escalator over the hill

Blog Stats 73 ….days live 2120 visits …nice 🙂

Today’s Blog about wine follows the Bolognese recipe in the previous post and also includes today a Cheese and bread tray

7th April update Have been very busy (medical stuff) so next post will be up in the next day apologies to those who have come back over the past few days. I would post today but I am off to Care Leavers Australia (CLAN) this afternoon

*Posts that are coming (Crikey he keeps telling us this)

1.An article on the Alien Cats that are taking over the world.

2. For you music buffs you are still going to have to wait for crossroads 2010 concert review. North Africa is just so important

3. Something about my 4 Cats and bruin2

4. This weekend I am going to the Barry Sheen Classic Race Motorcycle meeting so it’s a very hectic weekend coming up. So I’ll have to report on that.

5. Will do another expose on my legal matter. Have a meeting with my lawyer tomorrow (Friday) Things are looking better all the time.

6. Must tie in music of the resistance to Libya as all the North Africa freedom fighter were all supported by Gaddafi.

7.Something I would ask you all in Australia please follow my twitter I know many of you are not twits or tweeps 🙂 but as Libya and the truth emerges you will find that my analysis  has been ahead several times the rest of the world. How does he do it you may ask. Just damn hard work and a network of news contacts. Though I have been quiet this week you can always check back on older tweets I have made

Skip the next paragraph if you want to go to the main reason for todays blog post : Food and Wine

8. I have to do another post on Libya and continue to do my best to counter all the misinformation we are being fed. I might even get back here tomorrow and put a very short update here.

1 April 2011 Update first posted to twitter 2 days ago

Mussa Kussa foreign Minister of Libya was expelled from UK 1984 after being implicated in UK Embassy shooting of the same year. He was internal security chief from March 1994-March 2009 when he then became foreign minister. 2 days ago he drove across the border to Tunisia.  He then flew out in a Private  Swiss registered private jet. With the reversals of last week and the apparent likelihood of Gaddafi finally being overthrown he started to deal with the Coalition. The probability is the Libyan security apparatus was closing in.

However what you can be sure of Yis you will not hear of his shady past from the British PM or foreign Minister Hague. He was working it appears to gain a role in an installed Libyan Government to counter the now recognised threat in the West of the real forces behind the rebels. The rebels pose a massive embarrassment to the US, UK and the French due to the increasing and extreme Islamist  control. His ambition is twofold   working to gain a role in a new government while at the same time , his neck.

This reminds one of the flight of the Nazis to the West in the final days of the second World War. One might also equate the coalition arms blockade and bombing of civilians in the Spanish Civil War with what is going on now in the Libyan Civil War.

Rumour has it 4000 US marines were poised to land in Tripoli in the event of the Gaddafi government collapsing. This is a lesson from history when the Poles rose up against the Nazis in Warsaw . The US would quickly install a Government friendly to the Wests interest. The danger of course is it would be Iraq all over again or a repeat of the Russians and NATO experience in Afghanistan. The real precedent is the US landing in Lebanon in 1958 to overthrow that Government.

But now to the main post today…….to the wine I recommend for the Bolognese recipe.

Over many years I’ve always had a collection of wine. Initially to be honest as I grew into my early 20s in London I was smitten with the “poshness of being middle class” What utter nonsense but I confess now I was absorbed in to having a reserve of wine.

But first to set the scene

I would buy Reds from Italy Chianti Valpolichella and Borollo a very heavy Red which I loved. This stood me in good stead  for the Shiraz and big Reds of Australia. No not Kanagroos but Kanaga rouge 🙂

I bought whites from Germany with Riesling from Sainsbury and I admit to buying Libfrau-wine and Blue Nunn. It was cheap and it tasted okay back then for an unsophisticated palate.

From France French Burgundy and Bordeaux

May be a Spanish Rioja,

And the occasional Wallaby white or Kanga rouge

All in all my wine stash then would amount to then about a dozen to a dozen and a half bottles.

Having a large wine collection became an obsession of showing off I think and a demonstration of how I had made it in Australia after arriving here with just $43.  The reality was I was just probably being rather snobbish, but it was always exciting having wines to hand to open at whim along with my music collection. I remember with my friend Dawn exploring Sainsburys in Lewisham for a bottle or two of wine to try going to a place in Greenwich where we bought Australian wine and where I got my introduction to Australian beer KB was the favourite at the time..

I am not really a wine snob ( I hope) because one of the challenges that I used to set my self was to place a dollar limit of the price of a bottle  of  wine. For many years I set the limit to just $16. This is as recent as a few years back and to be frank after a recent trip to Kemeneys I’m still at it. 🙂

Occasionally I would enter into the realms of more expensive wines and I especially loved the rarefied atmosphere of French Champagnes. The beading is always so much finer than the Australian liquid even those under supervision of the French Houses like Moet. Yes you do pronounce it with a T.  I just love it. Kemenys is a great place to explore and one of the great things returning to Sydney is I have been able to re-new my acquaintances there.

Though over the years my ability to metabolize alcohol has diminished greatly to the point that today I can only manage one glass with a meal I still enjoy the taste of wine. When I lived in Canberra I had just about stopped any wine consumption.

Because I rarely drank say over the past 2 years I rarely checked the cellar stock that I brought with me.

Then it was over 100 bottles. It contained all sorts of styles. I probably always indulged with a dozen bottles of superb value French wine to just impress visitors from Kemeniys.  In the later 6 months of my stay and as I worked most evenings I didn’t notice the precious liquid was being exchanged for some soda pop from Canberra.

This is the wine rack empty after it was cleared it out when I left

Maybe I judge it too harshly but looking at what I found myself owning by the time I got to Sydney the style of the label hardly inspired confidence in the bottle contents. Frankly they look like they were designed round Granny’s barn yard kitchen table. I am yet to try any.

I only discovered this grandiose theft when I moved recently and finally unpacked my precious liquid. It would seem *someone  X  had been knocking off much of my good Red wine and replacing it this stuff.

This is my new wine Cellar. The picture is not very good and wasn’t taken for the purpose on this posting.

The whites and replaced French Champagne are  in the Aussie Beer Fridge..Which not only contains the wine but soda water to mix with Ginger beer cordial and dozens of Dark chocolate Magnums?

It seems that “a friend” had indeed been nicking the good stuff; that is the quality Australian the French champagne and French reds to indulge in their passion for showing off   their amazing narcissistic  generosity to give away or use “other people’s belongings”. No doubt to impress her new “namby pamby hoyty toyty lefty petite bourgeois social do gooders”.  Oh how I enjoyed writing that. Oh the ego; healthy as it is keep it in check Davie boy.

Seems a bit of “larceny” is not just confined to the fantasy of Sherwood forest and 4 naughty little working class boys munching on a few chocolate bars see previous post . The condition it seems afflicts not only 7-8 years olds but even some of the highest paid 50-year-old executives of Global Technology Giants IBM.

Okay so to my wine recommendations. I am no expert just an amateur. I won’t try to impress with writing some over the top description Like : “has elements of squashed peaches with the overtones of honey that has been pressed through an old sock leaving an after taste of sour wild berries and bitter cooking chocolate”

I looked at the tasting notes and thought what a lot of crap. I’ll just say good, bad, fantastic whatever. In fact it wont be bad so we can lose that right away. I’m going to include a bread a cheese table too. Nothing to flash but imagine how easy this cheese and dip board is to put together.

The following pictures were hurriedly thought off only because I wanted a raison detre to tell you about a terrific Farmers Market on Sydney’s North Shore (French’s Forest) I have found.

But back to the wine:

1. Here is one of my all times favourite wines. It comes from Evans a Tate called Gnangara Shiraz (pronounced Bungarra). When I bought this it cost just $14 I have 1999 and 2002 I did have some 2000 but that has disappeared. It is a fantastic drop. If you find any snap it up. You will not be disappointed. People will marvel at you talent finding a wine so inexpensive

5 stars

2. 1999 Rouge Homme Shiraz Cabernet this is absolutely fabulous It’s inexpensive cost $19 when I bought it in 2004. This is very round and soft superb A Guzzlers delight

5 Stars

3 In the group of 3 is 2002 Metala Shiraz Cabernet It’s a big dense wine. I was introduced to this by my friend Carl one of my regular coffee buddies 5 or so years ago. Costs about $23

4 Stars

4. Next to it is which is a 1997 Hermitage Rod Shiraz; which is  what I actually had with the meal. Oh my terrific cost $30 odd but it is gorgeous to drink…. I actually had 2 glasses. It is a blend od wine from th Adelaide Plains and the Hunter Valley.

4 Stars due to expense

5. 2002 Hanging Rock Shiraz which I had a few weeks back A Victorian wine rich smooth and bit Oaky (dokey)

3Stars

6. 1998 Kingston Reserve Petit Verdot grape. The  Bottle just looks so classy Gold Medal sucks me in every time So included it here. Though I haven’t drunk it yet its is one I am looking forward to opening .

Must be 5 for the bottle I am such a sucker a sucker

The cheese board  is nothing special here but this takes just 5 minutes to put together. At the time I had just ordinary Cheeses in the fridge but on the platter the Bread is what makes the difference and it all comes to life; and wonder white just wont quite do so here we have a German Chilli Bread. Really soft and moist You would have to be carefull how you keep it as I imagine it might be prone to mould.

Got the bread from this stall at French’s Forest Sunday. At the time it was already 12.30 so the stalls were packing up but this chap was still there. One of the things I knew I would mis in Canberra was Mitchell markets At last I’ve found a very good substitute. I think it is probably better that Eveleigh markets.

Here are some more closes up of the bread

The cheeses here are: (nothing super special)

A round of Jindi Brie excellent I have liked this for ages. There is a triple cream version both are smooth and ideally you must consume when they are not to young but not over ripe either

Jindi product brie and camembert are less costly than saya competitor King Island and are arguably superior. Remember I am not setting myself up here as an expert just an ordinary citizen sharing my experience

Aldi Camembert this the emporium selection this is the less expensive one They also have a more select style both are inexpensive when compared to the local deli or even Coles or Woolworths.

A piece of vintage cheddar I like something with a bit of bite. Cheese as we all know really enhances the taste experience of a good full-bodied Red wine.

Some more cheese

To the left is an organic soft cheese that will take some time to ripen so be patient and persevere with it is not costly and really is quite good. It called Nuage Blanc by Paris Creek Farm Adelaide. When ripe its terrific. It got a Gold medal at the Adelaide show last year. As said before I’m a sucker for Gold Medals. In the rear is a huge tub of Feta which is just like a good Feta. It only cost $17

To the right on the board is a piece of French cheese made from unpasteurised milk. called Comte @ $65 Kg. Frankly it is a great disappointment ; it simply tasted flat and dull.

On the tray there are a variety of dips Capsicum Basil, Coriander, Olive and Feta etc etc; the types are many.  Often for the tray I’ll buy some Nan Bread. To date the best I have found seems to be Mission.

Dribble a small amount of Olive Oil into a non stick pan. Drop a piece of the Nan into the pan to briefly flash “fry”. Olive oil gives it a great aroma. Tear a quarter and either spread some of one of the dips and get your laughing gear round that. Alternatively try putting a slice of soft cheese in the middle of a piece od Nan and folding it over and then taking a bite. It’s a great a taste and texture sensation. Try it

Okay where to get the cheese? I get it from anywhere but I am thankful to have found a replacement for Mart Deli in Fyshwick Canberra You will see that many of the items I have displayed are from Aldi or Coles or Woollies. But last weekend I reconnected with Parisis on Dover Road Rose Bay.

Finally a novel way to drink wine Tarantino and Clooney in ‘From Dusk untill Dawn’ Salam Hayek lap dance. Music by Tito and Tarantula

Everything is food If you would like to see something lighthearted then follow this link I hope it works

So that’s it folks

On the legal front I wrote to the International Humans rights Lawyer to ask just what she thought she wa s doing defaming me online especially one who has chosen a particular humanitarian area of international Law. We will see what happens. I will slowly knock all of the miscreants off. It’s interesting that since they all have viewed this blog..and they have… not one has had the courage of their convictions to step forward and back themselves.

They wrote some pretty rude stuff in complete and total ignorance of me and who I am.  Our human rights lawyer may step forward yet ..even with a denial. But life wasn’t meant to be easy. Tomorrow is with my lawyer..there is no rush.

Cheers now Davie