Braaiday – a South African pairing

Source: WOSA

A Friday afternoon is always a good excuse for a culinary experience. This time the excuse was braai, a South African style barbeque and its wines.

Street food - fast and delicious

Food on the go has always been an important part of our culinary history. Long, multi-course meals are not always an option, and gradually, with the progress of civilisation, takeaways have become more and more common, and at times indispensable. We live in a hurry, the world requires things to be done fast, efficiently and without due delays, so we often grab something on the go, on top of having to eat fast while working or commuting. Fast foods of all colours of the rainbow with huge global presence are a perfect answer to such demand, though not always very healthy or tasty one.  

Visual marketing – seeking the edge

Every industry has its own ways to attract customers’ attention. Creating intrigue is one of the most effective techniques. With the immense variety of merchandise, a product must have this something that will glue our eyes to it for long enough to buy it or at least register it.

International Wine Challenge from the kitchen – Epilogue

The basic criterion for accepting wine for the competition is that it is commercially available. The organizer is very determined to protect the identity of the samples at all times. The bottles are stripped of all traces that could lead to identifying the producer - including removing metal skirts from screw cap bottles, and decanting bottles of unusual shape that could be recognized by touch - and placed into plastic bags. Then it is all up to the experienced noses and palates of the judges.

For Act 1 click here

For Act 2 click here

International Wine Challenge from the kitchen – Act 2

The setting. Two dozen or so white-tablecloth-covered long tables set for panel judges with all necessary tasting paraphernalia. Plain and simple. No distractions. Then, another space set for six IWC chairmen: Tim Atkin MW, Oz Clarke, Charles Metcalfe, Sam Harrop MW, Derek Smedley MW and Peter McCombie MW, who re-taste the samples to make sure that no good wines are overlooked.


For Act 1 click here

For the Epilogue click here

International Wine Challenge from the kitchen – Act 1

Even though the competition is now finished, in anticipation of the final results that will be announced at London International Wine Fair in less than a fortnight, let me go back in time to relive these few unforgettable weeks.

For Act 2 click here

For the Epilogue click here

In Ghent’s fair city

A chilly winter morning. I walk down the picturesque streets of still drowsy and in general very quiet town of Ghent, passing by fairylike canals, period houses, churches, squares, small shops and cafes. After several twists and turns, the cobbled streets bring me to a beautiful Kouter Square which on every Sunday morning holds a traditional flower market, an activity, for tourists and locals alike.