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Robert Parker’s Magical 20 tasting - Part 1
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Just mention the name, Robert Parker, and most people in the wine world, seem to have an opinion -both good and bad.
When offered the opportunity to attend a tasting lead by Parker at Wine Future Hong Kong, I jumped at the chance. While he is primarily regarded as a wine critic, in being so, he is also inspirational as a communicator and educator.
At this tasting labeled, “Parker’s “Magical 20,” we tasted the Bordeaux wines that Parker described as forming the next tier below the famed first growth wines of Chateaux Lafite, Margaux et al.
A tasting of this magnitude for 1000 winelovers, required 20,000 glasses, 1400 bottles and 45 sommeliers to open them! As well, many of the Chateau had flown to Hong Kong just to be part of tasting and support their wines.
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Robert Parker’s Magical 20 Bordeaux tasting at Wine Future.
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Fundraising Dinner in NZ Listener
From Lauraine Jacobs in the New Zealand Listener.
Celia Hay started her New Zealand School of Food & Wine in Christchurch more than 16 years ago to train local and international students in culinary skills and wine appreciation, and provide a course that gave them commercially recognised qualifications. The school, housed in a building in central Christchruch, awaits decisions about how the city rebuilds and restructures itself after the earthquakes. In the meantime, Hay has moved the business to Auckland, where she recently organised a dinner to raise funds to give a number of Christchurch children a break.
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Fundraising Dinner in Dish Magazine
Catherine Bell, founding editor at Dish Magazine came to our dinner…
In late July I was one of about 80 people to enjoy a superb three course dinner of Canterbury produce including freshly smoked Akaroa Salmon and bush honey and Mt Cass Waipara Spring Lamb. The event, a fund-raised by The New Zealand School of Food & Wine, was cooked largely by owner Celia Hay with the help of Masterchef New Zealand winner Nadia Lim and some generous volunteers. The dishes were paired with Waipara wines including the luscious Greystone Pinot Noir.
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Tour of the restaurant Arzak
On a tour of the restaurant, cellar and kitchen of Arzak which holds 3 Michelin stars in San Sebastian, Spain. In the cellar of Arzak yesterday. It is lined with zinc to re-create the feel of a cave, holding 3000 labels and of which 70% are Spanish.
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In Spain they have an IGP (protected geographic food/wine concept) for milk fed-lamb. In Riberia del Duero it is for the Churra breed. Today, I enjoyed this delicious lamb for lunch.
Here, they are able to stagger the birth so that there is an on-going supply of fresh lambs through the season. The lamb is killed at around 25 days or 11kg (dead weight 6kg). To cook, the lamb is split in half (including the tail) and baked in in a wood-fired oven (like a pizza oven) using vine cuttings). It only has some water in the baking dish to keep it moist and then salt is added for flavour prior to serving.
Very delicious!
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Kids from Mt Pleasant School, many of whom have had significant damage to their homes, visited Duvauchelle Store to cook in August.
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We have had 3 groups from Avondale school during the winter.
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Wainoni School braved the winter weather, to cook in June. They also sent us the some wonderful thank you letters.
Lois arranged the day. “The kids arrived at 10.30 and had a quick run around the Duvauchelle School playing field next door. They were put into teams and started first with the foccacia dough. While it was proving they did a wordfind and ate freshly baked cookies .They then made a personal pizza for lunch while the foccacia finished in the oven.
It was great to see the kids enjoy their own baking as they ate their pizzas on the deck. They took the foccacia back home to enjoy in Christchurch.
As a thank you, they sang us two songs. It was a special day with lots of happy smiling faces!”.
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Wainoni School wrote this collection of thank you letters.
