CAT’S PEE ON THE GOOSEBERRIES IN THE GRASS The wonders of Sauvignon Blanc

Whilst I really enjoy trying out lesser known grape varieties, being able to do so in my local hostelry is not usually an option.

Certainly, when it comes to white wines, the options by the glass on offer in most pubs and restaurants tend to be limited to a rather mediocre Pinot Grigio, flabby New World Chardonnay, or Chilean Sauvignon Blanc. I would not mind quite so much were I not paying through the nose for such an indifferent experience. I long for the day when on raising glass to lips I can be pleasantly surprised with the anticipation of what lies in store for my taste buds.   

Given the paucity of choice, I tend to plump for the Sauvignon Blanc because unlike many other wines, it is characterised by its green and herbaceous flavours, which I much prefer to the forward fruity styles of other inexpensive plonks.

Sauvignon Blanc owes much of its popularity to French winemakers, principally located in Bordeaux and the Loire Valley.

As one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the world, (275,000+ acres worldwide) Sauvignon Blanc seems to have the ability to adapt to the nuances of the climate and terroir of its location, producing very different styles of wine.

The primary flavours of Sauvignon Blanc are influenced by the ripeness of the grapes at the time of harvesting, ranging from lime to gooseberry, kiwi, passionfruit and apricot. What makes Sauvignon Blanc unique though are its herbaceous flavours (just like sticking your nose into a bouquet of herbs), along with green pepper and grass, along with the ‘cat’s pee’ smell resulting from aromatic compounds called pyrazines. Whilst many winemakers will work hard to avoid these, they can add a level of complexity to a well-made wine, giving herbal notes. Some excellent examples of this are found in Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé from the Loire.

Although blended with Semillon and Muscadelle in Bordeaux, to make some stunning super sweet dessert wines, most Sauvignon Blanc wines are dry, although some New World producers have been experimenting with off-dry styles.

Sauvignon Blanc is extremely versatile when it comes to food matching, its crisp acidity making it a good foil for fatty foods, and it is of course a flinty Sancerre is the classic match with the stinky-creamy goat cheese, Crottin de Chavignol.

Here are some of my favourite Sauvignon Blancs to kick start your buds.

Albastrele Sauvignon Blanc 2015, Moldova, 13%, £8.29

Always keen to try wines from outside the classic growing areas, this medium-bodied dry white had some finesse. Made from hand-picked organically grown grapes, it stands up well to other classic Sauvignons; ripe citrus fruit, with hints of freshly cut grass with a minerally character to follow.

Arabella 2016, Roberston Valley, South Africa, 13%, £9.49

I came across this wine when I became a ‘Naked Wine Angel’. This online company supports small independent winemakers and I have found the wines they offer more interesting than most. Expect a mouthful of crisp apples, with a touch white peach.

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2016, Marlborough, New Zealand, 13.5%, £25

The best-known NZ wine, which made its mark on the wine world 4 decades ago. An outstanding wine that detractors feel is losing ground to other up and coming winemakers.

Light, dry and refreshing, it has ripe, complex lemon, lime, nectarine and orange blossom flavours. Unlike many of its contemporaries these wines are for keeping; if you can resist the temptation!

DK Sauvignon Blanc 2015, Marlborough, New Zealand, 12.5%, £11.99

Wines from Dave Knappstein have enjoyed some acclaim. This exuberant wine, a pale straw green in colour, light and refreshing with vibrant gooseberry, freshly cut grass and asparagus notes, along with a hint of guava and passionfruit.

Don Cayetano Sauvignon Blanc 2015, Valle Central, Chile, 12.5%, £8.29

Cool nights and careful winemaking have preserved the zesty freshness of this wine. Juicy citrus and melon with some herbaceous hints are noticeable on the nose, whilst tropical kiwi and pear fruits give balance to the lively lemony acidity.

Liboreau Sauvignon Blanc 2015, Charentais, France (IGP) 12%, £8.49

A medium-bodied Bordeaux-style white, lovely and brisk, with the cut grass and gooseberry aromas offset by citrus minerality.

lemon fruit.

Split Rock Sauvignon Blanc 2016, Nelson, New Zealand, 12.5%, £10.99

A heady mix of sunshine, cool sea breezes and rich soil give a lemony brilliance to this wine. Expect to find sugar snap peas, gooseberry, green pepper, asparagus, and refreshing lime flavours.

Tikohi Sauvignon Blanc 2016, Marlborough, New Zealand, 13%, £11.99

Fully deserving of its world class reputation, this mouth watering offering is deeply refreshing. Aromas of mango, cut grass and pink grapefruit are joined by tropical citrus to give an intense, zesty, fresh and well balanced glass of wine.

Viña Albali Sauvignon Blanc 2016, Rueda, Spain, 13%, £7.99

Situated in the heart of Rueda in the Spanish province of Valladolid, Pagos del Rey, Viña Albali produced their first harvest in 2005, and has quickly asserted its positon as one of the top wineries in this area. This bright, fresh, crisp, wine, in addition to a complex aroma of dried herbs, is ripe with peach, mango and papaya flavours.

Children can hardly wait for Ilminster Literary Festival to start

Photo – 4 year-old Felix getting stuck into a good book

In just 6 weeks time, Ilminster book lovers will be eagerly anticipating the launch of the town’s 2^ndLiterary Festival.

The organising committee has been hard at it for the last 12 months. Such was the buzz generated by last year’s event that several new members have come forward to help take on the myriad tasks that will ensure the event is once again a resounding success.

Whilst activities for a wide cross section of the local community are planned, children (and their parents!) can look forward to an action-packed Saturday on 3^rd June, as they enthusiastically anticipate the return of popular author Petr Horacek. This is a really fun time as Petr draws illustrations whilst he is talking.

Clemmie, aged 7, said: "I enjoyed it very much last year and really liked hearing Petr's funny stories. Please can we go again this year?".

There will be a Creative Writing Workshop and writing competition, led by crime writer Damien Boyd, at Ilminster Football Club, for three different age groups from 6 – 18 years, and later in the day, at Sweet Surprise, Richard Godden will be holding a Children’s Illustrating Workshop.

At lunchtime, we will all pop over to Ilminster Bookshop to meet author Martin Hill who will be signing copies of his book ‘A Tiger in my Bed’, which was inspired by his real life adventures with big cats.

Children get to finish their exciting day with Victoria Everleigh, author of Katy’s Ponies, at Sweet Surprise. Her first stories were about a girl called Katy and a pony called Trifle growing up together on Exmoor.

To be sure to get your tickets, look out for the programme, available all over town, or visitilminsterliteraryfestival.org for more details.

Chard & Ilminster SCC Candidate Comments

Why vote for Linda?

SS – As our County Councillor Linda is thorough, consistent, caring and tenacious.  

JM - Conscientious and hardworking, Linda grasps situations quickly, supporting us by attending PC meetings and local events.

AS – Linda is always happy to help, fighting for the underdog like a dog with a bone. Nothing is ever too much trouble.

TW - We are amazed at the amount of work Linda does. Give a problem to her and forget about it. It will be resolved as far as is practicable.

LM – Linda’s tenacity and resolve in doing her utmost to help overcome injustice is renowned.

CW – Linda does an amazing job keeping us up to date. I feel more connected to SCC than ever before. Hats off to her for being such a hard-working and dedicated county councillor.

CN - Linda is a fantastic councillor, being there for me when I needed help, very thorough, and available at the drop of a hat to listen to my concerns, acting accordingly. 

RM - is very active regarding local planning and highway issues and is most approachable.

BP – Linda is an excellent example of what County Councillors should be – a listener, enabler, communicator and supporter.

Finding the right political balance

As the clocks have now move forward to herald the start of spring, the early risers amongst us can also start to look forward to beginning our working days in daylight. In my case I am assisted in rousing myself from slumber by the aid of chirping birds nesting outside the bedroom window; not always welcome on the days when I would prefer a lie in.

The arrival of spring is seen as a time of renewal and regeneration, along with the prospect of some warmer, dryer weather which seems to put a spring in the step of us mere mortals. It is no surprise that local organisations, gearing themselves up to hold their Annual General Meetings, will be considering who they wish to lead them into the fray as they select their Chairmen and committee members for the coming year.

This can often lead to a good deal of lobbying as interested parties jockey for position in the hope of gaining favour amongst their allies or opponents. Where this occurs in politics, and political balance comes into play when selecting positions of power, this can give cause for concern. Consideration is often given to the favours that might be bestowed on opponents in return for that all important casting vote that can be the key to success when it comes to decision making.

In recent weeks, in the space of just a few hours, I was lobbied on four separate occasions over one particular issue. By the end of the day, far from being persuaded to side with one lot or another I felt like digging my heels in. As a member of a political party my leaders have always had some difficulty in ensuring that I will tow the party line when required to do so. I have always been an independent thinker and could not in all conscience go along with something that I really do not believe in, and resist strongly any bullying tactics.

In the case of key decisions that can have an impact on the wider community, such as frakking, the constant stream of emails from one particular group, clogging up my inbox as they implored me to take up their cause, quite frankly became something of a nuisance; so much so that I deleted them unread. I have strong personal views on frakking but this blanket method of communication, at the press of a button, does nothing to gain my sympathy. This is one of the key problems with modern technology, which has fast become the modern version of junk mail.

I favour picketing myself, and always enjoy the presence of the stalwarts at County Hall who, regardless of the weather, take up their positions prior to key meetings. I may not always agree with their views but I admire their conviction and their tenacity. The whole point of such activity is to persuade and influence their target audience.

Of course the majority of the meetings held on behalf of local government are now held in public, providing an opportunity for those who choose to attend to raise questions. It is unfortunate though that so few meetings benefit from the attendance of those most affected by the outcomes. In many cases the challenges made are done so for political motives, rather than the collective good of the community as a whole, but at least we can take some small comfort in the fact that key decisions do not merely become a rubber stamping exercise.   

Service does Matter

I am not a regular supermarket shopper, much preferring to support my local shops. On occasion though, especially when working late or away from home, there is little option but for me to spend my hard earned money with the big boys.

Being passionate about customer service I was conscious of several contrasting experiences this week. 

In my local Co-op in Ilminster, having bought several bottles of Fairtrade wine, the sales assistant readily offered to help me carry my purchases to the car.

Later in the day at Waitrose in Salisbury, buying several hundreds of pounds worth of wine for an upcoming professional exam course, I expressed my frustration at being unable to find what I needed. This was when a young salesperson, Ryan, came to my rescue, ably aided and abetted by a security man, Matt, who did not actually work for Waitrose but was interested in wine. The outcome was that after 45 minutes of concerted effort I was able to go on my merry way with my purchases, along with a free bottle of wine and wine carriers thrown in for good measure, in addition to a 5% discount. I felt well satisfied. 

By contrast, in Sainsbury's in Fareham the following morning, at around 7.45am, I approached the deli counter where both of the women present refused to serve me saying 'We don't open until 8am'. I was not impressed. Shame on them, and their employers for allowing such a poor attitude to exist. Someone needs to remind them that it is the customer that pays their wages. It is precisely this negative job's worth attitude that gives British service such a bad name.

Fairtrade Fortnight - on the ground in Africa

Keen to support the activities being held in Ilminster during Fairtrade fortnight, Cllr. Linda Vijeh, currently working at a project in Nairobi to support a children's home, went on the hunt for Fairtrade goods so that even though she is 6,773 miles form home she could help to support awareness of this important initiative.

Said Linda, 'As Kenya is one of the main African countries involved in Fairtrade, I thought that it would be simple to find Fairtrade products to buy. Unfortunately, after scouring the supermarket shelves for hours all I came up with was a jar of honey and some tea; no coffee or chocolate to be found at all. While here, I am hoping to meet with officials from the Fair Trade Organisation of Kenya to see what they are doing to promote Fairtrade within the country. I admit that I could not resist buying the 'hangover tea', made from green tea ginger and mint. Given the amount of gin we have been consuming this week I may need it!'     

NOT ALL RELIGION IS BAD

We cannot bury our heads in the sand and pretend that some of the horrendous atrocities that have been perpetrated in the name of religion do not exist. Our news is dominated on a regular basis by accounts from both young and old of the abuse they have been subjected to.

It is often the case that those who have suffered at the hands of church leaders will henceforth reject and vilify anything to do with religion; this is perfectly understandable.

However, in disparaging all religion because of the repulsive behaviour of a few, we are in danger of tarring everyone with the same brush. There is good and bad in every society, and whilst we should never, ever, ignore the bad, much can be gained by focusing on the good that is done.

Whatever one’s personal views of charitable activity carried out in the name of religion, my own recent experience in Nairobi at the home for children living with HIV/AIDS run by Christian Organisation Children of God Relief Institute (COGRI) has caused me to think differently about this.

It is no great secret that, coming from a long line of atheists, my own introduction to Christianity has been fairly recent. I have approached it with my eyes wide open, with none of the blind trust that those brought up in a Christian environment often seem to possess.

In agreeing to visit the home for two weeks voluntary work I had not given any thought to a religious connection until it became clear on my arrival.  

On the Sunday we were invited to attend mass in the community centre, which judging by the pool table in the corner obviously doubles up as a games room once the business of the day has been observed. What I enjoyed most about the experience was the extent to which the youngsters were fully involved in both the preparation and in participating in the service itself.

They had clearly been practising their song and dance routines, which to the background noise of a young drummer made me feel that I was truly in Africa. Far from being a serious occasion, the natural rhythmic swaying to the beat of the music was a joy to witness. They had me bopping in the aisles too, although I confess that I did find the sermon rather too long and perhaps not as child friendly as I would have hoped for, given that they made up the vast majority of the congregation.

What I had been witness to during my two weeks stay was the result of one man’s vision of a future for a whole generation of children who through no fault of their own have been born with HIV/AIDS. The persistent stigma and prejudice that still exists in relation to this invidious disease makes projects such as this all the more impressive.    

Rightly, or wrongly, I came away thinking that for these children having a place like Nyumbani to call home is indeed a miracle.