Looking for an excellent dessert that might seem at first a bit unusual? Try Tawny Port and crème brûlée. Perfect for a chilly autumn evening, this self-gratifying marriage combines the creamy vanilla richness of the crème brûlée with the nutty, toffee like flavours of the port. Serve the port at room temperature and you are sure to not be disappointed with this lovely, rich and flavourful dessert.

Since the early 1990’s when apartheid ended in South Africa, more and more wine from the county has made it to our tables. Much of it is quite good too, but the real star out of South Africa has to be its Sauvignon Blanc. It is a vivacious wine full of fresh tropical fruit and ripe fig with notes of flinty, green, grassy flavours. A dry wine, it has a lively acidity that adds to the complexity and a lingering crisp aftertaste.

It’s that time of year again! Thursday the 26th October launches the UK’s largest, Wine Show weekend at the Business Design Centre in Islington, North London. This year it’s touting to be the biggest one yet with thousands of wines to taste as well as lots of show attractions for wine connoisseurs or wine beginners!

Having been last year I can say this is a show not to be missed by those who love wine. Aside from having the chance to sample literally thousands of wines, you get a chance to speak with lots of interesting people in the wine profession. Take advantage of the specials as well because a lot of the vendors have amazing specials when you buy more than one bottle. We snagged often times 3 bottles for £10 on wine that later retailed in the shops for more than 7 or 8 a bottle.

The one thing I was not too impressed with was the lack of food. There was a food hall on the top floor of the centre but that was really about it. Other than that it’s a great afternoon spent sampling wine, learning about new things in the wine world and meeting interesting people.

There was an article posted yesterday in the Belfast Telegraph about a proposal to add health warning labels to wine in the UK, to the dismay and disapproval of many. The government feels that putting these labels on wine will help crack down on the drinking abuse that is quite bad in the UK right now.

I have to agree with Matt Skinner, a sommelier who works closely with Jamie Oliver on this one. Skinner commented that there are far worse offenders to your health than wine, like soda and potato chips, but you do not see warning labels on these products. He agreed (as do I) that drinking irresponsibly is a problem to a person’s health, but he also posed the question as to whether the UK Government would also promote the health benefits of anti-oxidants found in wine on the same labels.

The US has been putting warnings like this on alcohol and cigarettes for almost 20 years now and personally I don’t think it makes much difference, and neither does Jancis Robinson, a writer for editor of The Oxford Companion to Wine. People don’t even notice the labels, “…people just get used to them after a month or so,” she states.

Before last night I had never had wine from Croatia, it isn’t one of the more well known wine producing areas which is why I was so surprised to find the bottle I chose to have with my roast chicken was so good.

Malvasia Istriana (Malvazija Istarska) 2004 from Ortonero winery is a lovely white wine grown on white (70%) and black (30%) clay. With a deep straw yellow color and hints of green, this light bodied dry wine is fresh and fruity with hints of orange blossom.

This wine is perfect for someone who loves dry wines but wants a subtle bodied wine, one that is not over powering and compliments most meals nicely.

“Sometimes when I reflect back on all the wine I drink I feel shame. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the vineyards and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn’t drink this wine, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, “It is better that I drink this wine and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver.”~ Jack Handy

I never used to believe it but it is true that organic makes a difference. The difference is not only in the health that you gain by eliminating potential toxins and chemicals from entering your body there is also the taste factor. In my humble opinion, organic foods just taste better. Organic fruits in particular have a much more vibrant full flavor than their non organic counter parts. Perhaps that is part of the reason I am very partial now to organic wines.

The past couple of nights with dinner I have had a glass of an organic rose wine that I bought down the road at the local off license (liquor store) that specialises in organic wines. It was an inexpensive generic bottle of rose costing less than $10 but was perhaps one of the best rose wines I have ever had. It was crisp and clean, with a refreshing acidity to it that made it perfect with both barbeque chicken and wholemeal pasta with a bolognaise sauce. Part of this might be down to the fact that it was just a really good wine but I think a large part of it is the fact that it was organic.

For a really nice organic white wine that is not expensive I suggest a 2002 Chateau Richard Bergerac Sec. It’s a lovely blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon and is a soft fruity wine that is great value at around $14.00 a bottle.

It is true that sometimes the perfect wine isn’t the one that stops you in your tracks while you ooh and ah over it. Sometimes the perfect wine is the wine that seems to go so well with everything. Sometimes that perfect bottle of wine is the one that you can eat with fois gras, chicken cordon bleu or even leftover Chinese food.

According to my wine calendar, Hogue Chenin Blanc from Columbia Valley, Washington is perfect for this sort of thing. It is a very easy-going crisp wine with soft melon flavours and floral notes which makes it a perfect companion for stir-fried vegetables, pot stickers, and sesame noodles. And priced at around $9.00 a bottle means you shouldn’t think twice about drinking it with leftover takeaways.

My tid bit for the day: Do you know why the Napa Valley in California is so successful in the production of the many varieties of quality wines that is produces each year? According to geologists there are 33 different types of soil (soil series) found in the valley. These 33 different soil series make up half of the 12 soil orders recognized in modern soil taxonomy. This means that in an area roughly 30 miles long and 5 miles wide half of the soil orders in the world can be found! Its no wonder the Napa Valley is considered America’s premier wine producing region!

The order of the scientific levels are: Order, Suborder, Great Group, Subgroup, Family, and Series