Mining the wine lands or wining the mine lands, That is the question!

Tensions are high with the proposed mining proposal which will affect not only the wine farms in question but all the auxiliaries which its weight carries. Tourism is one of the largest industries in Cape Town, It creates jobs and Brand awareness, a fundamental requirement in a first world market, Why then has our leaders not jumped in? Isn't that what we are all striving for? a better country!

Amidst all the smoke and mirrors are our industry representatives who are rallying up support to fight the good fight, there is a clear divide between all parties involved, having followed all the press clutter around the saga it is revealed that only our industry parties are fighting to save what is clearly under threat, they have done this in a legal and transparent manner for all to see yet the mining group and our leaders choose to do everything in wording that is contradictory in every sense of the word.

There comes a time in every Democracy where its people need to stand united against the deliberate destruction of a perfectly healthy industry for personal gain, its a matter of pride and principal. If you would like to get involved email me at peter.wineza@gmail.com

On the more joyful side of things the Harvest is coming to a close, My clients say that volume is down from last year,but the good news is the quality is promising!

TIP OF THE WEEK.

With the winter coming up you want to increase the daily intake of vitamin c, here is a natural way to do just that.

Chillies a a high source of vitamin c but has a rather nasty bite, to remove the burn from a chilli takes around 15-20 min. Remove both ends of the chilli, slice open and remove all the seeds (pips), Cut into strips. Place 1 tablespoon of sugar in a bowl with half a cup white or brown vinegar, mix well and add the chillies, leave for 15-20 minute and you have a chilli that doesn't burn, great for the whole family.
PS: Test a piece before removing from the sugar and vinegar mix, if it still has a twang leave for a little longer.


Peter.

Honey and Ginger Chicken

After many requests here is a little something yummy for those who are building a fire this weekend. I would recommend a light styled wine for this meal, Viognier, pronounced VEE-O-Nier, Chenin Blank or a Sauv/Blanc .

You will need the following:
4 Chicken thighs
4 Chicken Drumsticks
Salt and Pepper
Ground Ginger
50ml olive oil
25ml Honey
12.5ml Soy Sauce
1 Clove Garlic, Sliced

1. Season the Chicken lightly with Salt and Pepper. Sprinkle generously with ground Ginger.

2. Blend the oil, Honey and Soy sauce in a bowl, Add the sliced Garlic.

3.Turn the chicken Pieces around in the Marinade. Leave for around a hour, turning the pieces around from time to time.

4. Cook the Chicken Pieces over low coals, Brush frequently with Marinade until Chicken is Golden and juices run clear when Chicken pieces are pricked.

There you have it, nothing fancy, real easy to prepare and no stove required giving you more time with the family outside.


Enjoy!


Peter.

The Kitchen, A mans place.

Weekends are a luxury for most if its spent doing what you love, my kids are big now and have their own social calenders to uphold, this leaves me in a prime slot on weekends to do what i love, wining and dining! Although I'm big on enjoying the benefits of eating out, nothing comes close to taking over the kitchen in raw style accompanied by a glass of your favorite wine and music.

Fridays bring a sense of excitement, pouring my wine of choice and taking a moment to establish what food will go with it, generally it comes in the weirdest form of something called experiment!Let me first tell you about something i discovered about a year ago, I was given a fruit cake and as with most things that don't do it for me i placed it in the kitchen cupboard, there it lay till the day a friend came over and said he would love to enjoy what i enjoy with wine, Being close to the end of the month there wasn't really much in the line of interesting to offer, that's when i opened the cupboard and saw the fruit cake, Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Being caught unawares to a visit, i never even had time to chill the two bottles of Amani Chardonnay given to me by Carmen Stevens, Winemaker of Amani wines, so i ceremoniously popped the cork and poured us each a splosh, the wine displayed some intense aromas, vanilla being the more dominant one, that's when it hit me, vanilla is used in cakes and most baking, so this has to work, being a bit of a caveman when it comes to being hoity toity i just broke a piece of fruitcake and sampled it with a swig of wine, to my delight it was one of the nicest mouth feels i had ever experienced, I took my friend through all the complexity and he was rather taken back by how this wine and fruitcake came together to form a completely different flavor, The short end of the stick is we polished off both bottles and the fruitcake, it was a beautiful thing to see someone enjoy these life changing moments for the first time, My friend is now a avid wine drinker and has even started cooking, his wife is eternally grateful for what he has learn with wine as it allows her to relax on weekend while he is in the kitchen experimenting his new found passion.

This brings me to what i started out doing, trying to show how it works, never order a wine and then the meal, its always the other way around, first decide what you are eating, establish what the dominant flavors are then pair it to a wine, this is law, well mine anyway! Intensity of food is paired to intensity of wine, spicy with spicy, sweet with sweet, tropical with tropical ie; smoked gamon with ripe Mellon just brings out the flavor, its like adding salt to food, it brings a new dimension to your taste buds, you wouldn't put salt in coffee would you? no, you sweeten it, so if your wine has flavors of coffee then try it with something on the sweeter side, However personal taste is different for everyone, experiment and find what works for you, Here is something to help next time you planning on having a pairing session, hope it helps!

Focus on finding a wine with an intensity that suits your meal, Many people make the mistake of ordering a wine before they have decided what meal they will be having, Therefore, decide what meal you will be having before you look at the wine list! The weight and power of a wine should always be matched to the richness and texture of the food ie: Less intense wines for, say, Thai and Sushi dishes and more intense wines for heavy meat dishes. I have compiled a list of wines in order of intensity to help in making an informed decision before ordering so as to avoid disappointment! These wines are as follows: 1 being less intense than 10!

1) Sauvignon Blanc.
2) Riesling.
3) Chenin Blanc.
4) Ros'e
5) Chardonnay.
6) Pinot Noir.
7) Merlot.
8) Pinotage.
9) Shiraz.
10) Cabernet Sauvignon.

Well there you have it, im off to the kitchen, heres me wishing you all a weekend of taste sensation.

Peter.

Quality Time

Morning traffic, Kids running late, trying to plan your work schedule, sound familiar? The world is becoming faster, machine is becoming more efficient, yet we have less time now than ever before. Everyone is looking for some well deserved quality time, it has sadly taken a back seat due to modern pressures driving us forward like a workhorse with blinkers on. Our quality time is now scheduled in 6 months in advance and is mostly put off due to something coming up, the good news is that you don't need to wait six months to have some Quality time, when last did you set up an old blanket in your garden or balcony and instead of eating at the table or in front of the telly have a picnic with your family or that someone special? It costs nothing but some imagination, Use the empty wine bottle from last Sundays lunch as a vase and fill with something green from the garden, nothing fancy, place some stones here and there and a few branches with leaves in between,that's if you have a tree at your disposal, my point is it doesn't need to cost anything, its all about imagination! Nothing compares to sitting on an old blanket sipping on your favorite wine and eating with your hands, kids love to experience this kind of family time even if its in the back garden, it brings a togetherness unlike in front of the telly, its about bringing all the likes in your life together and sharing it with those you love, create a culture around what you enjoy, and enjoy it!

A Biased representation of our wine industry

Sifting through the maze of industry hype, the writing on the wall by self proclaimed wine critics, or just opening a industry magazine leaves one dazed and confused, This one is saying that, the other saying this, its a hot mess I tell you! Having worked in the wine industry for 15 years and being a consumer myself know there is a lot of smoke and mirrors surrounding most of what goes on, one would think that the industry governing body would put a stop to it as it erodes the integrity of many brands lying vulnerable due to the clutter from every so-called authority who has an opinion. I do believe that this kind of conducted business has placed a huge wedge amongst the interested parties, The SA wine industry has suffered a huge blow and financial down turn due to the ressesion and marketing shortfalls along with escom hikes etc, when will someone step up and take the reins? Perhaps when it is too late? I hope not! Its time this industry stands together, united in a long term solution that will carry our brand industry to the consumer, Having one of the largest wine groups in SA has taught me one thing, people in general are confused as to what wine is all about, there needs to be some type of elementary understanding and this needs to come from a united industry, as with anything in life, if the industry isn't united, the consumer will follow the same trend, It seems that its each man to him self, a poor representation at most,who cares about all the hype anyway? its old school marketing tactic, If a wine tastes good, drink it!

Peter.