Ingredients:
1 x Goose
1 x Guinea Fowl (or large duck)
1 x Pheasant (wild is best)
1 x Partridge or Quail (wild preferred)
Christmas and the New Year period are always a time to be with family and friends – with those hosting the task of putting on enough food a daunting one. Cuisine needs to be wholesome, filling, delicious and in line with the occasion, something rather special and out of the ordinary.
Next year is the 135th anniversary of Stravinsky’s birth, so it is entirely appropriate that a piece long thought lost during the Russian revolution has been found. There is a ‘missing link’ between Stravinsky’s earlier work, exemplified by “The Firebird“ with its quasi oriental exoticism influenced by Rimsky-Korsakov, to “Le Sacre du Printemps“ influenced by Nicholas Roerich. The difference in composition is startling, the earlier pieces from the romance of the Imperial Russian Court and elements of the East, to a far more rhythmic and tribal piece. The gap between the two proved too much for many concert goers at the time, the audience famously rioting when Sacre was first performed.
Beijing Cream appears to be no more. Founded by American Northwestern University graduate Anthony Tao in 2012, it divided expatriate local society, created an unholy gossip ridden mess, annoyed thousands and delighted trolls. But what lay behind its attempts at creating a brand that would seek to influence what local Beijing expats would read, and in turn be influenced by? And why did it fail?
I’m back to Sri Lanka for the Winter months, and what better way to re-acquaint myself with the local scenery than spend a few hours out fishing. I have nothing in the larder, the cupboard is bare after months spent in Europe, so I really do need to fish for my supper.
The best time is early morning or evening, and I’ve opted for dusk, leaving the shore at about 5pm. The Indian Ocean is still fairly rough, with the recent supermoon – the largest since 1948 – exerting a huge pull on the waves. It is a big swell out there today of about eight-nine feet, and even the dangerous underwater rocks that crowd out part of Unawatuna Bay are exposed as the waves surge back and forth and crash over them. It can be a deadly spot – there are wrecks just here, of small to medium fishing boats that ventured just a little too close. I know from diving just here the currents are strong too. Its an area deserving of some respect and I give the rocks and undersea breakers a wide berth as I motor around and out into open Ocean.
I love living near the sea; Malta of course is a Southern European Island nation right in the centre of the Mediterranean, while I also have my lovely House in Sri Lanka on the South Coast. I am spoilt for choice when it comes to sea food. However, there’s nothing quite like catching your own. So I am out, fishing for dinner.
I’m very taken with the potential for, and investing in a Vineyard in the Caucasus, and have taken a trip across the border driving down to Armenia. It’s a seven hour drive between Tbilisi and Yerevan, and we arrive late in the afternoon. The next morning we are off early to visit vineyards possibly suitable for development in Veghegagadzhor, in the Areni region of Armenia. This is where the best wines in Armenia are said to come from.
I’m visiting Georgia’s Alazani Valley to participate in this years wine harvest, inspecting and sampling the grapes, helping them into the Qvevris and naturally taking an interest in previous vintages. The Alazani Valley benefits by being warm in the summer when the grapes are ripening, and is fed by the Alazani River, which originates from snow melt high in the Caucasus Mountains, irrigates the valley, and flows east. It empties out into the Caspian Sea. The mountains also provide a natural enhancement for vine cultivation here – grapes do not appreciate hot nights, they like to be cool in the evening. This means the Alazani Valley is one of the worlds great wine producing areas – cool air sweeps down at dusk from the Caucasus and blankets the entire valley with cool air overnight, until the morning sun burns that off once again and summer temperatures rise to 32 degrees. These are perfect conditions for grape cultivation.
I have travelled to the Caucasus to be involved in the 2016 wine harvest in both Armenia and Georgia, however the first stop has to be a re-introduction to Georgia’s excellent Qvevri Wines. I was last in Georgia a little less than a year ago, and wrote about the wonderful Qvevri method of wine making at that time. Different to the Western European methodology, in Georgia the grapes, seeds, twigs and all are shoveled into huge terracotta jars (Qvevris) buried deep underground, and left to sit on these lees for several weeks or even months. The result are very tannic wines, with the whites especially taking on a beautiful golden amber hue. Such wines are good with light meats such as roast pork, as well as with dried fruits such as apricots and cheeses. The reds are also excellent, and can deal with very powerful dishes, even up to curries. Qvevri wines may be an acquired taste, but for me they represent wine making at its most organic.
Having been in Asia for so long, I’ve missed a lot of my European heritage, and haven’t had a property anywhere in Europe since 1986. As I now wish to reconnect with the European part of my background, I’ve been looking for a suitable place to be. Eighteen months ago I purchased two apartments next to each other, overlooking the Msida Marina. The construction work looked like this:
I’m back to Malta, and what better way to enjoy the summer than to take the 68 foot, Pendennis Yacht Margaret Ann out for a spin? Built at the Pendennis yards in 2004, she was a finalist in the Superyacht Society Awards in 2005.