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Travel tales

Tales from the road

Sicily: A rummage through God’s larder

by AB August 2, 2013

Written for the Circle Update, Circle of Wine Writers

Some people call Sicily ‘God’s kitchen’ and its not hard to see why. A bountiful coast filled with sea creatures coming from the Mediterranean Sea and coast of Africa; an agriculturally rich land with sunny climes with cool coastal areas as well as sub tropical heat; and a history of immigration and culinary influences from Greece, Africa and the Arab world… Sicily is bound to have good food.

During our week on the island we gained an insight into Sicilian cuisine, as well as a few extra pounds around the belly… Maybe it’s easiest to sum up our foodie experiences by breaking it down into courses, and there were many. Typical in Italy, any dining experience kicks off with antipasti and with such a splendid array of food it can be quite a challenge to remember to leave room for the other three courses. Abundant in Sicily is fresh produce so as expected we found a range of marinated, infused, stuffed, roasted, grilled, toasted, carpaccio-ed and simply sliced vegetables like aubergine, mushrooms, olives, peppers, tomatoes, and artichokes. Caponata is a traditional Sicilian preparation of tomatoes and aubergine which was splendid splodged all over homemade bread. An exemplary dish that showed the heavenly quality of Sicily’s produce is the simple Fennel and Orange salad: fresh fennel finely sliced with juicy orange segments and a splash of olive oil. This can be executed to perfection on the island, but requires the fresh, just-from-Nonna’s-tree oranges which are so sweet and fragrant that no doubt Gabriel Garcia Marquez would have found diamonds in them.

Among the antipasti we often found more street food style dishes, like the crispy rice balls known as Arancini which are stuffed with a ragu, meat or cheese. Another fried typicality is Panelle, a chickpea fritter, which is simply a soft warm morsel which helps you swig down some more Carricante. Probably the favorite antipasti for everyone was the fresh cheese though… Homemade ricotta that was so creamy and fine I would have smeared it on my face without hesitation; fresh buffalo mozzarella that oozed delicious buffalo milk; and hard cheeses ripe with salty maturity.

Touring Sicily’s vineyards…

by AB August 2, 2013

Written for the Circle Update, Circle of Wine Writers

Tasca d’Almerita

“You are home!” Conrad Maurigi said as we arrived. “If only!” would have been my response, not from being tired on last stop of the week but because Tasca d’Almerita is a place of sublime beauty. Lolloping hillsides striped with green vines and studded with white sheep set the scene for this beautiful large farmhouse in the center of Sicily. If my home was like this I don’t think I’d leave, not even to pop out for milk.

And actually popping out for milk on Tasca d’Almerita isn’t necessary because the whopping 500 hectare estate encompasses not only 55 wine varieties in the vineyards, but also orchards, vegetable patches, a thick forest and flocks upon flocks of sheep. At dinner we reaped the rewards of their sustainable farmyard approach with divine homemade ricotta, delicious lamb and stuffed aubergine with lashings of estate-produced olive oil. Yes, life is ‘dolce’ in Sicily…

In a perfect aristocratic fairytale, the estate is owned by a family of Counts and two brothers who still run the show with their 200 staff members spread across five vineyards. The largest vineyard is the Regaleali estate (where we were in Valledolmo) and they produce a wide variety of native and international varieties; on Salina island they produce Malvasia in a nice floral and peppery dry wine and a sweet passito version; from an island on the coast of Tipani they produce a Grillo; from the central region of Monreal they produce a range of varieties; and finally in their portfolio they have an Etna wine too, a Nerello Mascalese. The crown is the Regaleali estate though, where we were staying the evening and where they have a cooking school as well as seven family rooms for guests to stay overnight.

A delicious dinner, vineyard tour and extensive tasting in the morning all flew by and before you knew it we were back on the coach with the sad realization that Tasca Conti d’Almerita wasn’t our home… It was for one night though, and that was certainly a highlight of the trip.

How to survive Friend’s Day…

by AB July 18, 2013

If you are living in Argentina and don’t know what Dia del Amigo is, you’ve been living here with your head in a barrel. If you live abroad and have no clue, you are forgiven and you can read all about Dia del Amigo (20^th July) here. As one of the biggest days on the Argentine calendar, here are a few tips for how to come out on 21^st July alive:

– Get a bunch of phone credit and send texts early.
If you don’t send a text message to every acquaintence you have ever met, you will be shunned next year. So stock up on plenty of phone credit and send your text messages first thing in the morning as by midday the networks have normally all melted down.

– Book your table now.
The biggest rookie faux pas. Bars and restaurants are booked up for weeks in advance before the big day, so if you are the one in charge of booking the table do not forget to do it ASAP. Turning up casually on the door is not a possibility. Friends don’t feel so friendly when you are stuck with a hotdog and cup of cola as the only option.

– Get some cardio in.
Be prepared to be running from friendship meeting to friendship meeting all week. This is not a one slot shot, it is a week long marathon. Get in training comrade!

– Ixnay on the boyfriend.
This is friend’s day. And any ‘friend’ you see with less than their underwear on is not allowed on your peripheries during 20^th July. Don’t be tempted to invite him or her along, unlike most nights in Mendoza, lovers are definitely off the menu. It is very bad form if you do.

– Deadly Virus.
If you really can’t handle the pressure, the only way out of this overly-happy holiday is by contracting a seriously infectious or deadly disease. ‘I’m tired’ will not wash, nor will ‘lots of work’ or ‘previous engagements’. Any excuse will look like a direct snub to your friendship, so if you really want out on 20^th July, start practising your doctor’s notes and drawing scabs and rashes on your skin now.

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Capital of Cool

by AB June 30, 2013

Written for WinesofChile.org

Casablanca’s elevation to Wine Capital status comes not only on the back of its awesome wines but also its capital of cool, Valparaiso. This funky port town shows the world Chile’s wild side: arty, edgy and plenty of parties.

A favourite of backpackers, Chilean students and beach lovers, Valparaiso is a mecca for artists, graffiti admirers, Pablo Neruda fans and good-timers. The city is awash with colour from the brightly painted houses to the ubiquitous graffiti murals all over the walls. Earlier this year it was picked as one of the 15 most colourful cities in the world by Travel + Leisure Magazine and it frequently tops the lists as a ‘must see’ destination in Latin America.

Casablanca winemaker (and DJ) Grant Phelps from Casas del Bosque – who isn’t shy of a good party himself – chose to live in Valparaiso 3 years ago. “It is the cultural capital of Chile,” says Grant, “there is loads of theatre and music. Plus it is, and always has been, Chile’s most cosmopolitan city.” During its affluent port town history, Valparaiso became home to many Europeans and continues to attract foreigners for its bohemian appeal. “Valparaiso is definitely the most vibrant city in Chile and it’s also the graffiti capital – probably of South America.”

Casablanca as a wine region is pretty rocking too. In the 70s, most people thought winemakers were crazy for planting vines on the cold, misty slopes of the valley. Little did they know that these revolutionary winemakers were paving the way for cool climate wine production in Chile and the Americas. Their ‘locura’ paid off as the wines won international accolades and the booming wine region is now world-renowned for its modern Sauvignon Blancs, Syrahs and Pinot Noir in particular.

As all eyes turn onto Chile’s new place on the wine capital list, the verve of Valparaiso and pioneering character of Casablanca make them an ideal base to start exploring the unlimited diversity of Chilean wine and travel.

Picture of Grant Phelps by Chile’s coolest photographer, Matt Wilson. Read more about Matt here, and don’t reproduce his pictures without asking 😉

Argentina’s dog eat dog world…

by AB June 26, 2013

Written for The Vines of Mendoza

A dog is supposedly a man’s best friend, and in Argentina you would be forgiven for thinking it’s a man’s, a woman’s, a grandmother’s and even a gaucho’s best buddy. Dogs rule supreme: in every street corner, every park bench and every handbag. You only need to see the photos of the ubiquitous Buenos Aires dog walkers who take about 20 pooches for a walk at once to notice that this is a nation with a serious pet crush on puppies.

In Mendoza it is pretty much the same. Ladies ‘ooo’ and ‘aaa’ over dogs just as much as they do babies. No man feels quite himself running around the park without his pedigree chum, and dogs are featured on more Facebook posts in Mendoza than Justin Beiber is worldwide.

While all dogs are embraced (literally) in Mendoza, there are two dogs that are the height of fashion – the Bichon Frisé and the Dogo Argentino – and apart from sharing a color (white), they couldn’t be more different.

Bichon Frisé

Yappy, fluffy and small enough to fit in your purse, Bichon Frises (quite appropriately meaning ‘curly lap dog’ in French) are all over the city. They are the favorite mutt of single, middle aged ladies and get their bouffant blow-dried more often then the lady President.

They run around scatter brained, skit from side to side, appear to have ADD and bark incessantly unless you perpetually pet them.

Bichon lovers would call their attention demands ‘affection’ and ‘playfulness’, but most will admit that they have a terrific tendency to eat and hide your shoes. A dog for those who actually want a kid.

Young Wine Writer of Year Award 2012: Runner Up

by AB December 26, 2012

My entry to the Young Wine Writer of the Year Award (UK) which placed as Runner Up.

The True Face of Harvest

Carlos wiped the dripping sweat from his brow. His stout index finger brushed his right eye, and the vinegar he had doused on it stung the crease of his eyelid. He winced and rubbed his grimy shirt against his damp forehead, cursing the wasp that stung him an hour before.

It was 10.30am on a mid March morning in Mendoza, and already 38 degrees centigrade. They still had at least three hours of picking to do. At the very thought of it, Carlos’s neck exuded more drops of salty sweat down his spine.

The cuadrillero [leader of the grape pickers] walked past him and rasped a brash cough in his direction – a reminder that he needed to pick up the pace. Carlos had been a grape picker for 36 years, but now at 46 he was starting to slow down a bit. He felt a pang of jealousy at the half dozen extra chips the younger pickers were collecting by the end of each day.

As he slid his hand behind the next bunch of grapes he felt for the stalk, used the knife to sear into the edge of it and tore it off as quickly as he could, pulling a few leaves and the grape cluster into the bucket. The leaves crunched and disintegrated as he pulled them back out. He knew the cuadrillero wouldn’t accept any more leaves in his bucket, and he was already on tender hooks after getting caught by the authorities last week. That had been a bad day… Carlos blushed at the memory.

A Worker’s Paradise: Public Holidays in Argentina

by AB December 20, 2012

Christmas is, as Andy Williams sang, the ‘most wonderful time of the year’ because to the majority of us it means a couple well deserved long weekends. The idea of getting extra time off work, which doesn’t involve precious holiday leave, frankly makes it quite ‘wonderful’, especially for those living in countries with stingy holiday leave entitlements (take out your violin for people living in China and the Phillippines who only get 5 days annual leave!) In Argentina too there is elation at this ‘holiday’ season but with 19 public holidays a year, a day off work is not an unusual occurrence…

Since her election in 2007, President Kirchner has added 5 bank holidays to the already bulging list and that now means the country tops the charts for the most public holidays in the world. To add to these you have regional holidays within each province and every profession has their own unique day off during the calendar too: student’s day, teacher’s day, plumber’s day, shop assistant’s day… The list goes on, but here’s a scaled down version of holidays in Argentina for 2013 and how they are celebrated:

Pinotsaurus: Pinot Noir and Dinosaurs in Neuquen

by AB September 12, 2012

I looked at the grey stony structure. Almost the same size as my entire body, this was just a single vertebra of an entire spine – just one piece of the enormous puzzle that makes up one of the largest creatures that ever walked the earth – the 90 million year old fossil of an Argentinosaurus. Imagining it makes you think so hard that the back of your skull itches.

If you do have the itch for dinosaurs, Neuquén really is the place to go. An unassuming city, most people pass through it. It is a transport hub and is called the ‘gateway to Patagonia’ because it basically connects the deep south to everywhere else – Buenos Aires, Mendoza or nearby ski and mountain resort town Bariloche. Few tourists venture beyond the bus station doors or airport runway. That is a real shame. Because Neuquén has some of the richest paleontology sites in the world and some pretty interesting wine to keep you company in the evening too. With the massive investment pouring in from oil refineries, the city is becoming more and more affluent and is one to watch.

Dia del Amigo…

by AB July 18, 2012

It is one of the busiest days of the year… no, Christmas hasn’t come early, nor has Thanksgiving been adopted by Argentines. This Friday is Friend’s Day.

It sounds sweet, soppy and like something taken from an episode of Sesame Street, but this is actually one of the biggest days on the Argentine calendar. When the 20 July comes around everyone starts to sweat beneath their collars and start planning for weeks in advance on how to fit their friends in, see them all and not offend anyone. The big day to see your friends is on the actual Dia del Amigo – the 20th – and this is the premium friend slot (reserved only for those that you really, really love), but in a country where people invite on average 500 people to their wedding, you can imagine how many other friends they feel obliged fit into their busy friend week. I have one Mendocino friend who will be celebrating Friend’s Day with a total of 11 friend gatherings spread over 5 days this week… This is not as unusual as you’d think.

There have been many attempts to set up an international Friend’s Day, but no-one (not even Hallmark) quite achieved it. Paraguay was actually the first country to organize a national Friend’s Day and they celebrate it on 30 July. Argentina, just to be different, made theirs 20th July. Why the 20th July you might ask… because that is when we celebrate the Apollo 11 landing. Confused? Yes, me too. But apparently the Dia del Amigo founder, Dr. Enrique Ernesto Febbraro (a professor and general do-gooder) felt that this was a day of international friendship as the moon landing united all mankind. And so he declared it Friend’s Day in 1969 – one small step for man, one giant leap for friendship and drinks promos in bars. It was later legalized as an official day by the Argentine government. So far it is only Uruguay who also celebrate Friend’s Day on 20 July. But you can’t blame Dr Febbraro for not trying – he did send 4000 letters to 100 countries asking them to be part of Friend’s Day too. No-one else really took him up on the offer.

So perhaps if you are reading this from outside Argentina, you could raise a toast with your friends this Friday (maybe it calls for a good Malbec) and give Dr Febbraro a friendly metaphorical pat on the back. If you are however in Argentina, be warned that this Friday night you won’t find a table or stool in any bar or restaurant for love nor money, and the phone lines will have a complete breakdown for the majority of the day.

Chainsaws in Uruguay and the new ‘alternative tourism’

by AB June 19, 2012

A bare-chested 70-year-old man burst into our room, shouting something in Spanish and waving his arms. It was 4am. My boyfriend and I had been asleep: it was our first night couchsurfing in a stranger’s house. His voice boomed around the dark room for a minute and then he slammed the door shut and stormed down the hallway. I turned to my partner in bed, we looked at each other, and having no idea what else to do, we decided to roll over and try to feign sleep. Then the chainsaws started…

I’d been couchsurfing for a year at this point, and this was without a doubt the weirdest experience so far. We’d arrived late the night before at this small farmland in the backwaters of rural Uruguay. Our host Pedro, who we soon dubbed Crazy Pedro, had picked us up from the bus station on his clapped-out moped around 7pm. He seemed nice and quite smartly-dressed, although you couldn’t help but notice he didn’t have any shoes on. ‘Fine’ we figured, we’d both been living in flip flops for the past year so who’s to judge? Then we arrived at his ‘house’. I use inverted commas intentionally.

On the couchsurfing website he’d described it as a large farmhouse with three double rooms, a beautiful farm of friendly animals and a private beach. It sounded dreamy and, on honest reflection, a bit too good to be true. As we arrived to what can only be described as Dorothy’s Kansas crib after the tornado, Crazy Pedro explained to us that this was his grandfather’s house – which until yesterday, had been abandoned for 35 years. This he said with a gleeful and slightly manic smile. Super, we thought. It got more disappointing and all the more strange inside: derelict, broken furniture; a dank bathroom with no running water (bucket and hose outside for manual toilet flushing); and the small red handprints of a child sliding down the walls (they weren’t blood apparently – he was a school teacher and had invited one of his kids to paint the walls… reassuring? Definitely not.) We spent the night eating BBQ-ed sausages indoors – Crazy Pedro decided it was fine to light a fire in the middle of his kitchen floor – and watching our host dance around to acid house music until the early hours of the morning. This all appeared quite eccentric and a little bit loopy, but he didn’t seem dangerous and so we figured it was fine. That was until we heard chainsaws outside our bedroom window at 4.10am.

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