NEWS

Mark our birthday and celebrate in style by joining me in a toast to MiNDFOOD’s first 12 years.

All the latest from our Master Sommelier.

This issue of MiNDFOOD is one of celebration – reaching a milestone of 12 years in print, how cool is that! How you celebrate the important occasions in your world is up to you, but often there’s a particular beverage involved. For me, it’s sparkling wine.

The rule in our home is that there will always be a bottle of champagne and one of méthode traditionnelle wine in the fridge, in case there is a champagne moment. Which sparkling wine to choose? One that you know and love, and another you are excited to try for the first time.

I always try to support local and national producers. My go-to is No. 1 Family Estate’s Cuvée or Rosé. Both are delicious and just as delicious as most champagne. One of my favourite champagnes is Bollinger – its richness, power and finesse make for a delicious aperitif and anytime drink.

If you want to celebrate but nothing is in the fridge ready to go, here’s a tip to chill the bottle fast (this applies to all white wines). Soak a tea towel in cold water, wrap it around the bottle and place it in the freezer. The water in the towel will turn very cold fast, chilling the bottle and its contents quickly. You can, of course, put the bottle in the freezer on its own, but the wet towel method will cut the chill time in half if you’re in a hurry. If you have an ice bucket, be sure to add water to the ice – ice chills the water, water chills the wine (some pour salt on top of the ice – please don’t). It’s also okay to tip the bottle upside-down in the ice bucket to chill the top portion of the bottle first.

Congratulations, MiNDFOOD – we’ll be opening a bottle of our finest bubbles to celebrate this issue.