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Update 14/11/08

Obituary - Robert Mondarvi

Robert Mondarvi passed away on Friday May 16th 2008 aged 94. It was Mondavi who led California wine producers out of their mass-production jug-wine mentality and into the light of quality, limited-yield wines that would ultimately be judged on par with the great vintages of Europe.

It was Mondavi who helped bring wine into the greater American consciousness the way it has been integral to life in Europe for centuries. From food and wine pairings to wine as part of a lifestyle associated with good living, Mondavi was instrumental in changing the ways Americans perceived and consumed wine

Without the life of Robert Mondavi, one could argue, the California Wine Industry would not exist in its current form. And so it is more than appropriate in light of his recent passing, that the praise being showered on the man in his wake be commensurate with his lasting impact. Perhaps no single person had such a pronounced impact on California Wine Country. With remarkable vision and diligence Mondavi steered the current irresistible force that is California Wine.

So raise a glass and salute him in their own unique way and honor one of life's true visionaries.

Award for Marriott Sprowstion

The Manor Restaurant at Marriott Sprowston Manor hotel & country club has just been awarded their second AA rosette.

This accolade was presented to the hotel and is a fantastic recognition for the hotel especially Mark Lutkin, Senior Sous Chef who has been heading the team whilst a new Executive Chef was being recruited. Mark has lead the team and produced some incredible results commented Marcus O'Leary Director of Operations, his talent, enthusiasm and dedication has been outstanding and we are all very excited and proud of this achievement.

Sprowston Manor has just completed a £5.8 million renovation including all bedrooms, banquet rooms, lobby and public areas. The two restaurants, The Manor and Zest Café Bar and Grill are open daily to all.

Watch out for the profile of the new Executive Chef at Marriott Sprowston Manor who will join the team from the Caribbean at the end of July.

Ecological awareness is coming to the captain's table with the launch of Birds Eye's first sustainable fish finger, the frozen food giant has announced

The manufacturer aims to reduce its dependence on cod - an increasingly rare and expensive species - by introducing a line of fish fingers made entirely from Alaskan pollock fillets. The fish will be sourced solely from Marine Stewardship Council-certified fisheries, which have passed stringent sustainability criteria.

The company - which controls nearly 80% of the UK fish finger market - estimates that from September 18% of their fish fingers will be sourced from MSC-certified fisheries, resulting in a 4,000-tonne reduction in its yearly cod catch, equivalent to more than 2 million fish.

Birds Eye Iglo said the move was motivated by "enlightened self-interest". They added: "The demand for fish is increasing but supply is going to be increasingly problematic. We have taught British consumers that the only good fish finger is made of cod, but it's in our interests to offer the consumer a choice. It's a bold move - the first mass-market sustainable fish programme in the world - but it's a calculated risk and we feel good about it."

According to the UN, 52% of the world's fisheries are working at capacity and 24% are over-exploited or depleted. Tom Pickerell, fisheries policy officer for the WWF, said UK cod stocks remain well below "safe" levels and welcomed Birds Eye's announcement. "It's a brilliant move and we can only say well done to Birds Eye," he said. "It's taken years for people to realise that fish stocks are renewable forever if they are managed properly, and it seems that message is finally getting through."

Presentation of Cheque to RNLI

Back in February we hosted a wine & cheese tasting evening at Brasted's Restaurant, Framingham Pigot, Norwich.

Imperial Wines and The Cheese Truckle who kindly donated all the wines and cheese sponsored the event for the evening. Both members and non-members attended the event and we had a superb turn out.

The evening consisited of an array of six tables with different wines and cheeses on each table. The wines and cheeses were picked by the respective companies to compliment each other. A thoroughly good evening was had by eveyone and we were able to collect a total of £267.03 (we charged a small entry fee) which the club elected to donate to the RNLI

The cheque was donated to the Cromer Life Boat station and we presented it to Mr Paul Watling, Station Mechanic, on 28th September 2006. Afterwards we were given a very interesting tour of the life boat. Click here to view the letter from the RNLI

As Chairman I would like to thank Imperial Wines, The Cheese Truckle and Brasteds for kindly donating their time and effort in making the evening a great success. Nigel Ragan - Chairman

The 1998 Nyetimber Classic Cuvée has won the Bottle Fermented Sparkling Wine Trophy at the 2006 International Wine and Spirit Competition. Beating competition from all around the world, including France, Australia, Spain and Italy, this confirms that England produces some of the best fizz in the world.

Produced in the village of West Chiltington in West Sussex, the wines are made from the classic Champagne mix of Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir. The chalk soil here is very similar to that found in Champagne and is ideal for the production of quality sparkling wine.

This is the second time that the Nyetimber Classic Cuvée has won this Trophy, having been awarded it in 1998 for the 1993 vintage

THE man who almost single-handedly created the Beaujolais nouveau phenomenon went on trial yesterday on charges that his company topped up prestigious vintages with cheap wines.

Georges Duboeuf, the self-styled "King of Beaujolais" who is president and director-general of the company that bears his name, is accused of "deception and attempted deception over the origin and quality of wines".

A court in the eastern town of Villefranche-sur-Saône heard that, according to the results of an investigation by the French Fraud Squad, illegal mixing of grapes at the company's Lancié site violated the strict rules which govern the production of AOC - appellation d'origine contrôlée - wines.

Francis Battut, the Villefranche-sur-Saône state prosecutor, opened a formal inquiry into the matter last August. He said barrels holding the equivalent of 300,000 bottles were found to contain a mixture of cheap, average and expensive wines. "Everything was mixed up together," he said.

At the time, Mr Duboeuf said that what occurred was an error rather than fraudulent practice. He confirmed that no bottles had been put on sale and said Mr Dory, having admitted the mistake, had resigned.

"None of the wine was put on the market and as soon as we realised the mistake, production was blocked at the site. So, there was no consequence for the consumer," he said.

Mr Duboeuf, 72, risks a two-year jail sentence and a 37,500Euro (£26,000) fine if found guilty. His firm faces a 187,500 Euro fine.

"We are pleading for charges against the company to be dismissed," his lawyer, Andre Soulier, said. "Unjust accusations have been made against my client who gave no orders and who did not put the wine on the market. This trial is not only costly for the company Vins Georges Duboeuf but also for the entire Beaujolais vineyards."

The largest Beaujolais bottler by far, Mr Duboeuf produces almost 25 million cases of wine every year

Nose Insured for £4 million!

The Lloyd's of London insurance market has insured the nose of a leading wine maker and taster for 5 million euros (3.9 million pounds), covering the Bordeaux producer against the loss of his nose and sense of smell
.
Lloyd's is famous for creating policies for giant corporations but also for insuring celebrity limbs, from Fred Astaire's legs to the hands of Rolling Stones' Keith Richards.

It said on Tuesday that Ilja Gort, the Dutch owner of Chateau de la Garde in Bordeaux, producer of Tulipe Wines, said his nose could distinguish millions of different scents and was essential to guarantee the quality of his wines.

"The nose and sense of smell of a winemaker are as important as the fingers of a chef," Jonathan Thomas, lead underwriter at Watkins Syndicate who co-insured the policy.

Lloyds worked with Allianz Nederland and British reinsurance broker Benfield to create the policy, co-insured by Watkins.

Gort's will not be the first nose insured by Lloyd's, which famously insured U.S. comedian Jimmy Durante's trademark. It also insures the taste buds of restaurateur Egon Ronay.

Blueberry Boom!

It is blue, bursting with goodness and might just be the future of British farming. The once humble blueberry is quickly becoming a cash crop as farmers gear up to meet soaring demand for the so-called 'superfood'.
Two years ago a clutch of almost breathlessly enthusiastic health studies revealed that the fruit was packed with so much goodness and vitamins that blueberries achieved almost mythic status among foodies and nutritionists. Once seen as little more than a perfunctory pie filling, the berry has become Britain's most fashionable fruit, with sales rocketing by 132 per cent since 2005.

Experts say blueberries contain antioxidants that help the circulation, keep the heart healthy and make skin look youthful. Some nutritionists also believe that dark-coloured berries help protect against cancer, heart disease and even ageing. Supermarket buyers predict that blueberries could soon rival bananas and strawberries as the nation's favourite fruit. It helps that blueberries are versatile; apart from being eaten raw, they can be served up in a dessert, baked or turned into smoothies.

John Boyd, who runs Boyd Farming in Brockenhurst, Hampshire, started growing blueberries because of the boom and in this, his first year of harvesting, expects to pick some 15 tonnes of the fruit. 'While the key blueberry countries of Spain, Holland and Belgium provide the bulk of the fruit, the UK market is beginning to grow,' Boyd said. Two years ago there were just a handful of British farmers growing blueberries on a commercial scale. Now there are 25, with more predicted as demand continues to grow. Blueberries take up to two years to establish, only reaching full harvest in year four or five. Once established, the crop can last for 10 to 20 years, making them a good investment.

Boyd's biggest headache now is how to meet soaring demand, with Polish workers - now allowed to work in Britain full-time - choosing to work in the cities. 'The key problem facing the expansion of this fruit's production is the labour,' Boyd said. 'We are having to leave fruit unpicked, because where Polish kids used to come over for the summer to work for us, this is no longer the case, and labour is becoming increasingly expensive. Next year only Bulgarians and Romanians will be given work cards, and their populations being significantly smaller then Poland's, this will become a big problem for us.'

Cornish Yarg picks up two gold awards at the Taste of the West Food Awards.

Production of Yarg, which began on Bodmin Moor, has now moved to Ponsanooth outside Truro. The dairy is the sole producer of Cornish Yarg - a nettle-coated cheese which is exported around the world. Catherine Mead from the dairy said: "We are thrilled with how things are going this year and we've been developing recipes and trying out different salting and maturing processes to widen our repertoire and enhance what we've got".

Lynher Dairies Cheese Company's original nettle-wrapped cheese and the wild garlic took gold, while the company's Cornish pepper took silver.

Brasteds win prestigious award

Brasteds have won the Eastern Daily Press Food Awards 'Restaurant of the Year 2006 ' held at the Marriott Sprowston Manor.

Nick Mills and his team have a fabulous restaurant and this confirms their continued excellence. Nick is a past chairman of the East Anglian branch of the IWFS and continues to support the club. We look forward to our AGM dinner later in the year at Brasteds.

The Food Retailer of the year was won by Castles of Diss plus they won Plough to Plate Champions. Stella Rice and Keith Tilcock were members until this year but with Stella being a local Councillor and with a growing business they have been unable to attend this year. For them to win two awards is outstanding and I recommend you visit them soon.

Finally, after our event at the end of April when we experienced wonderful food and service. Richard Hughes of the Lavender House won the award for Innovation & Employment - Richard is a local celeb as we know and works closely with schools and city college to support young chefs of the future.

Mel Benns - Deputy Chairman

The US has emerged victorious in a blind tasting last night by experts in London and California pitting US and French wine against each other. The contest recreated a tasting 30 years ago in which France was defeated after French experts decided wines from California were better that year. The result 30 years ago was seen as a blow to French national pride and shocked the country's wine industry.

Part of the point of the exercise was to see whether the 1970s Californian reds had aged as well as the great Bordeaux first growths. The tasting took place at two locations. One tasting was at Berry Bros & Rudd's London Wine Shop in St James's Street. The US tasting was held at Copia, the US centre for wine, food and the arts, in the Napa Valley, California.

Nine judges there sampled ten unlabelled glasses of decades-old wines. The combined scores from both panels gave victory to wines from California's Napa Valley. A 1971 Ridge Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon received the highest points.

"I'm very impressed," said Christian Vanneque, a French judge who was at the original tasting in 1976. "I don't know if I will be able to go back to France," he added. "After a second time, they will kill me."

On the European side, the contingent was headed by British wine writer Steven Spurrier, who organised the original tasting. "I expect the outcome to be much friendlier this time," Mr Spurrier said. "The results last time caught the judges off-guard, and I'm afraid many of them reacted rather badly."

Full Results

France also has it's fair share of expensive eateries. Dinner for one at Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athinie in Paris will set customers back about £125.

According to Forbes.Com the average cost of a meal in a London restaurants has risen 3.3 per cent in the past year, making it the second most expensive city in the world for eating out - after Tokyo - with an average meal costing £37.The cost of dining in one of the capital's top 20 restaurants, is up 7.1 per cent over the past year, with the average meal costing £81.