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Moldova gets first ‘wine airport’
‘Wines of Moldova’ will appear on the front of their national airport, which was previously known as Chisinau International Airport.
The choices for the new name were a selection of references to Moldovan culture, including classical musician, Euga Doga and Moldova’s first female pilot, Olga Culic. Fictional fairy tale characters Pacala and Tandala were also amongst the choices.
Wines of Moldova hope this will send the message to tourists and visitors that Moldova is a ‘country of wine.’ The vote was carried out on website by diez.md and over 8,000 people participated in it.
International varieties grown in Moldova include: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. Rkatsiteli and Aligoté, more commonly found in eastern European wine regions, are also planted. Indigenous varieties include Feteasca Alba, Feteasca Nelba and Rare Neagra.
The Moldovan wine industry has suffered from conflicts with Russia in the past, including bans on Moldovan wines being imported to Russia. The EU then relaxed trade rules with Moldova, as a riposte to the Russian bans.
67 million bottles are now exported worldwide, according to Wines of Moldova. A Moldovan sweet wine won a Platinum award in the 2017 Decanter World Wine Awards, and can be bought for £8.
Charles Banks sentenced to four years
Ex-Screaming Eagle owner and winery investor Charles Banks has been sentenced to four years in federal prison for wire fraud.
Banks was indicted after advising retired NBA star Tim Duncan, a long term financial client, to invest $13million in Gameday Entertainment, a sport merchandise company partially owned by Banks. Duncan received no return on his investment. He pleaded guilty to one count of fraud in April 2017, after initially denying any wrongdoing.
Banks must also pay $7.5 million in restitution to Duncan. The scam was discovered when going through finances for Duncan’s, an ex-San Antonio Spurs player, divorce settlement.
‘He earned my trust as my financial adviser and friend, so I felt comfortable moving forward without replacing the checks and balances as he moved on to running his own thing,’ Duncan said in a statement, reported San-Antonio Express News. ‘Unfortunately, I was wrong about that decision.’ In his own statement, Banks said to Duncan ‘Tim, I’m sorry.’
Banks bought Screaming Eagle winery in Napa in 2006, then left in 2009 and set up Terroir Capital, which owns wineries included Qupé in Santa Maria in California, Trinity Hill in New Zealand and Fable Mountain Vineyards in South Africa. Terroir Capital are not involved with the case with Duncan.
Banks ‘stepped back’ as CEO of Terroir Captial after entering his plea, and chief operating officer Kevin McGee took over.
China takes new steps towards quality wine production, creating an ‘estate wine’ trademark
Sixteen wineries in China are set to be granted an ‘estate wine’ trademark, as part of government efforts to establish official quality standards for those producing wines from their own vineyards.
A professional trade committee, organised by China Alcoholic Drinks Association (CADA), has approved a first batch of 16 wineries (see list below) from Beijing, Hebei, Xinjiang and Ningxia to carry the quality trademark, after a series of audits and tasting assessments.
These producers are currently at the final stage of the process and are highly likely to be approved to carry the designated ‘estate wine’ trademark in July, according to CADA. The move marks China’s first steps towards an official regulation system for quality wine production.
To qualify for the ‘estate wine’ trademark, producers need to have full control over their vineyards, and produce and bottle their wines on site. The yield limit for these estate wines is at 1000kg of grapes per mu (approximately 94-115 hectolitres per hectare depending on white or red wines), according to CADA.
The current yield limit is significantly higher than that of top wine producing regions in the world, such as Bordeaux and Burgundy. The yield limit for Bordeaux AOC is less than 58hl/ha. The yield limit serves more as a wider national standard, according to Chinese wine authority Professor Li Demei. The majority of quality Chinese wine regions have an average yield far lower than the limit, he added.
China has so far issued several geographical indication (GI) marks to domestic wine producing regions, including Helan Mountain, in the east of Ningxia. Unlike rigorous EU appellation laws, the Chinese GI regulations ‘had little actual effect in the market because it is far less forceful than the trademark law,’ said Chinese wine authority Professor Li Demei.
By encouraging quality producers to apply for the estate wine trademark, which is owned and endorsed by CADA, the association aims to ‘protect the reputation of Chinese estate wine producers in domestic and overseas market’, said officials.
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We thought we would show you what happens when two very different producers from very different places use the same grapes. There can sometimes be a world of difference!
Guigal Côtes du Rhône Rouge 2012 @ £10.95
Guigal is arguably the most famous producer in the Rhône Valley. Founded by Étienne Guigal in 1946, his son Marcel is almost single-handedly responsible for the regions resurgence over the last few decades. This full-bodied wine offers a robust core of dark fruit, and savoury white pepper notes that make it a superb food wine.
Torbreck Barossa Valley "Old Vines" GSM 2012 @ £14.95
Garnet robe with flicks of pruple, a gorgeous high-toned aroma of five spice, créme de cassis, black cherries with a background of roasted earth, leather and herbs. A perfect match with hearty meats and stews, game and hard cheeses.
Both of these wines are made from Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre but are wonderfully different! Come and give them a go. Cheers!
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Rioja wines are known for being very food friendly.
They obviously pair particularly well with Spanish food especially lamb and pork and recipes that contain red peppers, pimenton, garlic and saffron.
The main thing to bear in mind is the style - whether it’s a young (joven) rioja which retain a fresh fruitiness with very little tannin or an older (Crianza or reserva) one which would be more robust and complex.
A Crianza Rioja like our
Izadi Rioja Reserva 2011 at £12.95
It's a sure match to the local dish...
ALBONDIGAS (meatballs in a rich sauce).
INGREDIENTS
MEATBALLS
500 g (17.6oz) minced beef or lamb
0.25 quarter of a Spanish onion, chopped
1 garlic clove
1 pinch Salt & black pepper
1 sprig of flat parsley
1 slice of white bread
100 ml (3.5fl oz) milk
1 egg
SAUCE
4 tbsp Spanish olive oil
0.75 3/4 of a Spanish onion
4 garlic cloves
1 small carrot
1 small tin of green peas
1 glass of Spanish red wine
1 sprig of thyme
1 sprig of rosemary
1 pinch Salt
1 tin of chopped plum tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
METHOD
Soak the bread in the milk. Finely chop the garlic, Spanish onion and flat parsley
Whisk the egg and mix all the ingredients together in a baking tray and knead this dough with clean hands for 2 minutes (don't over work it as the meatballs will become rubbery).
Make balls by rolling the mince between your hands and lay them on a baking tray.
Roast them in the oven with a drizzle of Spanish olive oil for 10 minutes at 180 degrees.
Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat with some Spanish olive oil, then fry the finely chopped garlic, carrot and Spanish onion until transparent.
Add the thyme, rosemary, salt, sugar, pepper and the glass of Spanish red wine and flambé.
Let the wine reduce by half and add the chopped tinned tomato. Cook for five minutes, add the green peas and meatballs and cook all together for another five minutes until the meatballs are fully cooked.
Enjoy it !
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When was the last time you tried a beautiful Chianti? Well ours really do stand out! A great low price and amazing quality at the same time. You can't go wrong!
Castello Vicchiomaggio San Jacopo 2013 @ £8.95
Kept in large barriques that guarantee a very traditional and classical style that comes back time and time again. The blend of traditional grapes gives this well-structured and fruity wine a beautiful and luxurious colour. This wine is generally available 1 to 2 years after vintage, when these peculiar features have had time to integrate and are appreciated most.
Castello Vicchiomaggio Agostino Petri Riserva 2010 @ £12.95
Combining tradition and innovation guarantees an excellent and fruity structure to this bold wine, yet it’s well balanced by an oak fullness. As the vineyard is more than 20 years old, this is a pretty low-yield vintage which guarantees excellent wine quality and combines vigour and high potential for just the right ageing.
Come and give them a go! Both are available to taste so there's nothing to lose! Cheers!
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It would seem that the rain has returned for us here in beckenham. At least our gardens will be thankful for it. Now that its cooling down a bit a nice red sounds like a great addition to your evening. How about Pomerol?
There are but a few producers in the whole of France that you could call synonymous with the Pomerol name. The Moueix family own and look after one of the most incredible estates in the world and their impact upon the regulation of this right-bank commune is second to none.
Christian Moueix 'Pomerol' 2010 @ £11.95 p/half £23.95 p/bt £49.95 p/mag
This stunning merlot-dominated blend draws you in with gorgeous notes of violets, coffee, spice and liquorice. A wonderfully long and savoury finish with excellent tannic structure and acidity makes this one fantastic at any time of day... but better with a Sunday roast!
Cheers!
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Don't worry about a spot of rain today, the sun's back out again tomorrow! So why not grab some beers and relax?
Four varieties of our craft beers to try and they're currently on offer at a number of levels...
For a new drinker there's 10% off if you buy 6 bottles.
For the returning GCC craft beer fans we have 20% off if you buy 12 bottles.
And for our resident beer lovers we have 33% off if you buy a case of 24!
Come and give them a go! There's one for everyone.
Cheers!
