Trieste

G. and I have landed in Trieste, and almost nothing good can come of it. Consider for a moment the comedy hotel room. Friendly we are. This friendly, we are not.


After sorting out the sleeping situation, a glass of wine on the piazza and a little bit of food sets us all right.


Trieste, from the pier.


Somehow, can't help feeling that this guy is enjoying life more than we are. It's a weekday afternoon. No one seems to be working. We fit in perfectly.


The local library.


The panna cotta emporium. This place is all right. <img alt="Trieste" border="0" src="http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250/orie0704/172.jpg" width="400"><br />G. and I have landed in Trieste, and almost nothing good can come of it. Consider for a moment the comedy hotel room. Friendly we are. This friendly, we are not<span class="fullpost">.<br /><br /><img alt="Piazza" border="0" src="http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250/orie0704/199-1.jpg" width="400"><br />After sorting out the sleeping situation, a glass of wine on the piazza and a little bit of food sets us all right.<br /><br /><img alt="From the Trieste pier" border="0" src="http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250/orie0704/187.jpg" width="400"><br />Trieste, from the pier.<br /><br /><img alt="Coffee" border="0" src="http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250/orie0704/175.jpg" width="400"><br />Somehow, can't help feeling that this guy is enjoying life more than we are. It's a weekday afternoon. No one seems to be working. We fit in perfectly.<br /><br /><img alt="books" border="0" src="http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250/orie0704/179-1.jpg" width="400"><br />The local library.<br /><br /><img alt="panna cotta" border="0" src="http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250/orie0704/190-1.jpg" width="400"><br />The panna cotta emporium. This place is all right.</span>

The Hong Kong Vienna Opera Ball

Our trip to Hong Kong was capped off on Saturday night with "The Hong Kong Vienna Opera Ball", held in the ballroom of the Grand Hyatt. This was the first such ball held in HK since 2002, before which it appears to have been an annual event. I wouldn't have thought there'd be so many Austrians in Hong Kong, but there you go, with my classmate amongst them. All in all, it was a fine evening of Austrian wine, food, and song.

N.V. Schlumberger "Sparkling Brut": 100% Welschriesling, and only 11.5% a.b.v., made by methode traditionelle. Very light, with yeasty and apricot/green apple aromas. Pleasantly toasty, dry and angular. I believe this is available in the U.S., for between $25 and $30. There's also a sparkling rosé which I'm keen to try.


Wiener Kartoffelpuffer mit Lachstartar und Caviar an Dill Sosse (Pan-fried Viennese potato tart with salmon tartar and caviar in a light dill sauce) - This may have been my favorite dish of the night, barring the dessert.

2005 Laurenz V. Gruner Veltliner: This was a slightly unusual but overall very pleasant wine. Slightly funky and quite smoky on the nose initially, giving way to slate, green apple, and green pea aromas. Initially, I found this to be on the soft side, but as it came up to room temperature, the acidity really livened up and served as a nice counterpoint to the juicy green apple and citrus notes. Easy drinking, all night long.

[no picture, inexcusably...but it was very good.]
Schaumsüppchen von der geräucherten Regenbogenforelle serviert mit seinem Schaumbrot in Blatteteig Vol au Vent (Light cream of smoked rainbow trout, served with rainbow trout parfait in puff vol au vent)


Gemüse strudel auf Kerbel weisswein sosse (Vegetable strudel on white wine chervil cream)

2007 Gernot Heinrich "Roter" Zweigelt. Strangely named, not sure there is any other colour of Zweigelt. This was a rather simple, but again easy drinking wine under the less than critical circumstances. Nose was very strong on the ripe and stewed plums, with fresh black cherries and soft tannins on the palate. Very much lacking in the acidity department. Didn't drink much of this beyond what the very eager attendants poured, returning to the grüner veltliner at the first opportunity.


Tafelspitz mit apfelkren, petersilien kartoffeln und mangold (Boiled beef rump with apple horseradish sauce, steamed parsley potatoes and Swiss chard)


Mohr im hemd mit schokoladen sosse, schlagobers auf vanille sosse mohnudeln mi himbeerhalbgeforenem (Chocolate pudding in chocolate and vanilla sauce with whipped cream and poppy seed gnocchi served with raspberry parfait)

I was a little disappointed that there wasn't any dessert wine, but by this time, the dancing was in full swing (Hong Kongers are apparently VERY keen ballroom dancers). The midnight quadrille was energetic and hilarious, with only minor casualties, soothed by traditional post-midnight ball fare, i.e. goulash! It was a great night, although we didn't quite make it all the way to the end, since we had a flight to catch late on Sunday morning. Still, I can't imagine it will be too long before we are back for more... <img alt="“" border="“0”" src="http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250/orie0704/IMGP0035.jpg"><br />Our trip to Hong Kong was capped off on Saturday night with "The Hong Kong Vienna Opera Ball", held in the ballroom of the Grand Hyatt. This was the first such ball held in HK since 2002, before which it appears to have been an annual event. I wouldn't have thought there'd be so many Austrians in Hong Kong, but there you go, with my classmate amongst them. All in all, it was a fine evening of Austrian wine, food, and song<span class="fullpost">.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">N.V. Schlumberger "Sparkling Brut"</span>: 100% Welschriesling, and only 11.5% a.b.v., made by methode traditionelle. Very light, with yeasty and apricot/green apple aromas. Pleasantly toasty, dry and angular. I believe this is available in the U.S., for between $25 and $30. There's also a sparkling rosé which I'm keen to try.<br /><br /><img alt="“" border="“0”" src="http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250/orie0704/IMGP0017.jpg"><br /><b>Wiener Kartoffelpuffer mit Lachstartar und Caviar an Dill Sosse</b> (Pan-fried Viennese potato tart with salmon tartar and caviar in a light dill sauce) - This may have been my favorite dish of the night, barring the dessert.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2005 Laurenz V. Gruner Veltliner</span>: This was a slightly unusual but overall very pleasant wine. Slightly funky and quite smoky on the nose initially, giving way to slate, green apple, and green pea aromas. Initially, I found this to be on the soft side, but as it came up to room temperature, the acidity really livened up and served as a nice counterpoint to the juicy green apple and citrus notes. Easy drinking, all night long.<br /><br />[no picture, inexcusably...but it was very good.]<br /><b>Schaumsüppchen von der geräucherten Regenbogenforelle serviert mit seinem Schaumbrot in Blatteteig Vol au Vent</b> (Light cream of smoked rainbow trout, served with rainbow trout parfait in puff <i>vol au vent</i>)<br /><br /><img alt="“" border="“0”" src="http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250/orie0704/IMGP0020.jpg"><br /><b>Gemüse strudel auf Kerbel weisswein sosse</b> (Vegetable strudel on white wine chervil cream)<br /><br /><b>2007 Gernot Heinrich "Roter" Zweigelt</b>. Strangely named, not sure there is any other colour of Zweigelt. This was a rather simple, but again easy drinking wine under the less than critical circumstances. Nose was very strong on the ripe and stewed plums, with fresh black cherries and soft tannins on the palate. Very much lacking in the acidity department. Didn't drink much of this beyond what the very eager attendants poured, returning to the grüner veltliner at the first opportunity.<br /><br /><img alt="“" border="“0”" src="http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250/orie0704/IMGP0022.jpg"><br /><b>Tafelspitz mit apfelkren, petersilien kartoffeln und mangold</b> (Boiled beef rump with apple horseradish sauce, steamed parsley potatoes and Swiss chard)<br /><br /><img alt="“" border="“0”" src="http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250/orie0704/IMGP0025.jpg"><br /><b>Mohr im hemd mit schokoladen sosse, schlagobers auf vanille sosse mohnudeln mi himbeerhalbgeforenem</b> (Chocolate pudding in chocolate and vanilla sauce with whipped cream and poppy seed gnocchi served with raspberry parfait)<br /><br />I was a little disappointed that there wasn't any dessert wine, but by this time, the dancing was in full swing (Hong Kongers are apparently VERY keen ballroom dancers). The midnight quadrille was energetic and hilarious, with only minor casualties, soothed by traditional post-midnight ball fare, i.e. goulash! It was a great night, although we didn't quite make it all the way to the end, since we had a flight to catch late on Sunday morning. Still, I can't imagine it will be too long before we are back for more...</span>

Oxidised wines in HK

After the severe battering HK has received the last couple of days, the rain finally let up this afternoon, and by evening, even the skies were clearing enough to give us some purple moonlight under which to have a selection of deliberately oxidised wines.


Tonight's lineup, from L to R: 2002 Damijan Collio Kaplja, 1997 Rolet Pere et Fils Vin Jaune, 1999 Jean Leon Chardonnay, 1997 Chateau Musar Blanc, and 2000 Chateau Musar Rouge.

1999 Jean Leon Chardonnay, Penedes, Torrontes, Spain, 100% Chardonnay, 13.5% abv: Not intentionally oxidised, but other bottles in this lot were found to be, so it was included. Golden yellow in appearance, toasted oak nose, cheesy/leesy notes, with some honeyed / flowery tinges. Decidedly mushroomy, with a weird rancid coconut oil flavour. Overall, it was insipid and flat, with no acidity to speak of. Undrinkable, really.

2002 Damijan Podversic Collio Kaplja Bianco, Friuli-Venezia, Italy, Chardonnay/Malvasia blend, 13.5% abv: This is fermented on the skins. Amber/honey coloured, hazy, with a noticeable hard apple cider nose, with a touch of orange. On the palate, this is a wine of contradictions. Smoky, roasted notes, this is tannic, and very drying, but not dry. It was actually rather juicy, but with non-specific fruit - more of a feeling than something identifiable. Medium to full bodied, with an interesting bitter streak down the midline, and a pleasantly buttery and caramel finish, but still with a bitter of bite at the end. R. took the last quarter of this home with him, so will have to hear how this develops.

1997 Chateau Musar Blanc, Bekaa valley, Lebanon, Obaideh/Merweh blend, 12% abv: Decanted for only 5 hours. Deep golden colour, with a subtle nose of smoke, plums, candied fruit, bakery spices, and sweet caramel apples. On the palate, dry, balanced acidity, medium bodied, with minerality dominating. Subdued citrus notes, with a bit of raw egg protein, and no volatile acidity present. A light and refreshing finish. A lovely Musar. Will revisit this later in the week.

1997 Rolet Pere et Fils Vin Jaune Arbois, Jura
100% Savagnin, 14% abv: Pale gold colour, with a delectable nose of walnuts, grassy, mossy, flower meadow, followed by a sweet sherry profile, with obvious caramel, toffee, and stewed red fruit. On the palate, bracing acidity, schist, more walnuts and a lovely aged sherry finish, plenty of toffee notes. The acidity was very bright indeed, probably overpowering any fruit. Definitely tight tonight, even after being opened for several hours. Will follow this over the next couple of days as well, will be interesting to see how it unfolds. The nose was tremendous though, and there clearly is plenty of taming to be done by time here.


The Whites, from L to R: Jean Leon, Damijan, Musar, Vin Jaune...

2000 Chateau Musar Rouge, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, 13.5% abv: This is from a U.K. importer. Not decanted. A completely different wine from the one I had a few months back. More brett, no VA to speak of. Not cloudy this time. Stewed fruit and tomatoes again on both the nose and the palate, leather, barnyard, macerated strawberries, a bit of herbaceousness. Nice balance between the acidity and tannins. Overall, this was a very, very nice wine tonight.

These were all drunk over the course of the evening, along with the following cheeses: epoisses de bourgogne, saint maure, bouchons, and comte. The comte and vin jaune easily made for the best pairing. <img alt="HK" border="0" src="http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250/orie0704/IMGP0930.jpg" width="400"><br />After the severe battering HK has received the last couple of days, the rain finally let up this afternoon, and by evening, even the skies were clearing enough to give us some purple moonlight under which to have a selection of deliberately oxidised wines<span class="fullpost">.<br /><br /><img alt="lineup" border="0" src="http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250/orie0704/IMGP0926.jpg" width="400"><br />Tonight's lineup, from L to R: 2002 Damijan Collio Kaplja, 1997 Rolet Pere et Fils Vin Jaune, 1999 Jean Leon Chardonnay, 1997 Chateau Musar Blanc, and 2000 Chateau Musar Rouge.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1999 Jean Leon Chardonnay</span>, Penedes, Torrontes, Spain, 100% Chardonnay, 13.5% abv: Not intentionally oxidised, but other bottles in this lot were found to be, so it was included. Golden yellow in appearance, toasted oak nose, cheesy/leesy notes, with some honeyed / flowery tinges. Decidedly mushroomy, with a weird rancid coconut oil flavour. Overall, it was insipid and flat, with no acidity to speak of. Undrinkable, really.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2002 Damijan Podversic Collio Kaplja Bianco</span>, Friuli-Venezia, Italy, Chardonnay/Malvasia blend, 13.5% abv: This is fermented on the skins. Amber/honey coloured, hazy, with a noticeable hard apple cider nose, with a touch of orange. On the palate, this is a wine of contradictions. Smoky, roasted notes, this is tannic, and very drying, but not dry. It was actually rather juicy, but with non-specific fruit - more of a feeling than something identifiable. Medium to full bodied, with an interesting bitter streak down the midline, and a pleasantly buttery and caramel finish, but still with a bitter of bite at the end. R. took the last quarter of this home with him, so will have to hear how this develops.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1997 Chateau Musar Blanc</span>, Bekaa valley, Lebanon, Obaideh/Merweh blend, 12% abv: Decanted for only 5 hours. Deep golden colour, with a subtle nose of smoke, plums, candied fruit, bakery spices, and sweet caramel apples. On the palate, dry, balanced acidity, medium bodied, with minerality dominating. Subdued citrus notes, with a bit of raw egg protein, and no volatile acidity present. A light and refreshing finish. A lovely Musar. Will revisit this later in the week.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1997 Rolet Pere et Fils Vin Jaune Arbois</span>, Jura<br />100% Savagnin, 14% abv: Pale gold colour, with a delectable nose of walnuts, grassy, mossy, flower meadow, followed by a sweet sherry profile, with obvious caramel, toffee, and stewed red fruit. On the palate, bracing acidity, schist, more walnuts and a lovely aged sherry finish, plenty of toffee notes. The acidity was very bright indeed, probably overpowering any fruit. Definitely tight tonight, even after being opened for several hours. Will follow this over the next couple of days as well, will be interesting to see how it unfolds. The nose was tremendous though, and there clearly is plenty of taming to be done by time here.<br /><br /><img alt="lineup" border="0" src="http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250/orie0704/IMGP0928.jpg" width="400"><br />The Whites, from L to R: Jean Leon, Damijan, Musar, Vin Jaune...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2000 Chateau Musar Rouge</span>, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, 13.5% abv: This is from a U.K. importer. Not decanted. A completely different wine from the one I had a few months back. More brett, no VA to speak of. Not cloudy this time. Stewed fruit and tomatoes again on both the nose and the palate, leather, barnyard, macerated strawberries, a bit of herbaceousness. Nice balance between the acidity and tannins. Overall, this was a very, very nice wine tonight.<br /><br />These were all drunk over the course of the evening, along with the following cheeses: epoisses de bourgogne, saint maure, bouchons, and comte. The comte and vin jaune easily made for the best pairing.</span>

Typhoon 8 & Tama no Hikari

Not a good day for being outside, since we had a Force 8 Typhoon blowing (apart from the rain dancing, which was fun). Surprisingly, or perhaps not, this does nothing to stop commerce on the island! So, having picked up some sake earlier, we headed to Lan Kwai Fong for some Sichuan food. It was certainly funny to see all the "Force 8" dinner specials.


The highlight of my meal: chili chicken... under the piles of fried chilis, there are occasionally pieces of fried chicken. This was deadly.


Tama no Hikari... the middle bottle, a junmai ginjo made from yamada nishiki, was the unanimous favorite. The daiginjo, on the left, was a bit sharp on the finish, while the junmai ginjo on the right was a bit on the sweet and simple side. <img alt="“" border="“0”" src="http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250/orie0704/IMGP0920.jpg"><br />Not a good day for being outside, since we had a Force 8 Typhoon blowing (apart from the rain dancing, which was fun). Surprisingly, or perhaps not, this does nothing to stop commerce on the island! So, having picked up some sake earlier, we headed to Lan Kwai Fong for some Sichuan food. It was certainly funny to see all the "Force 8" dinner specials<span class="fullpost">.<br /><br /><img alt="“" border="“0”" src="http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250/orie0704/IMGP0910.jpg"><br />The highlight of my meal: chili chicken... under the piles of fried chilis, there are occasionally pieces of fried chicken. This was deadly.<br /><br /><img alt="“" border="“0”" src="http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250/orie0704/IMGP0922.jpg"><br />Tama no Hikari... the middle bottle, a junmai ginjo made from yamada nishiki, was the unanimous favorite. The daiginjo, on the left, was a bit sharp on the finish, while the junmai ginjo on the right was a bit on the sweet and simple side.</span>

....live from Hong Kong

Just arrived in Hong Kong with R., here to spend a week catching up with lots of old friends. It's in the upper 80's now (now after 1AM), and the humidity has barely receded, so it may be a tough week, but we'll soldier on. By the time we arrived, R. and S. were already at K. & S.'s apartment, with food and wine ready to go.

N.V. Varichon & Clerc "vin mousseux": A chardonnay based blanc de blancs from the Savoie. Simple, light, crisp, easy drinking, light notes of apple, and medium weight. Pleasant, and a fine match to some onion pakora.

N.V. Champagne André Clouet Brut Rosé: One of the rare "blanc de noirs" from Bouzy, we are huge fans of this wine, and moreso of the winemaker. Beautiful salmon colour, fine bead, not too heavy for a 100% PN. A restrained effervescence makes this a fine accompaniment to tonight's Punjabi dinner. Summer berries, sexy, almost creamy on the mid-palate, but with a very clean finish. A wonderful, wonderful wine. Needs no accompaniment.

2003 E. Guigal Chateauneuf du Pape: Decanted for a couple of hours. Strong barnyard notes, garrigue, bramble, but pleasant blackberry, moderate acidity and tannins. Earthy, forest floor. Not terribly complex, but all in all, a reasonable match with some stuffed okra sauteed with onions and mixed lentils.

2005 Sutherlands Creek Pinot Noir: From Geelong (Victoria), made by a friend of R. and S., who we'll be meeting at the HK Vienna Opera Ball next week. Didn't even realise they do PN in OZ. Actually reminds me more of St. Laurent - a bit edgier, more forest floor and pine/menthol going on. Cherry and spice on the nose, pleasant herbal/savouriness on the palate, medium finish. Simple but delicious.

2006 Sutherlands Creek Primitivo: Now this is good... strong blueberry/vanilla milkshake on the nose, but very restrained and elegant on the palate. Fine acidity. Not over-oaked. Brambly with restrained fruit. I really like this.

2006 Te Whare Ra "Noble Riesling": A rarity, apparently only 200 bottles of this made (picked up on R. and S.'s honeymoon). Beautiful nose of apricots, citrus and white flowers. On the palate, more of the same. Very good acidity. Not the heft and weight that I'd expect from the great dessert wines, but this is a nice alternative, in a lighter style. My first NZ sweet wine, and I'm rather impressed. This was had, by the way, with an incredible dessert, a date and toffee cake, with toffee-vanilla ice cream... I can't wait for breakfast... it will be decadent.


Us, take it easy? Never!

So, we've been in Hong Kong for about 6 hours now... this is an excellent start, and I expect lots of good work to be accomplished in the next week. <img alt="“" border="“0”" src="http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250/orie0704/IMGP0854.jpg"><br />Just arrived in Hong Kong with R., here to spend a week catching up with lots of old friends. It's in the upper 80's now (now after 1AM), and the humidity has barely receded, so it may be a tough week, but we'll soldier on. By the time we arrived, R. and S. were already at K. & S.'s apartment, with food and wine ready to go<span class="fullpost">.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">N.V. Varichon & Clerc "vin mousseux"</span>: A chardonnay based blanc de blancs from the Savoie. Simple, light, crisp, easy drinking, light notes of apple, and medium weight. Pleasant, and a fine match to some onion pakora.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">N.V. Champagne André Clouet Brut Rosé</span>: One of the rare "blanc de noirs" from Bouzy, we are huge fans of this wine, and moreso of the winemaker. Beautiful salmon colour, fine bead, not too heavy for a 100% PN. A restrained effervescence makes this a fine accompaniment to tonight's Punjabi dinner. Summer berries, sexy, almost creamy on the mid-palate, but with a very clean finish. A wonderful, wonderful wine. Needs no accompaniment. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2003 E. Guigal Chateauneuf du Pape</span>: Decanted for a couple of hours. Strong barnyard notes, garrigue, bramble, but pleasant blackberry, moderate acidity and tannins. Earthy, forest floor. Not terribly complex, but all in all, a reasonable match with some stuffed okra sauteed with onions and mixed lentils.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2005 Sutherlands Creek Pinot Noir</span>: From Geelong (Victoria), made by a friend of R. and S., who we'll be meeting at the HK Vienna Opera Ball next week. Didn't even realise they do PN in OZ. Actually reminds me more of St. Laurent - a bit edgier, more forest floor and pine/menthol going on. Cherry and spice on the nose, pleasant herbal/savouriness on the palate, medium finish. Simple but delicious.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2006 Sutherlands Creek Primitivo</span>: Now this is good... strong blueberry/vanilla milkshake on the nose, but very restrained and elegant on the palate. Fine acidity. Not over-oaked. Brambly with restrained fruit. I really like this. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2006 Te Whare Ra "Noble Riesling"</span>: A rarity, apparently only 200 bottles of this made (picked up on R. and S.'s honeymoon). Beautiful nose of apricots, citrus and white flowers. On the palate, more of the same. Very good acidity. Not the heft and weight that I'd expect from the great dessert wines, but this is a nice alternative, in a lighter style. My first NZ sweet wine, and I'm rather impressed. This was had, by the way, with an incredible dessert, a date and toffee cake, with toffee-vanilla ice cream... I can't wait for breakfast... it will be decadent.<br /><br /><img alt="“" border="“0”" src="http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250/orie0704/IMGP0848.jpg"><br />Us, take it easy? Never!<br /><br />So, we've been in Hong Kong for about 6 hours now... this is an excellent start, and I expect lots of good work to be accomplished in the next week.</span>

Scrumpy Cider

If you ask me what culinary goods do I miss from my years in the UK, I'll be hard-pressed to come up with a good English list. Although, I suppose, really, what is more English than a Balti anyways? Anyways, I doubt anything will trump a good scrumpy cider. So much character – wild, earthy, funky, sour, sharp, but also the clear varietal taste of the apples, and the apple skins, especially the bitters. Can be cloudy (small production, usually still, only locally available), can be clear (usually the bigger producers, tends toward the fizzy). There’s nothing like it (and Strongbow and Blackthorn are poor, industrial reflections). My preference is slightly towards English scrumpy, but Basque cider is very much its equal. Was in the UK for an alumni event a couple of weeks ago, and didn't miss the chance.


So, here’s a couple of choices I did pick up: Henney’s Frome Valley (Herefordshire) and Symonds Scrumpy Jack (also from Herefordshire). My preference was definitely for the Henney’s, which was easily the wilder drink, but the Scrumpy Jack is very reliable, and reasonably popular in pubs across the UK. The Scrumpy Jack had a touch more fizz and bite, but not quite as much funk. I also had an unfortunate tangle with a Swedish pear cider. Won't be doing that again, very artifical, way too sweet for my taste. Kopparberg if you are interested. If you ask me what culinary goods do I miss from my years in the UK, I'll be hard-pressed to come up with a good English list. Although, I suppose, really, what is more English than a Balti anyways? Anyways, I doubt anything will trump a good scrumpy cider. So much character – wild, earthy, funky, sour, sharp, but also the clear varietal taste of the apples, and the apple skins, especially the bitters. Can be cloudy (small production, usually still, only locally available), can be clear (usually the bigger producers, tends toward the fizzy). There’s nothing like it (and Strongbow and Blackthorn are poor, industrial reflections). My preference is slightly towards English scrumpy, but Basque cider is very much its equal. Was in the UK for an alumni event a couple of weeks ago, and didn't miss the chance.<br /><br /><img alt="scrumpy" border="0" src="http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w250/orie0704/IMGP0814.jpg" width="400"><br />So, here’s a couple of choices I did pick up: Henney’s Frome Valley (Herefordshire) and Symonds Scrumpy Jack (also from Herefordshire). My preference was definitely for the Henney’s, which was easily the wilder drink, but the Scrumpy Jack is very reliable, and reasonably popular in pubs across the UK. The Scrumpy Jack had a touch more fizz and bite, but not quite as much funk. I also had an unfortunate tangle with a Swedish pear cider. Won't be doing that again, very artifical, way too sweet for my taste. Kopparberg if you are interested.