Must be talking to an angel

I discovered Naked Wines when I went to a marketing event in Norwich. I was supposed to be learning about building successful brands. Instead, this hot, Irish man stood up and started talking about wine. By all accounts I listened to that presentation!

The hot, Irish guy introduced me to the concept of wine buying with a social purpose. I love wine, but unless I'm in a vineyard, eyeball to eyeball with the producer, I rarely think about the people behind the bottle. I guess most wines fall into the category of what I view as the "mass produced wines you see on the shelves of Tesco or Waitrose". And don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with those wines, lots of them taste pretty good.

In England, we often hear about local farmers campaigning about the cost of milk. About how the big, bad supermarkets squeeze farmers to beyond levels where any living can be earned. But it never occurred to me the same could be true of wine. 

Lovely Picpoul and how you rate the wine

Naked wines supports independent wine growers. This means that when you buy wine from them, you'll never have heard of the brand and sometimes the stocks run out of the wines you really like. But each of the wines has been made by a family vineyard or a small, artisan producer. And, by you buying the wine, you are directly investing in that vineyard and personally helping to ensure that winery continues to be in business. And, you pay a fair price for a bottle of wine.

And do you know what, maybe I do feel a bit better about drinking the wine when I feel I am doing good for the world (#fact, by me drinking wine, I am helping someone). But that's not even the best bit.

You know those adverts where you give money to charity and you receive updates from the children, or ponies or forest you have helped to save? Well it works just the same for Naked Wines!

When you invest in Naked Wines, you become an Angel. As an Angel, you receive updates from the growers to let you know how they're getting on. How the grapes are ripening this season, new wines they have on the market and other little things they happen to be excited about.

OK, so I haven't exactly saved a breed of endangered snails, but it makes me feel pretty good.

Another great thing about the site is that you can share your experiences with others. So, if I had a particularly enjoyable session on a case of Picpoul de Pinet, I can let other people know about it. And they can let me know what they liked and didn't like too. It's not even that poncey either, as the people talking about the wines are mainly normal people, like me.

And the wines have been pretty good too. I have especially enjoyed:

•  The Benjamin Darnault Picpoul de Pinet which is light and soft and highly coiffable
• The Filigrana Alvarinho from Antonia Venturo - a lovely pear drops wine that comes in a surprising, blue bottle (pictured above)
• The Mauricio Lorca Lorico 2010 which tasted like a glass of ripe cherries

My only complaint would be that they claim to be a social brand, yet they are rubbish at acknowledging and responding to mentions on social media. I talk about them all the time on Twitter because I think they are great. I talk about when a new delivery arrives, which wines I've liked, what I'm doing when I drink the wines... Look, basically I love them.

All I ask, is show me a little love in return. Just the odd tweet. Just a tiny mention. Let me know you're listening! After all, you are talking to an Angel.

Disclaimer: drink sensibly n that ;)

A view that's worth sleeping on the ground

When my brother invited me to go camping with him this summer, I didn't jump at the idea. I mean, I'm not exactly the camping type. I don't own a sleeping bag, I drink expensive wine and I drive a Smart Car.

But the Olympic sailing was taking place down the road at Weymouth and I thought I would rough it for the night. So we stuffed a duvet and a few bottles of plonk into the Smart and set off for the coast.

We were staying at Eweleaze Farm. This is a working farm, but for a few weeks a year, the site opens for campers. You reach the site down a long, dusty farm track (which my Smart didn't exactly love!). At the hill crest, you are presented with the most stunning blue-green view.


The view from Eweleaze Campsite

The camping fields are situated in a secluded valley, in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It includes ½ mile of private beach and cliffs, which now forms part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. So the view from your site will be nothing but beautiful beaches and craggy coastlines.

We were lucky because it was a clear weekend and from the site you could see right across the bay to Weymouth. You could actually see the Olympic sailing from our tent!

The squeeze drinking Pinot Noir from a blue, plastic cup!

My brother had already set up the tent (thank goodness) so all we had to do was build the fire, heat up the chilli and pour the wine. I'd brought with me one of my current wine favourites from Majestic, the Barista Pinotage 2010. It tastes of coffee, chocolate and berries and is even delicious drunk out of a blue, plastic beaker!

I've mentioned my brother, Bordeauxboy, before on this blog. He has and Advanced WSET qualification so always brings a good drop to the party. He had a lovely bottle of Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir which was peppery, fruity and delightfully dry. Again, drunk out of a plastic cup!

Me cooking chilli by the sea!

Although I slept on the floor, had to walk up the hill to the showers and use a long drop for my lady business, the view we woke up to over the blue bay in the morning was completely worth it (together with the bacon sandwich the squeeze fried up).

I wouldn't say I'm exactly a camping convert, but if you are going to sleep outside, it doesn't get much better than the serene charm of Eweleaze Farm.

A bit of PYO in the sunshine

I have lots of fond memories of PYO from when I was young. (That's Pick Your Own for those that don't know!) Spending hours rummaging through bushes to find strawberries and raspberries which rarely found their way into the plastic punnet and going home with red fingers and a sore belly.

Beautiful Ansty's PYO farm

So on a sunny Sunday a few weeks ago, I headed off with the current squeeze to forage for some fruit. We chose Ansty's Pick Your Own which is on the A30 about 10 miles outside of Salisbury.

 

The photos on their website don't do this place any justice, because it is absolutely stunning. The PYO is set at the foot of some very steep hills which are littered with huge, white regimental badges which were carved into the chalky hills by soldiers during the First World War. The rows of fruit are beautifully maintained and the whole place felt a bit like some of the vineyards I have visited.

The lovely farm shop at Ansty's

The farm has a lovely little shop and cafe with all sorts of cakes and organic produce for sale. We went home with more fruit than we could possibly ever have eaten and a selection of treats from the shop. It wasn't cheap, but it was very, very good.

Before we headed to Ansty's we went to a Pick Your Own place near Salisbury called Bake Fruit Farm. However, when we got there it was closed! On a sunny Sunday, we couldn't believe there wouldn't be enough trade to merit opening.

It's sad that more people don't do PYO. You get to choose the best fruit, you know it's ripe and fresh and it is certainly more rewarding than pushing a trolley round the supermarket. Essentially, it's like a workout and a picnic rolled into a shopping trip.

The only thing missing? A spot of champagne. It would have been amazing to sit in the sunshine, look out over the lovely view whilst dipping strawberries in a glass of fizz.

Wine tasting, Lanzarote style!

Whenever I go on holiday, I try and fit in a trip to a vineyard for a spot of wine tasting. It gives you an introduction to the types of wines the region produces, gives you the opportunity to buy local wines straight from the producer and, frankly, is a great excuse to get tipsy!

So on my recent trip to Lanzarote, I was keen to go to one of vineyards on the 2,000 hectares of land cultivated for wine growing. However, it transpired that my hotel was around 20 kilometres from the nearest vineyard and my brother kind of put me off going.

An example of a Vineyard in Lanzarote

I think I've mentioned my brother, Bordeauxboy, on here before. He is basically the biggest wine snob I've ever met. He is the sort of person for whom you spend ages choosing wine, which just goes straight in the rack! He has an advanced WSET Qualification though, so I trust his opinion. So when he said it was too warm for decent wine in Lanzarote, I figured he was probably right. Considering that Lanzarote has around 100 mm of rainfall annually, it is amazing that anything grows there at all.

However, I was delighted when we managed to book a tour to the Timanfaya National Park in Lanzarote that included a trip to one of the vineyards. It meant I got to visit a vineyard without too much hassle or making a specific journey. 

On the tour, I learned that the wine grows, thanks to the unique way they cultivate their vines. Each plant is grown in a hole that is about a meter deep and wide and surrounded by a small protective wall called a Zocos. The pit protects the plant from the constant winds that blow across the island and helps create humidity around the plant, meaning it receives enough water to grow.

Barrels outside the Bodega Barreto in Lanzarote

So the vineyards are really striking to look at. Bright, green plants growing out of the black grains of lava. For the sight alone, I would urge you to take a look at the vineyards. However, the wine tasting experience I had was pretty disappointing.

The tour took us to the Bodega Barreto and we were told we would be trying two types of wine. Apparently this family run business has been producing wine for over 100 years and several of their wines have won prizes. Most of their wines are produced from the Malvasia grape, which I had never tried before and which grows very well on the island.

The Malvasia at Bodega Barreto, Lanzarote

However, when I say "trying" I mean we were literally given a thimble full. How can you get a taste for the wine when you have barely a mouthful? And I'm never going to be drunk enough to buy a case of wine based on a small dribble.

We tasted the Masdache Malvasia Seco and the Masdache Moscatel. There was also a Masdache Tinto and another couple of wines that we were not permitted to taste. The Malvasia Seco was not that dry and had quite a strong taste of vinegar, whilst the Moscatel had a nice taste, but was slightly grainy. Needless to say, I didn't buy any and I didn't see anyone make a purchase, even though they were quite reasonably priced.

I feel a bit guilty about this review, as probably, if I had gone to the winery directly as an individual, I would have got a different experience. But on this particular tour, it really wasn't great.

Enjoying a glass of El Grifo wine in Teguise, Lanzarote

I'd pretty much given up on Lanzarote wine after that experience. But we then went for lunch in Teguise to this lovely little place called Bodega de Santa Barbara. We sat in the sun trapped courtyard, served by handsome Italians and had a platter of sausage and goats cheese whilst sipping on a delicious dry, white wine. 

When I asked the waiter what it was, I was expecting it to be Italian. However, it was a local wine called El Grifo and it was the Colleccion Malvasia variety, which the waiter assured us was the best. It had an almost green, pale colour and a very dry, floral taste. Absolutely delicious!

So, if I went to Lanzarote again, I would definitely visit a vineyard. However, I wouldn't do it as part of a tour (you don't get enough wine!) and I would pay a visit to the El Grifo winery.   

A welcome change to a traditional curry

I've always loved going for a curry. Traditionally, this has been at the end of a night out, accompanied by several pints of lager with the food temperature as hot as possible!

Don't get me wrong, I still have a lot of time for that sort of curry experience, and sometimes, there is nothing better than a lamb rogan josh and a pint of Cobra. Recently though, I've been introduced to the world of gourmet Indian dining, which is a completely different way of enjoying Indian cuisine.

Chickpeas and baby aubergine curry in Gujarati spices from the menu at Anokaa

I've been to a few of these restaurants near where I live in the South of England. Included among the best is Kuti's Brasserie in Southampton which is on Oxford Street and serves great food with a friendly atmosphere. Hox Brasserie near the train station in Salisbury is excellent. I would recommend the Goan Fish Curry as it is exquisite. And you generally get a free liqueur (fake Baileys) at the end of the meal at Hox, which I would never turn down!

However, for me, there is nowhere like Anokaa on Fisherton Street in Salisbury, and it is probably my favourite restaurant in the area. 

Their strap line is "Style. Sophistication and Sheer Seduction" and Anokaa apparently means "exceptional" in Hindi which may seem a little over the top. But this place holds a special, little, romantic place in my heart, so for me, couldn't be more accurate.  

Soft shell crab - with kumquat chutney, from the Anokaa menu

The restaurant is modern in decor, but in an interesting juxtaposition, the staff all wear traditional clothing. The food is a fusion between Indian flavours and spices, and British classics. So think steak cooked Asian style, or Welsh lamb in a stir fry. And all the food comes beautifully presented, like a piece of artwork on your plate, with an array of saucy chutneys, dips and drizzles. 

Whenever I go, I either have the soft shell crab, or the mixed fish platter for starter. And last time I had the aubergine and chickpea curry which was so beautiful it seemed a shame to eat it, and I would also recommend the char grilled halibut with tomato and shrimp broth served with curry leaf quinoa. 

Often you think beer is more suited to a hot curry, but I think a good red can go really well. There is a wide selection of wines at Anokaa and this time we had a lovely bottle of MAN Vinters Pinotage from the Stellenbosch region. I promise myself that I will only have one bottle, but I always end up having another and they never rush you though your meal so you can sit back and slurp away.

MAN Vinters Pinotage, enjoyed at Anokaa

One restaurant that I thought was very disappointing was the Coriander Lounge in Southampton. I'd been recommended to eat there by several people and was looking forward to going. However, despite making a reservation, we had to queue to be seated, and there was no area for waiting in, so we were literally had to stand in a line by the door. When we were finally shown to our table, we were asked what we wanted to drink before we even opened the menu. This set the precedent for the rest of the meal, where we were rushed through service, which offered a thoroughly uncomfortable dining experience.

Having said that, I must concede that the food was delicious. I enjoyed the Tandoori Mackerel and my friend had the coriander monkfish which was also exceptional. Just sort out the service.... please! 

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