August 2017

Hi Everybody!

Welcome to the August newsletter. It has already been a hectic summer filled with domestic & foreign travel, filming, speaking events, and meetings about exciting new projects. Thankfully, however, I now have a blessed few days at home and can catch up on my e-mails and work on the next couple of newsletters. I hope that you enjoy the features and recipe below, and don’t forget to let me know on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook if you give this month’s recipe -- Gambas Pil Pil -- a try, or if you have other ideas of things we can include in future newsletters.

Cheers,

Simon

SIMON'S WINE SCHOOL:

Stuff You Didn't Know You Didn't Know About

Natural Wines

If you have not yet heard about Natural Wines, you soon will. They are already forming a major part of wine lists in some of the world’s major dining capitals, and are already finding their way onto interesting wine lists in more regional dining areas too.

Although modern scientific techniques have reduced errors in wine making and made the resulting wines more consistent, they have also taken the wines too far from nature, and are more a reflection of the wine maker than of the natural characteristics of the grapes themselves, or the landscapes in which they were grown. In contrast, Natural Wines are, at their most basic, wines where the process has “suffered” as little intervention from science as possible, both in terms of how the grapes have been grown and harvested, and how they are treated once they reach the winery.

Even though Natural Wine making is one of the biggest discussion points in the beverage industry right now, the process is as old as wine making itself, dating back to the first records we have of man making wine, when natural was all there was, and errors were inevitable. One of the countries that still produces most of their wines in this natural way is Georgia, one of the three countries, along with Armenia and Azerbaijan, in the area of the world known as The Caucuses. The countries of the Caucuses have been producing wine for nearly 6,000 years, and on a recent visit to the region, we were lucky enough to be able to take a visit to the Georgian wine producing area of Kakheti.

While this area now produces what they call “European style” wines, which are aged in oak barrels, the more interesting wines are produced in a style where, once pressed, the grape juice, skins and pips sit for four or five days, before being placed in a Qveri, an egg-shaped clay container lined with beeswax similar to the picture below. Once in the Qveri, the wine is allowed to ferment for six months and the debris from the pressing settles to the bottom of the container. The wine is then removed and stabilized before being bottled.

The resulting wines are developing a reputation around the world as they begin to appear on the wines lists of some major restaurants. However, for those used to more traditional wines, one has to offer up a word of caution when trying both these Qveri style wines and those from other natural wine makers. The wines are definitely interesting, both to look at and to sample; however, the error allowing process means that many of them are funky as James Brown on speed and can often be hugely flawed. That presents an issue both for the consumer, who may commit to a bottle of something they detest, and to the restaurateurs, who may have to take the hit on returned bottles. 

Upcoming Events

• August 19-20, 2017 - Pacific Wine and Food Classic, Host, Newport Beach, CA

SPECIAL OFFER for the Pacific Wine & Food Classic:

Enter "Simon" in the Promo Code box for a $50 discount off any ticket.

The code is case sensitive.

• September 24, 2017 - Golden Foodies Award, Host, Newport Beach, CA
• October 27-28, 2017 - Smithsonian Food History Weekend, Panelist, Washington, DC

THE BOOK ZONE

YOUR "FIRST LOOK" RECIPE:

Gambas Pil Pil (Sizzling Spicy Shrimp)

This dish of “Gambas Pil Pil” is perhaps one of my wife’s favorite ways to eat shrimp. It has its origins in Southern Spain, where fat, juicy prawns were cooked in olive oil with lots of garlic and the hot peppers brought in by traders from North Africa. It is usually brought to the table sizzling and topped with lots and lots of parsley, and is a great dish to share. It is also a perfect dish to accompany with the Manzanilla Sherry I was drinking last week.

(Serves 4)

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Ingredients

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• 20 x 15-20 Count Shrimp (shelled with tail on)
• 6 Cloves of Garlic (peeled and sliced thinly)
• 1 ½ Teaspoons Paprika
• 1Teaspoons Salt (more to taste)
• 1 Teaspooon Ground White Pepper (more or less to taste)
• 1 Tablespoon Dried Red Pepper Flakes (You can reduce this if you want it less fiery)
• 1 Cup Fresh Parsley (finely Chopped)
• ½ Cup Olive Oil (You don’t need Extra Virgin, just a decent olive oil)
• ½ Lemon

Instructions

1. This is best cooked in a cast iron skillet or a wok.
2. Add the oil to the pan, and heat on a gentle heat until a piece of garlic sizzles when you drop it in.
3. Add the red pepper flakes and the garlic. Cook for two minutes, being careful to make sure the garlic does not burn.
4. Once the garlic is golden brown, add the salt and the paprika. Cook for a further minute.
5. Add the shrimp, toss in the oil and spice mixture, and cover the pan.
6. Turn up the heat to medium and cook until the shrimp begin to turn pink.
7. Add the chopped parsley, and squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the dish.
8. Serve immediately with LOTS of bread to mop up the hot juices.

And, Last But Not Least... Please Check Out: