Drink products

Woodbridge 2005 Shiraz (Robert Mondavi)

helenka — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:26:46 +0000

This deep and fruity number from Robert Mondavi’s Woodbridge range is a great match for a decent slab of steak, or heavier meat dishes such as beef bourguignon. Mondavi has certainly helped to put Napa Valley on the map, and this gutsy red has been made from grapes sourced from Lodi, the Central Coast and the Sierra Foothills of California.

Mondavi got into wine making at an early, growing up in California and eventually taking over what was formerly the Charles Krug Winery there. Italian-born, he wanted to take wine making further than producing passable table wines, and his Woodbridge range is now the top selling American premium wine brand in the US.

Priced from £7.20, available at Threshers, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Waitrose.

OKÉ fruit smoothies

Admin — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 06:59:20 +0000

A Fairtrade smoothie range has hit the shelves that contains no concentrates, preservatives or added sugar. The fruit in OKÉ smoothies is sourced from small farmers and co-operatives in Ecuador, Costa Rica, Brazil and Peru, whilst OKÉ’s parent company AgroFair, is 50% owned by its Fairtrade farmer members and runs 100% for their benefit.

OKÉ smoothies come in two flavours: Raspberry, Blackberry & Banana, and Mango, Orange & Pink Guava. They’re also the UK’s first Fairtrade smoothies not to be made from concentrate. We tried the Mango, Orange & Pink Guava, which was zingy and fresh - perfect for grabbing first thing in the morning as a healthy start to the day. All of the fruit used in OKÉ smoothies is also transported by sea rather than air, so it wins on a good few responsible fronts.

AgroFair UK pioneered the introduction of Fairtrade fruit into Europe with the world’s first Fairtrade bananas, followed by the world’s first Fairtrade pineapples, mangoes, and grapefruit. It is the only fruit company wholly dedicated to Fairtrade. So next time you glug your way through one of these smoothies, remember that your purchase is offering fair support to the farmers that produce this juicy stuff.

OKÉ smoothies are available in Asda and Whole Foods, priced at approx £3.25. For further information please visit: http://www.okefairtrade.com.

Rwandan Farmers coffee

Admin — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:45:54 +0000

If you love your coffee fix and want to get ethical about your consumption of it, Rwandan Farmers coffee bears a clutch of credentials worth looking at. First things first, this rounded ground coffee sees 100% of its gross profits go straight back to the coffee farmers. It means that the farmers can actually sustain what they do and nurture the direct relationship they have with the supermarkets.

As well as being Fair Trade, Rwandan Farmers coffee also offsets its carbon footprint through a programme of tree planting. The farmers plant shading trees around the coffee, which in turn enhances the quality of the coffee and increases nitrogen in the soils.

So for a cup of coffee that satisfies your caffeine fix, strikes a fair deal for coffee farmers and works to improve the environment, don’t look any further.

Rwandan Farmers coffee is available from Sainsbury’s priced at £2.89. The brand is held in trust for Rwandan coffee cooperatives by the Clinton Hunter Development Initiative (CHDI) and all the brand's profits go back to the farmers for health, education and coffee investment.

Chambord

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:25:59 +0000

If God were a woman, this would be her liqueur of choice. No doubt about it. Chambord’s heavenly blend of raspberries, blackberries, Madagascan vanilla, Moroccan citrus peel, honey and cognac is the perfect thing for cocktail mixing and champagne accessorising.

Inspired by a raspberry liqueur that was first fashioned in the Loire Valley of France back in the 17th century, this liqueur oozes glamour. You can get your hands on the lovely stuff in varying bottle sizes, but you’ll notice that even the modest 20cl bottle is heavier than you would think. That’ll be down to the adornment then – the bottle is noticeable to say the least. A little OTT some might say, but not many bottles sport a cold-coloured crown shaped top do they? Points just for effort there we think.

As with all good liqueurs, Chambord is famed for one cocktail in particular: The French Martini. So if you have some of this raspberry liqueur in your possession, try mixing it with pineapple juice and vodka for the ultimate in cocktail concoctions. Garnish with a fresh raspberry of course, and enjoy the glamour of it.

Newby Green Sencha Tea

Mon, 12 May 2008 08:52:20 +0000

This green tea offering from Newby has a pleasingly mild taste to it, without the hard, dry hit you sometimes get with a mouthful of heavily brewed stuff. Each gold, foil-wrapped tea bag has been stuffed with needle shaped tea leaves, brewed to create a delicate cup of green sencha tea. The leaves, picked from early harvesting tea bushes are steamed first before their tea bag-encased destiny follows.

According to Newby, the perfect cup is achieved by immersing the tea bags in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Once the full flavour has developed, just sit back and sip serenely, safe in the knowledge that the back of your tongue won’t be hit with that bitter dryness you can often experience with a less than mediocre green tea.

Newby Green Sencha Tea is available at Selfridges and online at http://www.newbyteas.com, priced from £2.90 per box.

Montana Marlborough Reserve Pinot Noir

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 10:13:31 +0000

This full-bodied number from Montana’s Spring collection, offers up a red wine of substance, without too much of a heavy punch. Flavours of blackcurrant and cherry pervade this Pinot Noir, and with its soft, ripe tannins, it makes for the perfect accompaniment to chicken and lamb dishes, not to mention a medium-rare hunk of roast beef. This Pinot Noir has been matured for 4 – 6 months in a selection of new and 1-year old oak, and gives out a hint of spice along with its fruity flavour.

Priced at £10.49, available at Tesco, Waitrose, Oddbins and Majestic

Sunraysia Pure Squeezed Organic Carrot Juice

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:01:02 +0000

Sunraysia painstakingly auditioned 15 different types of carrot before settling on an organic variety that ticked all the boxes for their carrot juice. The carrots didn’t have to sing or dance – they just had to taste great, and the results are available to the drinking public in the form of Sunraysia’s Pure Squeezed Organic Carrot Juice.

So how did iLoveMyGrub rate it? Well, you’d think carrot juice was plain and simple – maybe a one-taste-wonder. But Sunraysia’s organic stuff has plenty of sweetness to begin with, finished off with a tart edge that gets your taste buds dancing as if they were, well, in an audition…

There are no artificial flavourings or colourings in these bottles of carrot juice, and no GM antics have been going on either. The people at Sunraysia purport that this carrot juice also aids good digestion through its acid neutralizing effect, so it wins on the health as well as the taste front.

Available from Waitrose at £2.99 for a 750ml bottle (RRP).

Ping Pong Flowering Teas

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 14:14:40 +0000

Ping Pong has hailed its seven London-based restaurants as 21st century teahouses. In each dim sum “emporium” you can pick your way through a varied menu of these Chinese culinary offerings, and sip on some great quality teas while you’re at it.

The only down side of going somewhere like Ping Pong and enjoying it immensely, is the craving you have for delights from the menu once you’re at home, and absolutely no where near a Ping Pong establishment. On my first visit to Ping Pong I finished off several rounds of dim sum with a flowering tea. Aside from a little mesmerization at the unfurling ball of tea as it opened up into a flower in its long glass of hot water, it tasted intensely good for you and full of flavour. No weak, halfhearted attempt at green tea here. Quite the opposite: full on taste and a glassful of prettiness whilst you sip.

Now brilliantly, you can get your hands on some of Ping Pong’s flowering teas for your very own use at home. Their hand-sewn balls of tealeaves come in three varieties: Flowering Jasmine (delicate and aromatic), Flowering Red Amaranth (soft wildflower taste) and Flowering Osmanthnus (sweet on the tongue and stunning to look at). You don’t often get your glass of tea upstaging what’s on your plate, but these flowering teas do just that - art in a glass.

Available to purchase from Ping Pong restaurants and online at: http://www.pingpongdimsum.com

Silk Road Chardonnay

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:50:03 +0000

This Chinese wine (yes, that’s right – Chinese), has a very drinkable character. Its warm, golden tones don’t threaten to overwhelm your palette, making it a very accessible wine that would suit pasta, chicken and fish dishes.

As well as pleasing your taste buds, its unlikely to offend your conscience, as this Chardonnay has been produced in North-West China on a vineyard set up by the local government to help pull its community out of poverty. The local families who run the vineyards are paid a high price for their grapes by the local government. They are also provided with free technical services and advice, to help them develop their vineyards and improve their standard of living. Worth drinking to.

Available from Morrisons.

Kenzai teas

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 16:51:47 +0000

If you’ve been planning to shirk your morning cup of caffeine, but don’t have the time to faff around with loose green tea, Kenzai might have the solution. Their organic green and white teas come ready prepared in handy little bottles, so you could quite easily get sipping on the go if you haven’t got round to making a brew in the morning.

The teas contain no chemicals, additives or preservatives and are 100 times richer in antioxidants than vitamin C. Brewed from organic tea leaves, rather than from extract, these teas are a great way to detox. A small amount of organic agave syrup has been added to the green tea for touch of sweetness. If you’re new to any tea besides English breakfast, you might find the white tea a little subtle on the taste buds as it has a very delicate flavour, so start with the green tea, which has a good depth to it.

Available to purchase at Planet Organic, Wholefoods, Fresh and Wild, Luscious Organic, The Organic Grocer.

Hanbury Cocktail Edge Sugars

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 16:35:00 +0000

Whether you’re throwing a good party, or just love sipping a cocktail in style, this range of cocktail sugars from Hanbury Edge are a must have addition to your cocktail paraphernalia. Let’s face it – a martini glass would feel naked without a frosting around its edges and Hanbury have six different ways to make your glassware shimmer. Gin Fizz is full of lemony bite, Vodka Cocktails offers up the sharp tang of lime and Cosmopolitan adorns your glass with a zesty, sugary edge. For those more savoury moments, Bloody Mary spices up a glass with its salt-based, spicy dusting, whilst Margarita and Tequila Cocktails add a lime packed punch.

Produced in compact disc-shaped silver tins, you simply remove the lid, get your glass (complete with wet rim), and elegantly dip the edge of said glass into the cleverly crafted pot of flavoured salts or sugars. Before you know it, you’ll have the best-dressed cocktails in town.

Hanbury Cocktail Edge Sugars and Salts are produced by Bart Spices. Available from independent fine food stores, Booths, House of Fraser and Harvey Nichols. £3.50 per tin.

Kumkani Sauvignon Blanc

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 08:55:16 +0000

This South African sauvignon blanc from Lanner Hill Farm is a force to be reckoned with. Full-bodied with a fresh crisp finish in the mouth, it’s not the kind of bottle you would open and pour without savouring every mouthful. There’s no blending of grapes from various vineyards here – all fruit is harvested from David Tullie’s farm on the crest of the Darling hills.

The grapes for Kumkani’s single vineyard range are grown in partnership with private, famil-owned farms, with each wine reflecting a specific terroir. Kumkani’s sauvignon blanc reveals the cool climate of its origins with notes of gooseberry and flint and a clear, fresh finish. Don’t leave so much as a drop in the bottle – every bit of this mature number should be tasted.

Firefly Tonics

Wed, 22 Aug 2007 11:01:57 +0000

School buddies Marcus Waley Cohen and Harry Briggs set up this fabulous drinks company after Harry returned from a trip to the Ecuadorian rainforest, hollering about the benefits of botanicals. These refreshing drinks come in a range of flavours and help you detox, chill out, wake up or sharpen your mind – take your pick.

The great thing about this collection of thirst-quenchers is that they’re entirely natural, made up of purified water, fruit juices and botanical extracts. There’s no caffeine laced, sugar rush when you sip from one of these bottles – just subtle flavours, quietly doing you good.

Quite wonderfully, Firefly have come up with drinks for different occasions, so if you’re about to sit a heinous beast of an exam, Sharpen Up will help you focus your mind with a blend of grapefruit, passion fruit and yerba maté. Meanwhile, for those who have no exams to take and just need all the help in the world to get over a monstrous hangover, Detox – Firefly’s very own morning after drink, will help to ease a pounding head with lemon, lime and ginger – oh and a fistful of Siberian Ginseng, Sarsaparilla, artichoke and nettle.

Now, you and I probably don’t know exactly what these blends of herbs do, but thankfully Firefly’s two herbalists do. With 2.5g of unique herbal extracts in each drink, and no added sugar, these bottles of beverage-based wizardry do you the world of good without any added nasties. Hooray.

Kumala Chenin Blanc Chardonnay

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 16:40:24 +0000

Kumala’s Chenin Blanc Chardonnay is a light, fresh white wine with a citrus tang. It lends itself well to slightly sweeter dishes and makes a great accompaniment to Chinese and Thai cuisine.

Fully supported by the Wines of South Africa (WOSA), you can be safe in the knowledge that Kumala is working closely with the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative (BWI) to cultivate their crop responsibly. This means that the wine producers work to minimize the loss of threatened natural habitat in South Africa and contribute to sustainable wine production.

So next time you’re hankering after a cold glass of an agreeable white, Kumala’s Chenin Blanc Chardonnay will leave your tongue feeling citrus-fresh and your eco-conscience clean.

Gran Campo Viejo Cava Rosé

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 13:55:50 +0000

Campo Viejo have added this new sparkling rose to their range of wines. Gran Campo Viejo Cava Rosé is a light, dry rose with hints of fruit - making it ideal as an accompaniment to summer nights. It's a subtle sparkling wine that refreshes your palette rather than overwhelming it and a glass-full of this rose lends itself effortlessly to many an occasion.

Easily quaffable, this latest offering from Campo Viejo is a flexible addition to dining times. Sip leisurely from a large glass, or pour over a generous helping of sorbet. Serve Gran Campo Viejo Cava Rosé up at barbeques, girly nights in and grown-up bath times. Pass me the bubbles...I mean the bottle.