South African Tasting with Vernon Henn, Thandi Wines

We were absolutely delighted to welcome Vernon Henn from Thandi Wines, South Africa to Jersey yesterday.  Vernon is currently touring the UK and Europe showcasing his wines during Fairtrade Fortnight, and what a pleasure is was to welcome him to Dunell's.

You can read all about Thandi and Vernon's passion on their website http://www.thandi.com/

As well as talking to all of our staff members in the afternoon about the history of Thandi, black empowerment and Fairtrade, we thought we would fully utilise his visit by holding a customer tasting in the evening.  As a 'soft launch' to our new Corks Crew Wine Club, customers were invited to join us for a tasting of his wines and listen to a short talk.  We also had a number of other South African wines available to taste.  We were delighted with the number who attended as well as everyone's enthusiasm for when the Corks Crew Wine Club is officially launched at the end of March. 

Vernon is a truly inspirational man and his talk was extremely thought provoking. Everyone went away certainly knowing a lot more about what Fairtrade means and what Thandi Wines means to the families that work the farms.  Vernon is extremely proud of what Thandi has achieved so far (they export around 97% of the wines made and there are 10 different wines in the range) but one of their main focus areas is the children.  There are over 200 children within the families that work for Thandi and many of them, when they arrive on the farms can not read or write due to poverty.  Thandi therefore supports the children (as they are their future) by educating them, paying for school uniforms, stationary etc.  He was explaining that one of the 'older children' is currently in her second year at university studying to become a nurse but it is hoped that she will go on to become a doctor and then open her own medical centre on the farm.  Thandi pays for all of this.  They are also hoping to have a black wine maker soon. 

Obviously Vernon has come across stigma and negativity from many that 'blacks can not make good wine' but judging on the quality from Thandi, they certainly can.  We currently only have access to four of his wines (Sauvignon (£6.65), Sauvignon/Semillon (£5.95), Cabernet/Merlot (£5.95) & Cabernet/Shiraz (£5.95)) but they all drank superbly well.  What I particularly liked was that the straight Sauvignon and the Sauvignon/Semillon was very fresh and approachable with gorgeous limey fruit, so unlike some of the South African Sauvignons currently available that are very green, grassy and sometimes sharp.  These are highly drinkable wines, perfect for seafood and chicken dishes and I will certainly be adding some to our rack at home.  Both reds offered concentrated red and black fruits, velvety tannins and a long lingering finish - drinkability is the word!  A rosé and a straight merlot will be made this year so we hope to access these in the future.  Vernon proudly explained that we are unable to get hold of any of his Chardonnay for example as the quantities are small and demand is very high due to winning a GOLD MEDAL at the International Wine Challenge.  Thandi is heading towards a great future!

We also tasted through 8 other South African wines, wines the Dunell's team particularly love and these also showed very well.  Favourites on the night were the Paul Cluver Chardonnay 2007, Hartenberg Weisser Riesling 2007, Rustenberg John X Merriman 2006, Bouchard Finlayson 'Galpin Peak' Pinot Noir 2008 (in-store only) and Kaapzicht Pinotage 2007 (in-store only).

A very successful evening and we sincerely thank all who attended but special thanks to Vernon who has taught us so much.  I will certainly be seeking out certified Fairtrade products next time I go to the supermarket and I will definitely be requesting some Thandi wines for our rack at home!

I will be adding the Thandi wines to the website shortly but they are available in-store.



Jane

A truly French Feast @ Feast - 25th February 2010

After an earlier tasting session with a the lovely, Anne, Lauraine and Aeilidh from Feast, we successfully matched the wines for the evening and were very much looking forward to experiencing some traditional French fayre.  Another sell-out event for Feast. 

We started the evening with a gorgeous glass of Veuve Fourny Rosé 1er Cru Champagne n.v. together with some crunchy crudities and smooth blue cheese dip.  This is an exceptional Champagne that we all adore.  Beautiful, elegant red fruit, gentle acidity and fine bubbles make this wine very appealing as well as very moreish.  The dip was equally yummy!

The much anticipated starter of French Snails grilled with garlic and herb butter served with artisan French bread arrived.  Obviously there was a little apprehension about the snails and some did opt for the safer option of Garlic Prawns but those who chose this option really missed out.  They were stunning, so plump and juicy with not too much garlic.  I hadn't eaten snails for over 15 years and last time I did they were small, chewy and totally covered in garlic.  These were a revelation and I will definitely have them again.  Even Liz who was adamant that she was going to have the prawns, tried a snail, loved it and finished the plate!  With this dish we served the Catherine and Didier Tripoz Macon-Charnay 'Clos des Tournons' 2008 from Macon, Burgundy.  This wine has tons of ripe golden and green apples on the nose, flowery notes and hints of nuts leading to a similar aspect on the palate but it is the vivid, bracing acidity that balances the fruit and cleanses the palate, perfect to cut through the garlic butter.

Next was a beautifully rich French Onion soup served with the Paul Jaboulet Aîné Côtes du Rhône Blanc 'Parallèle 45' 2008.  We have recently become official stockists of the wines from Paul Jaboulet and we were delighted to be showing one of his wines at this event.  The wine and the soup, which matched exceptionally well, went down a storm.  We can't wait to do the official launch....more news on this soon!

The main course was ‘Cassoulet de Castelnaudary’ which is a slow cooked Casserole of white haricot beans, pork belly and Confit of Duck served with a golden crust of bread crumbs and wilted spinach.  We served two reds, (we couldn't decide which one was better during the taste off so we decided to serve them both) the Chateau Saint-Roch Chimères Coteaux de Languedoc Rouge 2006 and Largesse Shiraz 2008 Vin de Pays d'Oc.  Both great with this rustic style dish and there was a fifty fifty split around the room on which one they preferred.

We then had a lovely soft cheese called Banon that derives its name from the town in which it is made, Banon, in Provence. The cheese normally matures young and has a wood/fruit flavour that it takes from the chestnut leaves in which the cheese is wrapped.  This cheese was served with the same two reds from the main course and worked equally well.

To finish the evening was a rather indulgent choux pastry filled with Chantilly Cream and covered in chocolate sauce.  It could only be described as one huge profiterole and it was very good indeed.  The cream was light and delicately flavoured.  Delicious!  We washed it down with a glass of Chateau Filhot 2005 - a stylish Sauternes with bags of pineapple fruit flavours and great acidity to cut through the cream.

A very enjoyable evening.  Huge thanks to the entire team for their professionalism throughout and Happy Birthday again to Anne's husband Olie!  We couldn't resist singing Happy Birthday to you....especially on this particularly special birthday... :-)

Jane

Vernon Henn's Interview on BBC Radio Jersey 02.03.10

The 22nd February marked the beginning of Fairtrade Fortnight and we are very fortunate to have Vernon Henn from Thandi, the world's first wine brand to achieve Fairtrade certification in 2003 visiting Jersey today (3rd March 2010) to showcase his wines and talk to us about Fairtrade and Black Empowerment.  Listen to his interview on BBC Radio Jersey (02.03.10)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/p006l1ny

We are very much looking forward to meeting him!

Jane

Getting Married? Join us at the L'Horizon this Sunday between 12 and 5pm...

.

If you have decided to tie the knot, why not join us this Sunday between 12 - 5pm at Hotel L'Horizon for their annual Wedding Fayre.  There will be a large number of different wedding suppliers on hand to help make your dreams come true.  From photographers and toast masters to wedding dresses and DJ's, this is your opportunity to plan your wedding all under one roof!  

Liz, our General Manager will also be there showcasing some gorgeous wines for your big day and there is also the chance to win your wedding at the L'Horizon.  It's a prize worth £6000.00!! 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Pacific Rim Food and Wine Dinner at Danny's - 18.02.10

Last night we had the opportunity to host a Pacific Rim styled food and wine dinner at Danny's in St Aubin.  Danny has recently reopened his restaurant after a six week break and there is now a stunning new al-fresco area (somehow I think this will be extremely busy once the weather warms up!!) and brand new kitchens for Danny to continue his bold experimentation of flavour combinations.  Danny put together quite a challenging menu and asked us to match the wines.  Thankfully he was very obliging when we asked if we could come and taste the food a couple of weeks beforehand so that we could make sure that the wines matched perfectly, always a great perk of this job!!  Unfortunately I was unable to attend but Liz, Neil and Kasia took down a good selection of different wines and were very pleased with their eventual choices.  Thankfully, I was able to attend last night but this time Neil couldn't make it as he is currently recovering from a chest infection so stayed home.  There are so many people with chest infections at the moment....damn weather!

So to kick start the evening we chose to showcase the G. H. Mumm, Mumm de Cramant n.v. Champagne @ £34.95 per bottle (available in-store only) along with Danny's taster dish of Steamed pork 'n' peanut relish bun. The Mumm de Cramant is a beautifully elegant Champagne sourced from a single vineyard within the famous village of Cramant in the Cotes de Blancs.  It is made from 100% Chardonnay and has lovely fresh lime, lemon and grapefruit flavours on its incredibly complex but elegant palate. The bubbles are so delicate and the acidity is spot on.  For the techy people reading this, the ‘melt-in-the-mouth’ mousse is created by bottling under lower pressure to produce very small, fine bubbles (4.5 Atmospheres as opposed to the rest of the Mumm range which is 6).  This is now officially my new favourite Champagne.  It was absolutely delicious with the pork relish, a match I was not expecting.

Next up was the starter of Scallop nan-jim (salty/sweet/spicy dressing with coriander, chilli and lime).  Beautifully presented and smelling utterly divine we dived in with two different white wines matches, the Mount Difficulty Pinot Gris 'Roaring Meg' 2008 and the One Chain Vineyards Colombard-Sauvignon-Riesling 'The Opportunist' 2008.  Two very different wines but they both worked really well with the dish. In fact my favourite, and many agreed, was the wine from One Chain Vineyards.  We were delighted to showcase this extremely food versatile wine and at £4.95 in the shop, this is fabulous value.  The dish was really beautiful with an amazing liquour that just screamed 'Drink me'! and with no spoon to do so was quickly (and discreetly) tipped and drunk! Yum Yum...

Next was the main course of Shredded lamb Tabouli ('dry' lamb with rosemary and garlic served on Tabouli couscous salad with honey and mustard dressing and yogurt) served with Trentham Estate Heathcote Shiraz 2006, one of my favourite wines.  We are just moving on to the 2006 vintage from the awesome, multi award winning 2005 but this vintage is also going to be an award winner.  In fact, Trentham announced only yesterday that they have just picked up a gold medal for this wine at the Sydney Wine Show.

This wine is rich in berry and spice flavours and has a gorgeous deep colour. Ripe and earthy, rich and balanced showing ripe fruit aromas of pepper, plum and chocolate. Lovely length too and I love it!  The dish was an explosion of flavours encompassing many unusual flavour combinations and the wine married perfectly, it was certainly a talking point.  As you will see from the next photo, I caught a customer taking a picture of the wine with his iPhone so that he could come down to buy some.  Always good to see!

Last up was dessert of Sticky black rice and coconut with sesame banana. We matched this with Château Filhot Sauternes 2005.  This Sauternes is stylish, delicate in sweetness and packed with pineapple aromas and flavours which made it a great match for this dish.  Hot squishy banana with textural black rice....yummy.  All I needed was some hot weather and a beach! Actually, this dish served on Danny's terrace would be fab in the summer!

We also served the Bundaberg Distillers No.3 Rum from Australia as an after-dinner drink.  All I can say is that it didn't last very long!

Thank you Danny and thank you to everyone who came.  We hope you enjoyed the evening.  Thanks also to Liz (our lovely GM) for her informative food and wine matching talks between courses. A very enjoyable evening.

Jane

A fabulous offer from Eulah Country House this Valentine's Day!

Click on the image to enlarge.

@DunellsWines win a best tweet award!

During the Bibendum Tasting held at The Saatchi Gallery on 20th January 2010, a competition was held asking visitors to tweet their tasting notes to @bibendumtimes using the hash tag #btimes.  The top 6 tweets would then receive a bottle of the lovely Bisol Prosecco.  We are pleased to report that we were one of the 6 winners.  Yes, I know we already sell it (click here) but it's always nice to win something isn't it! It's great stuff and we look forward to receiving our prize shortly! 

Thank you Bibendum, it was a great tasting with a great vibe...great videos too!  To read their blog, the winning tweet from us and the other winners, click on the link below:

http://www.bibendum-times.co.uk/posts/news/2010/01/27/and-the-bottle-goes-to/

Jane