Oz Clarke & Michael Broadbent on wine, women and song...

Imagine my excitement when I saw this headline on the January edition of Decanter Magazine. Two wine industry legends promoting my blog? On the front cover of Decanter?

Alas, no. But here's a lovely description by Oz Clarke, from the article, about his favourite wine. It more than made up for the dashed hope:

"People always ask the best wine I've ever had. I tend to think about which girl I was drinking it with. One of the best wines I ever had was with a gorgeous girl I eloped with by train to Tuscany. We went into this little taverna, and asked for some red wine. The guy went out the back, got a really old scruffy litre bottle, went up to a vat, and squirted out this purply, foaming, prickly, sour, six-moth-old iwne, put a little cap on it and said "there you are". It cost next to nothing. We bought some salami, cheese and bread, lay out in the fields in the sun, and it was one of the best drinking experiences I've ever had."

Link: Decanter Magazine

The fifth taste: umami

There's more to taste than sweet, sour, bitter and salty. There is also umami: the fifth taste. What I'm always searching for in a wine, in everything.

"Both the word and the concept are Japanese, and in Japan are of some antiquity. Umami is hard to translate, to judge by the number of English words that have been suggested as equivalents, such as savoury, essence, pungent, deliciousness, and meaty. It’s sometimes associated with a feeling of perfect quality in a taste, or of some special emotional circumstance in which a taste is experienced. It is also said to involve all the senses, not just that of taste. There’s more than a suggestion of a spiritual or mystical quality about the word."

Link: The fifth taste

This wicked tongue

Wicked women and wicked tongues, Pt 1: the Hindu Goddess Kali

"Her tongue is out as a symbol of sudden embarassment. The story goes that while in a frenzy of destruction, no other God or Goddess could stop Her. Finally her somewhat detached husband, Shiva, descended, and lay down in Her path. She accidentally stepped on His chest, was overcome with shame, and was forced to stop destroying."

Link: Kali Puja at Chanduni Baari, Oct 2006

Detox

Yeah, detox is a good idea. In theory. But it's my birthday in January. That means only one thing. Time for Champagne.

This year, I'm as old as Jesus. Quite an achievement in itself. Granted, I haven't achieved as much as Jesus H. Christ. But you know, there's always February. Life is too short.

Then there's Easter. I can hear the tap, tap, tappity tap of the crucifying nails already...

Top 5 wines - Dec '07

number 5: Ailes de Paloumey Haut-Medoc 2003

Like Sienna Miller drunk: otherwise stylish except for this moment. This Bordeaux needs a few more years in the bottle. But still beautiful now, despite the lapse.

number 4: Domaine de L'Amandine Cote du Rhone 2004

If this was fashion, it'd be a life vest. In the easy-to-reach section of the supermarket, this is a trusty Cote du Rhone that will save you if you are in immediate danger (of not having anything good to drink on a cold night).

number 3: Cote de Beaune-Villages 2005 from Bouchard Pere & Fils

Fun! Usually I don't bother with the crap on the back label, but this time it rang true: "Notre but, c'est votre plaisir." Our goal is your pleasure. Simple but nice. Like two kisses on the cheek.

number 2: Knappstein Clare Valley Shiraz 2003


A very classy wine to wrap yourself up with on a cold winter night. The 15% alcohol will keep you warm, if the christmas pudding characters do not. It's theatre (from the balcony).

Number 1: Chateauneuf du Pape Roger Sabon Reserve 2003

Givenchy show, Paris Fashion week 2007

Something symphonic. The character just built and built. I even felt sad at the end of the half bottle (I could only afford a half bottle) because it hinted at the potential that could have kept developing...

Overall, a good month for red wine!