StephenT

Saying that Cognac is made kind of like wine is like saying that whisk(e)y is made kind of like beer

"Snakebite" is usually lager and cider in roughly equal quantities. Add some blackcurrant and you get "snakebite and black". Just cider and blackcurrant is probably called "cider and black".

Oh yes... and beware of tartrates... don't decide to quickly swig the last mouthful from the bottle while nobody is looking. If it contains tartrates you'll get a mouthful of nasty little crystals akin to salt which you'll have to disguise to pretend that you weren't being such a total philistine by drinking from the bottle.

Some people say that sediment is a sign of a good wine. Not because the sediment itself causes a good wine, but because only good wines cause sediment. Due to generally decent wines being the ones that are not filtered, etc.

This site contains quite a bit of explanation about the whole process of making malt whisky.

Whisk(e)y of almost any sort other than single malt (both because it's usually a waste and because I don't like my coffee to taste peaty).

Hehe... suspected this might be something to do with branding and marketing rather than with proper wine making That said, perhaps if I got hold of a bottle I'd be able to serve my wife some champagne that she actually liked!

They don't add anything (or at least they shouldn't be doing so!) Malt Whisky (such as Aberlour) is made from malted barley and water. Aberlour is from the Speyside region and these are particularly known for having some sweetness to them. Variation in taste is affected by many factors and can change markedly from region to region... the fun bit is investigating

Mark, I think you're being too harsh on britcook - I don't think his post was intended as a diatribe, he was just covering what people understand by terroir in order to start a discussion. Terroir is certainly what causes flavour, but would suggest that translating it directly as flavour is unwise. Do we have to have an English equivalent? I don't think that we necessarily do, but something like "growing environment" encompasses everything it should although it's rather boring.

Try Mela on Shaftesbury Avenue. If you do a search for it on this forum I'm sure you'll find some reviews and comments on it.

The restaurant previously known as Weststreet (on West Street, WC2) has closed and is soon due to re-open as "East @ West", probably resulting in exactly the sort of fusion madness that this terribly clever name implies. An Australian chef is going to be in charge, I can't remember her name - I read this while walking past the place one morning on the way to work and not much of it stuck in my head. Thought someone might be interested.

I also find that drinking a spirit-rich cocktail (e.g. a martini) can be rather overpowering on the nose if you try to drink it out of a wine glass which is designed to concentrate the bouquet (yes I tried it once in a desperate moment). Also you don't want to have to tip the glass over as far as you'd have to other glasses. The wide conical glass allows you to take small sips from the rim of the glass without having to lean it over too far and without getting your nose blasted with alcohol fumes.

Naah it's called Whisky

Yep

Fairview does turn out a large range of wines and some of it is quite good. Maybe the Goats thing is a clever way of selling off the "spare" wine that didn't into any of the decent varietals or blends. Or maybe they've just planted a lot of new vines of Rhone varieties and are using it as a vehicle for selling wine from those vines while they're still young.

A different sort of wine list mix-up to the others on this thread so far. One evening a few years ago I found myself with several colleagues in the Atlantic Bar and Grill in London. We'd had a few before we got there and after a further round of cocktails we started perusing the wine list. I wasn't choosing the wine, but the person who was chose a moderately priced (£30 or so I think it was) sauvignon blanc from the list. Unfortunately that wasn't available so he chose the one immediately underneath it on the list. It arrived, we drank it and were quite impressed at his excellent choice. Hours later, when the bill arrived, it turned out that the second choice was actually £110. Good thing we had enjoyed it!

English sparkler perhaps?

So that people who don't know that you're trying to do you a favour don't get offended that the sommelier is "stealing" some of their wine. There was a thread on this site (can't find it now) in which I'm sure someone said that she would hit a sommelier if he tried to taste any of her wine.

So they're more powerful than the giant electromagnets that are used to pick up cars or direct the path of subatomic particles in particle accelerators?

I usually just shove the bottles into my suitcase between clothes and (soft) gifts. They've never broken.

Andre, Do these really exist? I didn't really experience any when I lived there, and when I last went back on holiday I ended up at KWV doing tasting. I asked the lady doing the tasting if they had any dry sherry. The conversation went something like this: Me: Do you have any really dry sherry? Her: Yes, try this one. Me: Hmm, a bit sweet (tasted like supermarket Amontillado in the UK) Her: It is quite dry. Me: Not properly dry though, and too warm. I enjoy Spanish style dry sherries served chilled. Her: But we're not in Spain. Me: No, really? (not actually voiced, but certainly thought... I think I wandered off bemused at this point) Since getting to know Fino and Manzanilla and even real dry Amontillado, I really think that South Africa could do with some proper dry sherry (or... sherry style wines), especially considering the climate and the amount of seafood consumed.

I remember reading a thread on this in the Mexico forum a while back. I can't find it now, but I'm sure there are other similar threads there as well as a general discussion of proper Mexican food. edit: Oops had the link wrong.

I don't make smoothies very often but recently made one with banana (of course), kiwi and celery with a dash of lychee juice. The celery was an experiment and I really enjoyed it, but when I told other people about it they thought I was weird.

Drank this tonight, the 2001. Lots of cherry fruit and chocolate and quite well balanced. Some spiciness and complexity, but not as much as I'd hoped... probably better after a year or two. PS had a look at Fairview's web site, this contained: Shiraz, Grenache, Carignan and Viognier

I've had the 2000 and remember it being quite drinkable if not particularly complex, I don't know what the later vintages are like. Apart from it being a good marketing gimmick, the wines do seem to have attracted good reviews in the UK. I have a bottle of the Goat-Roti waiting for me too, I plan to drink it tomorrow. edit: Talking about the red here... there is a white and a rose too now I think.