Weekend in Venice

Last Thursday saw us off to Venice for two days of culture, cuisine and getting lost. And of course some Italian wines. Lunch on Friday meant an opportunity to try the local seafood, and to accompany this it had to be a carafe of prosecco. We started with the obvious, and then I chose tagliatelle with mussels, razor clams and cockles and Jo had the squid with ink pasta. A great way to fuel an afternoon of walking and nosing at modern art.

And the evening took us to a rather good restaurant a mere five minute stroll from our hotel. The wine list was enormous, and very interesting. But rather than sit and read the entire thing I asked the waiter what he would recommend, a little difficult given that we had both chosen raw fish to start and meat to follow. The wine he chose was a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Reisling and Tokay, substantially oak aged in 225 litre barriques. Very good body and structure with the oak, although present, not being too overpowering and destroying the fruit flavours. I suspect that this was one of the examples of Italy creating wines for modern tastes with international grape varieties.

         It went rather well with my carpacio of scallops, and Jo's carpacio of fish.

And my lamb shank.

A Small Taste of South West France

Saturday found us in our favourite local French restaurant, the occasion being the significant birthday of our friend Emma Jane. I succumbed to the duck confit again, always a good choice especially when accompanied by a tomato and red onion salad and a glass or two of the red Bergerac.

 This was preceded by a glass of Prosecco and a charcuterie board for three, all the ripe apple freshness and a good level of acidity to cut through the spices and fat of the preserved meats.

And tonight is a very traditional Sunday, roast chicken is on the menu with an English Pinot Noir  from Bookers Vineyard in west Sussex. Having been Wine Buyer at The English Wine Centre I like to keep pace with developments in the English wine industry and one of these ways is to try the wines. 

School Tomorrow...

I am currently in the second year of my Wine and Spirit Education Trust Diploma in Wines and Spirits. The thinking behind this financial and personal investment is to make me a better employment candidate for prospective employers, to taste some good wines, and broaden my knowledge of all things wine related. Many of my friends think that this must be an easy undertaking, and I get a fair amount of healthy jokes thrown at me too. I can assure you that this is no 'breeze', swirling, spitting and describing wine in an industry recognised and quantified way takes practice and dedication, and that's without the study around viticulture, production methods and wine regions.
So tomorrow is School, up in London at the Trust HQ on Bermondsey Street, a day that I look forward to with a healthy mix of excitement and fear. The reason I choose to rise at 6 am to get the 7.11 to London Bridge is to get the teaching straight from the horses mouth, as it were. I am fully aware that this course is run at other centres of learning, but the pass rates from those studying at the Bermondsey Street site are that much higher. Tomorrow is the Rhone and Southern France, mmm Gigondas...