About two years ago, I headed off to New Zealand for the first time, armed with lots of recommendations from readers that proved very valuable. I discovered a couple of wines that I had not heard of, and dined at a couple of restaurants that were highlights of my trip.

So I'm asking you again, dear readers, for advice.

In two weeks I am headed to Cape Wine 2008, the biennial South African wine festival, with a singular goal: to taste as much darn South African wine as I possibly can in 8 days. Lesser goals include: finding a fantastic Pinotage (some say it can't be done) and scoping out the sparkling wine scene (rumors circulate about up and coming stars).

The South African wine industry has done a huge push for international visibility in the last year, culminating with this event, which will likely be well attended, thanks in part to the recent accolades that many wines received from Decanter Magazine.

There will supposedly be 4000 wines to taste at this event. I feel a bit like a triathelete who hasn't gotten on the bike in six weeks but is staring down the barrel of an Ironman.

Wish me luck. And, oh yeah, tell me your tips!

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A box of rose pink turkish delight had me thinking about posting a few things pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month.  All our desserts this month have had a pink tinge.

TURKISH DELIGHT ICE CREAM WITH RASPBERRIES

Vanilla Ice Cream and a few drops of rose pink food colouring

Turkish Delight chopped into small squares

Raspberries and raspberry jam

Sweet shortcrust pastry, cut into desired shape and cook in oven. Cool.

To Make

Soften vanilla icecream a little, blend in food colouring and add half chopped turkish delight. Work quickly so ice cream doesn't melt completely.  Place into moulds lined with plastic wrap or muslin. Return to freezer to harden.

Heat raspberries and jam in a small saucepan. Push through a sieve to remove seeds. Cool.

To Serve

Remove ice cream from freezer and upend onto plate. Decorate with raspberry sauce, remaining turkish delight and pastry shapes.

Variations - You could use any flavoured icecream in place of the coloured vanilla. I did it this way as I wanted the rose pink colour but with a vanilla taste.

Amounts will depend on how many you are serving.

TURKISH DELIGHT TRUFFLES (makes 10 truffles)

100 grams dark chocolate, chopped into bite size pieces
130 ml pure cream
75 grams turkish delight, chopped into small squares
cocoa powder and icing sugar for rolling truffles in.

Place cream into a small saucepan and heat.

Pour cream over chocolate and stir until it melts.

Cool and then stir in turkish delight.

Place in fridge and allow mixture to thicken.

Using a teaspoon scoop out small balls of mixture and drop into cocoa/icing sugar mix.

Using hands roll into a smooth ball and place in serving cases.

If not serving immediately, store in fridge. Roll in cocoa/icing sugar mix again before serving.

Adapted from Saha by Greg and Lucy Malouf

FLORENTINES WITH TURKISH DELIGHT

David Lebovitz is responsible for several major purchases I've made recently.  He mentioned Thermomix and I now have one, he mentioned the Ottolenghi cookbook and I now have one.  It is a beautiful book and this is the first recipe I've made from it. Because I'm reduced to typing with one hand this week I'll refer you to David's blog for the original  recipe. 

The addition of the turkish delight is an idea I found in another Greg and Lucy Malouf book. I added the turkish delight to the Florentines in the last minute of baking.

Leelanau Cellars markets this unique spiced wine as Witches’ Brew around Halloween, but let me assure you that it is a great wine to have on hand throughout the winter. This wine has two labels, the Halloween one (Witches Brew) and the label for the rest of the year, simply named Leelanau Cellars Spiced Wine.

If you’re looking for something fun and unique to bring to a holiday party this year, this is your wine! This wine is best served heated! Simmer in a pot over low heat until it is warm (the temperature of a witches’ tongue, if you’re celebrating Halloween). This spiced wine should not be served with dinner, but rather as dessert, with some good, dark chocolate. I suppose it could also be good before dinner, while folks are still arriving to the party. It would make a great ice-breaker!

Witches Brew is obviously a sweet wine, with aromas of cinnamon and cloves. It has very different characteristics when heated vs. room temperature. Try both!

Rating: 9/10 — Truly unique!
Price: $5.99
Where can I get it? Many places in Michigan carry this wine, especially around the holidays. I found it at Meijer. You could always visit the Leelanau Cellars north of Traverse City to stock up!

Hello All—I’ve taken a little break here, at least somewhat. We hosted our annual harvest party at Hilltop Ranch this past Saturday. The weather was wonderful, the band—“The Furry Chaps”—a fun, local bluegrass band kept us all entertained; all in all, quite good fun. We brought in the last load of grapes on October 10—a mix of Bordeaux varietals (Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot, Malbec, Merlot) from Lockwood Oaks. I kept the Malbec separate for a possible small bottling next year, but all the others are a “field blend” in one of our bigger tanks and all of it is just now coming into the homestretch—in other words finishing primary fermentation. We have drained and pressed a few tanks of Pinot so far—as soon as I’m done with this entry, I will drain a tank—but will dedicate ourselves more to that task next week…...

Winemaker’s Dinner: Friday, November 7 at 7pm.

Recently I opened a bottle of Rosemount Estate Show Reserve Shiraz 2002 which was sadly corked. The next day I followed this up with the producer via their website, which led me up submit my request about replacement of corked wine via their online email form.

Flash forward a couple of weeks and I realised I had not received a response and the offending bottle had long since vanished, presumably down the sink. I called up the customer service line explaining the situation, and to cut a short story shorter, a replacement bottle from the current vintage is on its way - bravo Rosemount.

You Don't Have to Be a Woman to Support Breast Cancer Reasearch. It's As Easy As Buying a Cake! - 06 September 2007

Think PINK During OCT Breast Cancer Awareness Month - 04 October 2007

Pink October: National Breast Cancer Awareness Month - 02 October 2007

Attention Women: Change the Statistic! - 09 October 2007

Dulka is one of the most famous wine producing families in the town of Sremski Karlovci, near Novi Sad in Vojvodina. They produce wine since 1920 and have won a handful of awards at the Novi Sad agricultural fair throughout the years. Apart from producing wine, this familiy also produces bermet and brandies of highest qualities.

They have just recently started growing Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2005 is their second vintage. However, this wine is quite rich in both aroma and taste, much richer and deeper than other pure Cabernets around. The color is dark ruby red, the nose rich, so reminiscent of forests and the flavours are those of forest fruit and chocolate. It’s a good wine, can be enjoyed on it’s own.

Score: 8/10
Price: 540 RSD (?6.5)
Retailer: Rodi? MB, Airport City, Belgrade

Technorati Tags: Wine, Serbian Wine, Vojvodina, Sremski Karlovci, Novi Sad, Bermet