Wines for the Festive Season

Paul Howard looks at wines for the festive period…

What does a vision of Christmas mean to you? Is it the smell of the tree, the glitter of the lights and the rustle of wrapping paper? A time for friends, family, old and young – new toys to play with, old stories retold again and again. Maybe it’s the aroma of the turkey in the oven, a time for bling and parties, with good wine, good spirits and hearty cheer. I’m dreaming of Christmas. The presents. The arrival of family and friends. The food and wine. The specialness of it all.

But this vision of the festive season can be fraught too. What to buy? Whose turn is it to have Aunt Mabel? What about the excess and the expense? Is the turkey burnt and have the sprouts gone to mush. And there’s still nothing on the telly. What to do with leftovers and hangovers?

While I can’t advise you about how to cope with any of those dilemmas I can suggest some delicious wines to enjoy throughout the entire festive period without wear and tear on the nerves. And never forget that a well-chosen bottle of wine always makes a much appreciated gift.

Think first about apéritifs. One word should be at the top of your shopping list – Sherry. Let’s get this straight, Sherry is not just for old codgers, so go to the back of your cupboard and throw away the half empty bottle of Aunt Mabel’s dank and sickly sweet cream sherry left over from last year. Sherry is cool – just ask the Spanish – and comes in a wide range of styles, so try a Fino or the more delicate Manzanilla. Both are bone dry, pale white wines made by a fascinating process that allows yeast to grow on top of the wine in the barrel during maturation. It’s this yeast (called flor) that imparts the moreish tangy and briny taste and makes it so good when served well-chilled, perhaps with a bowl of olives or with nibbles and cheese. They can be conveniently bought in half bottles and once opened will keep for a week in the fridge.

For celebrations there is nothing better than a bottle of Champagne, especially if you plan to be alone with your special one. It’s the ultimate romantic indulgence. You could spend a small fortune on vintage wines or luxury prestige cuvées, but these are best left to mature further over many years. Instead, my choice would be to look for a top-notch non-vintage Champagne from a famous house to grace your table. The run-up to the festive season is the time to buy, with plenty of attractive discounts available. And if you want to stock up, wait until the January sales!

Christmas dinner meanwhile is usually the largest and most elaborate meal of the year. Regardless of the meat chosen for the centrepiece, (duck, goose, chicken, beef, pork, lamb or game are all viable alternatives to turkey), this is a meal that’s a minefield for wine matching. Just think of all the various ingredients; cranberry sauce, chestnut stuffing, horseradish, mustard, bread sauce, sausage meat, bacon, chipolatas and various vegetables including essential Brussels Sprouts. These myriad flavours combine to challenge any wine. In order to cope you need wine companions with power and vivid flavours.

White wines need to be full-bodied, fruity and voluptuous. In this category, the role is played to perfection by new world Chardonnay, especially as there is no other grape that has quite the affinity for a lick of judiciously introduced oak. The best producers from California, South Africa and Australia manage to integrate oak and wine perfectly, giving the wine additional backbone and complexity while preserving balance and elegance – no mean feat. Avoid those cheap and unpleasant versions that rely on the addition of oak essence or chippings for their oak flavour rather than use real barrels.

For a red wine, look for power, bold fruit and soft smooth tannins to cope with that riot of food flavours. For me, big red Zinfandel from California hits the spot every time, closely followed by the indigenous reds from Italy’s hot south – Primitivo (which is Zinfandel), Nero d’Avola and Negroamaro. Australian Shiraz, especially the big bruisers from the Barossa, follows closely behind.

If you still want to show off a prized pedigree bottle of red wine, for example from Bordeaux or Burgundy, then consider serving your roast simply dressed, just with herbs and a few vegetables – that will allow the more subtle and complex potential of the wine to be fully appreciated.

Inevitably, there are the leftovers. A wine that seemed great with Christmas dinner often fails to deliver with cold cuts the next day. With the exception of rare beef with Burgundy and Bordeaux, tannic reds are best avoided. I’ve found lighter and fruity reds such as Beaujolais and Dolcetto work well, while for goose, nothing beats an off-dry German Riesling. Sauvignon Blanc remains my weapon of choice against bubble and squeak!

Finally, it’s time to pass the Port. Here’s a stereotype: Port is red, alcoholic, drunk after meals, good with Stilton cheese or classic Christmas pud. It’s enjoyed mostly by ancient men with gout, smoking stogies in leather-backed armchairs, hidden inside a room from which women are barred. And then there’s all that decanting palaver. All quite enough to turn you into Rowley Birkin QC. Here’s another stereotype: Port is either cheap ‘n’ rough Ruby, or else the good Vintage stuff is hugely expensive and needs years of cellaring. Thankfully, there is a great alternative – Tawny Port. This is a versatile drink with youth appeal that needs no decanting. It’s gender-inclusive, sold in chic bottles at nice prices and brilliant with nuts, cheeses, puddings, chocolate, dates and coffee, or just on its own. A perfect after-dinner drink, Tawny is also good as a long drink when topped up with ice and lemonade!

So if you follow some of these ideas this Christmas you’ll encounter some great wines guaranteed to add a little pizzazz to your seasonal enjoyment. As for me, relaxing at home in a state of well-fed contentment in front of a blazing fire is the festive experience I crave the most.

Have a cool Yule.

Paul Howard is publisher of Wine Alchemy (www.winealchemy.com).



Spiced Hot Chocolate

This is a magical recipe for a rich, silky, creamy, smooth, luxurious and enchanting hot chocolate treat! The combination of spices and raw cacao create a truly heartwarming drink that is a staple drink during the cold winter months.

Ingredients:

60g of arriba nacional or other high-grade, sustainably sourced raw cacao paste (100% cacao with no sweetener); 3 tbsp raw almond butter; 1 tbsp coconut butter; 3 tbsp maple syrup; 1 tbsp raw honey or other sweetener; 1-2 tbsp of carob/lúcuma powder; seeds from 4-5 cardamom pods
¼ tsp cinnamon; 1 tsp of chaga or other medicinal mushroom extract (we like to wild things up a little!); seeds from 1/2 a vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla essence; pinch of unprocessed sea salt; 600-1000ml of water (up to you how rich you’d like to go!)

Serves 2

Method:

1. Make almond milk by blending almond butter with just enough water to cover the blades of your blender till you get a smooth cream. Add the rest of the water, pinch of salt, cardamom, vanilla, cinnamon and 1 tbsp of sweetener. Blend again.

2. Divide the milk in half. Pour one half of the milk in a pot with cacao paste, coconut oil, 3 tbsp of sweetener (maple syrup) over low heat. Stir slowly.

3. When the cacao paste starts to melt (approx 65°C), pour the contents of the pot into a high-speed blender, add 1-2 tbsp of carob/lúcuma, chaga extract and blend till you get a rich and smooth chocolatey drink.

4. Slowly heat the remaining almond milk to approx 65°C while stirring.

5. Serve by filling half a glass or cup with the rich chocolate almond milk. Then slowly pour your warmed ‘white’ almond milk on top, leaving froth last.

From Wild Food Cafe www.wildfoodcafe.com



Sitting Disease

In this article, Naomi Dinneen, a Chartered Physiotherapist at Physio1to1 in Godalming discusses the risks of sitting, pain at the desk and how to sit well.

Firstly and most importantly, should you be sitting at all? 
Global studies show, on average, we sit for 7.7 hours a day at work, during our daily commute and at home. Apart from the plethora of musculoskeletal issues that arise from poor positioning, research suggests that sitting for extended periods slows your blood flow and metabolism. This leads to a higher risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, obesity and early death.

Unfortunately, counterbalancing sitting time with exercise is not sufficient. So if you’re a gym-goer or you cycle to work, well done and keep it up, but unfortunately this doesn’t make up for the 6-7 hours (or more) that you sit per day.

From a musculoskeletal point of view, sitting is a perfect storm. Hunching can create an extra 60lbs of force through the spine, leading to degeneration and disc problems. Whilst in the upper limb, rounded shoulder posture creates internal rotation at the shoulders linked with impingement symptoms and dysfunction of the rotator cuff (the muscles that stabilise the shoulder joint). At the mid spine, diaphragm function is compromised resulting in poor breathing patterns, decreased VO2 max (maximal rate of oxygen consumption) and increased stress breathing patterns which can lead to poor sleep. At the hip, the lengthened posterior structures can lead to what is kindly termed as ‘dormant butt syndrome’ or a weakening and lengthening of the gluteal muscles which is known to contribute to hip, knee and foot pain.

So fidgeting is good medicine, but how can we move more and meet our targets in a busy work day?

Current guidelines suggest we should not sit for longer than 20 minutes, however the amount of movement required at each 20 minute break hasn’t yet been determined. Try standing up for 10 seconds, stretching your arms to the ceiling, marching on the spot and turning your head from side to side whilst deciding on the next sentence you will write. Then sit down and write it… simple.

Try taking a walking meeting. OK, it’s not particularly viable in a big group or the drench of a Surrey or West Sussex downpour but alongside its physical benefits, meeting side by side tends to cut through hierarchy and sets people at ease. Creativity is also increased when you get ‘out of the box’, as your brain is more relaxed and susceptible to certain chemicals.

It’s only more recently that we started to meet sitting down, Philosophers and poets like Kant and Wordsworth triumphed the link between walking and deliberation. Just have the courtesy to notify your colleague in advance so they can bring an umbrella!

Consider a sit to stand desk, desk raiser or wall desk to create an environment in which you can easily stand to work. A study by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention found these devices are effective in reducing sitting time, upper back and neck pain and improving mood states.

Standing tones muscles, improves posture, and increases blood flow and metabolism.

However it should be noted that just like sitting, standing for too long can lead to poor posture and fatigue. So the key here is to be able to move easily and frequently between the two different positions throughout the day.

Try using an app like ‘sitstandCOACH’ on your phone or download a programme like ‘eyesrelax’ to your computer to remind you to stand frequently. More simply, place your phone on the other side of the room with a 20 minute recurring alarm or only use small cups to collect water, forcing you to visit the water machine more frequently.

Set your ‘fit bit’ or other fitness device to record your hourly steps, not the daily total, to ensure you are moving regularly as well as burning calories.

If you don’t need to type whilst on the phone, stand up and move around. Ideally you should use a headset or headphones to prevent the urge to squeeze the phone between your ear and shoulder.

So how should we sit when we have to?

Here’s a lowdown of the most extreme postures I see and how to prevent them. Remember, none of these postures are wrong for a short period of time, only if they are sustained over longer periods.

pic-1

1) The Slumper

Classically seen during laptop use.

To help correct, place the screen on a raised platform like a pile of books or even a formal laptop stand on a desk. The top third of your screen should be level with your eyes. To test if you are at the right distance from the screen, gently reach out in front of you, your screen should be at your fingertips. Take note though that you must be in good posture with your bottom at the back of your seat to do this test.

pic-22) The T-Rex

Most frequently caused by incorrect desk height.

If you can’t lower the desk, bring your chair up to have your elbows level with your hands and allow your wrists to maintain neutral. If your feet now don’t touch the ground you need to place a foot rest under them to keep your legs and therefore spine supported.

pic-33) Over-corrected

When we finally realise we have been slumping for the last hour this is the posture we all often adopt. Unfortunately, this can be just as hurtful as ‘the slumper’, with an increase in forces on the facet joints at the back of the spine. However to find the right posture, overcorrection is a helpful position. Bring yourself as upright as you can, then relax by 10%-20% and you should be just about right. The only areas you should feel working to hold you here are your tummy and the area between your shoulder blades. Your low back and neck muscles should feel comfortable and relaxed.

Perfect office desk setup is complicated and is dependant on your body shape, current injuries and work demands. There are some general rules you can follow but if you’re still getting pain at the desk it’s worth investing in a formal desk assessment carried out by a physiotherapist. This involves body measurement and task analysis to create a bespoke desk setup for your demands.

Naomi Dinneen is a Chartered Physiotherapist with a Workstation Ergonomics qualification from the ACPOHE (Physios for work and Health). Call Physio1to1 on 01483 424470 for more information.



The Mini

The Mini was first launched in 1959 and has become a motoring icon. Andy Goundry charts its development.

The original Mini, launched way back in 1959, took the world by storm, being taken to people’s hearts in a way unique in motoring history. It found favour with every age group, became a motor sport legend, and even found itself starring in the 1970’s film, the ‘Italian Job’, considered even today by many motoring aficionados to be the very best film, ever. Indeed, its very name soon became a byword for anything chic, diminutive and stylish – just think ‘miniskirt’.

However, after a long and successful 42-year production run of over 5½ million cars, by 2000 Mini sales were declining, and a replacement was inevitable.

By then owned by BMW, this gave the car’s manufacturer a challenge. Should they break from tradition, or seek to capitalise on the world’s love of the little car by introducing an updated version? In the event, they combined the best elements of both options, creating in the new MINI a car which was still recognisably a Mini, continuing many of the styling features of the original, but now underpinned by thoroughly modern engineering and quality measures. Some of these, in truth, were long overdue. Not even its best friend could have described the original car’s comfort levels as class-leading, but the new version changed all that. Although slightly bigger than the original 1959 version, the new MINI introduced new standards of driver and passenger luxury accompanied, increasingly importantly, by much improved safety thanks to measures such as the immeasurably stronger bodywork.

The first new MINIs rolled off the production line at BMW’s Plant Oxford on 26th April 2001, and quickly became a sales hit, even making an appearance in a remake of the ‘Italian Job’ film, albeit this time sadly playing second fiddle to the human stars. In its first year of production the new MINI sold nearly 40,000 cars worldwide, ten times the annual sales of its predecessor, confirming that BMW had certainly found the recipe for success with the new MINI. Indeed, in 2015, almost 340,000 new MINIs took to the roads, far more than the best-ever sales recorded for the original car, which never achieved more than 100,000 sales annually.

An all-new second generation MINI was introduced in 2006, incorporating a number of engineering improvements, notably new and more efficient engines including for the first time, diesel options. Over time, the range has continued to expand, the original 3-door saloon, Clubman estate and Convertible being followed by the Countryman, an altogether bigger model, but still recognisably a MINI, the 2-seater Coupé and Roadster as well as the unusual Paceman and for the first time a 5-door saloon, showing just how far the MINI brand has progressed since those early days, from the traditional 3-door model to the wide range of attractive models available today. At the top of the range, the John Cooper Works MINI provides enthusiasts with a focused but practical performance car with a motor sport pedigree, being very similar to the cars which compete in the MINI Challenge race series.

The latest generation MINI arrived in 2014, bringing with it a range of new and highly efficient petrol and diesel engines. Initially, the 3-door saloon was the first model to be launched, with each model in the range being updated in turn. The latest models to be launched are the John Cooper Works Convertible and, for the first time, a Clubman fitted with four-wheel drive – the Clubman All4. Interestingly, the John Cooper Works models, JCW’s as they are known by enthusiasts, now form an amazing 8% of all MINI sales, a testament to the all-round abilities and practicality of this little pocket rocket.

The latest Clubman is a great example of the MINI brand expansion. Gone are the days of a cramped back seat. The Clubman now has four large, wide-opening doors, with plenty of room inside for four burly passengers and their luggage, comparing favourably for space with say a Volkswagen Golf, not traditionally considered in the same size range as a MINI. The increase in size and usable space comes without losing the traditional MINI benefits of sharp, go-kart-like handling and sheer fun to drive, and the All4 package adds even further to the limpet-like cornering abilities of the car. To further emphasise the Clubman’s move upmarket, all versions are equipped as standard with such goodies as satellite navigation, whilst the options list includes all the features one would expect from a premium brand, such as active cruise control and automatic tailgate opening.

For many years, MINI production has taken place at their Oxford factory, and that continues today. Plant Oxford has seen massive investment over the years, and is in every sense a state of the art car manufacturing centre. Just to give you a flavour of this, the Body Shop, where the body shells are welded together from a number of sheet metal pressings, is home to an incredible 1,200 robots, each carrying out its allotted task of positioning components, clamping, measuring, welding or bonding with unerring precision. The Assembly Building continues this impressive level of automation, with for example the vast numbers of components which have been shipped in from over 300 suppliers being carried to their allotted place in the building using a fleet of robotic transporters. All highly impressive stuff: Plant Oxford is vast, and almost like a self-contained city. Indeed, it has its own fire, ambulance and security services, not to mention its own railway, on to which many of the 1,000 cars made every day are loaded to start their onward journey to every part of the globe.

MINI offer a 2½ hour tour of the plant at very reasonable cost, and this makes a fascinating day out for both petrol-heads and non- petrol-heads alike, although for safety reasons no youngsters under 14 are allowed, unfortunately. The guides are generally long-serving MINI people, and are full of interesting information and anecdotes. Did you know for example that Plant Oxford carries out development testing for Rolls Royce, who are, of course part of the same BMW empire?

Or that since the start of MINI production in 2001, the Plant has produced over 3 million cars which have been exported to over 110 countries. See www.mini-production-triangle.com/facts-figures/plant-tour.aspx for more details

So, if you have not considered a MINI as your next car, maybe thinking it is too small for you, why not visit your local dealer and see the range for yourself – you might be very pleasantly surprised.

Andy Goundry has had a close involvement with Minis ever since starting his career in the motor industry as a Student Apprentice at BMC Longbridge, where the original Mini was designed and built. He then spent his entire working career in vehicle design and development, and, since retirement has continued a close involvement with vehicles, writing for specialist magazines and websites, as well as producing his own motoring website www.autonews.uk.com



Weekend Walk: Dunsfold to Hascombe (5.5 miles)

The walk takes you through woods and fields with some short climbs, one quite steep. You could refresh yourself either just over half way around, at the White Horse in Hascombe, or at the end, at the Sun at Dunsfold. The walk was submitted by Guildford Rambling Club (see guildfordramblingclub.org.uk).

1. Facing the houses, go left for a few yards to turn right into a road running back between the houses and away from the main road. Walk to a junction where a yellow arrow points left. Here, go straight ahead along its graveled drive towards ‘Barns Meadows’. Pass the house on a narrow path along its right-hand side and reach Hookhouse Road. Go left along this road for about ½ mile.

2. Walk past a left turn with a signpost left then past a left turn to Church Green and then past a left turn to Dunsfold Church. Also, pass the driveway to Field Place and keep going until reaching a sign pointing left to Pear Tree Green. Follow this and walk up to take a stile at the right-hand side of Pear Tree Cottage. In the field go left, along its edge. Enter another field and then a wood. Walk through the wood to the other side and a T-junction with a wide track at a 3-way signpost. Here, turn left. Follow the wide track. It swings right and then you fork right, off of it, at another 3-way signpost. The path climbs up to emerge at Markwick Lane at the side of Markwick Farm.

3. Go straight over the road and follow a footpath climbing away at right angles to the road. At a yellow arrow pointing right go straight on. A few yards further up the track swings sharply right but you go on, following a narrow path slightly left and up into trees. Follow the path steeply up, forking right twice, until, at the top, emerging on a wider crossing track. Go right for 20 yards and then turn left along a wide but still unsigned track. Keep going for about ½ mile, following the obvious track and ignoring lefts and rights. Eventually, at a cross paths, the path ahead starts to descend.

4. At the bottom reach a T-junction with a field ahead. Turn right and walk along the edge of one field and the straight on into another field. On the far side you reach the Godalming Road, opposite the White Horse pub. Cross straight over and take Nore Lane, a track running uphill along the right-hand side of the pub. Keep going. After passing Hascombe Place Farm, the track swings right but you carry straight on along a narrow path. You parallel fields (on your left-hand side). At the top of a small rise, ignore a footpath right immediately followed by a footpath left. Instead, carry straight on.

5. The path descends through trees and swings right as it runs along the side of the hill. At a T-junction, with a tennis court on your right, go right. The path later emerges from trees to give you excellent views to your left and you pass a (modern folly) stone circle. Keep going and, just beyond it, reach a barn. Go over a stile into a small bare field and then out through a gate onto the drive of Lodge House (which is away up to the right).

6. Go left, down the drive. At a T-junction go right for 20 yards and then left over a stile into a field. Head straight out, keeping a clump of trees and scrub and reeds on your left. Go over a stile onto Godalming Road and cross straight over into another field. The path heads slightly left straight across the very large field, crosses a farm drive and reaches Dunsfold Road. Turn right and walk down about ¾ mile to the start point. The Sun pub is just beyond this.

DISTANCE: 5½ miles
OS MAPS: Explorer 134 Crawley & Horsham, Cranleigh & Billingshurst
STARTING POINT: The village car park by the “TotemPole” on the green at Dunsfold, a few yards along the road from the Sun public house.
REFRESHMENTS:
The Sun Inn, Dunsfold
www.suninndunsfold.co.uk – 01483 200242
The White Horse, Hascombe
www.whitehorsepub.net – 01483 208258

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