I made jam last night for Youngest Girl's nursery cake & chutney sale on Saturday. Actually, I didn't make jam. A group of us got together and I chopped a few peppers and chillies, whilst mostly chatting over a glass of wine and a bowl of crisps. Here's what Jules did with the results:
Wine-free tonight, as it happens. Except for the splash of wine in my risotto, but I don't think that counts.
Current white in the fridge: Yalumba 'Y' Series Viognier 2011, £9.99, Majestic, Morrisons
Colder weather calls for warmer flavours, and this is like tinned peaches without the sickly sweetness. Or the actual peaches, obviously. Or the tin. OK, it is nothing like actual tinned peaches. But if you close your eyes and take a big sniff of this in a glass, you'll know what I mean. Made from the Viognier grape - the star white grape of the northern Rhone Valley - this is the Barossa take on it. And Australia, or rather the producer Yalumba, does it beautifully. Ripe and round. It's a peach. Well, not an actual peach. I'll stop there.
Current red in the rack: Tesco Finest Gigondas 2010, £13.49, Tesco
OK, a bit extravagant, I know. But this is such a gorgeous wine, and completely worth it. We had this on Sunday, with rib of beef. Heavenly. My mother-in-law makes a brilliant hedgerow jelly, and this wine has that same dark berry aroma with a rustic edge. Made from a blend of grapes grown in the southern Rhone region (clearly got a Rhone thing going on this week) including Grenache and Syrah, Gigondas is an area not far from that of Chateauneuf du Pape. Gigondas produces similar wines, but generally cheaper, and perhaps a little less 'polished'. Sometimes a good thing, especially when it comes with aforementioned rustic edge. Grr.
Groove on xLabels: 2010, 2011, Australia, Barossa, France, grenache, Majestic, Morrisons, red wine, Rhone, Syrah, Tesco, white wine
