Slow Food London

Slow Food London May Market at Southbank

Market dates: Friday 2 - Monday 5 May

Times: 11am - 8pm

• New at the Spring Market is a major presence for The Natural Kitchen http://www.thenaturalkitchen.com/ , winner of the “Best New Shop” category in the Natural and Organic Awards 2008.  It will now be recreating ‘the romance and discovery of the traditional market place’ at Southbank Centre Square. Three stands will furnish the best of everything organic, artisan, wild, ethical, seasonal…
• In high hopes of Bank Holiday sun, we welcome too Minghella Ice Cream from the Isle of Wight  http://www.minghella.co.uk
• And just in case it clouds over for a while, you can sip a cup of organic, fairly traded Monmouth coffee or hot chocolate direct from the Piaggio of Bean & Gone
• Enjoy with a chunk of fudge (organic and fairly traded ingredients to complement the coffee) from south London company Cookies & Cream
• Or a totally enticing square of Eat Natural’s http://www.eatnatural.co.uk/ ethically-sourced cereal bars
• If biodynamic tea is more your drink, stop by at Sarah Moore’s stand and sip alongside a slice of  Venezuelan chocolate cake;; or pecan nut cake with chestnut & quinoa flour or agave syrup & date flapjacks.  Impeccably made savoury soups and muffins, too.
• You’ll find hot, griddled organic Welsh cakes at Mootown, who do indeed justify their name by specialising  in artisan cheeses, with an emphasis on the Welsh (the cakes are made above the ripening rooms of Caws Cenarth)   The Carmarthen ham won’t disappoint either.
• More Welsh wizardry from Patchwork Pâtés http://www.patchwork-pate.co.uk/store/Home.aspx  airing their Spring range;
• But game lovers can still indulge their passion at the stand of Mark Gilchrist of Game for Everything http://www.gameforeverything.com/  where you will find game pies, rabbit pasta and more
• Adventurous palates might sample hot dishes from  Café Spice Namasté http://www.cafespice.co.uk/; Cyrus Todiwala MBE sources ethically and locally to complement his renowned Indian cuisine;
• Or travel to the Levant via Arabica Food and Spice http://www.arabicafoodandspice.com
• To Japan via Clearspring  http://www.clearspring.co.uk/
• Or try Rice & Peas with Jerk Chicken or Curried Lamb, or Chickpeas and Sweet Potato Dhal from Clara’s Caribbean Kitchen http://wwwclarascc.co.uk and take home a range of enticing seasonings, chutneys, jellies and jolof.
• Cool your plate with draught beers from Utobeer  http://www.utobeer.co.uk/ and Beer2Love; or if English Cask Ale is not to your liking, browse a range of boutique bottled beers
• Head over to the Slow Food Presidium stand to sample Butford Organic’s limited-supply sparkling Aurora perry and to buy a few bottles of Tom Oliver’s finest http://www.theolivers.org.uk/page4.html
• And to Green & Blue for small producer, low-yield wines from around the world http://www.greenandbluewines.com/wine/
• Catch a taste of Mersea island with Colchester Oysters http://www.richardhawardsoysters.co.uk/ , beer  http://www.merseawine.com/brewery.htm and wines   http://www.merseawine.com/
• Or go for vegetarian oysters from Mushroom Table http://uktv.co.uk/food/localfoodhero/outlet/oid/1849, and try your hand at growing them at home
• Admire the bees (yes, live and working) from Orchid Apiaries http://www.tastesofanglia.com/regioninfo/member_details.asp?id=645
• And buy artisan, organic breads to make the most of your Suffolk honey, from south London’s Born and Bread bakery 
• Presidium Montgomery Cheddar http://www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk/CHEESES/montys.html and Stitchelton Blue Cheese from Neal’s Yard Dairy are purveyed by Farmstead, alongside their speciality: hand-made, small production French cheeses, directly sourced and matured in custom-built rooms.
• We are delighted to help launch another Fromagerie-inspired enterprise: Helen Smith and Attilio Bergamaschi’s La LodiGrana http://www.caseificiozucchelli-lo205.it , a family-produced Grana cheese made from the raw milk of Alpine cows grazing on local clover
• And to welcome Emmett’s renowned Suffolk hams http://www.emmettsham.co.uk/ 
• A complementary condiment, perhaps, from Norfolk & Suffolk Speciality Foods http://www.tastesofanglia.com/regioninfo/member_details.asp?id=684 with their ‘rich and complex relishes’, chutneys and mustards
• Single estate olive oils from a little further afield are supplied by Casa de l’Oli http://www.casadeloli.com/ from the groves of their family farm in rural Catalonia;
• And a journey to the home of Slow Food is promised via the Piemontese cheeses and salume from Borough Market’s Gastronomica http://uktv.co.uk/food/localfoodhero/outlet/oid/7284
• Stop by the Slow Food stands, of course, to buy specially imported Slow Food Presidium spices including vanilla, cardamom and saffron; Huehuetenango coffee  http://www.slowfoodfoundation.com/eng/presidi/lista.lasso   
• And ethical, quirky and colourful kitchenware, wineware, coffee-sack bags and snail-obsessed aprons sourced by Slow Food International  www.slowfood.com   
• Complement with natural table decorations by Steiner-inspired Hanne Lindberg 
• Call in at  the BBC Good Food stand for a foretaste of Slow Food’s presence in November’s London Show
• And finish, perhaps, at Canteen, http://www.canteen.co.uk/ Good Food Guide /LONDON RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR 2007 and Observer Food Monthly /BEST UK RESTAURANT 2007, for trencherman baps of spit roast pork as well as other deliciously fortifying foods.

A tasting of wines made from grape varieties H-L

We had to cheat a bit and brought in a couple of alphabetical outliers.
Over the two evenings, the three wines in red type were the favourites and will go forward to a tasting dinner later on to see how they fare when paired with food.

WHITE WINES

Fontanara
(Obviously it should begin with an H which has evidently been dropped!) A Guisenheim cross to produce yet another Riesling substitute – as yet little encountered in the winedrinking world.
Pleasantly mineral with distinctive Riesling-like character.
Fontanara:  Rossdeutscher Franken 2004 Kabinett, Coodens Cellars  £8.99

Jacquère
The primary white-wine grape of eastern France's Savoie region. Jacquère is the main variety used in the Vin de Savoie wines. These wines are light, dry and somewhat acidic, with hints of citrus and smoke. Jacquère is also known as Buisserate and Cugnette.
An interesting alternative for lovers of Chablis perhaps – dry, mineral tinged.
Jacquère:  Ch. Gentilhommière, Les Abymes 2005, Nicolas  £8.50

Len de Lel [umpteen spelling variations] (with Mauzac)
Unknown outside of South West France. Light, delicate wines with crisp acidity.
The appley Mauzac character quickly dominates if the wine is served under-cooled.
Len de Lel:  Ch Clément Termes Gaillac Blanc Sec 2006 Quartier de Marcher  £8.50

Hondarrabi
Only 2% gets out of the Basque region of northern Spain. “Hondarrabi Zuri is the white grape variety used for making the attractive white wine called Txakoli in the Alava, Bizkaia and Getaria regions of northern Spain.” Ours is blended with Hondarrabi Beltza.
Nervy wine galvanised with startling acidity; think rich dishes where the acidity will cut the fat.
Hondarrabi:  Txomin Etxaniz Getaria 2007  Coodens Cellars, £11.50
– also now discovered at Martinez, Ilkley... and at Les Caves de Pyrene.

Encruzado
Another dropped H?
“A Portuguese white-grape variety heavily planted in the Dão doc. Better examples of Encruzado based wines have good acidity and a medium to full body and can exhibit hints of melon.”
“A slightly obscure white wine grape from the Dão region of northern Portugal. Though not a productive varietal the wines can be quite fragrant with flavors and aromas of apricots, nectarines and golden raisins. Poor versions can be plagued by low acidity, but most wines have acceptable balance.”
We suspect that our example bore the slightly resinous streaks resulting from ageing in Portuguese oak.
Encruzado:  Quintas dos Rogues 2006, Coodens  £10.99

RED WINES

Kotsifali (with Mandilaria)
Kotsifali is the underdog of Greek red cultivars. Outside of Crete it doesn't seem to garner much attention or respect. This mirrors a tendency in Greece to overlook Crete in favor of regions that have experienced more rapid and exciting viticultural growth. It may reflect, too, a market-driven shift in taste towards the "cosmopolitan" varieties associated with France and the New World. Indeed Kotsifali belongs to a more Mediterranean and perhaps more eclectic, class of grapes. Kotsifali, however, may well be Crete's secret weapon. In 1974, Phylloxera began a gradual incursion on the island's vineyards. by the end of the 1980s, during precisely the era in which momentum was building towards a modern wine industry, many growers (who had at least had time to graft vines to new rootstalk) found themselves tending brand new vines. The effect on Kotsifali wine in the Peza and Arhanes districts was severe. While Kotsifali had been promptly replanted, its best features are displayed mainly in fruit from older vines. For producers without access to old-vine grapes, quality took a huge dip. Yield management has been another factor contributing to the low status of the variety. Growers in Crete, often locked into cooperative economies, have been slow to explore the potential of low-yield farming. Those who have applied modern vineyard strategies have been rewarded with superior wines.

Appellations in Peza and Arhanes stipulate that Kotsifali be blended with some Mandilaria. Proportions of between 80/20 to 60/40 are common. For Kotsifali, Mandilaria is a particularly fortunate améliorateur. Miles Lambert-Gocs writes extensively on the subject in his 1990 book, The Wines of Greece.
Greek wine professionals tend to liken Kotsifali wine to Bordeaux, which is not to draw a comparison of the variety with Cabernet Sauvignon in any strict sense. Rather they have the make-up in in alcohol, acidity and extract by which Kotsifali can benefit by from years of maturation in bottle... [At] the end of that time the texture and the overall feel of the best Kotsifali wines may be reminiscent of Nebbiolo and Brunello. In specifics of bouquet, however, they are quite unique.

In speaking of the Kotsifali in connection with Bordeaux, it also ought to be emphasized that the variety is not without tendencies that beg correction... [In] addition to augmenting tannin content, lowering acidity, and tempering alcoholic degree in Kotsifali–all to the real advantage of the wine–the Mandilaria also deepens color and makes it more stable...
Lamberts-Gocs' assessment of the advantages of bottle-aging Kotsifali/Mandilaria is not overstated. The 1988 Arhanes (Arhanes Cooperative)–full of sediment and a magnificent contrast of plum and orange hues–was especially soft and refined in 1996 (although it was produced from pre-Phylloxera grapes).

The fortune of Kotsifali is overdue for change. Its wines (though not yet its status) are on the rise. The two regional Cooperatives (Arhanes and Peza) produce appellation reds of increasing quality. Two fairly large producers, Miliarakis and Creta-Olympias, both of whom have met with success creating and meeting demand among tourists and Germans, have augmented their portfolios to include conscientious, upscale versions. Lyrarakis, who produces three Kotsifali wines, the first a Peza Appellation with Mandilaria, the second a Kotsifali/Syrah blend and third a blend with Mandilaria and Carignane. reveals the true potential of the grape in both modern and traditional styles
Mandilaria: The most widely planted red variety in the Aegean, Mandilaria leans towards the tannic (mildly astringent, unless aged) and is generally – but not always – low in alcohol. On most of the islands where it is grown, including Crete, Mandilaria has a tendency to produce wines of insufficient alcohol level to justify mono-varietal vinification.

In conformance with requirements for Peza and Archanes district Appelations on Crete, 20%-40% Mandilaria is blended with Kotsifali in order to create red wines that benefit greatly from ageing. The addition of Mandilaria reinforces tannin structure, moderates Kotsifali's considerably higher alcohol levels and reddens, somewhat, Kotsifali's characteristic orange hue.
A long write up for a wine that generally impressed as value for money. Try instead of a young claret, perhaps.
Kotsifali: Mediterra Mirambelo 2005  Oddbins  £5.99

Lacrima di Morro
The fascinating name of this wine is derived from the variety of the same name, the Lacrima, a native of the district. It is of extremely ancient origin and is still cultivated only in the commune of Morro d'Alba in the province of Ancona and the territories of neighboring communities. The great diversity of varieties still to be found in the center and south of Italy makes it extremely difficult to trace the pedigree of this breed, which is descended from a family of "vitis vinifera" that is ancient. That descent is so complex that the exact origins of Lacrima may never be established.
Why the variety and the wine obtained from it have the name Lacrima (tear) is not clear. The denomination may be derived from some legend or simply from the nearly oval shape of the grape or the pyramidal form of the cluster, both resembling tear drops. The wine is almost a varietal, for all "correction" is limited to the addition of 15 per cent of Montepulciano and/or Verdicchio grapes.
The use of the "governo Toscano" is recommended in making the wine. The method involves the inducement of a second fermentation of the wine, following racking, through the addition of a certain quantity of must pressed from selected and partly dried grapes. The addition must be made no later than December 31 of the year of the harvest. In keeping with ancient local tradition, Lacrima di Morro d'Alba is still produced in sweetish and sweet versions.

An extraordinary wine with a nose of Turkish Delight, but a dry palate, exhibiting cherryish, rose-scented fruit. Benefited in the second tasting from being sampled before the Kotsifali. Would take being lightly chilled in summer time perhaps.
Lacrima di Morro:  Marotti Campi Rùbico L di M d’Alba 2006  Oddbins  £8.29

Kekfrankos (in its cross-border guise as Blaufrankisch)
One of the Hungarian names for the Blaufränkisch, although Gamé is used as well. Kékfrankos can produce wines with smooth tannins and a very deep and rich extraction. Spicy flavors and aromas of blueberries, anise and black pepper are common. The best examples of Kékfrankos (or Kákfrankos as it is also known) come from the southern Hungarian areas of Villány and Szekszárd.
Gernot Heinrich has 30 hectares of vineyards in the Neusiedlersee area, Austria’s easternmost point, on the border with Hungary. The climate is continental with hot summers which means that it is the most important place in Austria for red wines.  Unlike some producers in this part of the world, Gernot is very devoted to native varieties.

This variety is thought by many to be similar to Gamay from Beaujolais - indeed, the Bulgarians still call it Gamé. There are similarities in the light, zippy style of the wine. Blaufrankisch however is gutsier and spicy than Gamay ever really gets, with fruit that is sweeter and more lustrous balancing the rustic spice.

Our version would never be mistaken for Gamay; it was altogether more hefty and spicy. Hungarian examples do tend to be lighter.
Kekfrankos: Heinrich Blaufrankisch Burgenland 2004, Green & Blue  £12.75

Lagrein
A red-wine grape grown mainly in Italy's Trentino-Alto Adige region. Lagrein is vinified into deep, dark reds (known as Lagrein Dunkel or Lagrein Scuro) and rosés (called Lagrein Kretzer or Lagrein Rosato). The rosés are considered to be some of Italy's best; the reds can have wonderful chocolatey nuances and rich fruit flavors. A small amount of Lagrein is used to bolster the Schiava grape in the DOC wines of Santa Maddalena. This variety is also known as Lagrain and Lagarino.
A very classy wine… as its price tag would suggest.
Lagrein: Cornell Alto Adige Lagrein  Enotria  £20.86

The ones that got away:

Limnio:  Greece -- I was unable to source a 100% example.
Jaen  Portugal – will put in an appearance as its Spanish synonym, Mencia.
Kerner  A Riesling/Trollinger cross that has now migrated out of Germany; Roberson have a Friulian number at £14.50.
Loureirou  Superior Vinho Verde?
Huxelrebe  Low in acidity; tending to find its spiritual home in England, in multi-varietal blends. Can make nice semi-sweet “dessert” wines.

Slow Food London support for Chicken Out

The latest from the Chicken Out Campaign, which Slow Food London is proud to support. Our Natural Kitchen event the other Monday highlighted the ethical need for and better eating qualities of free-range chickens. We urge you to keep demanding free-range chicken on our food shop shelves and in our restaurants. This is a link to our previous call to action; do let us know what you have been able to do and if you have any ideas for Slow Food London specific activities. Dear Chicken Out Supporter, It’s been a while since I’ve been in touch and there is much to report. The main headline must be that now, well over two months since the series went out on Channel 4, the massive increase in demand for Free Range and higher welfare poultry is holding up around the country. Some of you will have seen The Independent's front page a couple of weeks back, heralding the success of the campaign and the remarkable increase in the sales of Free Range chicken. That is fantastic – and it’s very much thanks to determined pressure and continuing action from you, and those who share your view. Thank you all. But there is still a lot to do. Such is the shift in the nation’s chicken buying habit that scarcity of Free Range supply continues to be a major issue. We are in contact with all of the supermarkets to find out how they are planning to address this situation both now, and in the long term. It’s vital that we, and you, keep up the pressure, so that the industry has the confidence to invest in higher welfare poultry farms that will meet the increased demand for years to come. And it is happening. There’s no doubt that the retailers and the poultry industry were taken by surprise by the sheer scale of the increased consumer demand for better chicken – and this is not something they can resolve overnight. However we are hearing reports from all over the country of intensive factory farms queuing up to change over to both higher welfare (eg RSPCA Freedom Foods) and Free Range production. This is one of the themes we will be following up and reporting on in the new series of River Cottage which will be coming to your screens in late May. Thanks also to the hundreds of you who responded to my request to send in pictures of empty supermarket shelves – we’ll be using some of these in the new series! I have to say that we too have been amazed by the level of response from the nation: but the clear message to consumers and supporters is to keep up the pressure by continuing to demand fresh British chicken reared in non-intensive conditions. We’re also keen to extend the campaign, and the Chicken Out challenge, to the catering trade and the fast food industry. I’ve recently, through Caterer and Hotelkeeper magazine, issued a challenge to chefs and food businesses all over Britain to take up the Free Range challenge. Supermarkets and industry aside, the response from the grass roots has been fantastic. We’ve heard about schools, local councils, work canteens and the like launching their own campaigns and new menus to help bring about a Free Range future. Several schools have adopted ex-battery hens. Another group is looking to re-house some 13,500 of them in July (please help them out!). Another supporter is starting her own Free Range market in Suffolk (and looking for local producers to help out – again, you can get involved!). And much, much more. All of this action, and the opportunity to support it, can be found on our forum on this website. Our campaign has also now hit Australia with interest by their public to follow in your footsteps. This is momentum that we can all keep building on. Thanks again for your outstanding support - and stay tuned for my second Free Range Challenge, which will be posted here soon. All the best Hugh

Slow Food London AGM

The Slow Food London AGM took place on 19th February 2008 at The Hellenic Centre, W1.  Brief minutes are available for download, as also the accounts  for the financial year ended 2007 .  In addition you may like to read the events_and_activities_2007_and_2008 report, and the webmaster's_report.

We also circulated and discussed the SFUK Strategy Roadmap and agreed to post the CEO, Maria Devereaux's strategy_plans document here.

Although interim results of the Survey were discussed, final conclusions won't be posted until the survey has closed, and the results have been collated (by the end of March).  If you haven't already done so, please do take a moment to complete the survey.  Many thanks.

Member survey - now more accessible

We apologise profusely to any member who had problems in reading the survey form because of our choice of font. The choice was made to use Slow Food's 'official' international font, but it seems that it isn't in the standard fontset.

Accordingly, we can now offer you a version in Arial, so if you haven't done so already, download the form and send it back to survey2008 at slowfoodlondon dot com before 15 March.

Chicken Out Campaign supported by Slow Food London

Slow Food London is proud to align itself with HFW's Chicken Out Free Range Chicken Campaign.

Click here to jump to Hugh's campaign site.

There are various things that we can do to help.

• Chicken Out is seeking photographic evidence that Free Range chicken is flying off the shelves! Certain supermarkets aren't admitting it. You can help by taking photos that show the empty shelf space and noting any apology notices that are displayed and sending them to the Chicken Out campaign. Photos should be date marked ideally and accompanying literature should detail the location. Be advised that supermarket managers can get tetchy about people taking photos.
• You could leaflet outside a local supermarket. HFW has prepared a double-sided leaflet to download, as detailed below.

http://www.chickenout.tv/uploads/files/chicken_out_flyer.pdf

(We would advise that you have a thick skin and that you arrange to leaflet with a friend. Do not allow yourself to get into protracted dispute.)

• You could make an appointment to see your local supermarket manager and add your voice to the pressure to stock more/only free range chickens. Please explain that you represent Slow Food London an eco-gastronomic organisation concerned to promote food that is good and clean and fair -- a triplet of values that only well-reared free-range birds can satisfy when it comes to chicken. Keep notes of your meeting and let us know how you got on. Don't apologise if somebody has already been before you; duplication simply shows the weight of feeling.
• Why not write to MacDonald's HQ and demand that they stock only free-range chicken? Where MacD lead the rest of the blessed Fast Food World will follow.
• You can make sure that you of course only ever buy Free Range chicken and recommend to your friends and colleagues to do the same.
• Demand to know the source of what you are eating if you are eating out.
• You can download, print out and display a campaign poster -- at home, in a legal public place, in common rooms etc.

Have a good look at HFW's site; it's very comprehensive.

Today, help to shape your SFL for tomorrow

Does SFL meet your needs, your hopes, your desires? More importantly, can we improve what we do (with your help, of course) to meet the needs of as many members, and potential members, as possible, in this great metropolis of ours?

To help keep us on track, we have devised a short survey for our members to complete; if you are not already a member, and the survey lights your interest, then please join us (by post or by telephone to the number on the form) and take part in the survey.

Here are the easy steps you'll need to take.

1. Download the survey form (it's a Word document) by saving it onto your computer. This is safer than opening it directly
2. Fire up Word and open the survey form
3. Go to the parts with the yellow background (they're just Word table-cells), enter your answers, and save the form
4. Attach it to an e-mail message to survey2008 at slowfoodlondon dot com (you know how to reassemble that e-mail address!)
5. Send the message, using the subject SFL survey submission (this is an important detail)

If you use Microsoft Outlook, you may use our pre-formed e-mail reply message - just attach your completed form, sign it (so that we can get back to you if need be) at the bottom, and send it off.

And that's it. Thanks.

In keeping with the principles of being good, clean and fair, we're not offering lottery prizes or any other inducements for completed survey forms - just the knowledge that your response will help Slow Food throughout London, for all Londoners.

The Year Ahead

Below are details of our AGM - prior to which we would like you to complete a short survey so that we can check that we're heading in the right sort of direction.

We have an ambitious series of events waiting in the blocks including:

• Two per month tastings/talks and debates at The Natural Kitchen in Marylebone (many thanks to them for their generous donation of venue). We hope to bring you most (if not all) of these at £5-£10
• Old friends Flâneur will continue to shoulder themed and educative dinners as well as our wine events
• Exciting Market opportunities are in the pipeline, including May Day at South Bank
• We will be launching a number of campaigns
• We're looking forward to working with a whole host of students
• We have a range of visits calendared for the year

And this year we will be publishing a guide to recommended eateries, shops and products.

And that's just the start of it!

Keep logging on and keep an eye open for the e-mail.

Slow Food Christmas Market

On December 20-23 (inclusive, all day), the Slow Food London Christmas Market took place in collaboration with the South Bank Centre. The market was a great success, with lots of excited and satisfied stallholders and customers: its details may be found in our annals.

Best of the Abstruse

Having now held two in the series The A-Z of Abstruse Grape Varieties, we've arrived at the letter G. It's been an eye-opening experience: those attending have found plenty to wax lyrical about.

Since the aim of the series is to bring to people's attention lesser known grape varieities and to try to encourage people to put wines made from them on their shopping list, we thought it a good idea to let everybody know what's been tasted and to highlight those wines selected by popular vote to go forward into a showcase dinner.

But why wait for that? Be adventurous! Try them! The Festive season approacheth. Any of these bottles will add interest to your entertaining. The most popular ones appear in red.

A-C

WHITES

Bianchello       
Azienda Guerrieri Bianchello del Metauro 2006, Marche
£6.99   Amordivino
Light, citrussy fruit. Grapefruit. Very clean and refreshing.  Very localised grape variety – only available here and on the island of Ischia IF Biancholello is the same grape.

Bacchus
Chapel Down Bacchus 2005
£8.99   Waitrose
Zesty fruit. Herbaceous edge. Think Riesling + Sauvignon. Some SO2. Widely planted in the UK.

Albanella/Pinot Nero (75/25)
Fattoria Mancini Roncaglia 2006, Pesaro
£8.99   Berkmann Wine Cellar
A bit “thick” perhaps over-pressed. Well-rounded. Improved for standing.This was the wine that I gave a lot of info about on site.

Assyrtiko
Hatzidakis Santorini Assyrtiko 2006
£8.99   Waitrose
Very aggressively acidic. My note: needs food – think rich Greek.
Only grown in Greece and little outside of island group around Santorini. Some experiments with oaking.

Albarino
Burgans Albarino 2006, Rias Baixas
£8.99   Oddbins
Good body and length. Nicely developed minerally fruit with flowery aromas. Seems to me better than alvarinho (as it is known in Portugal’s Vinho Verde.) Only grown in NW Iberia.

Arneis
Malvira Roero Arneis 2006
£7.99   Waitrose
Perhaps too alcoholic for its fruit. Nutty; slightly baked apple.
Rescued from extinction in the late 60’s by Vietti who bough all stocks and showed that this white nebbiolo need not just be used to soften Barolo. Tends to oxidise quickly. Rarely encountered outside of the Roero Hills.

Antao Vaz/Arinto (60/40)
Pera-Manca Branco 2002, Evora, Alentejo
£19.75   Fortnum & Mason
Candied peel, grapefruit, delicate vanilla and spice from very slight oak. Very, very classy. A testament to what first rate wine making can do in an arid area. Neither grape is encountered outside of the region much. Some Arinto further towards Lisbon in Bucellas.

REDS

Carmenère
Concha y Toro Lot 406 Carmenère 2005
£7.99 Oddbins
Ripe upfront fruit with grassy, leafy finish. Like a reasonably classy claret from a lesser appellation. Used to be grown in Bordeaux. Wiped out by Phylloxera. Currently only Chile and Argentina.

Agiorgitko
Notios Agiorgitiko 2004, Nemea
£7.79   Oddbins
Quite astringent. Fruit a bit shy perhaps, but tarry and would be brought out with right food. Probably the second greatest Greek variety after Xinomavro. (We’ll get there eventually.)

Aglianico
Terredora 2005 Aglianico, Campania
£9.99   Oddbins
Structured on highish acidity rather than tannin. Earthy fruit. Not grown outside of area. Best examples = Taurasi.

Alicante Bouschet 
Muchao 2002 Alentejo
£19.95   Berry Bros & Rudd
Widely planted; rarely encountered as the principal variety. Very fruity. Perhaps a bit obvious. Maybe it might evolve. Off the wall.

SWEET (Red)

Aleatico
Alessi Intervineas Lazio Aleatico 2005, Lazio
13.99/half   Amordivino
Wonderfully defined, rich fruit. Wonderful balance of sweetness and acidity. Normally from Puglia; this was a fantastically “lifted” example.

D - G

WHITE

Gruner Veltliner
Grüner Veltliner 'Alte Setzen' Huber
£11.99   Oddbins
Almost the national grape of Austria, but little planted outside. Once had a reputation for being terribly acidic; good examples – like this one – are well rounded and have excellent, minerally fruit. Slightly grassy, with a citrus twist.

Erbaluce
Erbaluce di Caluso, Sperino, 2006
£9.95   Liberty Wines
Unknown outside of Piedmonte. Sperino has an avowed intent to champion the cause of lesser known grape varieties. Piercing acidity makes this an ideal choice for shellfish or for dishes where lemon features. (What? You haven’t been to The Chemistry of Food and Wine?)

Falanghina
Sannio Falanghina, Vesevo, 2006
£8.29   Liberty Wines
Highly scented fruit (white flowers) with a zesty, grapefruit twist – slightly bitter on the finish.  A grape variety unknown outside of the south of Italy.

Fiano
Fiano di Avellino, Vesevo, 2006
£10.49   Liberty Wines
Lovely fat fruit, with a creamy, slightly hazelnut flavour. An excellent alternative for White Burgundy lovers. (No, you’ll never mistake it for one… but it’s in the same sort of arena.)  Another variety unknown outside of southern Italy.

Greco di Tufo
Greco di Tufo, Vesevo, 2006
£10.49   Liberty Wines
A grape of – you’ve guessed it – Greek origins. Southern Italy again. Tangerine peel, orange flowers – tightly structured, and a great wine with food.

RED

Dornfelder
Fox Label Dornfelder, Rainer Lingenfelder 2002
£7.49   Oddbins
Deserves to be better known; people don’t trust the idea of German red – they’re the ones missing out. Light, slightly smoky, curranty fruit with a hint of rose petals. Serve lightly chilled, if you like, and treat as if a super-rosé. Fantastic with charcuterie/salumi.

Grolleau
Le Cousin Rouge, NV, vielles vignes Grolleau (demeter)
£11.00   Green & Blue
A grape variety from the Loire, seldom encountered. Certainly a talking point, dividing our intrepid tasting group down the middle. There’s something almost cidrous about its flavours.

Cilieglio   (too irresistible to include once found to worry about alphabetical purity)
Pincipio, Antonio Camillo, Cilieglio, 2006
£8.35   Green & Blue
Normally kept in the shadows as a minor part of Tuscan blends. Our bottle showed that there’s a strong case for it being given the starring role. As the name suggests, it displays cherry-like flavours (rich black and a hint of amarena).

Fer Servadou
Entraygues le Fel, Mousset, 2005
£8.15   Green & Blue
A real star of the tasting: spicy, Syrah-like fruit and well-rounded tannins combine with a gamey, earthy quality to make this look like a wine with a much heftier price tag.

Freisa
Langhe Freisa, GD Vajra, 2003
£19.95   Liberty Wines
Freisa is a grape grown in Piedmont and generally produces raspberryish wines that are drunk young (and sometimes frothy). It is highly unusual to come across a Freisa with the concentration of fruit (and colour) of this wine.

David Natt

In a small town in Germany

On 14 July, the two convivia of Oldenburg and Ostfriesland (together, they make up the bit of north-west Germany which lies between Bremen and the Dutch border) got together for a summer evening of food, drink music and conversation at the home and workplace of Lothar Kotzias, a local winemaker and wine-dealer. All his wine is certified organic, and you may browse all the details of the Weindiele (if, of course, you read German).

It seemed a good reason to explore this part of Europe, so two of us (Iain and Mary) booked up, spent a day driving to the end of the Netherlands (staying at the excellent Herberg Bellingwolde), and then meandered over to Westerstede for the event.

The photo gallery tells the story of the evening, but we must thank England Preserves and Boston Sausage for their flag-carrier status: the Germans just couldn't get enough of the piccalilli, pear/date/ale and green tomato chutneys, and quince jelly, either to go with the equally eagerly devoured haslet or to attend the star of the evening, a Düppele Weideschwein pig which was roasted whole (and eaten in its entirety). Other local delicacies on show for tasting included beef salami, Bunte Bentheimer ham and rose-petal sorbet.

The hosts have written up the evening's activities in the Oldenburg convivium's annals - again, I'm afraid it's only in German. But they do have pictures of their own, and you might even spot a Londoner or two!

It was a very pleasant evening (and night - we stayed in one of the holiday apartments right by the musicians' stage), and we must thank Lothar and Birgit for their hospitality, Scott Haslett - no relation to the Lincolnshire meat - for organising our attendance, and all the members of the two convivia for being so friendly to a couple of interlopers.

A home for official documents

We now have a separate logstream for documents of more than transient interest: we are garnering the appropriate files to place there.

Taking Back Life: The Earth, the Moon and Abundance

Taking Back Life: The Earth, the Moon and Abundance is the title of Carlo Petrini's address to the meeting of the National Boards (from Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom and United States of America) of Slow Food, held in Pollenzo on 17-18 February 2007.

This important document lays out our Founder's current philosophy for Slow Food, and we encourage you to read it, and to add your thoughts by using the Comments facility at the foot of this article.

Slow Food UK

Slow Food UK held its first AGM on 3 February near its office in Ludlow, near the Welsh border in the south of Shropshire. Slow Food UK thanks all those of you who were able to come. The minutes of the meeting have now been released (but remain in draft form until approved at the next SFUK AGM).  You can download them here .

John Fleming and Sue Miller subsequently agreed to be co-opted to the new Board.

Occasioned by the proxy response from Slow Food London, representatives of the outgoing Board of Slow Food UK met with a delegation from London before the AGM. From this meeting came an agreement to create a small working group with representation on a UK-wide basis, to be chaired by Mary Liddell (SFLondon). This has now formally been convened by the new Board, and the terms of reference can be seen here, along with the opportunity to comment on the Working Group's suggestions and proposals.

Matching Food and Wine

Slow Food member Fiona Beckett is offering fellow UK members an annual subscription to her new website www.matchingfoodandwine.com for £15, a 40% discount on the normal rate of £24.99. This entitles you to personal advice on any aspect of food and drink matching (including beer and cocktails), a downloadable free e-book, recipes for cooking with wine and beer and Fiona’s latest food and drink matching tips and techniques.  (For a full list of benefits click on Subscribe Now and then on the words Members' Room at the end of the first paragraph) To subscribe, enter the promotional code SF0107 when requested.