Eastbourne Food & Wine School (Argentinean Supper)

Another extremely successful night run by the Eastbourne Food & Wine School at The Culinary Arts Facility, Brighton University.

As a culmination of the first set of 5 evenings, an Argentinean Gourmet Supper was held. Steve Dennis, our resident chef prepared in front of all, a wonderful 3 course Argentinean supper. Wines to match from The Sussex Wine Company.

First course, wine of-course! Canai Sparkling Brut NV, an easy drinking quaffable sparkling wine that went down extremely well!! First food course was a Soup Puerto Madryn, a fish stock soup laced in sumptuous seafood and fish, matched beautifully with Crios Torrontes from Susana Balbo. An aromatic wine of power, weight and elegance, matching the slight spice of the soup very well indeed.

To follow was grilled Medallions of Beef Chimi-Churri, chilli butter sauce. The beef was sourced locally by Steve and was magnificent, eaten rare with the fantastic grilled chilled butter, what a treat! The beef was matched with two wines. First Estaciones de Valle Gouguenheim Shiraz followed by Juan Benegas Malbec. Both wines went down well but the Malbec was drained of every drop. A massive wine yet elegance and matching the beef to perfection.

Last course, Pancakes with caramelised Pears in “Dulce Leche”. This was like eating a warm melted Caramac Bar, pure sugar rich heaven. Now let me tell you, trying to find an Argentinean dessert wine to match with this dish was not an easy task. However we did find a cracker - Santa Faustino Tardio Noble, unusual sweetness more akin to some kind of mild fortification but due to the grapes of late harvest Torrontes and Tocai. A proven perfect combination as every bottle was drained dry!!

For the hardiest amongst us, a few beers were sank afterwards at the local pub, so a fab night was had by all. A very very special thanks to everyone involved in making this a superb night - Steve Dennis, Tony Speigal, Sam and Linda!

Next Eastbourne Food & Wine School events are being penned in for:

1. October: Spanish theme
2. January: Pork and
3. March: French theme.

See you all there!

Georgie & Ben

Fiano of Italy

One of the main reasons that we love Italian wines so much is that their production is mainly geared around indigenous grape varieties. Not only indigenous to Italy but many are local to specific regions.

For instance Corvina, Molinara & Rondinella are unique to Veneto in the production of Amarone and Valpolicella. Cortese is unique to Piedmont in the production of Gavi and so on. Another cracking unique Italian white grape is the Fiano grape.

Fiano hails mainly from Campania but now also a specialist quality grape in Sicily. Try and imagine a cross between Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay and you have Fiano. Wonderfully aromatic, medium to full-bodied on the palate and enough acidity to keep the wine refreshing and firm.

Two great Fiano’s that we list online are both from Sicily. Mandrarossa Fiano from Cantine Setessoli is a Gold Medal Winner and at only £7.95 a superb wine both in style/character and value for money. More recently we have listed the superb Fiano La Cometa from Planeta. A family run estate producing excellent wines as well as their world class Planeta Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

So if you do like your white wines but are getting bored then try Fiano, you will not be disappointed!

Wines of Italy (Lewes Wine Event)

So our first Lewesian wine tasting event went down extremely well with a great group of people and some fantastic wines to boot!

Present at our new unit in Lewes we decided to show some great examples of different Italian wines. Kicking us off was the superb Prosecco Rustico Valdobbiadene NV from Nino Franco. This wine never fails to impress, creamy mousse with delicious apple and citrus notes. To follow we had the Fiano from Mandrarossa of Sicily. A gold medal winner and at only £6.95 a bargain, unique and delicious!

To follow came a flight of reds. Trescone from Lamborghini. A Sangiovese and Merlot blend, Bolgheri Rosso from Michele Satta, a Sangiovese/Cab/Merlot blend. Then two new wines from our most recent additions to our growing Veneto collection. The Valpolicella Ripassa of Corte Figaretto. An elegant, ripe wine of character and delight! Lastly the Amarone of Corte Figaretto which was superb too, ripe and ready now and elegant rather than a block buster. Long growing finish and impressive.

We finished off the evening with some great antipasti from Lazzati’s, Lewes’s premier Italian restaurant.

Thanks to all! next up Spain in September.

The South of England Show

Wow! What a show. Spread over the three days, June 5th, 6th & 7th set in rural Ardingly, West Sussex. A mecca for all things countryside, UK produce, farming equipment, great foods, great produce and great wines on tasting.

We were situated in the English Wine & Food Pavilion and displayed a whole host of great UK produce. Carr-Taylor Sparkling Rose, Carr-Taylor Vessel Still Rose, Carr-Taylor 1066 White, Breaky Bottom Cuvee Alex Mercier 2003, Breaky Bottom Kir Royal NV, Organic White Champagne Truffle Chocolates, Mellow Yellow Rapeseed oil, Hepworth Brewery Organic Blonde and Hepworth Brewery IPA Iron Horse.

Needless to say all went over well with the tasting public, an estimated 80-85,000 visitors over the 3 days! Phew, nice to sit down though!  For all food lovers out there this really is a must visit show. Additionally  The South Of England Society present an Autumn Fair in early September which we hope to attend.

We’d like to thank all our suppliers for their support, all the great people who visited us and bought from us as well as the event organisers for hosting and managing this superb show so well!!

See you again next year!

Puddings and Wines

Another excellent night for the Eastbourne Food & Wine School. A further big hand to resident gourmet chef - Steve Dennis of At-Your-Invitation!

Steve prepared three cracking puddings - Crepe Suzette (Crepe a ma Facon). Prepared with Grand Marnier, classic pancakes filled with an orange butter and laced with sugar. The pancakes were filled and grilled and served with Yering Station Late Harvest Riesling. Classic petrol nose and sweet flowery aromas with a cracking refreshing acid bite on the palate. Matching the pancakes and orange butter exceptionaly well.

Next came Steve’s classic French style Bread and Butter Pudding. Prepared with sliced French Sticks, crusts & all. Creme Anglaise and baked in the oven for 15-20 minutes. This dish was served with Lurgashall English Mead. A match made in heaven indeed. The honeyed aromas, followed by great sweet fruit concentration and refreshing acidity to give a cleansing finish. A must try wine, even with strong cheeses. Mead is the UK’s oldest known fermented alcoholic beverage and must not be allowed to dissapear!

Lastly Steve conjoured up an Orange Souffle with a spicy berry and Chilli sauce. Odd, not at all, the flavours all blended in beautifully and we matched this pudding with the delicious Quinta do Crasto LBV 2001. Sweet but not overly so, rich and full-bodied was a perfect match.

Next event for the Eastbourne Food & Wine School is our Gourmet Argentinean Supper, sold out though! But watch this space for more events.

Many Thanks from

Ben & Georgie Furst

Bionade “The Organic Adult Soft Drink”

Bionade, the European Soft-Drink success is now over here in the UK. It’s a refreshing change from the usual sugar induced artificial soft drinks in the market place.

Bionade is naturally feremented, like a beer but the sugars are not converetd into alcohol. Additionally as no sugars are added the drink is naturally sweet rather than sickly sweet! Made from organic fruit and obtaining full organic status in the EU, US and Japan.

Giving you 25% of your daily mineral requirements, 60 calories in a 330ml bottle, it is the perfect non-alcoholic alternative. The range covers 4 distinct flavours, Elderberry, Lychee, Herb and Organic/Ginger. With a slight spritz, served chilled a delicious drink for summer, for all drivers who are out and about or simply a great all round soft drink to keep in the fridge!

We are delighted to now be offering you this drink, please “Google” Bionade to find out more for yourself. Reviewed by The Independent and many other independent sources simply backing-up what we feel about this drink.

Alternatively give us a call or e-mail us to enquire.

Have a great summer!

 

Free Friday Wine Tasting Menu 2nd May 2008

Visit our Lewes shop every Friday for our free in-store tasting. On the menu this week:

TO DRINK

• Mil Piedras Malbec 2004, Mendoza, Argentina, £6.95 buy 1 and get 1 free
• Iron Horse Dark Ale, Hepworth Brewery, West Sussex, £2.20
• Hepworth IPA, West Sussex, £2.20

TO EAT

• Planeta Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sicily, £9.95
• Mellow Yellow, Rapeseed Oil, £4.95

See you there!

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New Wine Tastings in East Sussex - Events Annouced

We are pleased to announce new wine tasting events 2008, to be held at various venues in Lewes, East Sussex. Choose from Classic Italian Wines, Spanish Wines or experience our tremendous portfolio event where you can sample over 50 wines and some gourmet food products. There will be more tastings announced in the coming months too to whet your appetite.

Want to know more about The Sussex Wine Company or our products? Sign upto our newsletter via our website to receive up to date information about The Sussex Wine Company tastings, news and events.

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Sussex Wine Now in LEWES!

We are extremely pleased to announce that we have opened our new shop in Lewes, the heart of East Sussex. It has already been a really positive experience and we have been bowled over by the encouraging comments and welcome from the people and traders in Lewes.

Lewes is a wonderful town, brimming with quality independent retailers, inspiring cafes and restaurants, pucker pubs, a flourishing arts scene and all set within the glorious South Downs - who could ask for more I say.

The Sussex Wine Company can now be found at 16 Market Street, (behind the needlemakers and next door to pizza perfect Lazzati’s). We’re stocking our usual range of goodies from fine wine and specialist spirits, whisky and of course, gourmet foods (the caviar is delicious).

For the folk of Lewes (or in fact anyone willing to travel to one of our infamous events) we’ll be arranging a new season of wine tasting events which will be posted here and in the shop.

We must bid farewell to our regular customers in Eastbourne - you were troopers in the face of bureaucracy, hypocrisy, petty officials and lack of parking regulations. Come and see us in Lewes where you’ll find many an affordable car park or sign up to out wine box scheme instead which includes the price of delivery…

For the Eastbourne council we say good riddance. We hope you dig yourselves out from the pit of inefficiency and that you’ll eventually find enlightenment and creativity once the good people of Eastbourne (for which there are many) vote you out of office. Eastbourne may then a have a chance to become the thriving place it deserves to be one day…

One final word before we go back to the business of imparting our expert wine knowledge:

From G To B at The Sussex Wine Company, I must say how proud I am of you and think you’ve been Qvality ! Well done, good luck and lots of love xxx

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Australian Wine Tasting (March 27th)

Well another successful evening, wine tasting with a great bunch of customers at a local restaurant.

To be honest this was the first pure “Ozzy” wine tasting we have run in over 3 years and were delighted with the response. We sampled 6 wines and whilst not all were enjoyed by everybody there was plenty to talk about and chew upon.

The wines were Turkey Flat Rose (Barossa Valley), Battle of Bosworth Chardonnay Viognier/Organic (McLaren Vale), Hillstowe Oldwell Shiraz (SE Australia), Ashbury Grove Reserve Shiraz (SE Australia), Peter Lehmann “My Word is My Bond” Shiraz (Barossa Valley) and lastly Turkey Flat Grenache (Barossa Valley).

The first two received a mixed response, with the Battle of Bosworth garneshing pleasant responses from non-Chardonnay drinkers. The flight of reds started slowly and built to a nice finish. With the last two wines shining amongst all the tastees.

The Peter Lehmann Shiraz, at only £8.95 is really quite something. Great structure, weight, complexity and soft youthful tanins. This wine will mature very nicely indeed over a few years and offers great value for money.

The Turkey Flat Grenache is always a winner. The perfect match for your Christmas turkey and cranberry sauce! A tremendous family run estate producing excellent wines across the board.

Our next event is April 17th, Fine Wines of Italy and Argentina and is already practically sold out!