UK wine review website...a British view on wine

Funny piece.

I don't always agree with Neal about particular wines, but his pieces on various Bordeaux estates are fantastic with their look at the terroir and history.

I'm going to regret saying this, but the best match I've ever found for fish n' greasies, somewhat by accident, is cheapo Jacob's Creek Chardonnay.

Seeing as it sells by the truck load in the UK I'm suprised it wasn't mentioned. Maybe a bit too downmarket.

But as I say, the fish n chips brought out the oily texture of the chardonnay, and in wine and in the food it brought out a slight buttery taste, and just enough subdued fruit didn't over power lets face it, the basic taste of the fish n' chips, but just enough fruit to notice it.

I'm no chardonnay drinker usually. And by itself the Jacob's Creek Chardonnay isn't particuarly flash, but I found it to be a suprisingly good combo.

Mat wrote on Wed, 15 Mar 2006 09:14:53 +1100:

??>> Neal Martin started this website some time ago. It offers ??>> a UK slant on wine with a good dose of British understated ??>> humour. ??>>

M> I'm going to regret saying this, but the best match I've M> ever found for fish n' greasies, somewhat by accident, is M> cheapo Jacob's Creek Chardonnay.

M> Seeing as it sells by the truck load in the UK I'm suprised M> it wasn't mentioned. Maybe a bit too downmarket.

M> But as I say, the fish n chips brought out the oily texture M> of the chardonnay, and in wine and in the food it brought M> out a slight buttery taste, and just enough subdued fruit M> didn't over power lets face it, the basic taste of the fish M> n' chips, but just enough fruit to notice it.

I suspect that Neal Martin has not tried that! He does not give the impression of being very interested in non-European wines. I'll defer to your superior knowledge of fish and chips since I suspect saturated fats are involved. I guess saturated fats are still out even if the no-fat diet is now a bit dubious:-)

James Silverton.

The trick I think is probably only a *little* saturated fat. Eating fat lardy fish and chips more than say once a fortnight is probably very bad for you. Though the English have lived on a diet of fat deep-fried in lard deep fried in 5 other kinds of fat for centuries.

And I should know.

And the French, they eat a lot of fatty food, and are fine. Same with the Germans, meat stuffed in another meat with a meat casing and meat drizzling. And the Italians. And the ppls of the arctic.

So I guess its fine so long as you work it off.

I had a bit of a look around his site and he does have some non-Euro wines, including Australian one's.

But I think pretty much all of them start at around the $AU20 mark, whereas the Jacob's Creek starts at about $AU7 I think. Here anyway.

And Jacob's Creek is a bit low-brow. The Jacob's Creek vineyard sign is apparently quite popular with photo-taking drunken British backpackers.

Mat wrote in news:44174060 snipped-for-privacy@news.iprimus.com.au:

Oh, you're not going to regret it! A perfect wine for fish'n'chips. Neither are sophisticated, or have any great 'finesse', but you the grease and texture of the fish'n'chips matches the Jacob's Creek very well.

I would say that a more robust (bigger, fatter) white Burgundy might possibly go better, but I think the Jacob's Creek would be the value choice.

"SteveN" in news:Xns9787DB9E0C570steveNNhogg@216.196.109.145:

No, but they're classic comfort food, and they can be even classy (setting aside the industrial versions with cooking fat olde enough to vote).

But also, they're international, being geographically the western extreme of tempura (or tempura is their easternmost version, maybe).

Just as the high craft of "Knoedel" (the vague Austrian-Bavarian-Bohemian continuum of doughy comfort-food creations) finds westernmost expression in the British sense of "pudding" (as in steamed or baked, not the broader generic sense, roughly "dessert"). In the US by the way, for any of you who didn't know this) a specific, quivering-colloid sense of the word "pudding" became popular in mid-20th-century (custards and blancmanges and the like), though the more traditional British sense has long been used there too (e.g., "bread pudding") and is an everyday local specialty in some regions.

Cheers -- M

-- Editor's gloss: "olde" was a typo but I liked it, and left it in.

Max wrote on Wed, 15 Mar 2006 14:27:53 -0800:

fish n' greasies, somewhat by accident ... ??>>

??>> Oh, you're not going to regret it! A perfect wine for ??>> fish'n'chips. Neither are sophisticated, or have any great ??>> 'finesse' ...

MH> No, but they're classic comfort food, and they can be even MH> classy (setting aside the industrial versions with cooking MH> fat olde enough to vote).

MH> But also, they're international, being geographically the MH> western extreme of tempura (or tempura is their easternmost MH> version, maybe).

AFAIK, the Japanese have not done it yet but just you wait: Mars Bar Tempura! You never know what distance and immigration will do to originals: after all, Spam Nigiri sushi is popular in Hawaii.

That makes me wonder if you have accidentally decided what *is* a good wine match for Spam?

James Silverton.

Well, I'm having a Ridge Sonoma Station '87, as I read this NG, and it has certainly become filled with SPAM, so I guess that might be one vote...

The wine, however, is much better than the SPAM!

Excuse me, while I head off to buy some of those DVDs just advertised here - NOT!

Hunt

"James Silverton" wrote .....

Having lived most of my life either on the coast, or within shouting distance, I consider myself something of a fish 'n chip enthusiast.

Herewith a couple of (my) rules.

Only fresh, white fleshed *ocean* fish - OK I remain a little ignorant of the species of the entire world, but, in NZ/Australian parlance, that would include snapper; blue cod; orange roughy; whiting ; blue nose; John Dory etc.

Purchased wet; lightly refrigerated, but NEVER frozen; battered and deep fried while you watch.

Batter is important - either a crisp and light flour or beer batter (the latter is my preference)

Cooking oil (yes, polyunsaturated vegetable oil is just fine) changed regularly - even several time during the day in a busy establishment.

A squeeze of freshly halved lemon (best picked off one's own tree) - anyone suggesting any form of ketchup, sauce or "tartare" (you know the stuff - mayonnaise & chopped gherkins and capers) - will be thrashed to within a cm of death!!!!!

There are many cultivars of potato used for chips (French Fries) - my rule, fresh only - not partially cooked (as many short-cut fish 'n chipperies will try!) - crisp 'n golden on the outside; pure white and soft and steaming on the inside - definitely not soggy!!!!!

As to wine - I am biased (but only partially)

First choice - Champagne - that acidity cuts through the residual fats - simply superb. My best experience - wonderful fresh fish (John Dory in beer batter) with 1979 Bollinger RD - consumed on the beach from where the fishing boat had been launched a couple hours previously. (Ian & Jacquie Hoare - Did we take you out to Kaiaua on the Firth of Thames?)

Second Choice (OK - I am entitled to a little parochial bias!) - Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

If anyone wishes to indulge in the aforementioned feast, just arrive in Auckland, NZ - and leave the rest to me.

Bah, humbug!

Nothing beats beef dripping!

Lemon???!!!!!!

Natural malt vinegar! You heathen!

pk

"p.k." wrote ......

Don't be a drip! ;-)

Such a very English trait - stuffing up excellent fish 'n chips with bloody vinegar.

Vinegar destroys wine!!!!!!!!!!

Verjus

"James Silverton" in news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

I count the minutes. :-(

Those battered and deep-fried Twinkies (tm) and cookies and candy bars -- cooked in fat that is, yes, olde enough to vote -- appeared some years ago at a seaside vendor in a nearby town in these Former British Crown Colonies or FBCC.

I heard about it from a co-worker who ordered Oreo-cookie fritters and Mars-Bar fritters but couldn't induce anyone else to try them -- even his children -- so had to eat them all -- it was quite a story -- he testified to the fat's maturity, its rare oxidized flavor not without hints of marine life.

It is time for a terrible confession entailing Champagne Billecart-Salmon,

-------- The Potted Meat Food Products Corpus

A milestone in my gastronomic education. I was handed ("YOU will like this") a sheaf printed from the following Web site and subordinate links:

Initial photo of current canned products is eloquent enough (Armour Pork Brains in Milk Gravy, said to have 1200% US govt recommended daily cholesterol limit, crowds a can of Bronte Lamb Tongues) but it only gets better. The Flint River Ranch definition of "Meat by-products," the exact industry meaning and regulatory history of Mechanically Separated Poultry. Well written. One of the links (the Potted Meat Food Product Tribute Page) describes a dialog with Armour Star Products, contacted for the purpose.

Recalls H. P. Lovecraft's stories about knowledge better undiscovered. Or that 1990s British documentary show on the bagpipe, with accounts of horrified English reactions ("... It is a Thing from Hell -- a Thing That Should Not Be ...")

Bon appétit. -- Max

"Bill Davy" exclaimed ......

Have you ever tried verjus with fish & chips? I certainly haven't.

Verjus is certainly wine friendly - and fish friendly!

I just cannot see it offered as an option at your local chippy though - nor mine.

Max wrote on Thu, 16 Mar 2006 04:01:09 -0800:

MH> "James Silverton" in news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com: ??>>

??>> AFAIK, the Japanese have not done it yet but just you wait: ??>> Mars Bar Tempura!

MH> I count the minutes. :-(

MH> Those battered and deep-fried Twinkies (tm) and cookies and MH> candy bars -- cooked in fat that is, yes, olde enough to MH> vote -- appeared some years ago at a seaside vendor in a MH> nearby town in these Former British Crown Colonies or FBCC.

I sarted this thread so have permission to go OT

First, the only drink to have with fish and chips is warm milky tea. Also one must have the mandatory white doorstop rounds of white heavily buttered bread. As subtle additions, I would add the malt vinegar and tomato ketchup out of a plastic tomato.

Second, every week for four years at school I was subjected to deep fried Spam fritters with chips, this time with brown Daddies sauce, (?UK only), time for angiogram methinks!

JT

Hmmm, I would doubt that verjus goes well with most wine. Grapes don't go very well with wine either... maybe with some of the better Bandol rosés, who knows.

"John Taverner" wrote in news:QjeSf.159353$ snipped-for-privacy@fe1.news.blueyonder.co.uk:

No, no, no, no, no. Diet Coke (and I'm not joking). I have no idea why, but perhaps it seems to 1) salve my conscience, and 2) cut through the fatty mouth-coating (cf. tannin and beef).

Yes!

Mmmm, disturbing.

I use verjus as a vinegar substitute in salad dressings - my wife cannot cope with any kind in vinegar under any circumstances. I have not noticed any negative effects on wine. I must try verjus with Fish & Chips though!

--brian