Visit to Chateau Siaurac, Bordeaux

A visit to Chateau Siaurac, Bordeaux by Kitchen Delights Roving Reporter.

A short drive away from the centre of Bordeaux, I continued my journey of wine exploration to Chateau Siaurac.

Set in 60 hectares of beautiful grounds, this family run chateau which is steeped in history and brimming with character, offers a unique wine experience. 

Dating back to 1832, the family is proud to have carried on the tradition of making wine, continually innovating to produce the very best. On the day of our visit, we were able to see the cellars where the wines are kept in French oak barrels and also taught about the daily working life within the vineyard. 

Afterwards in a private tasting session, we sampled exquisitely made food and had great fun pairing food to wines. The key lesson here was to appreciate how a wine can taste so different when paired with different foods, all of which is of course subjective.

For lunch, there was the option to eat from a gourmet style lunch box containing brioche style rolls, soup and a crumble, or you could opt for a VIP lunch and enjoy a more formal dining experience in a private space (I could have spent all day eating – feast your eyes on the divine chocolate dessert in the photograph).

This vineyard is special because it is accessible to everyone. For young families with toddlers, you can opt for a package which allows you to taste wines, and also explore the grounds and historic chateau with an activity pack (you may even discover little Babouche the puppy pictured). Whilst for groups of friends, you may choose the food and wine pairing workshop or the VIP package. With so many chateaux to choose from in Bordeaux – I recommend putting this one at the very top of your bucket list.

To find out more about the packages available email vivrelevin@chateausiaurac.com or visit www.baronneguichard.com

www.facebook.com/BordeauxWinesUK
twitter.com/BordeauxWinesUK

A huge thank you to Carey, Rosamund and Natasha at R&R Teamwork.

Disclosure:  The trip was funded by The Bordeaux Wine Council (CIVB) www.bordeaux.com/uk

Trip to Bordeaux - École du Vin Bordeaux (Wine School)

         École du Vin (Wine School) - featuring Caroline, one of the school's excellent wine experts.

Posting by Kitchen Delights Roving Reporter.

My food and wine press trip started on a cold cloudy Friday afternoon at Luton airport and in just over an hour I arrived in glorious Bordeaux in the south of France, to discover why it is the natural home to sensational food and great wine.

Described as the 'mini Paris' of France, due to the stunning architecture and the cool city vibe you would expect to find in Paris - Bordeaux is a very walkable city which makes it the perfect weekend get-away.

My culinary objective was to discover knock your socks off wines and scrumptious food.  I hope you will get just as excited as I am, as I share in a series of forthcoming blog posts, my visits to gorgeous Châteaux, delightful food markets and other amazing treasures that wait for you in Bordeaux.

A Visit to École du Vin

When you visit Bordeaux be prepared to thoroughly immerse yourself in food and drink (and of course the amazing shopping!) and where better to start than with a trip to École du Vin (Wine School) which is located in the centre of the city.

Learn how to sniff, slurp and sample sensational wines, just like a professional, and learn all about the different soils, grape varieties and other complexities involved in the wine producing process.

This two and a half hour masterclass paints a colourful picture of Bordeaux, as you learn about it's geography and the impact this has on wine production.  Don't worry if you are not a pro - it's a really fun and accessible way for anyone, to start appreciating Bordeaux wines.  You'll feel suitably smug that you have attended a masterclass before visiting a Château or two - trust me!

To find out more about the introduction to wine course http://www.ecole-du-vin.fr/

www.facebook.com/BordeauxWinesUK
twitter.com/BordeauxWinesUK

Disclosure:  The trip was funded by The Bordeaux Wine Council (CIVB) www.bordeaux.com/uk

Carey, Rosamund and Natasha at R&R Teamwork. Thanks a mill....

Christmas Stocking Gift Ideas

GarlicCard

The GarlicCard is a nifty portable gadget invented by a Swedish chef.  The card can be used to  grate garlic cloves or fresh ginger into a puree, and afterwards the curved end of the grater can be used to spread the garlic onto bread. Easy to clean by hand or dishwasher safe.
Stockist: Presents For Men - £3.99


DropStop Wine Pourer

The DropStop wine gadget - insert the flexible circular disc into the neck of the wine bottle to stop those annoying wine spills and drips. They can be inserted into any drinks bottle.
Stockist: Amazon.co.uk - £2.99  Supplied in a pack of 3


DropStop Wine Breather

Especially for red wine, this is fitted into the neck of the wine bottle and prevents drips and aerates the wine. Stockist: Amazon.co.uk - £1.95 available in packs of 2.

Thank you to Eleanor and Eddingtons for the samples.

Lindt Excellence Chocolate and Wine Pairing

Lindt recently invited Kitchen Delights to a Chocolate and Wine pairing event, which they were hosting at Chocolate Unwrapped in London, to celebrate National Chocolate Week.  Lindt Master Chocolatier, Stefan Bruderer and Master of Wine, Sarah Jane Evans held an in-depth chocolate and wine pairing event.

Unfortunately I was unable to attend the event but they have kindly sent me a fabulous mini chocolate and wine pairing pack which was made up specially for Chocolate Week.

The pack contains a Chocolate and Wine tasting guide and:

2 x Excellence dark 70% Cocoa
2 x Excellence dark 85% Cocoa
2 x Excellence dark Orange Intense
2 x Excellence dark Sea Salt
2 x Excellence dark Mint Intense
2 x Excellence Extra Creamy Milk
1 x Cool Harvest Sauvignon Blanc
1 x Jacobs Creek Shiraz Cabernet

Hubby, who has neither experience or knowledge regarding chocolate and wine pairing (but does enjoy both chocolate and wine) was assigned the task.  His first pairing was Sauvignon Blanc and Dark Mint Intense. Individually, he enjoyed both the chocolate and wine, but somehow seemed to miss the point regarding the pairing.  This is obviously a new flavour experience he needs to work on.

He read the tasting notes again, which fully explain how to enjoy the pairings, with this knowledge he was now able to appreciate the next pairing.

A Shiraz Cabernet and 85% dark Cocoa chocolate are the pairing this time, and he thought the complexity of flavours in both the chocolate and a full bodied wine are the perfect match.

We both enjoyed the mini chocolates - as soon as you remove the wrapper you are in chocolate heaven. I couldn't choose a favourite chocolate from the above list, but Dark Sea Salt is one we hadn't tried before and is definitely a taste sensation.

Thank you to Sandra and Lindt for the Chocolate and Wine Tasting Pack.

Vacu Vin Wine Aerator - Review & Giveaway

This innovative wine gadget from Vacu Vin is simply fitted onto a bottle of red wine, it then slows down the wine flow into the glass, this allows the wine to take up extra oxygen and improves the taste. You can see the wine pouring through the transparent aerator into the glass, it should fit most red wine bottles and comes apart for washing.

The aerator can be placed over the neck of the bottle ready to pour the next glass of wine.

Hubby poured out two glasses of red wine, one straight from the bottle and one using the aerator.  His thoughts are the aerator is instant, improves the taste of the wine, and is a very well made wine gadget.

The wine aerator will make a great gift for red wine enthusiasts, it can be used at the table or even taken away with you on holiday. Price £9.95

I have been sent a second Vacu Vin Wine Aerator as a giveaway and all you have to do is enter the simple Rafflecopter below.  UK entries only - sorry.

If you can't see the Rafflecopter widget try refreshing the page.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Which Colour of Wine to Choose

A number of considerations can affect our choices when buying wine. The selection available is vast and making the best choice can be a time-consuming exercise if we don’t have some knowledge behind us.

Wine drinkers with an appreciation for both red and white wine can often face a dilemma at the off licence. Wines of all varieties are readily available to suit all tastes and all budgets.

Sumptuous red wine from all over the world can be found for under £5 per bottle. French reds from the Cotes du Rhone-Villages region are a great example of this, offering full-bodied, heavy notes at brilliant prices. Occasionally, fans of Spanish Riojas can take advantage of shops and supermarkets dropping the prices below £5 and any red wine enthusiast would be well advised to join them when the chance arises.

Good white wine for less than £5 is equally simple to find if you know what you are looking for. Recently, bottles of the 2008 Marsanne, Vin de Pays d’Oc from France has been spotted on sale for as little as £3 a bottle and has been described by critics as offering “rather more sunny, apricot and almond-stashed fruit for your money”.

The final decision of red or white usually comes down to occasion. If wine is being bought to be enjoyed with a particular meal, this makes the choice significantly easier.

The basic guidelines read something like: red wine with red meat, game and casseroles, white wine with fish, spicy food, vegetarian food and pasta. For more detail on choosing the particular red or white wine to accompany your meal, the label on the bottle almost always makes some reference, or your wine merchant may be able to help.

However, wine is not only served with food and many of the wines that compliment food brilliantly might taste drastically different when tasted without food.

‘No-food’ wines are not hard to find in these days of wine being commonly purchased as an aperitif in bars and enjoyed in front of the TV with little more than a bowl of nuts for sustenance. The watchword for these wines is ‘smooth’. For wine to taste good on its own, it needs to be low in tannins, which give red wines their dry, tight flavours. Wines like Negroamaro and Rosso di Salento fit the bill here, with their softer, riper tannins and higher alcohols.

For white wine lovers, Shiraz tastes just as great on its own as it does with a curry or a Mexican banquet.

Thank you to Michael for this Guest posting and also to
Stephen Bolen for the photograph.