Archive for September, 2011

The main reason why you should cook with wine is because wine enhances the flavour and aroma of dishes. Heating it concentrates the flavour of the wine, which is why it’s important to match the right one to your dish. The wine should meld with other ingredients, not stick out like a sore thumb.

A question that is regularly asked: “Does the alcohol burn off during cooking?” The answer is ‘Yes’. But it may take longer than you think. After 15 minutes of cooking, the alcohol content is still about 40 per cent. There is even a little left – about 5 per cent – after a stew has simmered for three hours. Wine, in general, is lower in alcohol than other spirits, and the amount divided by the servings won’t yield much per person. However, if it’s a concern, substitute unsweetened grape juice or even stock when they are appropriate.

Welmoed has a wide range of wines which complements numerous dishes, can also be enjoyed on its own and even be used for cooking special meals.
Source: smh.com.au

This year, on 24 September, Welmoed will show its support for the Charity Dar es Salaam Goat Races – an annual fundraiser, which has raised a staggering 437,000,000 million shillings for charitable causes since it was established in 2001.

As you may have noticed, the event involves goats. Goats that race – to be exact.

The wacky, fun-filled nature of the event has made it one of the largest, and most loved, charity events in Tanzania. Some say it’s even become a Dar rite-of-passage.

Here’s how it works. Goats are sponsored, usually by a team of fans. Goats then race, cheered to the finish by their loyal following of fans. Fans dress to the 9’s, throwing in their hats (so to speak) to the Fancy Dress & Hats Competition. VIPs get to take in what must be some of the most interesting people-watching scenes in the world from the Members Enclosure (which happens to be right next to the Goat Pen, but I suppose at the Goat Races this must be a coveted position), while nibbling on Tanzanian, Indian and Middle Eastern delicacies and sipping on beer, champagne and, lest we forget, our very own Welmoed wines.

Three cheers to fun times that make a positive difference in the lives of others – and best of luck to everyone (and every goat) for tomorrow!

To learn more about the Goat Races, and how you can sponsor a goat at a future event, visit www.goatraces.com, or phone 255 755 555 900. If you’ll be in the area, please join us tomorrow at The Green (on Kenyatta Drive), Msasani – Peninsular, where Welmoed wines will be served in the Members Enclosure. Gates open at 12 noon and close at 17h15.

Want to celebrate with Welmoed Wines after the Races? There are several outlets in the Dar es Salaam area to choose between, including:

Baygon Supermarket   /    BP  Mini Supermarket Kimara   /   Game Discount World(T)LTD   /   Itonyage General Supplies   /   J.J. SHOP   /   Kereth Grocery   /   K.Grocery   /   Lake Chale Min-Supermarket   /   M Grocery   /   Premium Product Supermarket   /   Seba Min Supermarket – Mbagala   /   Shoppers  Supermarket Ltd – Masaki Branch   /   Shoppers Supermarket Ltd-Mikocheni   /   Shoprite & Checkers   /   Shrijee Traders-Slipway   /   Silver Min Supermarket   /   Transit Military Shop Ltd   /   Trasten Spirits & Wines   /   Uchumi Supermarket (TZ) Ltd   /   Village Supermarket Ltd

A roast rack of lamb is just the right dish to prepare on South Africa’s Heritage weekend . This dish maybe time consuming to prepare but the result is an amazingly delicious dish which is well worth the effort.

To keep within the heritage theme, serve this meal with a traditional South African Pinotage. The Welmoed Pinotage is a medium to full bodied wine with a vivid ruby-red colour. Raspberry and ripe fruit on the nose. Ripe mulberry fruit palate with elegant tannin and soft fruity finish.

Ingredients

• 2 racks of lamb, 600 – 800 g each, trimmed
• 1 small clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 teaspoons  salt
• 1/3 cup loosely packed fresh rosemary leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Fresh rosemary, thyme, or lavender sprigs

Directions

1. Prepare the racks of lamb at least 1 hour (or up to 4 hours) before cooking: Chop together the garlic, salt, rosemary, and pepper to make a coarse rub. Rub the racks with the mixture, cover, and set aside. (If you are not going to cook them within 2 hours, refrigerate, then bring to room temperature an hour before cooking.)
2. Preheat oven to 220° C. Heat a roasting pan in the oven for 10 minutes. Pat the racks of lamb dry with paper towels and coat lightly with the olive oil. Place the racks flesh-side down in the pan. Roast 15 to 20 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 65° C for medium rare
3. Transfer the racks to a carving board. Let rest for 10 minutes. Slice between the ribs to separate the chops for serving. Garnish with the fresh herb sprigs

Source: realsimple

Durbanites are in for a treat– Welmoed wines will be available for complimentary tastings on 23 and 24 September at selected SuperSpar, Pick-n-Pay Hyper and Tops locations. So if you’re in the area, why not join us for a wine tasting?

Here is the schedule:

September is Heritage Month in South Africa – and at Welmoed, with our proud winemaking tradition and a rich history dating back to 1690, we have much to celebrate.

If you’re a South African resident, you can help us raise a glass by participating in our Heritage Month give-away.

Visit our Facebook page to enter and you can stand a chance of winning a fantastic prize hamper valued at R750, including Welmoed wine and the beautiful coffee table book, “Stellenbosch: Heart of the South African Winelands”

The main rules of food and wine pairing are firstly to enjoy yourself and secondly, the   food and wine must both taste great on its own. If you remember this and follow these guideline food and wine matching will be a breeze.

There are no rules
The first and most important rule. There are no rules that work for every situation and every person so relax and don’t waste your time worrying about breaking them.

As long as you and your guests are having fun then your food and wine matching has been a success, regardless of what the traditional rules would have us believe.

The food and wine must both taste great on their own
This is the second rule which and can be seen as the rule of thumb for wine matching. You can’t expect for a juicy steak to improve the taste of a bad wine. The same goes for the food, if it’s not going to taste any good on its own, it is very unlikely that your wine match, no matter how delicious, is going to make the food taste better.

Match wine with people first
Just as some people always have and always will hate anchovies, some people just don’t enjoy certain styles of wine, regardless of the quality of the vino. Sometimes this may be based on a bad experience with a poor quality example, and if the person in question did actually try a decent Sauvignon Blanc they may find that they love it. But forcing people to try new things may do more harm than good.

Respect that everyone’s palate is different. Think about your guests and their wine preferences first and think about the food matching second.

Weight is important
Lighter, more delicately flavoured food generally works best with lighter style wines. Heavy tannic reds tend to be best with more robust meaty dishes but of course there will always be times when a light wine could team marvellously with a heavy rich dish

Wine and food can contrast one another
Contrast is something that we personally love to play with. Using a light acidic wine like a Welmoed Sauvignon Blanc to cut through the oiliness of fried fish and chips is always a winner. Unless of course you’re with someone who hates acidic wine (see rule ii).

Wine and food can complement each other
Sometimes finding flavour similarities can result in a harmonious food and wine matching experience. The earthiness of mushrooms in a mushroom risotto can work a treat with a funky earthy Pinot Noir. A fresh, Welmoed Cabernet Sauvignon to compliment classic roast lamb with mint sauce can also be a flavour explosion.

Trust your own instincts.
Like most things in life, if it feels like it’s a bit dodgy and it isn’t going to work then you’re probably on the right track.

It isn’t the end of the world if the food and wine are more at the divorce end of the relationship spectrum as long as you follow rule number three, you’ll be able to enjoy each on their own. A judicious sip of palate cleansing water in between mouthfuls can make all the difference.

Source: mylifemynews