No matter how versed you are in the world of wine there will always be labels and brands that you’ve never tried, but when faced with ordering from a list of wines that you’ve never heard of it is possible to make a more educated selection than simply reading what the menu says and then choosing between a cabernet or a merlot. The key is in knowing where the wine was made.

#1 Hot vs Cool Climate Grapes grown in warmer climates tend to be lower in acidity and higher in sugar, which results in fuller-bodied wine. Cooler climates more often yield the opposite with grapes having higher acidity and less sugar, so the end product is lighter-bodied. This climate rule can be derailed, however, by local variances like a south facing vineyard that’s warmer than average for the surrounding area, or by certain breeds of grape (some are consistently flavored no matter where they’re grown).

#2 Old World vs New World Another good rule of thumb is that generally speaking traditional Old World (European) wines tend to the earthier, spicier side while New World (United States, Argentina, South Africa, anywhere not Europe) varieties are fruitier. Again, this rule does not always apply as the occasional New World winemaker may aspire to Old World techniques, or a European might deliberately create a fruit-forward variety to tap into that market.

So in applying these two rules you could make an educated guess that a cabernet from South Africa is probably fuller bodied than a cabernet from Yarra Valley in Australia, but that neither are likely to be as earthy as a cabernet listed from France.

Read more on www.luxist.com

Arniston Bay Brand News

A great example of a full bodied South African Cabernet is the Arniston Bay Cabernet Sauvignon 2008. This wine has fresh redcurrant and berry fruit aromas with hints of nutmeg and mint.

The first SA Food bloggers conference was a wonderful day and will definitely become an annual event.

South African Food bloggers came together at the Cook’s Playground in Cape Town and it was amazing to meet (in person) some of the legends of SA food Blogging.

It was incredible to have online food personalities like  Browniegirl , Jeanne (the Cooksister) and Jenny (Giggling Gourmet ) under one roof at the same event.

The speakers gave very interesting views and tips and this all was fruits for thoughts.

Arniston Bay was proud to be a co-sponsor of this event and we truly hope that this event will become an annual highlight for SA food bloggers.

Read more…

Photos of this event visit can be seen here

England has one of its best chances to win the World Cup at this year’s FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The English clubs are dominating forces in Europe and the squad will be full of superstars.

For off-licences, the prospect is for increased beer sales, and with the tournament taking place in one of the fastest growing nations for UK wine sales, there’s a chance to cash in on wine as well as beer, the traditional driver of football-related drink sales.

With the tournament taking place in one of the fastest growing nations for UK wine sales, there’s a chance to cash in on wine as well as beer, the traditional driver of football-related drink sales.

Generic body Wines of South Africa is running a programme of promotions for export markets including a football-themed “Let’s Celebrate” logo to appear on bottles and marketing materials.

Individual brands are stoking up the football marketing machine too. The Company of Wine People and Percy Fox are running a promotion that will put branded Arniston Bay footballs in six-bottle cases of wine in cash and carries.

“Historically, these tournaments do tend to be dominated by the big beer brands which have large budgets to play with and command more feature in store,” says Barney Davis, brand and business development manager for the company of wine peopleTM.

“But we feel there’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for South Africa and wine to benefit from the fact it’s taking place in the country.

“Watching the World Cup tends to be a really sociable event for people getting together with friends, and even though football is male-dominated for big games and tournaments it tends to be more mixed groups, so people will be going along to stores to pick up wine as well as beer.

“We want to see retailers add space and feature to persuade people that when they do, they should pick up South African wine.”

Davis added that Arniston Bay would be on price promotion in multiples during the summer. “We’ll also be carrying the generic Wines of South Africa message on all packs across all channels,” he said.

Major dates for England in the World Cup

The draw for the tournament was made recently which means that retailers can now starting planning for the busiest days of sales around England games.

The first of these is on June 12 against the USA, followed on June 18 by Algeria and June 23 versus Slovenia.

Should England proceed to the second round they’ll play on either June 26 or 27 depending where they finish in their group stage.

Quarter-finals are on July 2 and 3, with the semis on July 6 and 7.

The Word Cup final is on July 11, a month to the day after the opening game between host nation South Africa and Mexico.

Read more on offlicencenews.co.uk

You’ve just swallowed a delicious bite of a fiery vindaloo, or maybe a five-pepper Thai curry, Jamaican jerk chicken, or something spicy from Sichuan. Your cheeks are red, drops of sweat are breaking out on your brow, and your mouth tingles with a tasty fire.

Now, what to drink?

Actually, if you’re seeking to extinguish the fire, dairy works best. Indian yogurt lassi, Thai iced tea and Vietnamese coffee with a dollop of condensed milk all probably evolved to meet this need. But who wants a glass of Grade A when there’s wine or beer to be had?

Beer, indeed, is a viable option, with its relatively low alcohol to allow for quaffing in quenching gulps, and its bubbly carbonation to scrub one’s taste buds clean.

Wine poses a problem, at least in my culinary universe, because its relatively high alcohol levels make it less than prudent to gulp it in quantity. Worse, you’re literally pouring alcohol on a burn, and that hurts.

If wine’s your choice, look for relatively low-alcohol items, ideally with a bit of residual sweetness (many Rieslings and some Chenin Blancs fill this bill); or crisp, bubbly carbonation that offers some of the same “palate-scrubbing” effect as a beer.

One such a Bubbly that can do wonders for a mouth on fire is  the Arniston Bay Charmat Rose sparkling wine.  This Charmat Rose wine offers a beautifully delicate ensemble of forest berry rose petal violets white cherry and peach aromas on the nose with zesty tropical fruit flavours and fresh crisp bubbles on the finish and palate.

Read more on wineloverspage.com

In the past, people relied mainly on traditional media to gain access to a vast array of topics. The worldwide blogosphere has revolutionised the way we communicate and has opened up channels for debate, news, entertainment and general socialising. Blogs offer a more personal communication and interaction with the blog (information portal) and its consumer.

Arniston Bay wines will be sponsoring this event and will afford food bloggers the opportunity to taste the wines and best decide which of the wines to pair their foods with.

the company of wine people™’s Executive Director of Sales and Marketing, Chris O’Shea, says, “We are proud to be sponsoring our easy-drinking, lifestyle wine for this occasion. It aligns perfectly with our brand essence.”

Guests attending the food bloggers conference will have the opportunity to sample relaxation at its best with the Arniston Bay varietals such as the Sparkling Rosé, Charmat, Chenin Blanc Chardonnay, Cabernet Merlot, Shiraz Pinotage and the Pinotage Rosé.

“We are very excited to introduce the full range of Arniston Bay wines to the food bloggers and are hoping that the success of the conference will be extended to Johannesburg and Cape Town, although cyber space may have no limits having an actual event for the bloggers to attend is a great way for them to extend their knowledge and get to meet their fellow bloggers.”

South Africa has seen a remarkable usage increase in the local blogosphere, with the number of active blogs increasing from 600 in December 2006 to 3789 a year later in December 2007. These statistics are a result of a 2008/2009 survey of Online Media in South Africa, conducted by media researcher and commentator, Arthur Goldstuck of World Wide Worx and the Online Publishers Association.

With South African Internet services set to expand, consumers are set to have more connectivity choice than ever before. South Africa’s Internet population is expected to grow as much in the next five years as it has in the 15 years since the Internet became commercially available in South Africa, according to the latest World Wide Worx Internet Access in South Africa 2008 report.

The increased growth rate is expected to continue for the next five years, taking the Internet user population to the 9-million mark by 2014.

These statistics will have a direct effect on how prevalent blogging is in South Africa and how it will continue to grow year-on-year, Food24 is SA’s biggest online food community and will be using this conference as an opportunity to meet their sometimes anonymous members and offer advice on how to make a blog successful.

The first food bloggers conference will be taking place on Sunday 21 March in Cape Town at the Giggling Gourmet’s Cooks Playground.

The conference will include talks by guest speakers such as; award-winning blogger Jeanne Horak-Druiff, the talented food styler Nina Timm, Editor-in-chief of Women24, Food24 and Parent24 Sam Wilson and professional book editor and author of the blog Scruptuous SA Jane-Anne Hobbs.

Tickets to the conference are R430 per person, visit: sa-food-blogging-conference.blogspot.com for more information.

Ordering wine at a restaurant can sometimes be an awkward situation. I have found that knowing the no-no’s you are better equipped to make the order ordeal less awkward.

American wine and food writer Bill Daily agrees and he believes that ordering wine in a restaurant always seems fraught with danger: Did I order the “right” wine? Did I spend too much? Did I look like an idiot in front of my server? More important, did I look like an idiot in front of my partner/significant other/prospective hot number?

Here’s a very idiosyncratic list of personal pet peeves and observations from the team here at The Stew. Please feel free to add your own comments or pointers.

1. Do not ignore your server or wine steward when ordering wine. Ask for recommendations that will match with your food and your budget. 2. Do not be shy about price. If you don’t want to say your price range out loud, point to a wine and ask for something similar. The server will get the signal. 3. Do not order more than one  wine by the glass, especially glasses of cheap brands. Wine markups are high at restaurants; you get more bang for your buck by ordering a bottle. Even a half-bottle (two together cost more than the whole) gives you more for less than by-the-glass. 4. Do not buy the most expensive wine on the wine list because you think it’s the best. 5. Speaking of price, do not sit there clueless about how much wines really cost. Try to walk in with a ballpark idea of how much some wines cost retail (even more eye-opening is comparing the wholesale price to the list price). Then see how much the restaurant has jacked the price up. 6. Do not merely glance at the bottle when it’s presented. Look closely at the label. Is it what you ordered? Sounds obvious but some wineries release wines in lines of varying quality. You want what you ordered. Also, check for correct vintage; not so important with wine from stable climates like California but vital for places such as Bordeaux or Burgundy where weather can have a big impact. 7. Do not be afraid to send a wine back if it tastes or smells bad. 8. Do not back down if the waiter or sommelier insists the returned wine is good. They’ll sell it by the glass at the bar. Still, if you send a wine back because you don’t like the taste of it and the wine is pricey, expect some resistance if you try to order an identical bottle. Chances are you ain’t going to like it. 9. Do not sniff the pulled cork. Glance at it in the case of older wines for possible signs of leakage or damage that could affect quality. 10. Do not swirl the poured wine in the glass longer than five seconds. After that you’re just playing with it.

Arniston Bay Brand News

For a fail-safe white wine, opt for the Arniston Bay Chenin Blanc Chardonnay. This wine is perennially popular, especially in the UK market, and will complement a diverse variety of dishes, and the easy-drinking wine style is enjoyed by most white wine lovers.