What Porter?

It's two in the morning; the reminence of a house party is strewn around you, your significant other is asleep on the sofa and someone just got out the cards for a quick game of poker. As your trying to remember the rules of poker and trying not to choke when cigars are lit. As if this machoistic ensemble of your own personl ignorance isn't enough someone gets a bottle of their 'father favourite port' out. Ignorance no more, heres my list of 5 things about port to blag your way into any gentleman's society:

1. Tawny ports are wines made from red grapes that are aged in wooden barrels using the Soleraprocess, exposing them to gradual oxidation and evaporation.

2 The continued English involvement in the port trade can be seen in the names of many port shippers: Cockburn, Croft, Dow, Gould, Graham

3 in the United Kingdom calls for port being served at a formal dinner to be passed to the left and the bottle must not touch the table on its way around.

4 Port should be served around 65 degrees, in a narrow wine glass, and the glass should only be half filled.

5. Port takes its name from the city of Oporto that is situated at the mouth of the 560-mile long Rio Douro or River of Gold.

Mulled Cider

Mulled wine is for Mugs. Mulled cider is the best thing you can crack out this winter (apart from a heafty cheque from your aunty norah); heres the recipie we have run in several of my bars so I know it works.

2 pints of cider (preferably something cloudy – old rosie athough its strong is perfect)

1 Pint of Cloudy organic cider

a dash of flat coke

a pinch of nutmeg

2 Sticks of cinnamon

1 vanilla pod

1 orange cut open and stuffed with cloves and tied with a little twine

½ a pint of wisebier (not essential but makes a huge difference)

2 tablespoons of honey (manuka honey preferably)

Add these ingredients to a pan and cook it to just below boiling and allow it to chill down to below 75oc and add 50ml of grand marnier and leave it to mull for a good 2 hours on a low heat while you go carol singing – return and watch your friends get jealous of your booze combining skills.

Sommelier's Choice; Wine of the Winter

Winter is all about full bodied and familiar expressions so what better example of this is there than a good bottle of vin rouge. There is little better than a Bordeaux / Claret so I present to you th

e Domaine du Seuil. This silky smooth red combines more of an oaky complexity than most other wines but does it in a way that makes it acceptable to every table. The ripe and spicy nose carries through to the palate and is beautifully balanced by plum and cedar wood flavours.

It also carries a pretty interesting story in that it is owned by a Welsh man Bob Watts who has a little vineyard in the French region but distributes all over the world. As a result the bottle carries the welsh dragon on the label just under the picture of the vinyard.

Buy it for: Yourself damnit!