Oz tasting notes

by Martin Field

James Squire Hop Thief Ale – up to $18 the six-pack of stubbies
Hue of weak black tea. Sweetish nose of hops and malt. A mellow, full-flavoured hoppy mouthful with a firm, not too bitter, pour-me-another-as-soon-as-you-like, finish.

Yellow Tail Riesling 2005 – under $10
Rather tropical fruit nose with a hint of lime. Easy to drink style with plenty of ripeness, a touch of lemon sherbet, slight sweetness and mild acidity.

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Posted by Martin Field at 01:43 AM
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Cheatin' in the kitchen

by Martin Field

Stilton spread
Take a piece of Stilton, say 300 grams, bring it to room-temperature. Put it in a blender with a squeeze of lemon juice (a teaspoon more or less), 50ml extra virgin olive oil, 50 grams softened (but not melted) unsalted butter and 50ml of thick (not thickened) sour cream. Blend until just combined but not to the mushy stage. Refrigerate. Delicious on toast, in canapes etc. Keeps well in the fridge. Use same proportions for larger or smaller amounts of cheese.

Fridge inverter
The good lady wife wanted to lash out on a new fridge, one of those newfangled setups that have the freezer at the bottom instead of on top.

I countered with a brilliant, money-saving idea; suggesting that we could achieve the same effect by turning the old fridge upside down.

As the atmosphere between us suddenly turned frigid, I knew I was onto something.

Posted by Martin Field at 01:40 AM
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Fifty-five million bottles down the drain

by Martin Field

According to reports emanating from the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation, some 60,000 tonnes of wine grapes from Australia's 2006 vintage will be left to rot in the vineyards. That’s the equivalent of 55 million bottles of wine down the gurgler, enough to provide for the average annual consumption of one and a half million Australian adults.

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Posted by Martin Field at 01:31 AM
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