http://www.dakotahotels.co.uk/dakota/hotel-news/ 2010-05-18T12:03:36+00:00 http://www.dakotahotels.co.uk/dakota/hotel-news/dakota-fact-555 The hallowed vines of Meursault in Burgundy, take their name from the fact that their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines were historically grown so close together, that our little rodent friends could leap from vine to vine. Hence the loose translation from Latin to “rat’s jump”. 2010-05-18T11:03:36+00:00 http://www.dakotahotels.co.uk/dakota/hotel-news/not-so-little-italy A direct quote from one native Italian wine exporter this morning, “Never trust anyone who claims to know everything about Italian wine, even the Italians!” His case in point was the fascinating conundrum of a wine called Lacrima di Morra d’Alba - the wine alludes to being from opposite ends of the country and yet comes from somewhere in the middle! You may be familiar with Lacryma Christi which is crafted from the slopes of Mount Vesuvius in Campania, and you may have heard of the town of Alba in the north west region of Piedmont, yet Lacrima di Morro d’Alba comes from Les Marches region on the Adriatic coast. Anyway, its well worth a swirl, as its a beautifully perfumed red that would suit being lightly chilled for the warmer weather that is threatening to visit us in the coming months. You may not ever know everything about Italian wine, but there’s nothing to stop you enjoying some along the way! 2010-04-28T11:06:00+00:00 http://www.dakotahotels.co.uk/dakota/hotel-news/gavi-di-gavi Although Gavi di Gavi literally tanslates as “Gavi from Gavi” and is a bit like saying “Chablis from Chablis”, the term is now widely recognised as being of superior quality to just any old Gavi. The wine is from a tiny little enclave of the Piedmont region in North West Italy which you would more readily associate with the Barolo’s and Barbarescos of this world. Gavi is fast becoming a firm favourite as people appreciate its fresh, limey flavours and all round refreshing character. Its made from the Cortese grape variety which is very rare to see anywhere other than Gavi. Its a fabulous wine and well worth trying if love all things Italian. Its also on the wine list at Dakota. 2010-04-24T13:34:01+00:00 http://www.dakotahotels.co.uk/dakota/hotel-news/dakota-fact-464-king-of-the-hill According to legend, King Charlemagne’s wife insisted that the hallowed hill of Corton in Burgundy be planted with Chardonnay alongside Pinot Noir, as she felt that her husband was ridiculing himself by staining his long white beard with red wine. 2010-04-16T07:54:05+00:00 http://www.dakotahotels.co.uk/dakota/hotel-news/bordeaux-en-primeur-2009 Spring is the season that arguably the greatest wine region on earth comes to life in all of its unbridled power and glory. The major Chateaux of Bordeaux embark on a campaign of selling the fruits of their labours from last year’s vintage, known as the “En Primeur” campaign. Essentially they will present their wine to throngs of wine professionals and enthusiasts alike, which is the first opportunity they have to assess the quality of the 2009 vintage. As demand can often easily exceed supply in the outstanding vintages, many more economic factors can come into play that will have an impact on the prices that the Chateaux owners will set. If you thought Bordeaux was just about wine, then think again, as it is just as much about the people, politics, history, culture, world economy, global warming, amongst many other factors. If you want to know more, then a good start would be to copy and paste the title above into a search engine and then start to fully appreciate the enormity of the wonderful world of Bordeaux. 2010-04-16T07:21:42+00:00 http://www.dakotahotels.co.uk/dakota/hotel-news/dakota-fact-6 Auchentoshan is distilled 3 times which makes it more akin to an Irish whisky than Scotch. Which makes “The spirit of Glasgow” the ideal dram if you are just getting interested in single malts, or if you just prefer it to some of the peatier Islay styles. 2010-02-15T18:41:49+00:00 http://www.dakotahotels.co.uk/dakota/hotel-news/dakota-fact-22 Carpaccio - A fabulously simple dish that originally consisted of thin slices of raw beef dressed with a mustard sauce. The dish was supposedly named Carpaccio by Giuseppe Cipriani, the former owner of Harry’s bar in Venice, in reference to the Venetian painter Vittore Carpaccio, because the colours of the dish reminded him of paintings by Carpaccio. These days you could well find a carpaccio of fish, venison or even fruit. 2010-02-12T11:43:49+00:00 http://www.dakotahotels.co.uk/dakota/hotel-news/land-of-the-grape The ancient Greeks used to refer to Italy as “Oenotria”, or land of the grape, no doubt during a sizzling summer Saturday symposium whilst discussing life as they knew it! There was some truth in it, as Italy is home to over 1,000 different grape varieties. 2010-02-10T10:10:54+00:00 http://www.dakotahotels.co.uk/dakota/hotel-news/dakota-fact-42 Syrah and Shiraz are synonyms for the same grape variety. Syrah tends to be associated with the more restrained, peppery French style whereas Shiraz is more often thought of as the unashamedly big, bold Australian version. 2010-02-09T10:17:35+00:00 http://www.dakotahotels.co.uk/dakota/hotel-news/amalaya-malbec Malbec has been making waves in Argentina for a number of years now, and is now starting to build an international reputation for quality, as well as value. For a long time it was an unfashionable, ugly sister grape variety from Bordeaux and surrounding areas in the south west of France. Now, however, it is time for Malbec to take a bow of it’s own. Dakota Glasgow’s new Amalaya Malbec encapsulates all that is great about Malbec. The altitude that the grapes are grown at, helps to coax out an amazing depth of flavour and purity, as well giving the grapes enough rest through the night not to taste like jam when the wine is made. The Amalaya is a blend with Malbec being the dominant grape, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in cahoots too. The result is a fabulously savoury, dark berried wine with ultra ripe fruit flavours and a firm structure to back everything up. Unsurprisingly, the Amalaya goes exceptionally well with a juicy ribeye steak, which is something else that Argentina excels at. 2010-02-08T12:16:44+00:00