White Wine | Charlotte's VVeb

Puklavec & Friends Sauvignon Blanc & Furmint 2009

04/07/201106/03/2017 by Charlotte J

I recently wrote about the Puklavec Sauvignon Blanc from Slovenia available in Waitrose. I’m a huge fan of the folks at Puklavec having met them at the International Wine Festival last year. It’s such a shame that the likes of Waitrose have only picked up one bottle from their impressive range. I tried out the Puklavec & Friends Sauvignon Blanc & Furmint and it really is a notable wine.

With the sauvignon comes all those renowned citrus fruit aromas and notes. However, the furmint’s mineral and aciditiy characteristics gives the wine a more mellow and crispy note. Think the aroma of lime and the taste of elderberry. This pale and delicate wine is a great wine for summer. Team with a salad or fish, or just enjoy as an aperitif.

For more information and to find out your nearest stockist check out the (very swish) Puklavec & Friends websi te.

Related Images:

Albastrele Sauvignon Blanc 2009 from Laithwaites

20/06/201106/03/2017 by Charlotte J

When my Laithwaites wine package turned up I was excited to see yet another East European find – this time, Albastrele Sauvignon Blanc 2009 from Moldova. As expected this is a really zingy wine, full of citrus aroma and flavours but more subtle than New World Sauvignon Blancs which tend to be overly grapefruity.

Should the sunshine make a reappearance this summer, you’ll want to be sipping on this as an aperitif, or alternatively, with bold flavoured food, particularly spicy dishes.

A Pinot Grigio is also available from the same winery for those who prefer a lighter, crisper wine. You can check out my review of that wine, here.

12 bottles Albastrele Sauvignon Blanc 2009, £89.88, from Laithwaites.

Related Images:

Puklavec & Friends Sauvignon Blanc 2009, Slovenia

14/06/201106/03/2017 by Charlotte J

When I was at the London International Wine Festival this year I had a chat to the people behind the Puklavec & Friends Sauvignon Blanc from Slovenia. It was nice to see them back in town and it was a good reminder of how unique this Slovene wine is. The region is usually noted for its Malvasia grape, however, this Sauvignon Blanc is something a bit special.

This a fabulously fresh wine, and as expected has flavours of grapefruit and lime, though they are more subtle than a new world Sauvignon Blanc, with a twist of minerality that the soil in Jeruzalem is renowned for. Sauvignon Blanc is a great wine with spicy dishes, such as Thai curry, but you could enjoy it with a more traditional dish from the region such as river trout wrapped in prosciutto. The wine’s acidity cuts through the salty meat perfectly.

What you need to know:

Alcohol by volume: 12.5% vol
Bottle size: 75cl
Closure type: Screwcap
Grape varieties: Sauvignon Blanc
Region: Other Countries
Style: Dry
Suitable for vegetarians: Yes
Wine colour: White
Price: £8.54 per bottle

Related Images:

Recipe: Adriatic Mussels in White Wine & Parsley

13/04/201106/03/2017 by Charlotte J

The winter is the best time to indulge in mussels on the Adriatic coast of Slovenia and Croatia. This is a very simple recipe for steamed mussels and ensures the taste of the fabulous, succulent mussels shines through and is not dominated by any other ingredient.

Here’s my foolproof recipe…

Ingredients

1kg mussels, with the beards and any barnacles removed, any open mussels should be disguarded

250ml white wine (Malvasia would be ideal)

2 garlic cloves, crushed

3 tbsp parsley, chopped

3 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Put oil, wine, parsley and garlic into a stock pot and heat until it reaches a simmer

Place the mussels into the pot

Put a lid on the pot and allow the mussels to steam for 4 to 5 minutes

Serve when the mussels are open, with bread to mop up the sauce

Related Images:

Recipe: Soča River Trout Wrapped in Pršut

28/01/201106/03/2017 by Charlotte J

When I first visited Slovenia the Detela family took me out to a restaurant one day for lunch. This was the dish I ordered and I love it! It’s fresh, tasty and as I found when I tried to make it recently, not actually that difficult.

Check out my recipe below…

Ingredients

1 trout per person gutted, cleaned and patted dry

4 slices of proscuitto ham per fish

1 clove of garlic per fish, crushed

1 tbsp finely chopped parsley per fish

250ml white wine

50g butter

Seasoning

Instructions

Generously butter a roasting dish large enough to fit the fish laying flat

Place the garlic and parsley into the fish

Wrap the prosciutto ham around each fish to seal it, season with salt and pepper

Place fish into roasting tin

Pour wine over fish

Place in oven on 180°C and roast for 30 minutes

Remove the fish from the oven and keep warm

Simmer the juices until slightly thickened

Serve the fish with the sauce poured over it and a generous wedge of lemon

Related Images:

Recipe: Mackerel in a White Wine Sauce

19/11/201006/03/2017 by Charlotte J

I love this mackerel dish, it is really easy to make and you can serve it in individual dishes which makes it ideal for dinner parties. Ensure the fillets have some bones in them otherwise the fish may fall apart.

Ingredients

4 mackerel fillets, with tails and butterflied

50ml olive oil

1 white onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 can chopped tomatoes

250ml dry white wine

Seasoning

Lemon slices and parsley to garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180ºC

Dry the fillets with kitchen paper

Heat oil and gently fry onions until soft

Stir in the garlic

Spoon in the tomatoes and season

Add fillets of mackerel (it is best to do this one or two at a time to avoid overcrowding the pan)

Cook for 5 minutes on one side, remove and keep warm

When all the fillets are cooked, place them into individual dishes

Pour on the tomato sauce

Pour in the wine and cover each dish with foil

Cook for 25 minutes in the oven

Serve garnished with slices of lemon and parsley

Related Images:

My Easy, Cheap, Georgian Beef & Chicken Shashlyk Recipes

06/09/201023/10/2016 by Charlotte J

Whenever I discuss what I do for a living, most people say in amazement, “Surely the cuisine of the region is no more exciting than meat and carbohydrates?” I spend hours explaining just how varied the food is across Central and Eastern Europe. When I talk about former USSR countries, such as Georgia, people are truly shocked how fabulous the traditional dishes are. However, there is nothing wrong with some basic meat recipes such as shashlyk skewers of meat. These are popular, in some form, in many countries, Turkey for one, but for me, they will always remind me of a wonderful meal in Ket in St Petersburg. Shashlyk can be served with a variety of sauces but they key is to get the meat tender and charred. Here’s my easy, cheap, recipe, inspired by the people of Georgia…

Ingredients

500g cubed meat (this can be chicken, beef – though make sure it is not stewing steak or it’ll be tough as old boots – or pork)

2 large white onions cut in quarters

4 bay leaves

1 tsp black peppercorns

Pinch of salt

100ml white wine vinegar

50ml Georgian white wine

150ml cold water

Instructions

Put the all the ingredients into a large bowl and leave to marinate for at least 3 hours

Rinse meat under tap to take away any harsh acidic taste of vinegar

Put meat on skewers (metal work best but as you can see from the photographs, wood will work too, just ensure they have been thoroughly soaked in water to prevent them burning)

Either put on a barbecue/hot coals to seal the outside of the meat for a minute on each side

Heat a griddle pan until it’s steaming, add a teaspoon of rapeseed oil (or vegetable oil but NOT olive oil) and seal the meat for a minute each side

Place in a hot oven (at about 180 degrees Centigrade) and cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until cooked through but still tender

Serve on a plate with a sauce of your choice, buckwheat kasha and salad

Related Images:

De Georgiis – Jurjević Vina – Croatia

26/05/201022/10/2016 by Charlotte J

While at the London International Wine Festival I was privileged to meet the family and team behind the Jurjević (De Georgiis) vineyards. The Jurjević (De Georgiis) family wine story is quite unusual and not based on century-old traditions. It begins in 2001, as a continuation of the Silba inhabitants’ work and traditions. By merging the old and the new the family’s goal is to make high-quality wines by the sea of pristine silence and wooded vegetation on the island of Silba.

The process begins in the vineyards, where the grapes are carefully nourished in order to preserve their best qualities. Everything is done manually, from preparing the terrain, pulling up weeds, digging, planting, spraying, to grape harvesting and pressing in clear ecological conditions, in accordance with world ecological standards.

The family produces bottles of chardonnay, posip, merlot and syrah and I was lucky enough to sample these last week. The latter was my favourite wine, not simply of the Croatian offerings but the entire festival. The Syrah was bottled in 2009 so it is still quite young. Although you could age it, it was already simply a divine bottle of wine as it currently stands. It’s not the richest red colour, but it is bright, with heady, fresh, fruity notes. The taste was ripe, smooth and enticing. After one sip I was hooked!

The family land also boasts incredible olive trees, from which they make delicious extra virgin olive oil. If you happen to be sailing in the region, moor at one of the 20 moorings owned by the family in the Draga Bay and pop into their restaurant to enjoy some homemade food. Each dish is baked in an iron oven or grilled. No doubt the cevapi served with ajvar is delightful!

Contact Information

Damir Jurjević

Jurjević Vina, Bože Peričića 14, 23000 Zadar, Croatia

Tel: 00 385 99 810 3010

www.jurjevicvina.hr

Related Images:

Wine of the Week: Baron Lazare

19/11/200918/10/2016 by Charlotte J

Some days, some weeks, can be tough. I’m spending nearly every minute of every day, bar the six hours (if I’m lucky) sleep I may or may not get each night, working, writing or studying. However, while my days may be busy, they can still be satisfying. This evening I returned home to find 12 random bottles of wine which I have delivered from Laithwaites every four months or so. I love the fact that in most of these boxes, Laithwaites will usually include at least one bottle of wine of Central or East European authority and this month was no exception.

At this time, Pinot Grigio is the world’s most popular white grape. Its most sought-after wines are those from northern Italy, which while are available come at a price. However, go a little further east and one finds the historic vineyards of Hungary are also producing some excellent value, appetising Pinot Grigios like the elegant Baron Lazare.

This crisp white comes from a cellar in the Pazmand region of Etyek founded in 1949, and thoroughly modernised since the fall of communism. This cellar is well-equipped with cool fermentation equipment essential for producing fresh, modern whites, and has won many awards for its efforts. Gabor Laczko is the dynamic young winemaker.

Baron Lazare de Schwendi brought back from Hungary young vines after besieging the town of Tokaj in 1565. He cultivated them on his own land in Kientzheim, near Colmar, where his castle still stands. Baron Lazare de Schwendi is made by veteran winemaker of 40 years, Bardos Benjamin, from the finest Pinot Grigio grapes carefully selected from vineyards surrounding the Nagyrede winery.

The wine itself is medium-bodied, with an attractive, aromatic, floral nose. Well balanced, with lemon notes, Baron Lazare de Schwendi is an ideal aperitif and the perfect accompaniment for poultry or fish. I enjoyed a few glasses with a gorgeous prawn, smoked haddock and salmon fish pie – yum!

Alcohol 12%

£5.99 / bottle

For more information visit www.laithwaites.co.uk

Related Images:

Chicken in Badacsonyi Wine

04/11/200918/10/2016 by Charlotte J

This Hungarian recipe is traditionally made with a Balatan wine called Badacsonyi Kekryalii (Blue Handled) which had a full body and distinctive taste. Unfortunately, it’s a bit tough to get hold of Hungarian wine in the UK and I decided to substitute the wine with a dry white and thankfully, due to the wonders of Waitrose, I did managed to get hold of a Hungarian bottle, albeit not Badacsonyi Kekryalii. To find out more about the wine go to Eva’s Wine.