Wine away the days!
WHEN I graduated from chef to restaurateur, my hunger for wine knowledge was insatiable.
I would attend every wine tasting invite, accept every sample and read every wine magazine.
I decided the only way to learn about the subject was to drink the stuff!
I’m sure some of you would think this is everybody’s dream, but I can assure you it is actually hard work. At first, I felt intimidated by those around me, swilling, sniffing and spitting, with mumblings of descriptions which made no sense to me at the time.
Tobacco notes, floral overtones, lingering finishes.
But I persisted, vowing that I would only use this terminology if I had to and that I would try to banish the snobbery from wine in my world.
These days, I’m very selective about wine tastings – I still get as many invitations – but on a recent trip to Porto, I felt duty bound to visit the Quinta, where the Port that we serve is produced.
On the drive along the riverside from Peso da Régua to Pinhão, in the heart of Portugal’s Alto Douro, surrounded by terraced vineyards that climb high above the dramatic confluence of the Douro and Tedo rivers, sits an eighteenth-century estate, Quinta do Tedo.
We drove past many familiar names, many of them British, such as Taylors and Croft, but this was a small property with a great pedigree.
Here, the proprietors Vincent Bouchard and Kay Steffey Bouchard have revitalised a venerable winery and created new distinctive Ports and Douro wines, bringing together traditions from Burgundy and California.
I was thrilled take away with me a bottle of the 2003 vintage, after our tasting, but still one of my favourites, listed at Friends, Quinta do Tedo Fine Tawny Port, makes a wonderful accompaniment to this Portugese delicacy:
Porto Wine Cake
(8 Servings)
Ingredients
5 eggs, separated300 g caster sugar250 g unsalted butter50 ml Port wine1½ teaspoon cinnamon250 g flourMethod1) Beat the egg yolks with sugar until light and fluffy, then add the softened butter, Port wine and cinnamon.
2) Slowly fold in the sieved flour.
3) Beat the egg whites until stiff, then fold into the mixture.
4) Bake in buttered and floured cake tin at 180°/gas mark 4 for about 40 minutes.
5) Allow to cool, then cut into cubes and sprinkle with icing sugar.
Bom apetite!
