Before arriving in Buenos Aires on this my second visit to the city, I had not prepared for my visit from a wine perspective, my main goal in spending a month in Argentina being to learn to dance the Tango. I have planned to visit Mendoza, renowned for its Malbec, have attended a wine tasting and food pairing evening at COWI in Buenos Aires, drunk three wines at the dinner at Buenos Aires’ Tegui, 86th Best Restaurant in the World, one wine at Don Julio, the 34th Best Restaurant in the World and Best in Argentina, and two wines at dinner at 1884 Restaurant in Mendoza. I have summarised my initial knowledge about the wine industry of Argentina, the fifth largest in the world, to which I have added some research information too. Continue reading →
Tag Archives: yeast
Devaluation of the Rand a double-edged sword for wine industry!
The devaluation of the Rand, especially since President Zuma’s Nenegate in December, is not all plain sailing, having negative effects on the wine industry too, warns Wines of South Africa CEO Siobhan Thompson. The weak Rand is expected to dominate for a year.
The positive benefit of the devaluation of the Rand in making the country’s wines more affordable in international markets, will be counteracted by the increased prices of imported corks, barrels, equipment, yeast, and closures. Increased inflation will be likely to drive up wages too, adding to cost increases.
Local wine farmers were advised to hedge their businesses against currency fluctuations, to balance wine exports and local sales, and to increase sales of premium wines.
Ms Thompson warned that the exchange rate devaluation would severly affect international marketing budgets by up to 25-30%, either leading to reduced marketing activity in overseas markets, or a substantial increase in marketing budget will be required. She warned that this could negatively affect building brand ‘South Africa‘ in international markets. She also said: ‘We need to stand true to our strategy of building value over volume. South Africa is serious about growing its image and higher price tier offerings and we need to continue doing so and not be pushed to lower FOBs and price points due to the Rand devaluing’.
Source: The Drinks Business
Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.whalecottage.com/blog Tel 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@WhaleCottage Facebook: click here
Woolworths’ ‘CarbClever’ Banting range another misleading consumer rip-off, not Banting clever at all!
It is interesting to see Woolworths’ reaction to Banting and the (LCHF) low carb high fat eating plan advocated by Professor Tim Noakes, in how long it has taken the retailer to react to the Banting diet craze, and how it has reacted, in misleading health-conscious consumers with its new CarbClever range.
In essence Professor Tim Noakes, in his book ‘Real Meal Revolution‘, advocates a diet of no carbohydrates, such as South African starch staples rice and potatoes, as well as any wheat products such as bread, pasta, and pizza. He advocates high fat too, suggesting lamb or other high fat meat types, butter, full cream dairy products, and more. Sugar is completely off the Banting list.
While two Banting-focused restaurants have opened in Cape Town already (65 on Main Banting Café and the not-1oo%-Banting The Banting Kitchen), no Banting product range is known to have been launched in the six months since Banting caught the attention of South Africans. Now Woolworths has launched the CarbClever range for ‘Carb Conscious Customers‘, odd in its choice Continue reading →
Devil’s Peak Brewing Company pairs with Beerhouse food! Beer like no other!
Beerhouse opened a year ago, with the proud claim of having the largest collection of bottled beers, 99 in fact, as per the song. Last night a number of writers were invited to the first of a monthly ‘Meet the Brewer’ food and beer pairing evenings. The Devil’s Peak Brewing Company and Beerhouse food pairing was led by Brewmaster JC Steyn, previously a winemaker for nine years at Dornier in Stellenbosch, and a brewmaster for the past two years.
We were a mixed bunch: wine writer Harry Haddon, whisky aficionado Bernard Gutman, beer blogger Lucy Corne, blogger Amy Rankin, and blogger Karissa of ‘My love affair with Cape Town’, and others. The biggest surprise was seeing Chris Zöller, previously at Kloof Street House, now at Beerhouse, a gem of a host, an asset for Beerhouse. His brother had worked with Beerhouse GM Murray Slater when they worked in London.
Chef Roy MacAllister took us through the do’s and don’ts of beer and food pairing, and he said
there aren’t many. ‘Anything goes’, he said. It is not an exact science with hard and fast rules. The yeast and hops add flavour to the beer, and one needs to take this into account when choosing matching food. The bitterness in beer, which seems to go with a higher alcohol content, accentuates the salt content of food. Stronger beers can over-dominate the food, he warned. The chef had chosen the appropriate food pairings without the brewmaster. Each of the Devil’s Peak beers was paired with two or three food items. Each of the food items were prepared especially for the evening, and are not on the Beerhouse menu. It is planned to add Continue reading →