AROUND THE WORLD . Wine Pairing Recipes with Bradley Mitton by clubvivanova

Around the World with Bradley Mitton Wine Pairing Recipes Language: English Copyright ÂŠ 2015 by Bradley Mitton All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal. First Printing: December, 2015 ISBN-13: 978-1519364449 ISBN-10: 151936444X CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform Amazon.com www.clubvivanova.com www.mittonwines.com

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Dedication â&#x20AC;&#x17E;This book is dedicated to my son Jackson, I would never have reached this far without you..â&#x20AC;&#x153;

â&#x20AC;&#x17E;The variety of cuisines, cultures and professionals that I have worked with extended me a fantastic opportunity to build an interesting and diverse collection of recipes.â&#x20AC;&#x153; Bradley Mitton

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Inspiration I have been inspired to release this short recipe book from my experiences working in the food and beverage industry, by close friends and family and by supportive members of my wine club, Club Vivanova. I hope these unique recipes will brighten up your kitchen and help to develop your cooking skills and also add smiles to the faces of those who indulge in your results. I suggest using these recipes as a basic guideline and you can experiment, elaborate and substitute the ingredients to fit your palate, your friends and family and the environment you’re cooking in. I started my culinary career in North England and from there, I travelled throughout Asia and managed kitchens and front-of-house for a number of leading restaurants in Australia, Hong Kong, the Philippines and South Korea. A career move to Berlin then offered me the chance to work and travel in Central Europe hosting gourmet wine dinners in some of the region’s best restaurants. I now live with my son Jackson in the South of France, where a diverse and well-operated kitchen with fresh ingredients plays an important part in daily life. I’ve always liked it simple when it comes to food preparation, don’t over-complicate things, you lose individual flavours. The variety of cuisines, cultures and professionals that I have worked

with extended me a fantastic opportunity to build an interesting and diverse collection of recipes. Some of these dishes are authentic and classical to a certain region and some are cross-over fusion concoctions that bring together different nations onto one plate. I hope you’ll enjoy them and marry them with interesting wines. I’ve added in wine pairings to most of the dishes and have specifically paired all the dishes with wines that I import through my cellars in Berlin at Mitton International Wines however I’ve also suggested European counterparts, just to keep the locals happy. At the end of the book, you’ll find a grape varietal overview, I hope this will let you understand more about choosing wine to fit your meals and gain more enjoyment out of your gourmet experiences. Wine is of course the perfect partner to food. If you are interested in meeting me in the flesh and visiting an event where we serve brilliant gourmet menus with paired wines in some of Europe’s best dining locations, then join us with Club Vivanova. Living rare and unique gourmet experiences. www.clubvivanova.com

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Contents Vegetarian Appetisers

Soups

Melitzanosalata . Eggplant Dip....................................................12 Kimchi . Korean Cabbage Salad...................................................13 Hummus . Chickpea Dip.................................................................14 Pan-Fried Feta with Tzatziki..........................................................15

Spicy Thai Prawn Soup...................................................................36 Navy Bean Soup...............................................................................37 Scotch Broth.....................................................................................38 New Orleans Clam Chowder.........................................................39 Bouillabaisse of the Mediterranean............................................40 Carrot and Ginger Soup.................................................................41

Appetisers (seafood) Japanese Tuna Tartar.....................................................................18 Salmon Gravlax...............................................................................19 Sea Bass Ceviche..............................................................................20 Taramasalata . Cod Roe Dip..........................................................21 Appetisers (meat) Dolmathes . Stuffed Vine Leaves..................................................22 French Country Pate.......................................................................23 Thai Chicken Satays with Peanut Sauce.....................................24 Thai Sesame Chicken in Lettuce Cup...........................................25 Oeufs Cocotte with Foie Gras . Potted Eggs................................26 Greek Lamb Boreks . Baked Meat Triangles...............................27 Salads Greek Homemade Vinaigrette......................................................30 Summer Lobster Salad...................................................................31 Caesar salad.....................................................................................32 Greek Salad.......................................................................................33

Pasta and Risotto Italian Rosa Bean and Salsiccia Pasta Sauce.............................46 Gourmet Pesto Sauce......................................................................47 Baked Macaroni Limone Style......................................................48 Risotto with Asparagus, Mushroom and Chorizo....................49 Main Courses (vegetarian) Four Cheese Fondue........................................................................52 Spanakopitas . Baked Spinach and Feta Triangles..................53

Main Courses (seafood)

Mariandes

Thai Red Curry Tiger Prawns.........................................................56 Salmon Tartare................................................................................57 Octopus Stewed in Shiraz..............................................................58 Lemon Baked Cod............................................................................59 Whole Dorade in Viognier with Vine Leaves..............................60 Pan-Roasted Cod with Chorizo.....................................................61 Seared Tuna and Scallop Tataki...................................................62 Salmon Escalopes Poached in Chardonnay..............................63

Summer Barbecue Marinades and Sauce..................................82 Brad’s Barbecue Spice Rub.............................................................82 Brad’s Creole Fried Chicken............................................................83 Brad’s Cajun Sauce..........................................................................83

Main Courses (meat) Indonesian Pork Tenderloin..........................................................66 Milanese Meatballs.........................................................................67 Amazing Duck Burgers...................................................................68 Vietnamese Pho Soup and Summer Rolls..................................69 Greek Moussaka..............................................................................70 Magret de Canard...........................................................................71 Vietnamese Chicken and Ginger Stir-Fry....................................72 Roast Turkey with Pork, Sage and Onion Stuffing....................73 Hong Kong Sweet and Sour Pork.................................................74 Pastitsio.............................................................................................75 Marinated Lamb Souvlakia..........................................................76 Chicken Korma.................................................................................77 Black Peppered Filet Steak with Cognac Sauce.........................78 Thai Grilled Chicken Skewers........................................................79

Desserts Homemade Strawberry Mint and Basil Sherbet.......................86 Brad’s Baklava..................................................................................87 Brad’s Bourbon Bread Pudding.....................................................88 Warm Chocolate Soufflé................................................................89 Spotted Dick.....................................................................................90 Carrot Cake.......................................................................................91 Specialist Beverages Mulled Wine......................................................................................94 Limoncello.........................................................................................95 Boxing Day Bloody Mary................................................................96 Wine Varietal Overview Wine Basics.......................................................................................94 Food and Wine Varietal Pairing....................................................95 Evaluating a Wine...........................................................................96 Screwcaps.........................................................................................96 Serving wine.....................................................................................96 Basic Terroir Overview (New World)............................................96

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Vegetarian Appetisers

Melitzanosalata Eggplant Dip Method Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees. Chop the ends off the eggplants, drizzle olive oil over them and bake for fifteen minutes. Let them cool and then carefully remove the skins. Add to a food blender and on low speed, add the rest of the ingredients making a thick consistent paste, do not blend until smooth, it’s best to leave some texture in the dip. Serve with warm pita bread.

Wine Pairing This dish has a creamy and somewhat piquant character, warming on the palate; I would suggest serving this with a lightly oaked Chardonnay (Chablis), not to overpower the herbs in the dish.

Ingredients (Serves 6) 1 kg eggplant 150mls olive oil Juice of one lemon 15mls white wine 10 mls red wine vinegar 10 gms fresh oregano leaves 10 gms garlic, chopped 10 gms parsley, chopped 20 gms green finger chili, chopped 20 gms red bell pepper 20 gms green bell pepper 20 gms mint leaves, chopped 20 gms coriander leaves, chopped

Our Hundred Tree Hill Chardonnay from the Pyrenees hills of Central Victoria in Australia would be an excellent match here. Winemaker Neill Robb produces this in a style that is lightly oaked with some creaminess and white Burgundy characters but still remaining fresh and vibrant.

Did You Know? That Eggplants aren’t really vegetables, they’re berries. Which isn’t that strange, considering other fruits are commonly mistaken for vegetables, like tomatoes.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Kimchi Korean Cabbage Salad Method Slice the cabbage lengthwise in half, then slice each half lengthwise into three sections. Cut out and discard the tough stem area. Dissolve the salt in the water in a large container, then submerge the cabbage under the water. Put a plate on top to make sure the cabbage stays under water, then let stand for 2 hours. Mix the other ingredients in a large bowl. Drain the cabbage, rinse it and squeeze it dry. Mix everything together with your hands (maybe best with kitchen gloves). Pack the kimchi into a clean storage jar large enough to hold it all and cover it tightly. Let the jar stand for one to two days in a cool place. Check the kimchi after one to two days. If it is bubbling a bit, it is ready and should be refrigerated. If not, let it stand another day, when it should then be ready. Serve or store in the refrigerator. If you want, add a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds over the kimchi for serving. Many advise to eat the kimchi within 3 weeks. After that, it can get too fermented and starts getting funky!

Wine Pairing Kimchi is an interesting one for wine pairing and really you need a high-acid white or perhaps a young Pinot Noir (Burgundy). Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d suggest going for a Semillon or a Riesling; of course youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll probably use the Kimchi as an accompaniment to another dish and I suggest to serve this with a chargrilled entrecote (ribeye), then you can serve your Pinot Noir; strongly suggest our Hundred Tree Hill Pinot Noir from the Pyrenees in central Victoria. Winemaker Neill Robb produces this with wild yeasts and releases after 4 years bottle-ageing so the earthy, forest floor characters of the grape shine through fitting well with the marinated vegetables in this dish.

Did You Know?

Ingredients (Makes about one kilo) 1 large Chinese cabbage 4 litres water 100 gms coarse salt 1 small head of garlic, peeled and finely minced 1 (6cm) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced 60mls fish sauce 1/2 cup Korean chili powder 1 bunch green onions, cut into 1-inch (3cm) lengths (use the dark green part, too, except for the tough ends) 1 medium daikon radish, peeled and grated 1 teaspoon sugar

That the health benefits of kimchi include improved cardiovascular health and digestive system. The wealth of antioxidants in kimchi offer healing effects in medical conditions like cancer, diabetes, obesity, atopic dermatitis and gastric ulcers. 13

Vegetarian Appetisers

Hummus Chickpea Dip Method In a blender add the drained chickpeas, tahini, garlic and the juice of the lemons, drizzle in the olive oil and add salt. The chickpeas will cream up. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s it, pure, simple, fresh and healthy.

Wine Pairing A fresh white wine would fit the hummus, especially with the acidic character of the lemon juice being involved on the palate. I suggest nothing too aromatic so either so a Bordeaux white blend or a Margaret River Semillon Sauvignon Blanc. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d recommend our Two Brothers Organic Sauvignon Blanc from Ben Gould at Blind Corner in the Margaret River region of Western Australia, produced in a fresh style but part fermented in oak and a concrete egg, the wine has good texture to fit the richness of the hummus.

Ingredients (Serves 6) 2 fresh whole lemons 3 x 250ml cans of garbanzo beans / chickpeas 50 mls tahini 450 gms olive oil 50 grams garlic peeled 5 gms salt 5 gms paprika

Did You Know? That the chickpea, also known as garbanzo and as an aphrodisiac, is a legume (belongs to the pea family) that originates from Turkey, Syria and Iran. The cultivation of chickpeas started 7000 years B.C.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Pan-Fried Feta with Tzatziki Method First prepare the tzatziki by placing some kitchen paper towels into a sieve over a pot and pouring in the yoghurt. Leave for 12 hours in the fridge, the water content of the yoghurt will run through the paper and the sieve into the pan, you will then have a lovely thick and creamy yoghurt base. At the same time you prepare this, peel the cucumber and cut down the middle, take out the seeds with a teaspoon, chop into small cubes and place in a sieve, drizzle the red wine vinegar and the salt over the cucumber, place a plate with a weight over the cucumber and then let the vinegar and the water content of the cucumber drip out into a pan for about six hours. The cucumber and the yoghurt can then be mixed with the garlic, mont and you have a wonderful thick tzatziki. For the cheese, beat the eggs and then take each piece of cheese and dip into the flour, shake of the flour, dip into the egg and then dip into the breadcrumbs. You can if you like prepare this in advance and hold in the fridge until you are ready. Once prepared, get a non-stick pan very hot with a shallow amount of olive oil very hot, add in the cheese and cook for about one minute on each side to brown. Serve with the tzatziki and a small Greek salad.

Wine Pairing I would suggest a light fresh Chablis or Chardonnay, try our Woodlands Selection Chardonnay, easy drinking and fits well with this simple dish.

Ingredients (Serves 4) For the Tzatziki 250 mls natural yoghurt 10 mls Vinegar, Red Wine 1 Cucumber 20 gms fresh mint leaves, chopped finely 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped finely Dash salt 400 grams feta, sliced longways 2 eggs 100 grams flour, white 10 grams breadcrumbs Dash salt and pepper

Did You Know? That it is believed that the sheep's milk cheese that Polyphemus the Cyclops made in his caves in Homer's 'Odyssey' was most likely an early form of feta cheese.

Â˝ portion of Greek salad per person (check recipe page 35)

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Appetisers

(seafood)

Appetisers (seafood)

Japanese Tuna Tartar Method Basically dice up the tuna in small cubes and add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl, mix carefully and leave for ten minutes before serving! Garnish with sesame seeds, serve with white rice or salad.

Wine Pairing Tuna tartar is a great dish with white wine, and tuna is a fish with plenty of texture and character so I’d suggest pairing this with the aromatics of a Sancerre or a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, try our pure and fresh Auntsfield Estate Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand, probably one of the finest Sauvignon Blancs you’ll find on the market and very drinkable, sharing is optional!

Ingredients (Serves 2) 400 gms tuna sashimi loin 50 mls soy sauce 10 mls rice wine vinegar 50 gms spring onion, cleaned and chopped 10 gms ginger, cleaned and chopped finely 25 gms fresh coriander, chopped 1 Thai bird chilli, chopped finely 5 mls sesame oil, roasted 5 gms olive oil

Did You Know? That Genghis Khan’s warriors would use scrapings of lamb or mutton which were formed into flat patties. They softened the meat by placing them under the saddles of their horses while riding into battle. When it was time to eat, the meat would be eaten raw, having been tenderized by the saddle and the back of the horse. In the 13th Century, the Russians adopted it into their own cuisine with the name "Tartare," (Tartars being their name for the Mongols). 18

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Salmon Gravlax Method Mix together the salt, sugar and pepper and rub the flesh side of the fish with the mixture and sprinkle generously with fresh dill. Place the fillets, flesh sides together, on a large sheet of clingfilm. Wrap tightly in the clingfilm and lay flat in a container with sides to catch the drips. Put a small tray or board that is roughly the same size as the salmon on top, and weigh it down: two or three tins of tomatoes should do the trick. Refrigerate for 2-3 days, turning it over once after a day. Then unwrap the fish and rinse well. Serve cut into thin slices.

Wine Pairing I would generally pair salmon with either Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, depending upon how it is prepared. Gravlax add texture and savouriness to the fish, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d suggest complementing this with a fresh Chardonnay (Chablis) or a light white Burgundy, probably best with our Woodlands Selection Chardonnay from South-East Australia. Light, easy-drinking and not too over-bearing with the fish.

Ingredients (Serves 8) 2 x 500gm salmon filets (cleaned with skin) 2 tbsp sea salt 1 tbsp soft brown sugar 1 tsp ground white or black pepper A big bunch of fresh dill

Did You Know? That Gravlax comes from the words for grave and salmon. Gravlax is grave salmon on account of burying it; in this case, in sugar and salt.

Appetisers (seafood)

Sea Bass Ceviche Method Simple, chop up the fish into cubes and add all the ingredients in a bowl. Mix carefully, chill for 10 minutes in the fridge and serve. Wow, just mind-bogglingly good.

Wine Pairing Simple, fresh, zesty white wines go well with this; Sancerre style Sauvignon Blanc. I would suggest going with our Auntsfield Estate Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc as the aromatics and herbaceous characters of the wine fit with the lime and the herbs in the ceviche.

Ingredients (Serves 2) 200 g sea bass, skinned and filleted 2 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced 1 teaspoon sea salt 1-2 fresh red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped 20 gms fresh mint, leaves picked and chopped 20 gms fresh coriander, leaves picked and chopped 10 gms fresh ginger, chopped finely extra virgin olive oil freshly ground black pepper Juice of one lime

Did You Know? That ceviche's birthplace is disputed between Peru and Ecuador, and as both countries have an amazing variety of fish and shellfish, it could easily have come from the ancient civilizations of Peru and Ecuador. Every Latin American country has given seviche/ceviche its own touch of individuality by adding its own particular garnishes. In Peru, it is served with slices of cold sweet potatoes or corn-on-the-cob. In Ecuador, it is accompanied by popcorn, nuts, or corn nuts.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Taramasalata Cod Roe Dip Method Finely grate the onion, then drain through a sieve and discard the solids. Put the bread in a dish, cover with cold water, then drain immediately and squeeze out the excess water. Put the onion juice, bread and roe in a food processor and pulse together until relatively smooth. Slowly add the lemon juice and oil until well combined, working the mixture all the time, then season and add more lemon juice to taste. Top with paprika and the olive, then serve with warm pita bread.

Wine Pairing A slightly salty, pungent dish will need something clean and fresh, I suggest a good Chablis or Sancerre depending on the strength of the roe. Go Sancerre (or Sliding Hill Sauvignon Blanc) if light and Chablis (Hundred Tree Hill Chardonnay) if characterful.

Ingredients (Serves 6) 250g cod roe Â˝ small onion 100g stale, crustless white bread Juice of one large lemons 200ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve Paprika (one black olive), to serve

Did You Know? That taramasalata was known as the lunch of the Greek Gods.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Appetisers (meat)

Dolmathes Stuffed Vine Leaves Method In a mixing bowl, mix together the onion, rice, lamb, lemon juice and mint leaves into a paste, season. Take a single vine leaf, brush it lightly with olive oil and place a small amount, about as big as your thumb, into the middle of a leaf, with the veins facing up, roll by tucking the sides in, into small rolls, place in a colander. Keep making the rolls and place on top of each other so they are tight in the colander. Once finished, steam them for ten minutes over boiling water. Leave to cool, then store in olive oil.

Wine Pairing

Ingredients (30 pieces)

Dolmathes are great with a fresh, light wine, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d suggest a Sancerre or Bordeaux white, probably our SAAM Mountain Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa, produced in the hills of Paarl, good acid retention and clean on the pallet.

50 gms red onion, chopped small 250 gms cooked white rice 250 gms minced lamb 30mls lemon juice 5 gms mint leaves, chopped Salt and pepper to season 200 gms vine leaves 80 mls olive oil

Did You Know? That more than half the labour force in Thailand is involved in rice production. 24

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

French Country Chicken Liver Pate Method French Country Chicken Liver Pâté with Brandy method

Heat a frying pan, melt 50 gms of butter. Add chicken liver, cook for 2 to 3 minutes until seared, add the brandy and flambé. Add contents to a blender, blend and add another 150 gms of the butter plus cream, mustard powder, thyme, garlic and seasonings until creamy. Pour into a terrine dish and top with the remaining 200 gms of the butter (melted). Refrigerate and serve chilled. Brad’s Cumberland Sauce method In a saucepan, boil cranberries, then reduce the heat, add the remainder of the ingredients. Thicken up for about 8 to 10 minutes. Cool and chill, serve cold on cold cuts and pâtés. Serve on warm toasted french bread with vegetable crudités.

Wine Pairing I’d recommend a good and well-rounded Chardonnay (Montrachet style), pair with our Bellvale Athena’s Vineyard Chardonnay from Gippsland in Australia; one year in French oak, creamy textured with hints of smoke and toasted nuts, a brilliant match.

Did You Know? That chicken liver is low in fat and is filled with protein, it is also an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin B-12, riboflavin, folate and iron.

Ingredients (serves 10) French Country Chicken Liver Pâté with Brandy Infusion 500 gms cleaned chicken livers 400 gms unsalted butter 100 gms double cream 60 mls brandy 10 gms English mustard powder 5 gms thyme powder 20 grams peeled and chopped garlic 10 gms black ground pepper 10 gms iodised salt Brad’s Cumberland Sauce ingredients 2 lemons, juice of 3 oranges, juice of 1 250ml can of cranberries (or 250 gms of fresh cranberries) 120 mls port 15 gms English mustard powder 15 gms ground ginger 25

Appetisers (meat)

Thai Chicken Satays with Peanut Sauce Method For the chicken, place the coconut milk, fish sauce, brown sugar, curry paste and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine; set aside. Cut the chicken lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces and add to the marinade. Stir to coat the chicken, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. Meanwhile, make the sauce. For the peanut sauce, place everything but the lime juice in a small saucepan and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the ingredients are evenly combined, about 3 minutes total. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the lime juice, and transfer the sauce to a small bowl to cool. To cook the chicken, heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high. Meanwhile, thread a single piece of chicken lengthwise onto each skewer and transfer to a baking sheet. When the grill is ready, rub the grates with a towel dipped in vegetable oil. Place the skewers on the grill, close the cover, and cook until grill marks appear on the bottom, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Ingredients (makes 8 skewers, serves 4) 200mls coconut milk 1 tablespoon fish sauce 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 kg boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thighs, or a mixture of both For the peanut sauce 3/4 cup coconut milk 1/4 cup peanut butter 1 tablespoon fish sauce 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste 2 teaspoons chilli-garlic paste 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice 30 (8-inch) wooden skewers (soak them in water for 30 minutes to avoid burning on the grill) 26

Flip the chicken, close the grill, and cook until grill marks appear on the second side and the chicken is cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes more. Transfer the skewers to a clean serving platter and serve with the cooled peanut sauce for dipping.

Wine Pairing This dish calls for a heavier style of white or a lighter style of red, probably a warm-climate Chardonnay that has good acidity but rich caharacters to fit the sauce. Try our Barking Owl Chardonnay from the Pembertoin region of Western Australia; although this is cool climate, the wine is full and rich, with excellent toasted nut characters.

Did You Know? That although both Thailand and Malaysia claim it as their own, Satayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Southeast Asian origin was in Java, Indonesia. There satay was developed from the Indian kebab brought by the Muslim traders.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Thai Sesame Chicken in Lettuce Cup Method High heat a wok or good non-stick frying pan and add sesame oil, let the oil quickly heat up and add the chicken breast, sear the diced pieces of breast until some of them are turning brown, probably three to four minutes. Then add the shallots, celery, pistachios, chilis, and the herbs, quickly fry on high heat for three to four minutes and then add in the soy sauce, high heat for another one minute then season lightly and serve. The lettuce should be cleaned and each leaf carefully removed. The chicken should then be served in the lettuce leaves, with fresh lime squeezed over the top and then rolled up before eating. Judge the amount of chilli yourself for future reference. Suggest serving with white rice.

Wine Pairing This is a real Sauvignon Blanc lovers dish, aromatic, herbaceous, full of character and piquant. I’d suggest a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc or a Sancerre; Rose could also go if it is a dry style. Try our Woodlands Selection Rose with this from South East Australia, dry, light fruits, fits very well with the freshness of this dish.

Did You Know?

Ingredients (Serves 2) 30 ml sesame oil (roasted) 200 gms chicken breast , cleaned and diced small 20 gms shallots, diced small 20 gms celery, diced small 20 gms pistachio kernels , chopped in half 10 gms thai bird chilis, chopped 10 gms fresh basil, chopped 10 gms fresh coriander leaves, chopped 10 gms fresh mint leaves, chopped 10 ml kikkoman soy sauce Salt and pepper for seasoning 1 whole iceberg lettuce 1 Fresh Lime

That the magic formula "Open sesame!" is from the book One Thousand and One Nights, and specifically from the tale of Ali Baba and the 40 thieves. It refers to the actual sesame fruit, because when the fruit is mature many aromatic seeds come out of it. 27

Appetisers (meat)

Oeufs Cocotte with Foie Gras Potted Eggs Method Eggs and crème fraîche are the basics of this super-simple yet very tasty dish. You can also throw in almost anything savoury you find in your fridge. With foie gras, the dish is very special as because nobody expects to find foie gras in the creamy egg. Perfect to finish off any leftover foie gras that you might have. Prepare four buttered ramekins or tureens and arrange the foie gras in slices at the bottom of each ramekin. Break two eggs into each ramekin, taking care not to break the yolk. Cover the eggs with the cream. Add fresh pepper and sprinkle with salt. Bake 10 to 15 minutes in a preheated oven at 180 °. Serve hot!

Wine Pairing

Ingredients (Serves 4)

Eggs are a nightmare to pair wine with however I would recommend a Pinot Noir with this, something earthy to fit the foie gras; try our Bellvale The Quercus Pinot Noir from Gippsland in Victoria, Australia. It’s a very light-coloured Burgundy style but has fantastic depth of character and forest-floor nuances.

8 eggs 200g foie gras 200mls whipping cream 80g butter Sea salt and pepper

Did You Know? That in ages past, a cocotte was a fashionable prostitute.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Greek Lamb Boreks Baked Meat Triangles Method In a large pan, heat the olive oil and then brown off the lamb, add onion and garlic until soft and then the tomatoes. Cook off the juice for about 30 minutes and then add the seasoning and herbs. Leave to cool. Take the filo pastry, keep the pastry you are not using under a damp cloth and place one sheet onto a flat surface, lightly brush with olive oil, then add another sheet on top, again brush with oil and add a third sheet. The sheets are normally about 25cms wide by 30cms long. Cut the sheets straight down the middle and then again each sheet down the middle so you have four long rectangular pieces and into one corner of the sheets, add a teaspoon of the mix. Turn the sheets over in a triangular movement making three corners and continue until the filo pastry makes a triangular package containing the borek mix. You should get about thirty servings, lightly brush the pastries and then place in the oven and bake for five minutes on each side. Serve with tzatziki, see page 15.

Wine Pairing These are lovely snacks just to eat with a light red or even a white. I’d suggest a Chardonnay, or a heavy white like our Burgundy Montrachet style, young so it’s fresh for the tomato character, like our Hundred Tree Hill Chardonnay from the Pyrenees range of Victoria in Australia.

Ingredients (Serves 8) Lamb Mix 1.2 kgs ground lamb (or beef ) 500 gms red onion 100 gms garlic, chopped 250 grams tomato, chopped 50 gms tomato paste 25 gms mint leaves, chopped 25 gms coriander, chopped 50 mls olive oil Salt and pepper to season

Did You Know? That filo pastry should be made so thin that you can read a newspaper through it. 29

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Salads

Greek Homemade Vinaigrette Method Add mustard and lemon juice to mixing bowl and whisk. Slowly drizzle olive oil while mixing. Add remaining ingredients. Store in refrigerator until serving.

Ingredients (Makes nearly one litre) 50 gms dijon mustard 25 mls lemon juice 350 mls olive oil 350 mls corn oil 50 mls red wine vinegar Dash salt Dash black pepper Dash oregano 100 gms fresh coriander

Did You Know? That Greeks eat an average of 26 litres of olive oil each every year!

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Summer Lobster Salad Method Boil a pot of water. Plunge the lobsters head first into the water. Loosely cover the pot and cook the lobsters for 9 minutes from the time they enter the water, then using tongs, transfer to the sink to cool. When the lobsters are cool, remove the meat from the claws, joints and tails. Discard the tomalley (the soft green paste found in the body cavity), any roe and shells (or save for another use). Cut the meat into medium sized pieces. Quickly lower the rhubarb and snow peas into the boiling stock for a couple of minutes and then refresh under cold water. Add the lobster meat and gently stir together the basil leaves, rhubarb, avocado, macadamia nuts and snow peas with the olive oil. Season and serve drizzled with lemon juice, drop some aioli.

Wine Pairing This is the perfect dish for opening a great bottle of vintage Champagne or actually, just any Champagne if you fancy a treat. The older the better, as the creamier and toastier the Champagne, the better it will fit with this dish, the freshness of the Champagne will also fit well with the lemon dressing. Indulge and enjoy!

Ingredients (Serves 5) Two lemons 300 gms snow peas, halved 200 gms rhubarb, chopped 300 gms avocado, diced 50 gms roasted macadamia nuts Fine sea salt Freshly ground black pepper Four small live lobsters 50 gms basil leaves Â˝ cup top grade olive oil 50 gms aioli

Did You Know? That in the wild, most lobsters are a mottled greenish brown. They turn red when cooked because heating breaks the bond between pigmentation and protein in the shell. The red color comes from the expression of astaxanthin, a type of carotenoid pigment found in orange-colored plants, eaten by the animals the lobster eats. 33

Salads

Caesar salad Method In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, drizzling the oil slowly during the process, this will produce mayonnaise. Slowly add all other ingredients whilst continuing whisking. Thoroughly clean the lettuce and add two to three tablespoons of salad dressing. After tossing, place in a bowl and sprinkle with bacon bits and croutons. You can also add sliced grilled chicken, prawns or salmon to add to the consistency and character of the salad.

Wine Pairing This Caesar Salad dressing is creamy, savoury and wonderful with Chardonnays, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d suggest our Bellvale Chardonnay from Gippsland; the malolactic ferment that this wine goes through gives the wine a buttery and creamy character very like an excellent Montrachet (which would also go well with this), so give it a try.

Ingredients (Serves 7) 3 egg yolks 500 mls olive oil 50 gms crushed garlic 80 gms dijon mustard 80 mls red wine vinegar 15 gms crushed black pepper 10 gms salt 60 gms anchovies 60 gms parmesan cheese 40 mls lemon juice Per portion 100 gms iceberg lettuce For topping, per portion 1 teaspoon finely chopped bacon (cooked) 1 tablespoon croutons

Did You Know? That the salad's creation is generally attributed to restaurateur Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant who operated restaurants in Mexico and the United States. His daughter Rosa (1928â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2003) recounted that her father invented the dish when a Fourth of July 1924 rush depleted the kitchen's supplies. Cardini made do with what he had, adding the dramatic flair of the table-side tossing "by the chef." According to Rosa Cardini, the original Caesar salad did not contain pieces of anchovy; the slight anchovy flavor The original recipe included whole lettuce leaves, which were meant to be lifted by the stem and eaten with the fingers; coddled eggs; and Italian olive oil.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Greek Salad Method Basically prepare the lettuce/salad in a bowl as a base. Toss all the other ingredients with the Greek salad dressing (page 32) in a separate bowl and add into the lettuce; serve with the feta cheese on the top sprinkled with the oregano. Simple and delicious.

Wine Pairing This needs a very simple bottle of Greek Retsina, just fits perfectly and if you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t find that then our Woodlands Selection Chardonnay from Australia is a great match.

Ingredients (Makes 2 portions)

Did You Know? That as a rule, the whiter and fresher the cheese the crisper and fruitier the wine should be for pairing.

1 small Bell Pepper, green, sliced thinly 1 small Bell Pepper, red, sliced thinly 1 onion red, sliced thinly 1 large Tomato, quartered Â˝ cucumber, peeled and sliced thickly 80 grams olives large, Greek 'Kalamata' 70 grams Greek feta cheese Topping 100 gms feta cheese 10 gms dried oregano Dressing 150mls Greek Salad Dressing Decoration 50 gms lettuce/salad to decorate

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Soups

Spicy Thai Prawn Soup Method Boil water, add stock cube, lime leaves, lemongrass and galangal, simmer for three minutes. Add mushrooms and tomatoes, simmer one minute, add prawns, chilli, fish sauce. Serve with seasoning, lime juice and coriander sprinkled on top.

Wine Pairing Chilis and wine, yes brilliant; find something white, dry and acidic and you’ll have a match made in heaven. Our SAAM Mountain Sauvignon Blanc fits very well with this, the acid backbone of the wine cuts through the spiciness and often helps to arouse the pallet offering quite a sensational experience.

Ingredients (Serves 1) 100 gms Tiger Prawns, peeled, butterfly cut, with tail 30 gms straw mushrooms 1 chicken stock cube 3 pieces lemongrass 5 pieces Kaffir lime leaves 80 gms small plum tomatoes 5 gms Galangal (thai ginger), thinly sliced 2 pieces Thai bird chilli 5 mls Thai Fish Sauce 1 Lime fresh, halved 10 gms fresh Coriander Leaves Dash salt 400 mls water

Did You Know? That normally the second bite is hotter than the first. Some people believe it’s because the seeds are the spiciest part, but it’s actually the flesh near them that sets your tongue on fire. The part of the pepper closest to the stem is usually the hotter part because it has the highest concentration of capsaicin. These components of the pepper irritate the skin and cause your mouth to feel that distinct burning pain.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Navy Bean Soup Method In a big pan, heat the sesame oil and cook off the bacon until brown, add the onion, celery and ham and simmer for five minutes until the onion softens, add the beans, raise the heat and add in the white wine, simmer for 15 minutes, add, in the tarragon and basil, cook for a further five minutes then add the chicken stock cube and the water, cook covered for 30 minutes then uncovered for another thirty minutes. Serve hot with french bread.

Wine Pairing Soups can be difficult with wine, two liquids however you can normally match something up and the meaty party of this dish with the creamy beans would fit well with Pinot Noir. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d recommend our rich Sliding Hill Pinot Noir from Marlborough in New Zealand, which would also match well with the herbs going into this dish.

Ingredients (Serves 8)

Did You Know? That the navy bean got its current popular name because it was a staple food of the United States Navy in the early 20th century and these small white beans are perfect for making baked beans.

450 gms beans, white (steep in salted water for twelve hours) 150 gms Bacon, sliced 150 gms Ham, squared 50 gms red onion, diced 100 gms celery, diced 675 mls white wine, dry 30 mls sesame oil Salt and pepper to season 1 x chicken stock cube 10 gms tarragon leaves 10 grams basil 2 litres water

Soups

Scotch Broth Method In a soup pan, add the cold water and the lamb leg, put on high heat and cook until boiling. As the water heats up, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll notice a fatty scum on the top of the water level, carefully spoon it off. Once the water is boiling, leave for two hours to simmer. After two hours of simmering, remove the lamb leg carefully with a sieve, leaving the stock on low heat. Carefully clean the lamb leg keeping all the meat to one side and discard the bone, sinew and cartilage. Now re-add the lamb meat and with it add the pearl barley, cook on medium heat for thirty minutes, then add the onion, carrots, leeks, turnip and cabbage and cook for a further twenty minutes. Once cooked, serve piping hot and garnish with mint and parsley.

Wine Pairing Ingredients (Serves 8) 1 kg Lamb leg bone-in 50 gms Pearl Barley 3 litres water 100 grams red onion, chopped finely 100 grams large carrots, diced 200 grams leeks, sliced thinly 250 grams turnip, diced 300 grams white cabbage, sliced thinly 20 grams mint leaves, chopped 20 grams parsley, chopped

A fine soup for a red wine, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d suggest a light Pinot, probably our Hundred Tree Hill Pinot noir, that will fit the depth of the characters in this soup and also the herbs and slightly sweet lamb meat.

Did You Know? That barley is the root of the English measurement, one inch. One inch equals three grains of barley, dry and round, placed end-to-end lengthwise. 40

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

New Orleans Clam Chowder Method Before cooking, clams should be stood in water for a least six hours in order to clean themselves of sand and grit. Steam clams in water, white wine and salt and pepper. Keep liquid and clam meat, discard shells. Chop clam meat finely and return to liquid. In a soup tureen, add olive oil and butter, cook onion and celery until soft. Add potatoes, cream, clam meat and clam liquid. Boil for thirty minutes, then add freshly chopped parsley and season. Just going to blow your rocks off…

Wine Pairing As I’ve mentioned earlier in the book; creamy dishes go well with malolactic Chardonnays and so I’d serve this with a glass of our Barking Owl Chardonnay from Western Australia; it has enough richness to fit with this delectable soup, an of course, it fits with the clam-meat wonderfully.

Ingredients (Serves 8) 2.5 kgs fresh clams in shell 500 mls water 50mls white wine Salt and pepper for seasoning 750 gms diced potato 200 gms chopped celery 300 gms chopped onion 25 gms butter salted 25 gms olive oil 1 litre double cream 50 gms chopped parsley Salt and black pepper for seasoning

Did You Know? That a giant clam can weigh more than 200 kilograms.

Soups

Bouillabaisse of the Mediterranean Method In a good-sized heavy saucepan on high heat, heat the olive oil, onions, garlic, tomatoes, celery, red pepper and tarragon. Once well-browned, add the 3 kg of fish bones/heads. Stir well for about 20 minutes to get a paste. Add the herbs, salt and pepper to taste, add 3 litres of boiling water let boil for 30 minutes then pass through a strainer. Do not forget to apply pressure to the bottom of the strainer in order to get the maximum characters of the juice. Add saffron In this bouillon, add the potatoes and then after five minutes poach the 3kg of fish according to their size and the firmness of their meat (for example John Dory requires longer cooking time than a red scorpion fish of equal size whose meat is more delicate) for about five minutes. Remember that fish must not be overcooked; cooking time is always shorter than what we imagine. Once cooked, gently remove the fish and serve the soup over the filets.

Ingredients (Serves 10) 250 ml olive oil 300 gms onion, in rounds 50 gms garlic, whole 300 gms tomatoes, chopped 100 gms celery, chopped 200 gms red pepper 15 gms tarragon 50 gms parsley fresh 5 gms saffron 6 kgs fish (mixed 3kgs bones/heads, 3kgs meat) 300 gms potatoes (cut in rounds)

Wine Pairing Tomato based soup with seafood, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d suggest a Bordeaux blend, something dry and crisp and acidic as tomatoes are high in acidity. Try a Sauvignon Blanc Semillon blend or our SAAM Mountain Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa.

Did You Know? That the apocryphal story of the origin of bouillabaisse told by the Marseillais is that Venus served bouillabaisse to her husband Vulcan in order to lull him to sleep while she consorted with Mars. 42

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Carrot and Ginger Soup Method In a soup tureen, heat the olive oil and butter, add the onions and heat until soft, then add carrots and ginger and on low heat, sweat for ten minutes with lid on the pan. Add remaining ingredients and cook on medium heat with lid on for forty five minutes. Season with salt and fresh black pepper. Once cooked, liquidise in a blender, reheat and serve piping hot with french bread.

Wine Pairing The ginger in this dish offers a warming spice that would fit with a fresh, light, aromatic wine, try a Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough; crisp on the palate and a good complement to this soup.

Ingredients (Serves 5) 600 gms carrots, peeled and diced 50 gms ginger, peeled and chopped finely 100 gms onion white, peeled, chopped finely 20 gms butter, unsalted 20 mls olive oil 75 gms iceberg lettuce, shredded finely 10 gms parsley, chopped 2.5 litres chicken stock 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Did You Know? That Carrots were first grown as a medicine not a food and the longest carrot ever recorded was 5.839 metres long.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Pasta and Risotto

45 43

Pasta and Risotto

Italian Rosa Bean and Salsiccia Pasta Sauce Method I once went to Ventimiglia market and picked up some salsiccia sausage and a bag of rosa beans, very simple ingredients that make a magnificent pasta sauce. Salsiccia is a spicy Italian sausage that fits very well with the creamy, earthy character of the beans. Un-pod the beans and then soak them in warm water for six hours, drain the water and peel the beans. In a saucepan, heat up the oil, add garlic and onion, stir and then add in the beans, the consistency will quickly get thick so add in the chicken stock, salt and pepper to season and the bay-leaves and simmer for about 45 minutes. This base is just heaven and excellent with your favourite pasta. So simple, but so good.

Wine Pairing

Ingredients (Serves 4)

I would highly recommend to keep it local with this dish and go for a Nebbiolo from Piemonte or what I would find quite interesting is a light, soft and spiced malbec, try our Rewen Estate Malbec from The Cuyo Valley in Mendoza, Argentina.

25 gms garlic, chopped 50 mls oil 100 grams salsiccia, diced 50 gms onion, chopped 1 kilo rosa (white kidney) beans in their pods 500 mls chicken stock 2 bay leaves (from my garden)

Did You Know? That kidney beans spread throughout South and Central America as a result of migrating Indian traders who brought the beans with them from Peru. Beans were introduced into Europe in the 15th century by Spanish explorers returning from their voyages to the New World.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Gourmet Pesto Sauce Method Use for pasta or meat/salad topping. Place all ingredients already chopped into a food processor and mix until paste. Keep refrigerated until need to use.

Wine Pairing It fairly much depends on what you serve this with and I think most white wines would pair well. Remember there are herbaceous characters with garlic, so nothing too light.

Ingredients (Makes 1.25 litres) 500 gms fresh basil 500 mls olive oil 100gms toasted pine nuts 100gms parmesan cheese Â˝ tsp black pepper Â˝ tsp salt 100 gms garlic

Did You Know? That the name pesto is the contracted past participle of the Genoese word pestĂ˘ (Italian: pestare), which means to pound, to crush, in reference to the original method of preparation, with marble mortar and wooden pestle. The ingredients in a traditionally made pesto are ground with a circular motion of the pestle in the mortar. This same Latin root through Old French also gave rise to the English word pestle. 47

Pasta and Risotto

Baked Macaroni Limone Style Method Heat oven to 200 degrees. Cook the macaroni in plenty of water, until soft but firm, drain well and sprinkle with olive oil to stop pasta sticking together. Heat butter in frying pan, add garlic and onion and saute on low heat until soft. Add meat and brown, then add the tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs and spices. Cook gently for twenty to thirty minutes then season. To this meat sauce, once cooled, add the macaroni. To make sauce, melt butter in saucepan and add onion, cook until soft on low heat. Add flour and take off heat, mix flour into a paste, then add the milk a little at a time, cook on low heat stirring all the time until sauce thickens. Once thick, add nutmeg, season and take off heat. After cooling, add beaten egg yolks and stir in well. Stir in all cheese. In a baking tray, layer the meat and macaroni sauce then on top put the cheese sauce.

Ingredients (Serves 10) 1 kg macaroni noodles 100 gms butter 50 gms garlic, chopped finely 200 gms onion, finely diced 700 gms ground beef 1 kg tomatoes, peeled and chopped finely 2 tbsp. tomato paste ½ tablespoon cinnamon salt and pepper For the sauce 50 gms butter 30 gms onion, diced 50 gms flour 600 mls milk 3 egg yolks, beaten salt and pepper to taste dash nutmeg 200 gms mozarella cheese 200 gms parmesan cheese 48

Bake for thirty to forty minutes or until brown. Serve macaroni piping hot.

Wine Pairing A great opportunity to crack open a Bordeaux blend or a Cabernet Sauvignon blend. This quite a simple dish, warming, round flavours; I would suggest our SAAM Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. It is interesting that Limone is in the middle of Piemonte and has amazing Nebbiolo wines, and I’d suggest this varietal or a Pinot Noir, which in fact is quite similar. Try our Sliding Hill Pinot Noir from New Zealand.

Did You Know? That popular legend has it that Marco Polo introduced pasta to Italy following his exploration of the Far East in the late 13th century; however, we can trace pasta back as far as the fourth century B.C., where an Etruscan tomb showed a group of natives making what appears to be pasta.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Risotto with Asparagus, Mushroom and Chorizo Method In a thick-bottomed pan, heat half the butter and add the chorizo, cook lightly until browned and then add the onion and celery. Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the mushrooms and asparagus with the nutmeg and thyme and stir into the mix. Add in the rice and ensure the rice is covered completely by the butter/oil mixture, this protects the rice for the cooking procedure. Add Prosecco/wine and keep on medium heat then add stock or 200mls water with a chicken stock cube and lower heat to simmer. After ten minutes add the sage leaves, sliced and then cook for a further 15 minutes until the rice is al dente. Stir in the remaining butter and one third of the parmesan and take off the heat. Serve with the remaining parmesan.

Wine Pairing Creamy dishes always fit well with creamy wines and that means you need something that has gone through malolactic ferment in an oak barrel. I’d suggest an oaked Sauvignin Blanc (Pouilly Fume style) or a light Burgundy. Our Auntsfield Estate Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough sees oak for a month or so, partly malolactic and so I think this would be a great match.

Did You Know?

Ingredients (Serves 6 to 8) 500 grams mushroom, chopped finely 500 grams asparagus, sliced 1 large onion, chopped finely 2 sticks celery 75g unsalted butter 200 grams chorizo Nutmeg, grated fresh 2 sprigs thyme 500 g risotto rice 100 mls Prosecco or burgundy white 200 ml chicken stock / stock cube 10 sage leaves 50 grams parmesan

That Queen Nefertiti proclaimed asparagus to be the food of the Gods and Roman emperors had special “asparagus fleets” to gather only the best quality asparagus and bring it back to them.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Main Courses (vegetarian)

Four Cheese Fondue Method Toss the cheeses (grated) with the flour in a large bowl. Rub the cut ends of the garlic around the fondue dish. Pour wine into the fondue dish and heat slowly over the burner until bubbles rise. Stir in cheese mixture (a small amount a a time) with a wooden spoon. Let each addition melt before adding more. Stir in brandy, kirsch, cornstarch and nutmeg; sprinkle with paprika (and diced mushrooms if desired). Dip in the French bread whilst singing Edelweiss from the Sound of Music.

Wine Pairing

Ingredients (Serves 4) 250mls dry white wine 150 gms Appenzeller cheese 150 gms Gruyere cheese 150 gms Vacherin Fribougeois cheese 150 gms Emmenthal cheese 30 gms flour 1 clove garlic, halved 50 mls of brandy French bread cut into cubes 15 mls Kirsch 5 gms cornstarch Sprinkle of paprika Fresh nutmeg, grated Black pepper, ground

Cheese is excellent with a sweeter style of wine, with depth and viscosity. We have an older Late Harvest Viogner in our cellars from the Hunter Valley but a good muscat or Sauternese would partner very well with this dish; keep away from anything too dry and I would not suggest red, the tannins will overpower.

Did You Know? That tradition states that if bread falls off a womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fork and into the pot she must kiss her neighbour. If a man drops anything into the pot he has to buy a round of drinks for the table.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Spanakopitas Baked Spinach and Feta Triangles Method In a large saucepan, heat up the olive oil and add the spinach, the spinach will reduce and steam itself, add in the onion and the garlic, cook slowly for about five minutes until this reduces and cook for a further three or four minutes to reduce some of the liquid. Take off the heat and add parsley and coriander, leave to cool. In a separate mixing dish, mix the egg yolks and add in the parmesan cheese, feta cheese, black pepper and nutmeg, season with some salt. Mix this with a wooden spoon into a firm paste. Once the spinach mixture has cooled, add in the cold cheese/egg mix and blend with your hands into a firmish paste (there will be some liquid but this is fine, do not drain). Take the filo pastry, keep the pastry you are not using under a damp cloth and place one sheet onto a flat surface, lightly brush with olive oil, then add another sheet on top, again brush with oil and add a third sheet. The sheets are normally about 25cms wide by 30cms long. Cut the sheets straight down the middle so you have two long rectangular pieces and into one corner of the sheets, add a cupful of the mix. Turn the sheets over in a triangular movement making three corners and continue until the filo pastry makes a triangular package containing the spinach cheese mix. You should get about ten servings, lightly brush the pastries and then place in the oven and bake for five minutes on each side.

Wine Pairing I suggest something earthy and minerally here to fit with the spinach but also a wine that has some body to fit the cheese. A Chablis might fit, slightly aged, that has picked up some character; our Hundred Tree Hill Chardonnay would fit this dish very well.

Did You Know? That in the 1930’s U.S. spinach growers credited Popeye with a 33% increase in domestic spinach consumption.

Ingredients (Serves 10) For the cooking base 3.5 kgs of fresh spinach, washed 500 gms red onion, chopped finely 75 gms peeled chopped garlic 50 mls olive oil 50 gms fresh parsley 50 gms fresh coriander leaves Cold preparation 6 egg yolks 150 grams grated parmesan 350 grams greek feta cheese 10 grams ground black pepper 10 grams fresh nutmeg, grated Patisserie: 4 packs of Filo Pastry

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Main Courses (seafood)

Thai Red Curry Tiger Prawns Method In a medium sized wok/pan, add a little oil and then the curry paste, cook it into the oil and then add the coconut cream and stock cube, cook for about ten minutes to get the flavours out of the paste. Then add the celery, tomato, galangal, lemongrass and mushrooms, cook for a further three minutes on high heat, add the prawns and then cook for a further three minutes (seafood cooks very fast). Take off the heat and add the herbs, voila!

Wine Pairing A great dish to pair wine with and you really have to go white or Pinot Noir. Fresh light sauvignon Blanc or Sancerre would fit here very well. Go for our Sliding Hill Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand.

Ingredients (Serves 2) 400 gms Tiger Prawns, cleaned 1 small can coconut cream 1 chicken stock cube 25 gms Thai Red Curry Paste 50 gms Celery, chopped 100 gms tomato, sliced 50 gms straw mushrooms, halved 15 gms basil, fresh 2 pieces lemongrass 20 gms galangal, sliced 20 gms coriander leaves, chopped 10 mls fish sauce Dash salt

Did You Know? That there are more curry houses in London (a city of seven million) than there are in Mumbai (Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mega-city with a population of nearly twenty million). 56

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Salmon Tartare Method In a mixing bowl, add the egg yolk to the salmon and then carefully fold in all the other ingredients, season to taste and serve on iceberg lettuce and cucumber crudités with warm bread. Optional sprinkle with black sesame seeds.

Wine Pairing Salmon is a delicious and healthy fish, with excellent omega oils that really work well on the palate with an oaked Chardonnay. I’d suggest a young Montrachet or a white Burgundy and from our portfolio, the Bellvale Chardonnay. Oils like cream fit better with richer, fuller styles of wines.

Ingredients (Serves 1) 1 egg yolk 30 mls olive oil Juice of half a lemon Salt and black pepper to season 5 gms coriander leaves, chopped 5 gms green finger chilli 5 gms red onion, chopped 130 gms fresh salmon, cubed small 5 gms capers 5 gms parsley, chopped

Did You Know? That cooking salmon destroys its nutrients, so it’s better to eat salmon raw.

Main Courses (seafood)

Octopus Stewed in Shiraz Method Ensure that octopus is thoroughly cleaned and then over clean stones, throw the octopus down fifty times hard to tenderise the meat. You’ll see Greek fishermen doing this on the docks to get their octopus meat tender. Place the whole octopus in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Do not add anything else to the pan, no oil, etc, keep it dry. The octopus will turn red and will ooze out some liquid, after about twenty minutes, the liquid will be retracted and you can then remove the octopus from the pan and chop the tentacles into 2.5cm lengths. Cut the body into similar size pieces. Heat the olive oil in the saucepan. Add the chopped octopus and cook until it browns slightly. Add the chopped onions and fry until a golden colour. Add all the rest of the ingredients to the saucepan. Stir through and cover. Simmer as a stew for about 2 hours.

Ingredients (Serves 4) 1 large octopus (fresh, 1.5kgs) 2 large onions, finely chopped 120ml olive oil 75 ml red wine vinegar 450 ml Shiraz 500gms fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped finely 1 sprig rosemary, finely chopped 1 bay leaf 1 tspn black pepper, freshly ground 1 tspn nutmeg 1 tspn cinnamon 2 cloves 2 tbspn tomato puree Handful olives, green and black

Remove the lid and cook for about 30 minutes more to reduce the stew to a thick sauce.

Wine Pairing Well… whatever you don’t use in the dish, serve at the table, awesome!

Did You Know? That an octopus has three hearts, nine brains, and blue blood. Two hearts pump blood to the gills, while a third circulates it to the rest of the body. The nervous system includes a central brain and a large ganglion at the base of each arm which controls movement.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Lemon Baked Cod Method Cut the cod into four equal portions. Mix butter and lemon juice. In another bowl, mix flour, salt and white pepper. Dip fish into butter mixture; coat fish with flour mixture. Place fish in ungreased square baking dish. Pour remaining butter mixture over fish; sprinkle with paprika. Cook uncovered in 190 degree oven until fish flakes easily with fork, 25-30 minutes. Garnish with parsley sprigs and lemon slices if desired.

Wine Pairing Cod is a delightful fish, light, flaky and elegant and fits excellently with light wines that have some depth; for example a fresh Chablis or a young Burgundy. You need the freshness and the acids for the lemon and crispness of this dish but also some body to fit the cod; Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d suggest our Hundred Tree Hill Chatrdonnay.

Ingredients (Serves 4) 600 grams cod fish fillet 60 gms butter, melted Juice of two lemons 60 gms flour Salt and white pepper Dash paprika

Did You Know? That eating fish may increase grey matter in the brain and protect it from age-related deterioration. One of the consequences of ageing is that brain function often deteriorates (referred to as age-related cognitive decline). This is normal in many cases, but then there are also serious neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disease. Interestingly, many observational studies have shown that people who eat more fish have slower rates of cognitive decline.

Main Courses (seafood)

Whole Dorade in Viognier with Vine LeavesÂ Method Mix marinade and place to the side. Clean, gut and gill the fish (your fishmonger will probably do that for you) and make transverse slices down the body from head to tail ( approximately four to five). Place the fish in the marinade and store in the chiller for four hours. Keep turning every 30 minutes, making sure the marinade is well packed inside the fish as well as covering the whole body. Remove the fish, wrap in vine leaves and slow bake on 180 degrees for 30 minutes.

Wine Pairing Pair with the remainder of the Viognier that you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t put into the dish.

Ingredients (Serves 2) 75 gms sliced red onion 100 gms sliced tomatoes 50 mls olive oil 100 mls white wine (preferably Viognier) 75 gms kalamata olives, chopped 25 gms chopped fresh parsley 25 gms chopped fresh coriander Dash sea salt and black pepper 2 pieces bay leaf 25 gms crushed garlic Juice of one lemon

For the marinade 75 gms sliced red onion 100 gms sliced tomatoes 50 mls olive oil 100 mls white wine (preferably Viognier) 75 gms kalamata olives, chopped 25 gms chopped fresh parsley 25 gms chopped fresh coriander Dash sea salt and black pepper 2 pieces bay leaf 25 gms crushed garlic Juice of one lemon

Did You Know? That vine leaves can supply your body with a wide range of beneficial nutrients, from omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants to magnesium and calcium.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Pan-Roasted Cod with Chorizo Method Heat some oil in a good non-stick pan. Place the cod in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until the skin is golden. Season the fish as it cooks. Turn the fish over then cook for a further 30 seconds to 1 minute. When the cod is just cooked, remove it from the pan and add the potatoes, cook until brown for five minutes, add the red bell pepper, tip the chorizo and tomatoes into the pan. Stir in the basil, and then add the cod back into the pan, squeeze over a little lemon juice and season to taste. Let the flavours infuse for a minute or two and serve the cod fillet over all the other ingredients on warm plate.

Wine Pairing This dish needs a wine with some freshness and acidity to fit the chorizo and the tomatoes; Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d go for a light fresh white, maybe a Sancerre or our Sliding Hill Sauvignon Blanc, always a winner.

Ingredients (Serves 2) 4 tbsp olive oil 60 gms chorizo sausage, diced 80 gms cherry tomatoes, quartered 150 gms potatoes, peeled and cubed 100 gms red bell pepper, cubed 4 tbsp dry sherry/ or sherry vinegar 2 x 200g cod fillets Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 large basil leaves, shredded Juice and zest of one lemon

Did You Know? That Chorizo (Spanish) or chouriĂ§o (Portuguese) is a term originating in the Iberian Peninsula encompassing several types of pork sausages. Traditionally, chorizo is encased in natural casings made from intestines, a method used since Roman times. 61

Main Courses (seafood)

Seared Tuna and Scallop Tataki with Mango Chilli Sauce Method In a saucepan, start with the mango chili sauce by heating up a tiny amount of sunflower oil and gently cook the onion, adding in the wine vinegar, chopped chilli and then the mango, cook for two minutes, take off the heat, dash salt, add coriander, fish sauce and leave to cool. In a very hot pan, add the sesame oil until it starts to smoke then quickly sear the tuna and the scallops, add soy sauce and wasabi, cook 30 seconds longer then off the heat. Leave to rest for five minutes then gently slice the tuna into eight pieces and decorate each plate with two pieces tuna, two scallops, drizzle the soy sauce wasabi mix over and then the mango chilli sauce. Add crispy snow peas and/or greens for decoration.

Wine Pairing Ingredients (Serves 4) 8 large scallops, cleaned 400 gms sashimi-quality tuna loin, cleaned 50 mls roasted sesame seed oil 50 mls soy sauce 10 gms wasabi For the Mango chilli sauce 1 x mango 1 x chilli 25 mls rice wine vinegar 50 gms red onion 1 x lime 50 gms coriander, fresh chopped Dash fish sauce

This is a no-brainer. Tropical fruit, fresh fish, chili, herbs, the dish is crying out for Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. We have two, the Sliding Hill; a rich, easy drinker or a more terroir-driven minerally Sauvignon Blanc from Auntsfield Estate; both will work very well.

Did You Know? That the French for the King Scallop is coquille St Jacques (shell of St James) and a scallop shell was carried by pilgrims to Santiago de Compostella and served both as a symbol of the pilgrimage as well as a drinking cup. Santiago de Compostella was built on the traditional burial site of St James the Great Sanctus (Jacobus in Latin) and became the third most important pilgrimage in Christendom after Jerusalem and Rome.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Salmon Escalopes Poached in Chardonnay Method In a sautee pan, add the olive oil and gently heat, ad the salmon filet and sear on all sides. Quickly, once the salmon is seared, add the white wine and a little salt with fresh black pepper. Cover the pan and leave on low heat for five to eight minutes. Keep checking the fish and turn every minute. Once the filet is cooked until pink inside, take out the fish and let it rest on a warm plate. In the pan, add the cream, dijon mustard, horseradish sauce and the fresh herbs, heat until reduced to thick sauce. Place the filet with seasonal vegetables onto a warm plate and top with sauce.

Wine Pairing “I mostly cook with wine and then put some in the dish” . Drink what you don’t use for the poaching..

Ingredients (Serves 2) 300 gms Salmon Filet 25 mls olive oil, pure ½ cup white wine 1 tbsp. dijon mustard 1 teasp. horseradish sauce ½ cup double cream 10 gms fresh parsley 10 gms fresh dill

Did You Know? That food takes on flavours of the wine you cook with, just as it does with spices. Use white wine for sauces, sautes, soups, marinades or other dishes. Depending on what you do with the wine, the alcohol in it often evaporates completely during cooking.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Main Courses (meat)

Indonesian Pork Tenderloin Method Marinate the pork tenderloin for three hour in all the ingredients. Get a pan very hot and sear cook the meat for ten minutes. Leave to rest for five minutes, cover with lime juice and fresh coriander.

Wine Pairing Lean meat is always good with a dry red and so I would definitely recommend a Bordeaux blend here as the tannins on Bordeaux (generally Cabernet Sauvignon) reds are drier than other varietals and give a great balance especially to loins of meat. No fat, keep it dry. I suggest our Two Brothers cabernet merlot from Western Australia.

Ingredients (Serves 4) Pork tenderloin (800 gms) For marinade 1/2 tsp Coriander, ground 2 cloves Garlic, chopped finely 1/4 cup Apricot preserves 2 tbsp Peanut butter, creamy 1/4 cup Soy sauce 1/2 tsp Black pepper, ground 1/2 tsp Red chilli pepper flakes 1 tbsp Rice wine vinegar 2 tbsp Vegetable oil 1/4 cup Orange juice For finishing 1 Lime Fresh coriander

Did You Know? That tenderloin is also known as filet mignon, medallion and filet.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Milanese Meatballs Method In a pan, mix with your hands the olive oil, minced beef, chopped garlic and parmesan until you have a stable dried mix where you can mould small meatballs, into the palm of your hand. Mould all the balls the same shape like golf balls. In a saucepan, start with the sauce, add olive oil, then onion and all the other ingredients chopped up and cook on slow heat for one hour to provide a gravy for the meatballs. Leave the sauce to cook and in a shallow frying pan, add 5mm thickness of olive oil, then when that is hot, add the meatballs and cook evenly for about ten minutes until browned. Remove from the heat and then serve separately to the sauce with pasta. The three parts (meatballs, sauce and pasta) are a brilliant meal when served together with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese.

Wine Pairing Tomato based dishes go well with acidic or tannic wines and so Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d recommend this with a young cabernet, an easy-going Bordeaux or our SAAM Cabernet Sauvignon from South Africa.

Did You Know? That no one knows for sure where the first meatball came from, however, recipes for meatballs from the time of the Romans exist as evidence in an ancient recipe book written by Marcus Gavius Apicus (aka Apicius), who was born in 25 AD. His book is called "De re coquinaria libri decem (Cuisine in Ten Books)". Book II is devoted to "minces", or mixtures of meat and other ingredients.

Ingredients (Serves 4) For the meatball mix 30 mls olive oil 600 gms minced beef (15% fat) 4 cloves garlic 100 gms grated parmesan Salt and pepper to season For the sauce 1 x large onion 2 x tomatoes 1 x red pepper 1 x green pepper small can tomato paste 1 can peeled plum tomatoes 4 sticks celery

Main Courses (meat)

Amazing Duck Burgers Method All the ingredients including the duck breast must be chopped up finely and then hand-mixed and rolled out into small mini burgers, about 25 grams each. Let them settle in the fridge for 30 minutes. Pan sear the burgers in olive oil.

Wine Pairing Duck is the perfect match for pinot noir; the earthy, almost gamey character of duck fits well with the minerally, forest-fruit nuances of this grape. I’d suggest our Sliding Hill Pinot Noir from New Zealand.

Ingredients (Serves 2) 1 large duck breast (minced by hand / knife) 1 clove garlic, chopped 1 tablespoon caramelised onions 10 gms parsley, chopped 10 mls brandy 1 egg yolk Salt and pepper to season

Did You Know? That the name “hamburger” originated from German immigrants and dates back to the late 1880’s. The word came from the name of the town Hamburg in Germany. To make meats more tender German immigrants would grind up beefsteak and the steak was named “hamburg steak”. That was later shortened and changed to “hamburger” or “burger”. Most agree that the origin of the name was from the German immigrants but there is a dispute who actually created the first hamburger, that is a ground beef patty between two pieces of bread.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Vietnamese Pho Soup and Summer Rolls Method In a pot, add the whole chicken to cold water and bring to the boil. Spoon off the oily scum as it appears and then add one chopped onion, ginger, half teaspoon salt and lemongrass. Boil gently for one hour. Then take out the chicken carefully as it will be falling to pieces and take off all of the meat, place the meat on a separate plate to cool and add the bones back to the broth, keep boiling one more hour. During that time, cook off the pho noodles for five minutes and then cool off with cold water. In four soup bowls, chop up some spring onions and add fish sauce and chili, juice of half a lime, fresh chopped coriander. Cook off the rice noodles, cool with cold water and place in a bowl for use making the summer rolls. Prepare the cucumber, onion, tomato, spring onions in length-way cuts for the summer rolls. Take the chicken broth off the boil and sieve out the bones, pour the soup stock over the noodles and herbs in the bowls and serve. Fill a large bowl with lukewarm water, dip in one rice paper for about thirty seconds, spread it out evenly, add vegetables and rice noodles then wrap up like a little kebab. Dip in a mix of soy sauce, fish sauce and fresh chilli. You can also add in steamed shrimp, to soften up and broaden the character of the rolls.

Wine Pairing These lovely, fresh rolls go very well with a light white wine, perhaps even something as simple as a Pinot Grigio or a Sauvignon Blanc if you make the sauce spicy. Try our Sliding Hill sauvignon Blanc, marvelous.

Did You Know?

Ingredients (Serves 4) 1 chicken 50 gms ginger 2 limes 1 chicken stock cube 3 pcs lemongrass Half a cucumber 2 x tomatoes 2 x onion 1 bunch spring onions 25 mls Soy Sauce 10 mls fish sauce 1 thai bird chilli 500 gms pho noodles 500 gms rice noodles 1 pack rice papers (round) 100 gms coriander, fresh

That Mint leaf is used extensively in most Vietnamese dishes to cleanse your palate and it promotes digestion. 69

Main Courses (meat)

Greek Moussaka Method In a large pan, heat the olive oil and then brown off the lamb, add onion and garlic until soft and then the tomatoes and red wine. Cook off the juice for about 30 minutes and then add the seasoning and herbs. Leave to cool. In a shallow pan, prepare the eggplant layer by frying the eggplant until brown, season leave to cool on kitchen paper to take off the oil. For the béchamel, heat the butter slowly in a pan, add the flour, take off the heat and mix until a paste. Add half the milk and mix with a beater and add back to low heat. Slowly the mixture will thicken, add the rest of the milk and thicken up then add the spices, cheese and season. In a baking tray, place the eggplant at the bottom layer, add the meat mix and then over the top, pour the béchamel. Bake on 180 degrees until browned, about twenty minutes.

Wine Pairing Ingredients Lamb Mix 1.2 kgs ground lamb 500 gms red onion 100 gms garlic, chopped 100 mls red wine 250 grams tomato, chopped 50 gms tomato paste 25 gms mint leaves, chopped 25 gms coriander, chopped 15 gms ground brown cinnamon 50 mls olive oil Salt and pepper to season

Eggplant layer 1.5 kgs eggplant, sliced 250 gms olive oil Salt and pepper to season Bechamel Sauce 125 gms unsalted butter 175 gms flour 15 gms red onion, chopped 1 litre milk 5 gms nutmeg 5 gms black pepper, ground 3 egg yolks 200 gms feta 200 gms parmesan, grated

The spices in this dish call for a Shiraz, no question, especiall with the combination of the cinnamon and the nutmeg. I’d suggest a Rhone Valley red (Syrah) or am Australia cool climate Shiraz, for example our savoury Hundred Tree Hill Shiraz from the Pyrenees wine region of Victoria in Australia.

Did You Know? That Béchamel was a financier who held the honorary post of chief steward to King Louis XIV. The sauce under its familiar name first appeared in Le Cuisinier François, published in 1651 by François Pierre La Varenne (1615–1678), chef de cuisine to Nicolas Chalon du Blé, marquis d'Uxelles as: "White roux moistened with milk, salt, onion stuck with clove, cook for 20 minutes."

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Magret de Canard Method Score the breast on both sides in a diamond pattern, sprinkle with 1 package of sucre vanille, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. In a sauce pan, boil 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar with 1 package of sucre vanille and 1/2 tsp of black pepper until the liquid is reduced by half. Set aside. Saute the onions in 3 tablespoons of butter, salt and pepper on a low flame for about 15 minutes. Set aside. Sprinkle the sugar, cinnamon and remaining package of sucre vanille on the apples and brown in 3 tablespoons of butter. Set aside. Sear the magret de canard on the fat side first for 5 minutes, remove the accumulated fat, turn and cook on the other side for 8 minutes. Reheat the vinegar reduction, the apples and onions, slice the magret and serve.

Wine Pairing

Ingredients (Serves 2)

I always think that a gamey charactered meat like duck goes well with Pinot Noir. In this particular instance, and as you have spice involved such as cinnamon, then try something spicy and cool climate, a Northern Burgundy or our Hundred Tree Hill Pinot Noir.

1 x large duck breast (magret) 3 packs of sucre vanille 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, plus 2 tbsp 2 onions 6 tbsp butter Salt and pepper 3 apples, cored and cut into 8 pieces each 1/2 tsp cinnamon 3 tbsp sugar

Did You Know? That cinnamon used for cooking is the inner bark of cinnamon trees and is one of the oldest spices known. It was mentioned in the Bible and was used in ancient Egypt not only as a beverage flavoring and medicine, but also as an embalming agent. It was so highly treasured that it was considered more precious than gold.

Main Courses (meat)

Vietnamese Chicken and Ginger Stir-Fry Method Combine oil and mustard in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Stir-fry chicken for 5-7 mins, until golden and cooked through. Remove from wok. Add spring onions and snow peas and cook for 1-2 mins, until just tender. Add pak choy, buk choy, ginger, garlic and chilli. Stir-fry for 30 secs, until fragrant and leaves wilt. Return chicken to wok with lime juice and honey. Stir to combine and stir-fry for 30 secs. Scatter with sesame seeds and chilli flakes and serve.

Wine Pairing This dish calls for a fresh, clean wine with green vegetable characyters and so it has to be a Sauvignon Blanc. Choose a Sancerre, or our SAAM Mountain Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa, fresh, lively and crisp on the palate.

Ingredients (Serves 4) 2 teaspoons vegetable oil 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard 500 grams chicken breast sliced thinly 1 bunch spring onions, trimmed, cut into 8cm lengths 150 grams snow peas, trimmed 1 bunch pak choy, ends trimmed, halved crossways 1 bunch buk choy, ends trimmed, halved crossways 1 tablespoon ginger, grated 3 garlic cloves, sliced 1 long green chilli, sliced 1/4 cup honey 1 teaspoon sesame seeds 1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes Juice of 1 lime

Did You Know? That Ginger is among the healthiest (and most delicious) spices on the planet. It is loaded with nutrients and bioactive compounds that have powerful benefits for your body and brain.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Roast Turkey with Pork, Sage and Onion Stuffing Method Make sure the turkey is at room temperature well before preparation, take it out of the fridge six hours before cooking. Boil up the giblets in two litres of water for use with the gravy later. To make the stuffing, combine the breadcrumbs with the onion and sage in a large mixing bowl, then stir in a little boiling water and mix thoroughly. Next work the sausage-meat or minced pork and egg, if using, into this mixture and season with salt and pepper. Leave the stuffing covered in a cool place and preheat the oven to 220 degrees. Stuff the turkey, really git the stuffing right into all the crevasses; then rub butter all over the bird, season, lay the bacon over the breasts, and lay back-down onto an oven tray covered in foil. Wrap the turkey in one layer of foil. Cook at 220 degrees for 40 mins, the reduce heat to 170 degrees and cook for a further 3 hours. Tear away the foil, take off the bacon (serve later as siding) and brown the bird for a further one hour. Continually baste the turkey. To test if the bird is cooked, pierce the thickest part of the leg with a thin skewer: the juices running out of it should be golden and clear. Let the bird rest for 45 minutes, carve. Meanwhile, to make the gravy, tip all the fat and juices out of the foil into the roasting tin. Spoon off all the fat from the juice in a corner of the tin, then work the flour into the remaining juices over a low heat. Now, using a balloon whisk, whisk in the giblet stock, bit by bit, until you have a smooth gravy. Let it bubble and reduce a little to concentrate the flavour, and taste and season with salt and pepper. Then pour it into a jug and keep warm. Carve the turkey and serve. Oh la la!

Wine Pairing I would suggest a Chardonnay with this dish, the roasted juices and the meat of the turkey fit very well; however if you prefer s red, you could cross-over to a Pinot Noir. I always recommend these two varietals for Christmas lunch and Thanksgiving, perfect matches.

Did You Know?

Ingredients (Serves 6) 1 medium turkey (about 15 lbs or 7 kgs) 175 gms softened butter 225 gms streaky bacon salt and freshly milled black pepper For the pork, sage and onion stuffing 800 gms minced pork / sausage-meat 50 gms dried sage 1 large onion, grated or very finely chopped 4 heaped tablespoons white breadcrumbs 1 egg, beaten (optional) salt and freshly milled black pepper For the gravy 2 level tablespoons plain flour 1 turkey giblets

That domestic turkeys are too fat to fly, so they don't use their breast muscles much, which is why breast meat is white. The breast of a wild turkey is entirely different, darker (and far tastier for those who are game). 73

Main Courses (meat)

Hong Kong Sweet and Sour Pork Method Dust the pork in the flour and spices, leave for five minutes then cook wok-fry on high heat until brown. Take out of the pan, add some sunflower oil and cook the pepper, pineapple, fruit juices and other ingredients until a thick sauce, re-add the pork for a couple of minutes and then serve and garnish.

Wine Pairing Sweet and sour needs to go with a wine that has fruit character but also some underlying savoury characters so again, I suggest Pinot Noir, either a Burgundy or something from new Zealand or Australia. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d suggest our Sliding Hill Pinot Noir from Marlborough, this will fit wonderfully with the sweetness of the caramelised pork meat.

Ingredients (Serves 6) Meat mix 800 grams pork loin, cubed 200 grams flour 50 grams Chinese five spice 25 grams Szechuan pepper 25 grams star anise Sauce 200 grams red pepper 200 grams fresh pineapple 100mls chicken stock (or a cube with 100mls water) 100 mls pineapple juice 100 mls freshly pressed orange juice 60 grams sweet chilli sauce, Thai 1 piece of lemongrass 50 grams rice wine vinegar 74

Garnish 100 grams spring onions, sliced 1 fresh chilli, sliced 50 grams coriander, fresh, chopped 50 grams ginger, chopped finely

Did You Know? That Cantonese sweet and sour sauce is the direct ancestor of sauce of the same name in the West, and originally developed for sweet and sour pork. The late renowned chef from Hong Kong, Leung King, included the following as his sweet and sour source sauce recipe: white rice vinegar, salt, Chinese brown candy, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and dark soy sauce.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Pastitsio Method Heat oven to 200 degrees. Cook the macaroni in plenty of water, some olive oil and salt until soft but firm (al dente), drain well and sprinkle with olive oil to stop pasta sticking together. Heat butter in frying pan, add garlic and onion and sauté on low heat until soft. Add meat and brown, then add the tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs and spices. Cook gently for twenty to thirty minutes then season. To this meat sauce, once cooled, add the macaroni. In a separate pan, to make the béchamel sauce, melt butter and add onion, cook until soft on low heat. Add flour and take off heat, mix flour into a paste, then add the milk a little at a time, cook on low heat stirring all the time until sauce thickens. Once thick, add nutmeg, season and take off heat. After cooling, add beaten egg yolks and stir in well. Stir in all cheese. In a baking tray, layer the meat and macaroni sauce then on top put the cheese sauce. Bake for thirty to forty minutes or until brown. Serve macaroni piping hot with french garlic bread.

Wine Pairing As with Moussaka, the spices in this dish call for a Shiraz, no question, especiall with the combination of the cinnamon and the nutmeg. I’d suggest a Rhone Valley red (Syrah) or am Australia cool climate Shiraz, for example our savoury Hundred Tree Hill Shiraz from the Pyrenees wine region of Victoria in Australia.

Did You Know? That contrary to popular belief, Marco Polo did not discover pasta. The Chinese are on record as having eaten pasta as early as 5,000 B.C.

Ingredients 1 kg macaroni noodles Bechamel sauce: 50 gms butter 30 gms onion, diced 50 gms flour 600 mls milk 3 egg yolks, beaten dash nutmeg salt and pepper to taste

Meat sauce 100 gms butter 50 gms garlic, chopped finely 200 gms onion, finely diced 700 gms ground beef 1 kg tomatoes, peeled and chopped finely 2 tbsp. tomato paste ½ tablespoon cinnamon salt and pepper to taste 200 gms mozzarella cheese 200 gms parmesan cheese 75

Main Courses (meat)

Marinated Lamb Souvlakia Method Cube up the lamb leg, suggest having this cleaned by your butcher before purchase so youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re just buying the meat for cooking (some fat on the meat is good). Rest in a bowl and then mix up the ingredients of the marinade in a separate bowl and pour over the lamb. Leave for six hours (minimum three, not more than twelve). Thread the meat onto wooden or metal skewers and then grill on high heat and sear until crispy. The flavours of Greece are quite amazing. Serve on pita bread with tzatziki, sprinkle with fresh mint.

Wine Pairing

Ingredients (Serves 4-6)

This is fantastic with a smoky white, something that has been through oak barrelling so a Montrachet style or aged Chardonnay / Burgundy would be perfect. I would suggest our Barking Owl Chardonnay from Western Australia.

1 kg lamb leg meat, cleaned and cubed For marinade 350 mls olive oil 350 mls white wine 50 gms garlic, chopped Juice of three lemons 25 gms oregano, dried 35 gms fresh coriander, chopped 15 gms salt 15 gms black pepper 5 bay leaves

Did You Know? That excavations in Santorini, Greece, unearthed stone sets of barbecue for skewers used before the 17th century BC.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Chicken Korma Method Cut the chicken breasts into bite sized chunks. Mix the chicken with the ginger, garlic and yogurt. Cover and marinade for 12 hours or in the fridge overnight. Liquidise the chopped onion and red chillies, add a little water if you need to. Blend until smooth. Heat the ghee/oil in a pan. Add the ground coriander, ground black pepper, turmeric and garam masala and stir fry for about 1-minute over a low heat. Turn up the heat, add the onion and chilli paste and stir fry for 10-minutes. Add the chicken and the marinade and continue to stir fry for another 10-minutes. Add the creamed coconut and enough water to *just* cover the chicken and bring to the boil, stirring until the coconut is dissolved. Stir in the ground almonds. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan and simmer until the chicken is tender (30-40 minutes). Remove from heat, add lemon juice and salt to taste. Mix well and serve.

Wine Pairing Curry always goes really well with beer, so youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re excused on this one! Although you could try a malolactic Chardonnay, for example our Bellvale Chardonnay, the creaminess of the wine fits with the coconut cream, as long as the chilis are not too overpowering.

Did You Know? That the word curry comes from a Tamil sauce known as kari. It is first recorded in English as carriil in 1598 and carree in 1681. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To curryâ&#x20AC;? also means to dress tanned leather or rub down a horse and dates back to before 1300.

Ingredients (Serves 4) 1 kg Chicken breast 1 heaped tablespoon of finely grated fresh ginger 3 cloves of garlic, minced 150g thick (plain) yogurt 1 dried red chilli 2 finely chopped onions 1 tbsp ghee or veg. oil 1 tbsp ground coriander Pinch of ground black pepper 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp garam masala 75g creamed coconut salt, to taste 2 heaped tbsps ground almonds finely chopped coriander Leaves, to garnish juice of 1/2 lemon

Main Courses (meat)

Black Peppered Filet Steak with Cognac Sauce Method Heat up an oven to 160 degrees. Sprinkle the salt and half of the pepper onto the filet steak, press this into the meat softly so all the pepper is used up. Then heat up a pan to high heat with the olive oil and place the filet into the oil. Flash cook on all sides so the beef is completely seared and browned and all those excellent flavours are kept in the meat and then transfer the meat to the oven. In the pan, which should have some browned areas from the meat, add in the brandy and try and light it (by adding the brandy at a high heat or by lighting with the gas from the cooker or a match), this deglazes the pan and with a hand whisk you should be able to remove the browned meaty stock off the pan that will dissolve into the alcohol. Add the beef stock and cook high heat for a couple of minutes then whisk in the double cream and add in the remainder of the pepper. Cook for three to four more minutes and reduce to a thick mid-brown sauce.

Ingredients 200 gms Beef Filet Trimmed 25 mls olive oil 25 gms Pepper, Black Ground 5 gms Salt, Iodized 50 mls Beef StockÂ 100 mls Double Cream 50 mls VOS Brandy

This is ready to serve however when you placed the filet into the oven, it was rare so leave in the filet until it is cooked to your liking and then serve with the sauce. Amazing and suggest serving with gratin potatoes and buttered steamed broccoli or asparagus. Sharing optional!

Wine Pairing No doubt here that I would recommend a dry Cabernet blend as the tannins fit very well with the drier filet meat and the tannins can also handle the pepper sauce.

Did You Know? That black peppercorns contain a good amount of minerals like potassium, calcium, zinc, manganese, iron, and magnesium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Iron is essential for cellular respiration and blood cell production. Peppercorns 78

are a good source of many anti-oxidant vitamins such as vitamin-C and vitamin-A. They are also rich in flavonoid polyphenolic anti-oxidants like carotenes, cryptoxanthin, zea-xanthin and lycopene. These compounds help the body remove harmful free radicals and help protect from cancers and diseases.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Thai Grilled Chicken Skewers Method Brad cooked these a couple of weeks ago, they are very simple to prepare and excellent served with plain rice and Kimchi (Korean spiced cabbage) Cube 200 grams of chicken breast per person and prepare about two hours before cooking by marinating in the following: Skewer and then either grill on a barbecue or on a flat-plated pan at high heat to sear and then cook through on medium. Serve with freshly chopped coriander, basil and mint. This could go into a pita bread or could be served with white rice and Kimchi (page 13).

Wine Pairing The spice and garlic here needs a fresh style of wine, a young light Chardonnay or a Sauvignon Blanc, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d suggest our fresh SAAM Mountain Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa.

Ingredients 200 grams of chicken breast 50 gms Soy Sauce 25 gms Roasted Sesame Seed Oil Finely chopped garlic (teaspoon per portion) Finely chopped ginger (teaspoon per portion) Finely chopped bird chilli (one per portion) 25 gms Thai fish sauce 10 mls red wine vinegar

Did You Know? That soy sauce is one of the world's oldest condiments and has been used in China for more than 2,500 years. It is made from fermenting a mixture of mashed soybeans, salt, and enzymes. It is also made artificially through a chemical process known as acid hydrolysis.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Marinades

Summer Barbecue Marinades and Sauce It’s getting to the end of summer but there is still time to get some good meat onto the grill and here’s a couple of excellent marinades, one for pork/beef and the other for chicken, plus a Southern American Cajun sauce. Marinate your meat for six hours before cooking at high heat on the grill.

Brad’s Barbecue Spice Rub

Ingredients 2 teaspoons of salt 2 teaspoons of black pepper 1 teaspoon paprika ½ teaspoon onion powder ½ teaspoon thyme ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 teaspoon chili 2 teaspoons brown sugar 50 mls olive oil

Method For beef entrecote or pork chops. Mix together all the ingredients and rub into the meat.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Bradâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Creole Fried Chicken

Bradâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cajun Sauce

Ingredients

750 gms flour 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon creole powder 1 tablespoon dried thyme 1 tablespoon dried basil 1 tablespoon dried oregano 2 tablespoon black pepper 1 tablespoon paprika 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

125 gms tomatoes, diced 50 mls balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons brown sugar 15 gms garlic powder 15 mls Worcestershire sauce 15 mls Tabasco sauce 15 gms mustard powder 15 gms paprika 15 gms chili Powder

Method

Mix together all the ingredients, dip the chicken pieces into whisked eggs and then into the flour.

Dice up the tomatoes finely and add in all the other ingredients, serve with the barbecued meat.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Desserts

Homemade Strawberry Mint and Basil Sherbet Method Macerate strawberries in herbs for one hour then mix with all other ingredients. Freeze ready to serve.

Ingredients (serves 6) 3 cups strawberries, chopped 1 cup white sugar 1 cup sour cream ½ cup basil, fresh chopped ½ cup mint, fresh chopped

Did You Know? That strawberries are the only fruit that wear their seeds on the outside. The average berry is adorned with some 200 of them. No wonder it only takes one bite to get seeds stuck in your teeth. 86

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Bradâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Baklava Method In a saucepan, heat up 350 gms of the butter and then add the walnuts, almonds, sugar, cinnamon and water and cook on low heat for fifteen minutes until a soft paste. Leave to cool. For the syrup, add the four ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to the boil, simmer for five minutes until the syrup thickens. Take the filo pastry and in a baking tray, place one sheet, brush with butter and add another sheet, then brush with butter and add another sheet so the pastry is three sheets thick. Place a half centimetre deep batch of the filling onto the filo, spread out evenly and then add three more brushed and buttered sheets and so on until the filling is finished, top with three buttered sheets of filo pastry and butter the top sheet well. Heat up the oven to 180 degrees and before placing the baklava in the oven, cut strips into the pastry to make the portion sizes you require. Cook for twenty five minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool then after about thirty minutes, slowly drizzle on the syrup around the baklava. Ready to serve, amazing; play Zorba the Greek in the background, smash and few plates and consume with a large glass of ouzo!

Ingredients (Serves 20) For the filling 450 gms - butter, unsalted 400 gms - sugar, refined white 500 gms - walnuts, peeled and ground 500 gms - almonds, peeled ground 250 mls - water 15 gms - cinnamon 375 gms/1 box - filo pastry

Did You Know?

For the syrup 250 gms - sugar, white 60 mls - lemon juice 5 gms - cinnamon 375 mls â&#x20AC;&#x201C; water

That phyllo dough is named after the greek word for "leaf", being "as thin as a leaf".

Desserts

Bradâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bourbon Bread Pudding Method For the bread pudding, lightly mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, place in a baking tray, bake for fifteen minutes at 180 degrees.Â For the sauce, heat up the butter, add the cream, bourbon and white sugar, whish on high heat until thick. Serve pudding fresh and warm with sauce over the top, dangerously delicious; sharing optional!

Ingredients (Serves 12) 3 egg yolks 180 gms white sugar Dash salt 5 gms cinnamon 5 gms nutmeg 25 mls Jim Beam Bourbon 125 gms raisins 375 mls double cream 200 gms french bread (dried out) Butterscotch Sauce (makes 12 portions) 40 gms unsalted butter 600 mls double cream 50 mls Jim Beam bourbon 150 gms white sugar

Did You Know? That it is believed that humans discovered raisins when they happened upon grapes drying on a vine. History books note that raisins were sun-dried from grapes as long ago as 1490 B.C.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Warm Chocolate Soufflé Method Take four 200ml soufflé dishes and brush them completely with softened butter. Chill the dishes for 5 mins, then, as an insurance policy so the soufflé doesn’t stick to the dish, apply a second coat as before. Tip a little grated chocolate into each dish, roll the dish around tilting it as you do so it is evenly lined all round. For the crème patisserie, mix the flour, sugar and cornflour. Put egg yolk and whole egg into a bowl, stir, then beat in half of the flour mixture to give a smooth paste. Tip in the rest of the flour mixture and mix well. Pour the milk and cream into a pan and bring just to the boil. Remove from the heat. Add the chocolate and beat until it is melted and smooth with no lumps. Gradually stir hot chocolate mix into paste. Return to pan. Cook, stirring, over a medium-low heat for 5 mins to a smooth, thick paste. Remove from the heat. Leave until cold, beating occasionally with a wire whisk. Make the ganache: slowly warm the cream in a pan. Just before it boils, take off the heat and add chocolate. Beat constantly to a velvety texture, gradually sprinkling in the cocoa as it dissolves. Allow to cool. Heat oven to 190 degrees. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks with an electric whisk. Sprinkle in the sugar as you are mixing. Keep whisking to give stiff, firm peaks to give volume to the soufflés. Mix crème patisserie and ganache in a large bowl. Stir in 2 tbsp of egg white. Carefully fold in a third of the rest, cutting through the mixture. Fold in another third (take care not to lose the volume); fold in the rest. Spoon the mixture into the dishes to fill them by three-quarters, then gently press a spoon in to make sure it fills all the gaps. Fill the dishes to the top with the mixture, then bang each dish on to the surface so the mixture fills the sides. Take a palette knife and pull it across the top of each dish so the mixture is completely flat. Take a little time to wipe any splashes off the outside of each dish, or they will burn on while cooking. So mixture won’t stick to the top of the mould, and to give a straight finish, go around the top edge of the mixture with your finger. Sprinkle a little grated chocolate in the centre, then bake the soufflés for 15-17 mins. The soufflés should have risen by about two thirds of their original height and jiggle when moved, but be set on top. To serve, make a small dip with a spoon in the centre of each, then pour in single cream or add a spoonful of ice cream. Amazing, please invite Brad over to sample!

Ingredients (Serves 4) For the dishes 25gm unsalted butter, for greasing Finely grated chocolate For the crème patisserie 2 tbsp plain flour 2 tsp caster sugar ½ tsp cornflour 1 medium egg yolk 1 medium whole egg 4 tbsp milk 1 tbsp double cream 25g good-quality dark chocolate preferably 70% cocoa solids, broken in pieces 1 tbsp cocoa powder For the egg whites 6 medium egg whites 85g caster sugar single cream or ice cream, to serve For the ganache

Did You Know? That he word soufflé is the past participle of the French verb souffler which means “to blow up” or more loosely “puff up”—an apt description of what happens to this combination of custard and egg whites.

4 tbsp double cream 50g good-quality dark chocolate preferably 70% cocoa solids, broken into pieces 1 tbsp cocoa 89

Desserts

Spotted Dick Method Sieve the flour, salt and baking powder. Add the suet, sugar and cleaned currants and mix with sufficient milk to make a soft dough. Place this on a greased and floured pudding cloth (white cotton, not new). Shape into a roll. Roll up the cloth and tie at both ends leaving room for pudding to swell. Steam for two and a half hours hours. Serve with sweet white sauce or custard. Ooer!

Ingredients (Serves 2) 200 gms flour 2 gms salt 10 gms baking powder 100 gms chopped suet 75 gms sugar 100 gms currants Milk to mix

Did You Know? That Spotted Dick or Spotted Dog; is a traditional British dessert made from suet pastry and dried fruitâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;namely currants. And therein lies the first clueâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the currants are the 'spots'. Secondly, the suet pastry is rolled Swiss or American Jellyroll style -that represents the 'dog'. 'Possibly "pudding" became "puddink" and "puddick" and then just "dick." The word "dick" has appeared in any number of strange places. Around the 1840s, "dick" was used to mean a type of hard cheese; when treacle sauce was added, it became "treacle dick", and finally when currants or raisins were added (looking like little spots), the "spotted_dick" was born. 90

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Carrot Cake Method Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees. Butter and line a medium round cake tin. Sieve the flour, baking soda and baking powder and into a mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar and carrots. Pour in the corn oil, add the eggs. Stir to mix, and then beat for one minute until everything is combined. Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin and bake in the centre of an oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until risen and firm to the touch. Remove the cake from the oven and leave on one side for 5 minutes before turning out onto a rack. Leave to cool completely. For the topping / frosting, beat the butter until smooth, and add the cream cheese and vanilla extract. Gradually stir in the icing sugar. Spread the frosting over the cake with a spatula dipped in warm water to help smoothen off the finish. You can make use of some of the topping for decoration by taking out a couple of spoons of the mixture, blend with some red colour dye and make some small carrots and use green colour dye for the stalks. You can also make this as a sandwich cake as I have done frequently by carefully cutting the cake base in two lengthways and then spreading some frosting in between the two layers before adding the final topping.

Did You Know? That Carrots were originally white or purple. Then a yellow carrot appeared through mutation and the familiar orange carrot was bred from it and it was the Dutch who bred the orange carrot because orange was the traditional colour of the royal house of the Netherlands.

Ingredients Cake mix 280 mls corn oil 375 gms white sugar 3 pcs eggs, beaten 1 ½ tsp. baking powder 1 ½ tsp. baking soda 2 pcs carrots (large), grated 375 gms flour, all purpose Topping (frosting) and decorations 5 tbsp. butter, unsalted 1 bar cream cheese 500 gms icing sugar 1 tbsp. vanilla extract Food colouring (optional for decoration)

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Specialist Beverages

Mulled Wine Method Peel and juice 1 orange, and add to a large saucepan along with the lemon peel, sugar and spices. Add enough wine to just cover the sugar, and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 to 8 minutes until you have a thick syrup. Meanwhile, if you're serving the mulled wine immediately, stud the second orange with 6 vertical lines of cloves, and then cut into segments to use as a garnish. Turn the heat down, and pour the rest of the wine into the saucepan, along with the ginger wine. Gently heat through and serve with the orange segments as a garnish. Alternatively, you can allow the syrup to cool, and pour it into sterilised bottles for use at a later date.

Ingredients (makes 12 portions) 2 oranges 1 lemon, peel only 150gms white sugar 5 cloves, plus extra for garnish 5 cardamom pods 1 cinnamon stick A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg 2 bottles of red wine 150ml ginger wine

Did You Know? That you can prepare a couple of bottles of mulled wine ahead of time and then save them for the next time you are in the mood. The spices act as preservatives and will keep the brew fresh. 94

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Limoncello Method Zest the lemons, put them in a glass one-gallon jar with the alcohol and let it sit for 45 days. Then filter the mixture 4 times using #4 coffee filters. Mix the sugar and water in a pot and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Let the mixture sit until completely cool and then mix with the alcohol and lemon infusion. Let that mixture sit for 45 days. Bottle the liquid and put it in the freezer. Invite Brad over and drink!

Ingredients 1 x 750ml bottle of pure (or 95%) alcohol The zest of nine lemons 400 gms of white sugar 650 mls water

Did You Know? That Christopher Columbus introduced citrus trees across the Atlantic to the island of Haiti in 1493 during his second voyage, by planting the seed of a lemon. 95

Specialist Beverages

Boxing Day Bloody Mary Method In a large cocktail shaker, mix the celery salt, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, black pepper, cayenne pepper, tabasco sauce and horseradish. Fill shaker with ice and add vodka, tomato juice, chicken stock and lemon juice lemon. Shake vigorously, strain into ice-filled glass. Garnish with celery stalk, lime slice and serve immediately. Happy boxing day!

Ingredients (Serves 2) Juice of 1 lemon 1 teaspoon celery salt or 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Dash cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoon tabasco sauce (such as Franks) 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated horseradish (or 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish) 2 extra large shots of vodka 100 mls high-quality tomato juice 50 mls chicken stock 1 stick celery

Did You Know? That born on February 18, 1516, at the Palace of Placentia in Greenwich, England, Mary Tudor was the only child of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. Mary finally took the throne in 1553, reigning as the first queen regent of England and Ireland. Her persecution of Protestants earned her the moniker "Bloody Mary."

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Club Vivanova Testimonials "One of the best nights of my life..." Robbie Regan . Ex-WBO World Bantamweight Boxing Champion . Monaco "If there are any particular events in Prague that I love the most, then they are the Club Vivanova gourmet evenings." Vanessa Welsby . ZE-BRAND, Prague "Bradley’s knowledge of wine and passion for his subject is infectious. We emerge from his evenings a little wiser… and a little merrier… and with a few more new friends every time. Viva Vivanova!" Anna Rockall . Monte Carlo . Monaco "The evening represented one of the best value fine dining experiences I have ever had in Prague." Richard York . Bird and Bird, Prague "Bradley truly knows how to get a great group of people together to enjoy evenings of fantastic wines and gourmet cuisine." Annina Kraft . Myannika . Eze

"The dinners, degustations and parties are a great opportunity to network with people, but without feeling like you are at a boring networking event. For wine lovers and friendly faces, I can't recommend anything better than Club Vivanova." James Pouliot . 19Rivoli Photography . Nice

"The Club Vivanova occasions are often now sold out and through Bradley's excellent connections with some of the most chic bars & restaurants, the elegance of the evenings often belies the affordability factor. Can't wait for the next one!" Anna Taylor . Monaco "Each event is different and original. The club events are also a perfect way to discover trendy restaurants, exquisite hotels and beautiful locations. Bradley Mitton immediately makes you feel comfortable and is the perfect host. He is an expert in creating a relaxing but stylish event. Furthermore, his knowledge of wines is outstanding, his presentations are fun and interesting as we savour some of the best New World wines available on the coast." Roel Van Kuijck . Blue Tree Massage . St. Paul de Vence, France "Vivanova has provided members and guests with the perfect opportunity to experience some of the best restaurant locations in Prague, while at the same time enjoying fantastic wines, expertly hosted by Bradley Mitton." Andy Newman . Deloitte . Prague

"It has been a great pleasure to be a part of such a wonderful club that hosts elegant boutique events at top locations. We look forward to many more future events to come. Definitely my style, Viva Club Vivanova!" Suhani Lata Balram . International Love Foundation, Valbonne

"These events are amongst the best on the French Riviera." Bjarni Breidfjord . Luxoria, Nice

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Wine Varietal Overview

Wine Basics What is wine? An alcoholic drink made from fermented grape juice. It is important to understand wine as a simple, daily part of life. The best way to get past all of the intimidation concerning wine knowledge is to use easy to understand terms and look at wine as a form of fruit juice fermentation. Our wine-producing partners are all farmers, they grow great fruit, they pick or harvest the fruit at the optimum time (in the Southern hemisphere March and April) and then the fruit (grapes) is pressed. The juice then goes through one or sometimes two ferments where in the first fermant the winemakers add yeast, the yeast eats up all the sugar and produces alcohol and carbon dioxide. the carbon dioxide is released (in Champagne it is kept in as part of wine) and then you have fermented alcoholic grape juice. Some wines go through a second malolactic ferment; this changes the malic (tart) acids into Lactic (buttery, creamy) acids that are soft and rich on the palate.

Understanding your wine Different grape styles, climates and winemakers have an affect on the final outcome of a finished wine and we'll look at these three important things in a simple way.

Different grape styles There are hundreds of grape styles, we'll look at a few as you can have white wine made from Chardonnay grapes or white wine made from Sauvignon Blanc grapes but why do they taste different? Well, like apples and oranges taste different so do the Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. As Chardonnay ripens on the vine, it changes through fruit characters of green appple, white peach, nectarine, ripe peach and honey melon, finally when over-ripe the character is simply tropical fruit. Sauvignon Blanc has characters of green vegetables, bell peppers, gooseberry and asparagus but also

100

leads to tropical fruit when over-ripe. The key for the winemaker is to pick the grapes at the right time to have sufficient sugar and acid in the grapes so to provide a balanced character on the palate. If you like juicy peaches, you'd normally be a warm climate Chardonnay fan, if you like fresher, lighter and crisp characters on your palate, then you'd probably prefer a cool climate Sauvignon Blanc. However, there are different characters that you have to understand that derive from the various wine growing climates. Why is Sicilian Chardonnay much deeper in colour and richer than Chardonnay from the cool climates of Burgundy in France? Over-ripe white wines all taste basically the same and this is not a great way of producing elegant wines. Fresh, crisper more elegant white wines come from cool climate regions.

Different climates Chardonnays from different climates as with Shiraz and grapes like Pinot Noir have different characters depending upon the climate they are grown in. Let's take it back again to farming, imagine an apple from a local market in Northern France or Germany (cool climate) and an apple from a market in Sicily or the south of Spain (warm climate). There would be great differences in the size, colour and flavour of the apples. The cooler climate apple would be crisp, green fresh, acidic almost refreshing and lively with some malic acids that give your palate that zesty feeling. The apple from the warmer climate would be richer in colour, more fruity and sweet and with more developed characters that the sun and the warmth has given the fruit. This is exactly the same with grapes. The warmer the climate, the more character the wine has, generally. The cooler the climate, the more fresh and elegant the wine.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

The winemaker What do our winemakers do with the wines that change the characters. Well, they can ferment in oak barrels, which is one excellent way of giving wines a smoky, toasty character as the barrels are normally toasted inside by burning a little fire inside them so the wine picks up smokey characters from the wood. The bacterial ferment that goes off in a barrel is normally malolactic so you pick-up creamy, buttery characters and the oak itself gives nutty, vanilla pod flavours and aromas. So there is a big difference between a normal cold-vat ferment in a stainless tank that holds in all of the lemon/lime characters and a malolactic ferment in barrel that richens up the wine. That's the big differenvce between and unoaked Chardonnay (Chablis style) and an oaked Chardonnay (Montrachet style). Winemakers can do other things like low-crop and unirrigate and this has affects on the concentration and quality of the wines. Unirrigated (dry grown) vines are stressed out and have to work to develop their fruits, often showing excellent terroir characters as they dig deep to find minerals and water deposits, the fruit is often smaller and more concentrated. This is not a cost-effective method of production but offers excellent fruit. Irrigated vines are lazy, they produce lots of juicy, boring crop, this is the bulk wine-making side of the business and is cost effective as the grapes grow easily but are often over-ripe and tropical charactered, often bland (supermarket wines).

Tannins and the difference between white wine and red wine? What is the difference? Basically the grape skins. White wines generally don't have the skins added into the ferment. All red grapes have white flesh and produce white juice, the skins are added to give three things. 1. Depth of character with flavours that come from the skins. 2. Colour depending upon how long the skins are in contact with the juice and depending upon the grape varietals. Pinot Noir is light in colour pigment, Shiraz, depends upon the climate and Cabernet is ruby red. 3. Tannins are the third item, the drying agent that makes your cheeks suck in when you drink red wine. Tannins break down proteins in red meat, and they dry out your palate. Different grapes and different terroirs offer different tannins and this can be measured on the pallet. Soft tannins are normally found in Pinot Noirs, spicy sweet tannins in Shiraz and dry tannins in Cabernets.

101

Wine Varietal Overview

Food and Wine Varietal Pairing Choosing wine to marry with your food dishes can sometimes be quite intimidating and so here I try to simplify the main grape varietals as a cheat-sheet for you to simplify everything. In any case, anyone who makes it complicated is just talking nonsense, let's keep it simple.

White . Riesling Scents . Floral, fragrant, perfumed, citrus Flavours . Green apple, pear, lemon, lime Riesling is at its best when young however it ages beautifully and fits very well with Asian and spicy dishes. Riesling is a cool climate grape varietal and so the acid retension in the grapes is high, thus offering a balance on the palate to go with spicy food and a wonedrful backbone that lets the wine age and develop beautifully in the bottle.

White . Sauvignon Blanc Scents . Vegetal, green apple, asparagus, capsicum Flavours . Grassy, lemongrass, gooseberry, passionfruit Sauvignon Blanc origins from Sancerre or Bordeaux are quite different and the style of the wine varies from grassy, linear and dry to aromatic and full of tropical fruits. Always drink this young, it just does not keep although there are some winemakers using oak these days but the freshest styles are the best for simple food pairing. Sauvignon Blanc fits very well with any herbaceous Asian dishes.

102

White . Chardonnay Scents. Cucumber, apple, grapefruit, nectarine, peach Flavours . fig, cashew, peach, honeymelon The holy grail? Well, Chardonnay is an amazing grape and massively diverse. You can produce unoaked styles like Chablis or heavily oaked, buttery styles like Montrachet. Basically, if you want it fresh, young and clean, go for a young style that is not too expensive and lightly oaked for your easy-going fresh dishes. Then take aore expensive aged barrel-fermented style for your more complexed, rich, creamy dishes. Chardonnay is the white grape used in all Burgundian wines.

White . Viognier Scents. Lolly, boiled sweets, dried fruit, apricots Flavours . Apricot, melon, peach, cream Viognier is the busty blonde of the whites, offering a curvaceous and almost full-figured chaaracter on the pallet, it has everything, fruit, acid and body. Mainly produced in Condrieu and expensive, Viognier is a beautiful food wine and is often used to belnd into Shiraz. it ehn helps to sofetn off the tannins and gives the wine adried-fruit lift and a slippery finish.

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Red . Pinot Noir

Red . Cabernet Sauvignon

Scents. Strawberry, cherry, raspberry, spice Flavours . earthy, forest floor, gamey, mushroom, cherry "Great Pinot Noir is like sex in a glass; most are reminiscent of a game bird, shot from the sky, landing in a heap of earthy redcurrant compost". Possibly the most interesting grape varietal around as the finished product should normally have reserved fruit characters with smokiness and an almost barnyard flavour that can out some people off. The Burgundy red varietal is very diverse, you can chill it a little, and basically drink it with anything including sex!

Scents. Capsicum, mint, tobacco leaf, leafy Flavours . blackcurrant, mint, eucalypt, milk chocolate The king of Bordeaux but in fact, due to phyloxera, the oldest vines are in the vineyards of Coonawarra, South Australia. Often blended with Merlot as Cabernet lacks a middle pallet, this excellent dry wine is good with dry styles of meat, filet of ostrich, beef, Chateaubriand and other non-fatty cuts. Also excellent with dark chocolate desserts. Great ageing potential and as the wine loses its fruit characters and colour with age, it picks up lovely vegetal and herbaceous notes.

Red . Malbec

Red . Shiraz

Scents. Mulberry, light spice, milk chocolate Flavours . Earthy, black forest fruit, plum Malbec is the forgotten Bordeaux varietal and is used in the great blends but wa snearly wiped out in the 1950s through frost. It was never widely re-planted however the Argentineans manage to produce this as a 100% varietak in great quality. Brilliant with meat and bearing in mind that tannins naturally breakdown proteins, then a great steak and a glass of malbec work very well together.

Scents. Indian spices, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper, eucalypt Flavours . fruit cake, blackberrry, pepper, savoury meat, cedar Powerful fruits ovr Indian spice, almost a sweet and savoury style. Shiraz originated in the Rhone Valley however the oldest (Syrah) vines in the are in the Barossa Valley of South Australia, which really pisses the French off. Shiraz is mostly aged in American oak, giving the strong fruit caharacters an almost sweet fruit finish, thus this varietal goes amazingly well with fatty meats like lamb, entrecote and when they are cooked with arabica spices or grilled, the match is alomst made in heaven.

Red . Merlot Scents. Coffee, mocha, herbs, red fruit Flavours . Plum, fruit cake, dark chocolate, mulberry Soft, easy, runs over the palate easily, mostly used as a blender with Cabernet Sauvignon for its good middle-body (that Cabernet lacks), Merlot is a good and varietal to be a crowd pleaser. Named after the word for blackbird in French from the colouration of the wine.

103

Wine Varietal Overview

Evaluating a Wine To really get to know the wine you're drinking, there are some points to note to give you a better idea of the balance, integrity and quality of the wine you are tasting.

Check the colour over a white cloth or paper There are several reasons why a wine may have more or less color: 1. It's older (As wines age, whites go darker from pale yellow-green all the way to brown; reds go lighter from bright purple to brick red/brown.) 2. Different grape varieties exhibit a different colour from their divers skin pigments. 3. White wines aged in wood, usually oak, may exhibit a darker color.

Swirl your wine around the glass Why do we swirl the wine? To allow oxygen to mix with the wine, releasing the esters, ethers and aldehydes, which yield its bouquet. In other words, swirling aerates the wine and gives you a better smell. Another reason why one should swirl the wine is to give an additional look at the overall appearance. Look at the color and especially the "legs" that trickle down the inside of the glass once the swirling has stopped. the legs correspond to the alcohol content, the longer the legs run down the glass, the higher the alcohol as the alcohol evaporates slower when high in volume. Musty, ,cloudy or unclear wine is not good and should be returned or thrown.

104

Aroma This is the most important part of wine tasting. You can only perceive four tastes - sweet, sour, bitter, and salt - but the average person can smell over 2,000 different scents, and wine has over 200 of its own. Now that you have swirled the wine and released the bouquet, you should smell the wine three times. The third smell usually gives you more information than the first smell did. What does the wine smell like? What kind of nose does it have? The "nose" is a word that wine tasters use to describe the bouquet and aroma of the wine. Smell is a very important step in the tasting process which people simply don't spend enough time on. Pinpointing the nose of the wine helps you identify certain characteristics. The problem here is, many people want someone else to tell them what they are smelling. Am I smelling citrus, apricot or straw? What about black cherry, leather or tar? No one knows what you are smelling, only what they are smelling in their own glass. It can be different and you have to have experienced a smell before you know it actually exists, so if you've worked around food or gardens befoe you'll pick up natural smells easier. The best way to learn your own preferences of wine styles, is to "memorize" the smell of the individual grape varieties. For white, just try to memorize the three major grape varieties: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling. Keep smelling them and smelling them until you can identify the differences, one from the other. For the reds, it's a bit more difficult, but you can still take three major grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. Try to memorize those smells without using flowery words. Another interesting point while focusing on smell is you are more likely to recognize some of the defects of a wine through your sense of smell. Following is a list of some of the negative smells in wine:

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Smell

Why?

Sweetness - Found on the tip of your tongue. It's a sensation you will taste right away, if it's there. Fruit & Varietal Characteristics - Found in the middle of the tongue. Acidity Found at the sides of the tongue, the cheek area and the back of the throat. It's most commonly present in white wines and some lighter-style red wines. Tannin - The sensation of tannin begins in the middle of the tongue. Tannin frequently exists in red wines or wood-aged white wines. When the wines are too young, it dries the palate to excess. If there is a lot of tannin in the wine, the tannin can actually coat your whole mouth.

- Too much acetic acid in wine - Oxidation - Wine absorbs taste of defective cork - Too much sulphur dioxide

One thing you should also do as part of your tasting is take a sip of wine and draw a bit of air into your mouth along with it. This opens up your retro-nasal passage and further aerates the wine and helps bring out the flavors in your mouth.

- Vinegar - Sherry - Cork (dank, wet-cellar, musty smell) - Sulphur

Sulphur dioxide is used in several ways in the winemaking process. It kills bacteria in wine, prevents unwanted fermentation and acts as a preservative. It often causes a burning or itching sensation in your nose if overused.

Taste To many people, tasting means taking a sip and swallowing immediately. This isn't tasting. Tasting is something you do with your taste buds. Remember, you have taste buds all over your mouth. They are on both sides of the tongue, underneath, on the tip, and they extend to the back of your throat. If you simply take a gulp of wine and throw it down your throat, you bypass all those important taste buds. As I mentioned earlier, you can only perceive four tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, and salt (but there is no salt in wine, so we are down to three). It is important to determine where the sensations of taste are taking place, and specifically where they occur on your tongue and in your mouth. Bitterness in wine is usually created by high alcohol and high tannin. Sweetness only occurs in wines that have some residual sugar left over after fermentation. Sour (sometimes called "tart") indicates the acidity in wine. Here is where you "find" these sensations on your tongue:

Texture is the feel of the wine in the mouth is smooth, velvety or perhaps astringent are common terms used to describe texture. "Creamy" is a term often used to describe the texture of rich wines that are low in acid. The best wines will have a great mouthfeel, being either silky or velvety in texture. How do you know if a wine is a good one or not? If you enjoy it, it is a good one. Don't let others dictate taste to you. When is a wine ready to drink? When all the components of the wine are in balance to your particular taste. Balance is one of the most desired features in a wine is good balance whereby the various flavor components are in harmony with no individual component (such as acidity, tannin or oak, for example) present in excess. When all the parts are in harmony, the wine will have a sense of elegance and completeness and will also tend to age gracefully.

Finish This is the last impression of the wine after it is swallowed. How long does the wine's taste linger? Fine wines have a clean, long finish, A lingering aftertaste is considered a plus while a short finish or little, if any, lingering aftertaste is undesirable.

105

Wine Varietal Overview

Screwcaps The advantages of using the Screwcap as a wine seal are:

- Total confidence that you will receive wine in premium

condition - alive, abounding with flavours and a pleasure to drink.

- No bottle variation - each bottle of a given wine will be just as good as the one before. - Elimination of cork taint and similar mould flavours that can contaminate wines bottled with other closures.

Do Screwcap wine seals bring risks of their own? In short, no. The inert, food-grade polymer at the base of the seal is guaranteed to have no effect on the taste or quality of the wine - ever. This is why many highly respected wineries around the world store their own precious 'library stock' wines under Screwcap wine seals - to ensure that the wines are not at risk of oxidation or taint.

Dependable cellaring - the elimination of random, premature wine oxidation (seen as rapid ageing, discoloration, loss of fruit flavours and, ultimately, the destruction of the wine), which can occur when other closure types are used.

- And as a bonus, the package is so user friendly. For instance, you can confidently cellar your wines with the bottles standing up. To open a bottle you simply twist the whole capsule to break the seal, and then unscrew the top (no corkscrews to manipulate, no crumbly corks to extract). If you don't finish your wine that night, you can happily reseal the bottle for the next day.

Why are an increasing number of respected, quality-driven wine producers choosing to challenge tradition and present their wines to you under a Screwcap wine seal? Because, quite simply, they care about their wines. They are committed to bringing their wines to you in the best possible condition. And we know that the only way to do this confidently is to seal each bottle with a Screwcap wine seal.

What do Screwcap wine seals do that other closures don't? Screwcap wine seals eliminate the threat of 'cork taint' and premature oxidation. They allow the wine in each bottle to mature and develop its true character, uniformly and naturally, as intended by the winemaker. 106

Are Screwcaps suited to early drinking wines only? Early drinking wines bottled under Screwcap certainly have the advantage of retained freshness and no risk of cork taint spoilage. However, premium wines destined for long term maturation enjoy the added advantage of reduced bottle variation, which might otherwise result from premature oxidation over the years due to cork seals.

Will Screwcap seals allow wine to age? Yes - the ageing of wine in a bottle is a function of the natural chemical characters in the wine and will occur over time irrespective of the bottle closure. There is sufficient oxygen in the wine and in the head space to allow the part of development and ageing which requires oxygen to take place. Much of the development takes place anaerobically (i.e.: without oxygen)."

Are Screwcap wine seals here to stay? Consider the following question, posed by New Zealand's Bob Campbell, Master of Wine: "I have one question for all of the other winemakers who for the time being continue to use corks. If you know that Screwcaps will produce better and more consistent wine than corks, how can you continue to short-change your customers?"

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

Serving wine Food and wine Food and wine go well together. The right food enhances the flavors in the wine and wine is the perfect complement for food because of its wide range of flavors, discrete levels of alcohol and its stimulating acid touch. It is difficult to plan a serious meal without thinking of the wine.

Which wines go with which foods The best way to figure out what wines go with what foods is to take the same approach that you take when planning a sit-down dinner. For instance, dinner courses typically include a light appetizer, followed by a fresh salad, then a filling main course and, finally, a rich dessert. Your wine choice should follow the same progression that dinner courses have - light to dark. The more intense the flavor of the food, the more intense the wine should be to balance out the meal. Since there is no wine and food pairing set in stone, evaluate each course separately and decide which wine you think would complement each portion of your meal.

Appetizer Generally, a meal starts with a light and delicate appetizer. Since this first course is usually designed to get the palate perked up, a lighter wine with a crisp, somewhat dry flavor would go extremely well. As an example, consider the light brunch, where champagne is a perfect choice. A white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc, will do well as the citrus flavors usually complement most appetizers.

Sauvignon Blanc tilts more to the acidic side of the white wines, so a better match would be a fresh Greek-style salad; one with a little bite in the dressing. For the creamy salad dressings, go for the Chardonnay

Main course Much like the salad, a creamy dish should have a creamy wine while an acidic dish should take the other end of the spectrum. Take most meat dishes for example, like beef or lamb. Since these meats are more of a fatty and flavorful dish, they pair well with big flavored wines such as the Cabernets. Pasta dishes with creamy sauce are perfect for the Chardonnay-like wines. Pinot Noir is ofetn eated with game, however is excellent with Salmon. If there are any tendencies in wine pairing, it usually involves fish. More often than not, fish is served with a crisp white wine because of the way the dish is prepared. Many fish dishes use some sort of citrus in the cooking process, so it is only natural to have a lighter wine to help accentuate the flavors in the dish. For heavier fish, go with the Chardonnay.

Dessert Dessert is, without a doubt, the decadent portion of the meal. Typically, dessert time is the time to splurge on rich and creamy chocolates, and maybe sweet red strawberries. Since these flavors are so rich and deep, you would naturally want to pair them with rich and deep red wines, such as a Cabernet. Sipping on a strong red wine helps to balance out the richness of the dessert without masking any of the flavors of the dish.

Salad Let's assume that most salads served as a dinner course start with a bed of mixed greens. If that's the case, then it is normally wise to consider the type of dressing on the salad to determine the wine pairing. Keeping in mind that the wine type should match the food, you would not pair a Sauvignon Blanc with a creamy dressing like a Ranch or a Thousand Island. The 107

Wine Varietal Overview

Basic Terroir Overview (New World) Food and wine What is terroir? Not simply the earth that the wine vines are grown in but also the surounding climate for example how does the soil drain, is there irrigation, which way is the slope of the vines facing, is the vineyard high climate or in a valley, how close are the vines to the sea, how mich rainfall is there per year and so on. All of these and other combined natural phenomenoms ascertain the terroir that a wine is grown in and great wines talk to you about where they are from, they talk to you about their terroir.

Victoria, Australia Our vineyard partners in Australia produce low-yielding, un-irrigated crops that offer excellent balance and diversity on the palate. Australia's wine-making history and development of the continent's wine industry relates directly to the European settlers who transported the first vines to Australia in the eighteenth century. Pioneer James Busby planted the first Shiraz vines in 1826 in the Sydney botanical gardens. Since then, Australia has been a brilliant producer of internationally acclaimed wines and benefits from winemakers experimenting with new technologies and unconventional methods of producing wine, although the general methods generally go back to the conventional old world styles of production. During the 19th century, Victoria was the largest producer of wine in Australia. The Phylloxera outbreak devastated the vineyards of Victoria, which did not really begin to recover until the 1970s. Victoria has a very modern collection of grapes that are mixed with various Bordeaux and Burgundy varieties, producing wines that are fragrant, full-fruited and minty due to the cool climate in which the grapes are produced. This wine industry is again growing and promises to be very important to the the world of wine in the next few years. Chardonnays from Australia can be fresh and light if produced in cool climates or they can be rich and fruity if they are from a warm climate. If the winemaker has used oak in a second 108

"malolactic ferment", where a bacteria eats up all of the tart malic acid and changes that to creamy lactic acid, then those styles of chardonnays are richer. Shirazes from Australia depend upon the climate as well. Warm climate Shiraz wines are deep, pomegranate coloued and have rich, licquorice and dark fruit characters. Cool climate Shiraz wines and more reserved on the fruit and have black pepper and spice characters. Shiraz Rose can also be a great drinker from Australia, easy, fresh, some summer fruit characters and easy to sip away on a summer afternoon.

Marlborough, New Zealand My partners in New Zealand are producing wines form the oldest colonial vineyard in the country and the history of this wondeful land harks back to the European settlers on the 1800s. Marlborough can lay claim to starting the modern New Zealand wine industry. The first vines were planted by an English minster of the church in the last 1800s and the first wines were made by James Busby, who pioneered the Australian wine industry. Due to the terroir and climate in the Marlborough area being similiar to that of the Loire Valley; pioneers decided to nurture the great style of Sancerre and thus the Sauvignon Blanc boom began. The strong contrast between hot sunny days and cool nights help vintners extend the ripening period of their vines like nowhere else, resulting in unique expressions of their grapes. Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough offer unique aromas and flavors, which earns them much praise.

Paarl, South Africa Eensaamheid farm, meaning ĂŤplace of solitudeĂ, is home to South AfricaĂs oldest registered building. Built in 1688 from stone mined on the farm and beams scavenged from shipwrecks off the Cape, it has now being lovingly restored to its original understated beauty as the home of our South African hand-made wines. We work with a group of South

Around the World with Bradley Mitton

African growers, with vineyards that span the premium growing areas from Paarl to the Durbanville Hills. The wines are more than the sum of their parts and they reflect the land, grapes, winemaking vision, ethical beliefs and respect for the environment. Our ethical commitment runs deep: it is what we do on a daily basis that makes a sustainable difference to the communities we operate in. Integrity and Sustainability is stamped on the bottles of our South African wines. Sauvignon Blanc from this region is light and fresh and Bordeaux in style with good dryness and green vegetable characters. Very easy drinking. Cabernet Sauvignon produced in these coller regions has some blackcurrant and milk cocolate characters with tobaco nuances and some fresh mint, very good cool climate styles.

Mediterranean The Mediterrannean boasts some of the oldest vineyards on the planet and a new generation of Mediterranean island producers has emerged. They are offering wines far removed from the easy-quaffing profiles of many Old and New World crus, and they are breaching the wine world's most venerated bastions. Unique is one of many words to describe the collection of wines we have selected from the warm, coastal regions of the mediterranean. This warm and romantic region is home to some of the finest and affordable wines from Spain, Italy, Portugal, France and surrounding islands. We have selected wines from the Burgundy and Bordeaux regions of France and the hilltops of While many wines from the wider Mediterranean region fell into obscurity over the last centuryรณa result of image problems, caused by generally unremarkable winemakingรณthe area has been in the throes of a high renaissance during the past 25 years. Small producers in Sicily, Santorini, and Lebanon are currently making some of the most expressive and nuanced wines in the world. And they are set on representing their roots.

Chile Chile feels like a more dramatic version of California, with narrower valleys and much higher mountains. Chile enjoys cool climates, producing fresh crisp, acid-driven wines. Most people will have noticed a great growth in the imports of Sauvignon Blanc into Europe, however Brad picks great Chardonnays from this region showing the woinderul characters of Burgundy. Cool climate, crisp acids, green apple characters showing the diversity of this region. Chilean wine history begins with the arrival of Spanish conquerors. In the mid-sixteenth century, the missionaries introduced the vines to produce wine for Catholic mass rituals. It is believed that the first vineyards in Chile were planted by Francisco de Aguirre Copiapร northern Chile.

Argentina Argentine wine, as with some aspects of Argentine cuisine, has its roots in Spain. During the Spanish colonization of the Americas, vine cuttings were brought to Santiago del Estero in 1557, and the cultivation of the grape and wine production stretched first to neighboring regions, and then to other parts of the country. There are many different varieties of grapes cultivated in Argentina, reflecting the country's many immigrant groups. The French brought Malbec, which makes most of Argentina's best known wines. Malbec is is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. The French plantations of Malbec are now found primarily in Cahors in South West France. It is increasingly celebrated as an Argentine varietal wine and is being grown around the world, with aromas of damsons, tobacco, garlic, and raisin.

109

Club Vivanova Testimonials "Club Vivanova offers very good networking opportunities, the profile of people attending the events is extremely international and diverse with a common passion, good wine, and a desire to meet new people." Antonio Ducceschi . Regional Director, Sales & Marketing Europe, Fairmont Monte Carlo . Monaco

"Impressed by Bradleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard work, expertise and savoir faire, I have attended many events, some of which have been truly memorable to me and I have never been bored or disappointed. Club Vivanova is a big PLUS for the International community in Monaco." Mario Maccario . Senior Banker, EFG Bank Monaco . Monaco "Eclectic events spanning from fancy bars and restaurants in Monaco or Cannes, to exciting weekends in St. Tropez or luxurious beach lunches and boat rides. Bradley is the soul of Club Vivanova, the brains and the heart behind it, and that is a guarantee in itself for us that he will continue to attract new and interesting people." Daniela Popescu . Beausoleil . France

"What I like about Bradley (apart from the pleasure of his company) is his great taste and understanding of people and wine and his amazing work ethic and attention to detail. He insists on the highest standards and it is crucial to Bradley that people come away from his events with a great sense of both privilege and value and so beautifully organised that it appears effortless." Barbara Brudenell-Bruce . Vida8 Events . London / Monaco

"Bradley Mitton has surprised again and again with his professionalism, his wine knowledge, his enthusiasm and with the way that everything is organized to the last minute detail. I have met so many amazing people from all over the world at the Club Vivanova events and I particularly love the warm and fun atmosphere Bradley manages to create and the excellent wines he presents." LinĂŠ Ringtved Thordarson . Aarhus, Denmark "Club Vivanova is becoming increasingly popular and no one wants to miss any of these great events. Well done Bradley, you found a true supporter in me." Ton Diekman . Monaco

"Bradley is a true host who ensures these special gourmet wine evenings are enjoyed by all. I'd strongly suggest to keep Bradley in your Rolodex." Justin Mathews . CEO HCA group . Prague "New and interesting wines mixed with dynamic and intriguing people. What's not to love? Well done you, Bradley..." Louise Clark . Monaco

"Being a partner at these events has helped our brand awareness and the international gourmet dinners and degustations attract the quality of person that we are looking to take on board in relation to wealth management." Russ Morgan . Chairman, Expat Advisory Worldwide . Nice