🍷 Uncorking Drinks 🍷
When it comes to Table Talk, we like to dispel myths or at least challenge preconceptions that may have built up in our minds. Today comes the turn of sangria - a drink often spotted and frequently lambasted as a fixture outside tourist traps populating various Spanish cities. As our friends over at Food and Wine put it, “the fine-wine cognoscenti might sometimes turn their vino-sniffing noses up at the thought of sangria, a combination of wine and fruit that aims for refreshment and fun over complexity and haughtiness.”Refreshment and fun sounds pretty good to us, so starting at the beginning, it’s time to revisit our age-old friends, the Romans. Wine, as it was 2,000 or so years ago, tasted very different to what we’ve come to expect these days. It was also frequently watered down, the only problem being that back then, taking a sip of water involved taking your life in your hands, so it was often mixed with stronger alcohol to kill any bacteria and fruit to make it more palatable. From here, a version of sangria was born.
A botellón in action
Following the decline of the Roman Empire, it wasn’t until the 1500s that sangria made the first of many comebacks. By the 1700s and 1800s, sangria was all the rage. The French were in on it, the British had developed a taste for it and Jane Austen even referenced a sangria-like tipple in The Watsons.
So what made us temporarily fall out of love with the good stuff? Maybe it was the proliferation of hastily-made sangrias (if done properly, the fruit needs time to macerate), conflation with the cheaper and simpler tinto de verano or perhaps the fact people started rocking up at bottelónes in the 80s with cartons of the stuff. Whatever the reason, whatever your take, sangra is back. It’s time to cast aside judgement and take a fresh look at this most summery of drinks - recipe here.
🥭 Palate Cleansers 🥭
#1 Animals enjoying ice lollies
#2 Gorge on these oysters
#3 Take in a wine museum on your travels
🥕 If You Can't Handle The Heat, Get In The Kitchen 🥕
This week has been quite something. The mercury has topped 40C for the first time, we’ve collectively wilted in the heat and no one has been quite sure what to do with themselves.
Unsure where to turn next to avoid melting, we’ve done what we know best here at Table Talk and looked to food and drink for an answer. So whilst we’ve got sangria covered above, here are a couple of recipes helping to keep the heat at bay:
Thanks for your love and support,
Luke
Unsure where to turn next to avoid melting, we’ve done what we know best here at Table Talk and looked to food and drink for an answer. So whilst we’ve got sangria covered above, here are a couple of recipes helping to keep the heat at bay:
#1 Gin and tonic ice lollies
#2 Watermelon gazpacho
#3 Herby orzo and lemon salad
#4 Mango salsa
🍷 What News From Wednesday's Domaine? 🍷
Last week was pretty remarkable and testament to all of you. Within moments of going live, we saw a flood of orders coming through and they’re still coming.
Thanks for your love and support,
Luke
