Friday, May 15, 2015

Friends + Humble Grape Wine + Cheese = A Winning Combination


I love wine. Slight problem: I'm kind of allergic to it. Not in a "oh, you're such a lightweight!" kind of way, but in a oh-my-goodness-I've-had-one-sip-and-I'm-sloshed-and-turning-red-and-oh-look-I'm-completely-hungover-now kind of way. That way. 

So, I can't really drink on my own. Or finish a drink on my own. Like, ever. Luckily, my friends' arrivals last week meant that I had an excuse to break out the good stuff from Humble Grape - an indie, boutique wine merchant in London that's on a mission to make wine "socially inclusive and approachable by anyone". 

Which is funny, because coincidentally, my first landlord in London (whom I adored, and also lived with) was a sommelier at one of London's top restaurants. And boy, did he know a LOT about wine!
Due to my, erm, inconvenient wine allergy, his explanations were kind of lost on me, though he let me sample a lot of delicious (not to mention, insanely expensive!) wines and he also passionately believed that good wine should be accessible to all - and that, as long as you liked it, it was good.

John orders wine with confidence (and he always chooses the best ones!) but insists he doesn't really know what he's doing. I tend to go for what I know I like (practically any Rioja, Brunello di Montalcino, and on occasion, a Pinot Grigio), so I love trying new recommendations, like the bottles that Humble Grape selected for me:  Galfano Nero d'Avola, 2011, Sicily and a First Drop Mother's Milk Shiraz, 2012, Barossa Valley, Australia. With a carefully curated selection of wine imported from 44 vineyards across 7 countries (!!!), Humble Grape a pretty special little place - somewhere I'd turn to when I'm next in a dinner party oh-what-should-I-bring rut, rather than a desperate grab-and-go from my local Tesco. Not that I do that. Sort of.


Before we unscrewed the cork to the Galfano Nero d'Avola, however, my friends and I collected "supplies" from Borough Market i.e. meats, cheese, and olives (duh!).
 
Borough Market is one of my favorite places to explore in London: the sights, the smells, the sounds! I can never leave without at least sampling three different kinds of cheeses and walking away with jamon Iberico that cost more than my weekly lunch allowance - fact.

After some hilarious banter with stall holders (Deborah: "Oh wait, let me pay, you guys! I have SO MUCH CASH!" Cashier: "Great! That will be five million pounds, please.") we walked away with links of saucisson from Une Normande a Londres, a hunk of mortadella (my favorite!), and two delicious, garlicky pots of olives from Borough Olives, and two types of cheese. 

It was kind of an amazing spread (it also gave me an excuse to use our new Laguiole cheese knives, plus the gorgeous charcuterie board Kara gave us!).





We held a mini wine-tasting party at our flat, which was so much fun. We kind of just huddled around in the kitchen instead of heading to the dining room - I forgot how social nibbling and sipping wine in a kitchen can be!


The first wine we tried was a 2011 Galfano Nero d'Avola - a beautiful, fruity (think: cherries) red wine from Sicily, where John and I had visited last year. We fell in love with the cuisine and wine while we were there, and this particular Nero d'Avola (which is Sicily's most important grape variety, according to Humble Grape!) went really well with the saucisson and olives.


I'll admit: I was a little intimidated by the tongue-in-cheek name and comic-strip label of the second wine ... 2012 First Drop Mother's Milk Shiraz from Barossa Valley, Australia (apparently, the winemaker behind Mother's Milk, Matt, was about to join the army when he broke his wrist and decided to make wine instead. As you do.).

But ohmygoodness, it was SO GOOD.


Super full-bodied, smoky, and powerful (plus, it has a hilarious tasting note on Humble Grape: "a hint of wombat rolled in allspice"). Really easy to drink and it went like a dream with the cheese we bought. Most of us liked the Nero d'Avola, but we all loved the Mother's Milk Shiraz.

I had a few too many slurps of this delicious red and ... yup, ended up drunkenly stumbling to our local pizza hangout, where afterwards, we decided to walk home while balancing pizza boxes on our heads - just to see who would last the longest. No joke. 

Such a fun evening (though I can barely remember it). Just kidding. (Not really.)

Our delicious wines were generously provided by Humble Grape, whose mission and ethos I love! Check out their wines and wine-tasting events here. All opinions are my own.

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16 comments

  1. Sounds like a great evening, Jaime! I love those nights where you stay in, chat with friends over good wine and food. It's like going out for a great meal...but in the comfort of your own kitchen! Ideal!

    Lauren xx | The Lifestyle Diaries

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    1. It was *lovely*, Lauren. One thing I love about my friends is that we don't have to go out to do anything (even though we obviously did - we're in London, after all!), but can have so much fun just sitting around talking and laughing! xx

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  2. This sounds like my favourite type of evening, I am lucky enough to work near Borough Market and often treat myself to a picnic tea from there. The ethos of making wine more accessible is amazing, I love wine but often feel intimated picking one. Also I know that you shouldn't judge a wine by it's label by the 2012 First Drop Mother's Milk Shiraz is awesome, I am absolutely going to try some of your suggestions.


    http://www.emmainks.com/

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    1. You're so lucky to work near Borough Market! It's the best. Except when it gets crowded - ha! Luckily, we got there early enough before it got too bad. I'm totally intimidated when picking wine too ... I love that Humble Wine was founded on the premise that someone was snotty to them in a wine shop!

      That First Drop Mother's Milk Shiraz is really, really good. I'd definitely buy it again.

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  3. Omg, soooo annoying to be allergic to wine :( At least you got to try some as well as delicious accompaniments.
    Lots of love,
    Angie

    SilverSpoon London

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    1. Haha, I know! I'm allergic to any type of alcohol though ... am worst with champagne!!! The bubbles ... :(

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  4. Maybe I should try them, because I've yet to meet a red wine that I like!

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    1. Hmm ... not sure you'll like these if you don't like red wine in general, Ruth! I'm kind of like that with white wine ... I don't mind it, but I don't prefer it.

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  5. I'm not sure I would have picked 'Mother's Milk' off the shelf, but with your description I'm sold! There's nothing better than wine & cheese...apart from wine & cheese with your best friends!! Any night that ends with a pizza box balancing competition is a good one in my book.

    Polly xx
    Follow Your Sunshine

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    1. I would NEVER have picked Mother's Milk from the shelf. NEVER EVER. Just shows that you definitely can't choose a wine by its label! Or price, for that matter!

      Oh jeez ... my friends and I are so silly when we get together! xx

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  6. Aw, I feel you on the allergy! If I have a sip of anything alcoholic, I'm red within fifteen minutes. I've never gotten tipsy though, no matter how much I had to drink, but I get killer headaches. It's like instant hangover.

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    1. I GET THE KILLER HEADACHES TOO! And the instant hangover. It's so sad. I have my mom's genes ... my dad is totally fine! I'm never tipsy either - I just skip that stage and go directly to super drunk. It's no fun. Glad you can relate!

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  7. Wine tasting at home - what a bloody brilliant idea!!! LOVE that you lived with your landlord, and that he was a sommelier, haha. Looking forward to meeting you :) Lots of love, Andrea xxx

    www.andreaspassions.com

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    1. Haha, yes, it was so much fun!

      My landlord was lovely. I doubt he's reading this now, but we lost touch over the last few years, which makes me sad! He was so nice and so enthusiastic about wine. I felt like I was going to Wine University whenever I talked to him, ha!

      See you soon xxx

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  8. Shame about the alcohol allergy, but at least your liver is saved! Haha!
    My landlord's wife is a wine connoisseur as well and would always send us a few bottles to try each month. Not sure if that's lucky or unlucky! x

    Honey @ The Girl Next Shore

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    1. Haha, too true! Sounds like you get your fair share of lovely wines to try! x

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