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8 H&H Series, Thursday June 9, 2011 Wine with Liz Sagues The new EU regulations for labels on bottles cause upset at vineyard tables Category renaming aims to bring unity across countries Rather too often, bureauc- And, rather than stick with racy – even when well in- requirements which while tentioned – gets in the way far from simple are at least There was uproar »of pleasure, and wine is one familiar, a raft of change was of the victims. To take one introduced by the EU in Au- throughout many of Europe’s example: the existence of too gust 2009, to be fully imple- many complex rules is often mented by 2012. cited as one of the main rea- The aim, to unify labelling traditional wine-producing sons why sales of European throughout member states, wines have been overtaken may be laudable and logical regions at the thought of here by bottles from the new but, initially at least, it will world, most notably toppling surely increase confusion France from the top of the rather than eliminate it. losing cherished titles sales table in favour of Aus- tralia. Result You may have noticed the different French regions and, Maybe, in the long term, it first results. Take France, unlike vin de table, allows will all average out and wine for example. Its top category vintage and grape variety to will be bought purely for the of wines has long been appel- be shown on the label. quality of what’s in the bottle lation d’origine contrôlée, ab- There was uproar through- rather than for the simplicity breviated to AOC or some- out many of Europe’s tradi- of the label. times AC. Next major range tional wine-producing re- Meanwhile, stay in south- N Katie Jones, who has won a silver medal in this year’s (ignoring the just about de- gions at the thought of losing ern France, never mind the International Wine Challenge, in her Roussillon vineyard funct vin delimité de qualité cherished titles. classification, enjoy these tional Wine Challenge. white 2010, £8, a four-grape superieur or VDQS) has been But this has been calmed wines. They’re serious yet wonder- blend, is aromatic and full of vin de pays, followed by vin by assurances that much of fully enjoyable. Order soon flavour yet again crisp-end- de table. the old system can continue N One winner under the new before supplies run out. ed. Now the equivalent EU- alongside the new. This is classifications is Katie Jones From just a little to the At Waitrose: Chateau wide categories are PDO why, if you look at a bottle of in Roussillon, whose Do- north of Katie’s vineyard Maris Les Vieilles Vignes 10 (protected designation of ori- southern French wine from maine Jones wines are la- (and made, incidentally, by Years 2009 Minervois La Li- gin) and PGI (protected geo- the 2010 vintage, the label belled vin de France – be- Mont Tauch, the large co-op- vinière, £13, intense, concen- graphical indication), trans- could say vin de pays d’Oc, or cause the vines grow in one erative where she worked for trated, chewy; Abbotts Re- lated by the French to AOP pays d’Oc PGI, or it could classic appellation and her more than 15 years) comes serve grenache rosé, £7, a (appellation d’origine prote- spell out the whole new title winery is just beyond its bor- L’Ancien Comté 2010 pretty, soft summer aperitif; gée) and IGP (indication géo- in French. der. From her first vintage grenache blanc (Jeroboams, Domaine Sainte Rose Co- graphique protégée) – though Still, there is consolation Domaine Jones 2009 white £7.95, 10 per cent case dis- quille d’Oc blanc 2009, £7, for the UK market the French for Europe. The new world and red (grenache gris and count) rich and peachy yet floral, crisp, delicious. are more likely to use PGI wine countries are increas- grenache noir respectively, with minerality and a fresh Morrison’s has two seri- than IGP. ingly promoting the regional both £15, http://shop.do- citrus finish. ous bbq reds: Les Signatures Then comes vin de France, differences of their wines, mainejones.com/) each – de- From supermarket Mont Tauch Minervois 2010, N One to try this week is L’Ancien which gives wine makers the with resulting extra wording servedly – has won a silver shelves: Sainsbury’s Taste £8, and Castemaure Cor- Comté’s 2010 grenache blanc freedom to blend grapes from on labels. medal in this year’s Interna- the Difference Languedoc bieres 2008, £7. Hampstead mum delivers cooking lessons to your door If the 80s was the era of self- her passion is not coaching ing and never being a slave eyelid, but my vegan house- sufficiency and the 90s the – it’s food. to measurements. For the mate (who Kanter took into era of self-help, then the last The Le Cordon Bleu- first time in my life, I feel account when she designed 11 years have been the era of trained mother, who found- like I’m in control of the my lesson) tucks into the the coach, writes Rhiannon ed an organic packed lunch kitchen, even though I have salad like it is her last meal Edwards. service called Banana On A a beef rib in the oven, some as I marvel at my clean Nowadays, it is possible to Bike, pulls out her ingredi- gravy on the boil and some kitchen (cleaner, in fact, get coached for anything ents. Today, we are making vegetables sizzling in a hot then when we had started from exercise and parenting a rib of beef and an Asian wok. I’m multi-tasking and cooking) and relish my first to the way you look and salad. The menu is the pre- it feels good. ever successful attempt to speak and even your whole scription to cure the kitchen It’s easy to see why Kant- cook meat. life plan. We live in a world woes that surfaced in a pre- er’s rapidly expanding client Later on, after Kanter has of personal trainers, life vious half an hour consulta- base, which includes every whipped away her knives coaches, stylists and organi- tion I had with Kanter, demographic from a success- and her chef’s jacket, a sation gurus. where she asked me about ful, time-poor businessman friend, (who happens to be a Now, a Hampstead-based my lifestyle, whether I eat (who started a now national chef too) pops round to have chef has set up the Kitchen for pleasure or sustenance food business) to a group of a drink and a chat. Before I Coach to help people who and who I cook for, as well as teenagers, invite her back have even shut the front can and can’t cook to im- broader questions about into their homes to have cu- door, he’s in my kitchen and prove their culinary skills- time and how much money I linary fun. All the time, I’m chops into the remaining in the comfort and familiar- have to spend. learning, tasting and, more beef, popping it into his ity of their own kitchen. Cook and chat importantly, enjoying my- mouth in the cavalier way It would be easy to dismiss self. of a kitchen veteran. “This Justine Kanter’s new ven- Kanter has a professional After around an hour and beef is tasty,” he chomps. ture as another slice of a sec- demeanour in the kitchen, a half, a smoke-out induced “Did you cook this?” “Yes, I tor that makes money out of but the home-ec style cook- by my pre-historic oven and did,” I reply smugly. It seems other people’s lack of self- ery lecture I expect with a knife sharpening session, the proof really is in the eat- confidence. trepidation never seems to our simple and delicious ing. But, as Kanter enters my materialise. Instead, as we creations are ready – a hot kitchen with two bags full of cook, we chat about good in- and fragrant salad and a N A one-hour session with food and equipment and in- gredients, presentation, the perfectly cooked beef rib the Kitchen Coach costs £80. troduces herself and her importance of being pre- that is pink and juicy in- More information is available ideas, I quickly realise that pared so you have fun cook- side. Heston wouldn’t bat an from www.kitchencoach.biz. N Justine Kanter, the Kitchen Coach Thursday June 9, 2011, H&H Series 9 Food&Drink King Heston in all his madness Heath foraging with Matilda Moreton courts the favour of Londoners Joseph Connolly is in awe as he enjoys a feast for the senses I had lunch at Dinner. It’s a tention to detail total, the in- fair old wheeze from the gredients and artistry truly glistening-domed, spookily- first class. »spectacled and idiotically fa- And so to the main event: my mous culinary alchemist whom wife wanted roast turbot with now we all just call Heston. You leaf chicory and the intriguing- name a restaurant Dinner, it’s sounding cockle ketchup. There going to get bags of publicity was another ketchup – mush- because of all the whimsy little room, this time – with my sir- jokes you can make about it, loin of Black Angus in red wine and bore people into a coma: on juice and triple cooked chips. the lines of ‘I had lunch at Din- Both these dishes are dated N ner’, for instance. So terribly c.1830, which does seem odd for The hallmark of the yarrow plant is its many leaves amusing, non? Mind you, Hes- just a lump of fish and a lump of ton could have opened a restau- meat, but never mind.

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