought.

The only sensible thing to do with wine is to drink it. 

The Americans have come up with the idea of Open That Bottle Night, held on the last Saturday of February, this year it's the 25th.

The idea is to set up an occasion and open a special bottle, or two, that would otherwise be left in the shelf for too long.  Some BYO restaurants in the US even waive corkage for OTBN. I'd like to see that done here.

At one level it's a marketing ploy, just like St Valentines Day, but it can help us to take stock of what is in the cellar and when we think we are actually going to drink the stuff.

So there you have it, what are YOU planning? Remember you can't take it with you.

I've decided to see if I can get the ball rollling with a twitter campaign using the tag #OTBN

By the way the cartoon above is from my good friend Lord Sedgewick of Strathmore

Add to the twitter comments  at #OTBN or perhaps comment below

Sagrantino Sessions

Sagrantino is the specail red grape variety of Umbria in Italy.  It makes fruity juicy red wines with oodles of tannin and structure.

A few innovative Australian wineries are producing wines from this variety, and the results so far have been quite promising. You can find out more by checking out the Sagrantino Sessions events in McLaren Vale below. 

List of australian wineries using Sagrantino can be found at http://www.vinodiversity.com/sagrantino.html

 

Pork, Pears & Parsnips

I saw Jamie Oliver on TV making this dish on TV a few years ago and I have adopted/adapted it for my repertoire.

Here's the Darby Version.
For each person - 1 Pork chop or Steak; 1 parsnip, 1 potato, 1 pear.
and to cook: Olive oil, 1 tsp thyme or oregano, salt and ground pepper.

1. Peel parsnips and potatoes and cut into large chunks.
2. Quarter and core pears but leave skin on. Season Pork with S&P.
3. In large baking tray mix all ingredients rubbing oil and herbs into pork with your hands, make sure all ingredients are coated with oil.
4. Cook in moderate oven for 50-60 minutes until vegies star to get brown tips. Stir and shake a couple of times during cooking.

Serve with a green vegetable or a simple tossed salad.

I had this last night with a bottle of Tempranillo/Graciano blend.

This page stays near the top for popularity on Vinodiversity

A readers question about substitute for Madiera wine in a recipe reamins one of the most entry  popular pages on my site.

http://www.vinodiversity.com/substitute-for-madeira-wine.html

 

If you have a question of your own you can ask Vinodiversity 

Susumaniello with grilled chicken, mushrooms and risotto

Susumainello is a red wine variety used around Brindisi in the Italian Region of Puglia.

I enjoyed a bottle today with a lunch of skewer grilled chicken, some mushrooms cooked with garlic and spinach and a simple risotto.

Susumainello is not used in Australia, at least to my knowledge. It is one of a number of indigenous varieties in Puglia that are receiving more attention as part of the modernising wine industry there.

This wine features a donkey on the label, a reference to the belief that the name of the variety refers to a well laden donkey. Susumanilello grapes are apparently high yielders.

Roast lamb and Sangiovese

Traditional Australian roast lamb rump with vegetables and gravy (plenty of garlic!) washed down with a 2005 Avenmore Sangiovese.

Not many Bendigo wineries use alternatives, this one is a good example of Sangiovese, lighter bodied but plenty of flavour. Matched the food well.