Food and Wine Pairing - Cheeky Cooks

Matching food and wine can be a daunting process, but there are a few simple rules to keep in mind when trying to figure out what exactly goes well with whatever it is you are going to cook. We have teamed up with the delectable food site Cheeky Cooks. Like Empty these Cheeky Cooks have a passion for all things tasty, so here we have it, a few simple rules and some cheeky suggestions;

New Comers Series [Part ii]: Urlar

The healthy buzz, which tends to accompany all trade fairs, seems to have little effect on the laid back composure of Urlar owner and Scotsman, Angus Thompson. Although this air of relaxation Thompson exhales around him is no doubt much easier maintained given the astounding quality of the offerings of his rather startlingly young vines brought with him to Wine New Zealand's annual trade fair in Dublin this February.

Ara: A Pathway to Marlborough

While New Zealand is a toddler in the world of viticulture, Marlborough is younger still and yet despite this, it has managed its fair share of veterans. None more noted that the creator of the Marlborough's first "Grand Cru" estate, ARA, Jeff Clarke. Despite, Marlborough's haphazard discovery as a terroirist dream as recently as the late sixties, Jeff has a long history of involvement in the budding Kiwi wine industry, punching in well over 50 vintages with the Kiwi wine industry. To boot, he's ex-Penfolds and has been at the helm of Brancott during what could be called it's quality peak. Think you'll agree this guy doesn't submit to the term green.

Michel Redde (And a picture of a Tractor)

ALERT! Rob, I, I Rob am about to speak rather fondly of French Sauvignon Blanc, for all of you who know me- brace yourselves, for all of you about to try one of these wines, brace yourself. 

Petit Fumé, AC Pouilly-Fume

What seems rather a long time ago now , when Empty was taking its baby steps and I hadn't developed such a venomous hatred for Sauvignon Blanc, there was a quaintly labelled wine that had caught my eye in the local. This little beauty was, Petit Fumé (Old Review Here). With sun blaring last week, something rather odd happened, I wanted a bottle of Sauv Blanc. Here's what happened.  

5 wines to try

Shoo Fly, Chardonnay, 2009


€13.95, Mill Wine Cellar
Chardonnay as it should be, beauitful soft and full bodied, with a strong body of melon and elderberries both on the nose and on the plate. The wine opens with peach and minerality showing and developing, grapefruit makes an apperance on the palate. Not the most complicated wine but extremely tasty, offering a lot of taste and a good interesting cool-climate chardonnay from the adelaide hills a region fast stealing my heart. Advice would be to find a bit of spare change and add it to the ten quid bottle you normally get and try this wine. Tis an award winner after all having the title of best white wine on the Irish Market under €20, not a bad reputation to have mind you.




Petit Fumé, Michel Redde et Fils, 2010

€16.99, Mill Wine Cellar
We have sun, we need a crisp clean cut white to celebrate, look no further than Petit Fumé, made by Michel Redde et Fils, this Sauvignon Blanc is what you need, Sauvignon Blanc has risen to popularity of late- especially with the rise of New Zealand wine. While New Zealand is now regarded as the King of Sauvignon Blanc, I feel that this title is fairly undermining of the French examples, we have loire producing some of the most crisp examples of this vartiel, so looking at this pacticular bottle, we have a crisp and clean experience. Brilliantly structured, fresh apple and minerality notes, finishing with acidity to clear the palate after each mouthful. The nose is especially inviting on this, best when just slightly chilled to take the acid edge off. While slightly expensive, this bottle and grape has finally come into it's own, rarely failing to impress. What we're talking about here is a sleek stylish examof what is now just a bulk grape; it has distinct fruit notes and subtle hints to leave you curious. Its greatest drawback (being students) is the price. However remember it is on offer, so it’s well worth picking up as a treat, and in this weather the wine will be one of the most refreshing things on the shelf

Santa Digna, Cab Sauv Res, 2010

€9.99, Wine Mill Cellar
Sun seems as though it would like to stay and as a ritual in it's honour (and as a hopefully attempt to persuade it to stay for a short while longer) I thought I ought to toast to it this weekend. Now we have offered you our white wine selection, but despite two of my bigger predujices, the first that chilean wine will dissappoint and the second that Rosés are a stupid idea and are boring wines  of my own I decided I'd give the following wine a bit of a test drive. So the wine up for tasting? Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé, 2010, from Santa digna, chile. So starting out with low expectations, opening the bottle, I was suprised to be greeted by a more than pleasant raspberry and subtle strawberry nose, beckoned by this I knocked a bit into a glass give it a bit of a swirl and slurped me some Rosé, and for the second time in not so long chile has surprised myself. So with this we were looking at raspberry, strawberry, bit of early minerality of a very flithish style. As the wine opened up we started to see the fruits develop a little, we started to get grapefruit and the nose turned slightly Sauv Blanc with gooseberry. What was the biggest slap in the face was how refreshing the wine tasting despite the fact it weighed it at a burly 13.5% alcohol. That fact showed the quality of the make of the wine we were dealing with, that combined with the full body of the wine. I'd have given it a 7, fresh wine, felt a little green at points but nothing overly officious to the palate!

Max Fred. Richter, Mosel Valley Riesling, 2009

€14.99, Corkscrew
A lovely example of Mosel Valley Riesling. Crisp and refreshing as all Riesling should be, it is sweet with a Clean nose, the wine is extremely complicated with melons, pear, apple and a slight hint of citrus making up the main fruits of the wine there is a nice touch of clove to the wine and everything seems to have a thin blanket of honey coating it. To boot it even has a foral smell as it opens which does not get lose on the palate, despite the mass arrays of smells and tastes each one is well defined. Leaving for a truly enjoyable wine that seems to wreak of a come hither note.


Leyda Reserve, Pinot Noir 2009

€14.95, Mill Wine Cellar
New world wine is a bit of a new thing for myself only letting go of my predjuices against many regions. However one predjuice has managed to last the test of time Chilean wine. That is until recently, so recent in fact it was this week, when I found a bottle of Pinot hiding behind large quanities of Shiraz from the same nation. Single vineyard always a good sign. Opening the bottle I was greeted by a warm smelling wine, nice mind you, slowly this developed into a nice red fruit and tobacco form, living up to the warm cilmate Pinot reputation of packing a punch, not only that but this also as it opened smelt meaty, and on the palte started to minic this and also add a sweet red pepper undertone. It kept opening up as the night progress and showed signs of the red berries and other red fuits as well as the prevelant tobacco smell and palate, all in all? A wine well enjoyed.

Rabbit Island Sauvignon Blanc 2010

When people say terroir in reference to a wine, one might think of the French telling you why their wines are unique and more importantly the most expensive wines in the world. Now, while France does produce some excellent wines the price unfortunately stops most of us mere mortals from every affording them.

As for Sauvignon Blanc, the most famous from France being Sancerre. This region was deemed to be the best producer of Sauvignon in the world ... that is until New Zealand stepped in with the likes of Cloudy Bay and reinvented the grape. This is why New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc has become and will be for a long time yet one of the most popular wines and for good reasons too. They are fruit driven and very moreish, like the much more boisterous cousin of the restrained and subtle Sancerre, which tends to be sedate and full of minerality,  a wine to really think about. So in summary it is immediately pleasing vs. complexity.

So, now on to the Rabbit Island and where it fits in between Old and New World, or restraint and power. Well the Rabbit Island fits happily between the two. It has the fruit driven qualities that have made New Zealand famous, but with elements of complexity that give away the gravelly soils of the Nelson region (not dissimilar from Sancerre), this is illustrated by some minerality and herbaceous qualities lurking in the background.

Colour - Pale Straw/Gold

Nose - Lime and Gooseberry, hint of passion fruit and nettle

Palate - Medium bodied with a refreshing lime quality and a passion-fruit filled finish, with a hint of minerality. Delicious.

What impressed me most about this wine is the length of finish, I was still tasting it almost a minute later and this is all for only 9.99 at the minute in The Mill Wine Cellar http://www.facebook.com/THE.MILL.WINE.CELLAR

Definitely worth a try at this price. Try it on its own or if adventurous with a slightly spicy dish.