Regular readers will know that in today's wine lecture we tasted half a dozen wines and all got a bit giddy before lunch, so I won't bore you with that. I would, however, like to share with you something I had never heard of until this morning ... Wine horoscopes. You heard right people - your astrological guide to what plonk suits you. Apparently, Sagittarians such as myself like a fragrant spicy blend of flavours and would enjoy an Australian Cabernet-Shiraz. Interesting. Pisces, on the other hand, 'like a drink in general'. I thought that sounded a bit rude, but this prediction was illustrated perfectly by the Pisces sitting to my left who upon tasting a number of today's wines commented 'I dont really like that ... but I would drink it'. So, Pisces will drink anything - perhaps don't invite too many to your dinner parties. (Surely she means 'always invite...'? - Ed).
We also had a refresher on how to pour a glass of wine as this will be part of our technique exam on Friday (I have been practicing very hard for this one). Stand to your customer's right, hold the bottle so as not to cover the label (unless you are trying to hide a dodgy label), pour and twist. The teacher told us not to panic but to 'Just pretend you are pouring a glass of wine for your favourite aunt or uncle'. Dear lord, the man has clearly never met my family. One aunt is a tee-totaller, the others think a 'drinking problem' is when you run out of champagne; if you dared to pause to show off a wine label, you would be tackled to the ground and the bottle would be wrestled from your hand. And I respect that. I am not sure if they read this, but if you do, Cheers ladies!
We also had a refresher on how to pour a glass of wine as this will be part of our technique exam on Friday (I have been practicing very hard for this one). Stand to your customer's right, hold the bottle so as not to cover the label (unless you are trying to hide a dodgy label), pour and twist. The teacher told us not to panic but to 'Just pretend you are pouring a glass of wine for your favourite aunt or uncle'. Dear lord, the man has clearly never met my family. One aunt is a tee-totaller, the others think a 'drinking problem' is when you run out of champagne; if you dared to pause to show off a wine label, you would be tackled to the ground and the bottle would be wrestled from your hand. And I respect that. I am not sure if they read this, but if you do, Cheers ladies!
Today we were shown how to make a variety of tapas, which we enjoyed with the traditional sherry accompaniment: Tortilla de patatas, salt cod, Brandade de Morue with piquillo pepper and rocket leaves, Salt cod bunuelos, Pimentos de padron, Serrano, Pata negra, Chorizo on bread, Moro, Bonita with anchovies, Garlic shrimps, Albondigas, Quince cheese (paste), Marinated black/green olives, Smoked mussels with homemade mayonnaise, Smoked salmon with cucumber pickle, Pulpo a la gallega (octopus), Bunuelos cos chorizo y queso, Goat's cheese in olive oil, Almendras cos pimenton, Huevos estrallados con chorizo, Garbanzada (chickpea stew), Papas bravas (potatoes), Delicias (dates stuffed with almonds, wrapped in ham and then deep fried ... not in a hurry to eat another one of these).
We were given three different varieties of sherry to try with the tapas, the last of which was Pedro Ximenez (sherry made from the Pedro Ximenez grape). If you hate the idea of a sweet but potent potable, you should get over it and try this stuff. How sweet is sweet? Well to give you an idea, Coca-Cola has 109g of residual sugar per litre ... Pedro Ximenez has 450g. You may develop diabetes within an hour of imbibing it, but it will have been worth it.
Once again I am off to study (you know its serious when I pour a cup of green tea as opposed to a glass of vino). I still can't name most of the salad leaves and I'm starting to freak out...
P.S. Chester the cheese is beginning to look very cheesey! He is in the back row on the left. I shall post more photos as he ages (he will hopefully be covered in mould in a few weeks ... it will likely be the only time in my life I will be delighted at the sight of mould).
We were given three different varieties of sherry to try with the tapas, the last of which was Pedro Ximenez (sherry made from the Pedro Ximenez grape). If you hate the idea of a sweet but potent potable, you should get over it and try this stuff. How sweet is sweet? Well to give you an idea, Coca-Cola has 109g of residual sugar per litre ... Pedro Ximenez has 450g. You may develop diabetes within an hour of imbibing it, but it will have been worth it.
Once again I am off to study (you know its serious when I pour a cup of green tea as opposed to a glass of vino). I still can't name most of the salad leaves and I'm starting to freak out...
P.S. Chester the cheese is beginning to look very cheesey! He is in the back row on the left. I shall post more photos as he ages (he will hopefully be covered in mould in a few weeks ... it will likely be the only time in my life I will be delighted at the sight of mould).
Cheers just read the blog- the non teetotaller. Wrestled and won.
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