Lemon Chicken with Olives

This delicious and easy-to-make Lemon Chicken with Olives recipe first appeared in the September issue of the South African edition of Real Simple magazine.

This meal is ideal for a weeknight dinner but it can also be served to your weekend dinner guests. Arniston Bay’s Sauvignon Blanc will perfectly complement this meal.

Recipe

Lemon Chicken With Olives
Hands-on time: 25 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Serves 4

2 tablespoons cake flour
½ teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
750 grams chicken breast, thawed and flattened between greaseproof paper with a mallet or rolling pin
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 cup pitted green olives
½ cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
½ cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)

Mix the flour, cumin, zest, salt and pepper on a flat plate. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and dredge in the flour mixture. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken in batches until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Wipe out the pan and return to medium heat. Heat the remaining oil. Add the shallot and cook until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the olives, parsley, lemon juice and wine, and bring to a boil. Return the chicken to the pan, nestling it in the olives and shallot. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately topped with the olive and shallot mixture and any sauce.

Source: Real Simple Magazine

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Reasons why a little wine a day may do you good

In an recent article by Debra Gordon she explains some health benefits of wine , especially for women.

The list of wine’s benefits is long—and getting more surprising all the time. Already well-known as heart-healthy, wine in moderation might help you lose weight, reduce forgetfulness, boost your immunity, and help prevent bone loss.
With women buying more than 6 out of every 10 bottles sold in this country, we’re happy to report that wine may do all of the following:

1. Feed your head
Wine could preserve your memory. When researchers gave memory quizzes to women in their 70s, those who drank one drink or more every day scored much better than those who drank less or not at all. Wine helps prevent clots and reduce blood vessel inflammation, both of which have been linked to cognitive decline, as well as heart disease, explains Tedd Goldfinger, DO, of University of Arizona School of Medicine. Alcohol also seems to raise HDL, the good cholesterol, which helps unclog your arteries.
2. Keep the scale in your corner
Studies find that people who drink wine daily have lower body mass than those who indulge occasionally; moderate wine drinkers have narrower waists and less abdominal fat than people who drink liquor. Alcohol may encourage your body to burn extra calories for as long as 90 minutes after you down a glass. Beer seems to have a similar effect.
3. Boost your body’s defenses
In one British study, those who drank roughly a glass of wine a day reduced by 11 percent their risk of infection by Helicobacter pylori bacteria, a major cause of gastritis, ulcers, and stomach cancers. As little as half a glass may also guard against food poisoning caused by germs like salmonella when people are exposed to contaminated food, according to a Spanish study.
4. Guard against ovarian woes
When Australian researchers recently compared women with ovarian cancer and cancer-free women, they found that roughly one glass of wine a day seemed to reduce the risk of the disease by as much as 50 percent. Earlier research at the University of Hawaii produced similar findings. Experts suspect this may be due to antioxidants or phytoestrogens, which have high anticancer properties, in the wine. And in a recent University of Michigan study, a red wine compound helped kill ovarian cancer cells in a test tube.
5. Build better bones
On average, women who drink moderately seem to have higher bone mass than abstainers. Alcohol appears to boost estrogen levels; the hormone seems to slow the body’s destruction of old bone more than it slows the production of new bone.
6. Prevent blood-sugar trouble
Premenopausal women who drink one or two glasses of wine a day are 40 percent less likely than women who don’t drink to develop type 2 diabetes, according to a 10-year study by Harvard Medical School. While the reasons aren’t clear, wine seems to reduce insulin resistance in diabetic patients.

Source: eating.health.com

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New World wines are hurting French wine sales

Sales of French wines are down almost everywhere, even in France itself.

While global consumption of wine rose 4 percent from 2001 to 2005, France’s dropped by 11 percent. Exports to the U.S. slipped 12.5 percent so far this year.

The worldwide wine consumption is expected to grow 10 percent within the next two years. It seems that the front runner in serving these consumption increases are thee New World Wines from Australia, South Africa, USA etc. South Africa has firmly established itself in the European and especially the UK markets.

Brands like Arniston Bay are having huge successes in the UK and other European markets.

Source: Bloomberg

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The Cape Wine Trade Show – Arniston Bay set to shine at trade show

The fifth biennial Cape Wine trade show will again be held in the state-of-the-art Cape Town International Convention Centre from 23 to 25 September 2008.

 

A stone’s throw from the city, international hotels and the famous V&A Waterfront, this spacious venue is only 25 minutes’ drive from the winelands. The entire South African wine industry enthusiastically supports Cape Wine and more than 300 wineries will exhibit over 4 000 wines. Join trade visitors and journalists from all over the world in networking with the South African winemakers and discover the huge variety of wines, from garagiste bottlings and value brands to icons in the making.

 

Arniston Bay as well as other brands from the company of wine people™ will be present. Visitors are invited to visit our exhibitions. Other brands from the company of wine people™ include Kumkani, Versus, Thandi and Welmoed

 

For more info about  The Cape Wine Trade Show visit: Cape Wine 2008

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India’s domestic wine consumption to grow by 25%

 India’s domestic wine consumption is likely to go up to 9 million lites per annum by 2010 from the current level of 5 million litres, registering a growth of 25 per cent for the next two year, according to an estimate by industry body Assocham.

“India’s wine market is currently growing at 20 per cent per annum but is likely to grow at 25 per cent in the next 2 years in view of rising consumption not only among youngsters but equally so in aged groups,” Assocham President Sajjan Jindal said in a statement.

Major cities in the country such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune and Bangalore accounts for around 80 per cent, the chamber said.

In terms of the overall wine consumption, Western India has taken a lead as it accounts for 41 per cent of the total wines quaffed in India.

Incidentally, a similar survey conducted by Assocham last year had also projected wine consumptions in India to touch 9 million litres per annum by 2010.

When contacted Assocham spokesperson said, “There is some difference in the projections and there has been some changes in rules and regulation governing the sector.”

During the last one year, some state governments have relaxed norms for selling wines through hotels and restaurants while others have hiked excise tax on wines by 0.25 per cent, he added.

 This consumption growth in India will definitely draw international wine brands to focus more on this sleeping giant market.

 

According to Johan Schwartz, a wine marketing consultant, wine brand managers will have to be innovative and dynamic. The campaign successes that Arniston Bay had on the UK market can be used as an example. By effectively understanding the markets and developing specific strategies and products, Arniston Bay has established its brand in numerous international markets.

 

 

 

 

Source: The Economic Times of India

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Wine in pouch has environmental benefits

Arniston Bay is one of the pioneers in pouch wine packaging. It seems that the Americans are also starting to see the advantages of wines in pouches.

A recent opinion article in the New York Times suggests that US consumers must change their options of non-bottled wines. This suggestion is based on the environmental benefits considering the carbon footprint created by trucking around glass bottles.

The vast majority (90% +) of American wine is produced on the West Coast, but then shipped to the East Coast where the majority of wine consumers live. This trucking process generates a tremendous amount of carbon-dioxide emissions. It is estimated that switching to lighter boxed wine for the 97% of wines that are made to be consumed within a year would reduce greenhouse gases by roughly 2 million tons or the equivalent of 400,000 cars.

Along with environmental advantages of boxed and pouched wine, it is also more economical from a cost per-glass perspective because of volume and preservation.

Arniston Bay was one of the first brands that launched the wine in pouch bag. These bags has an 80% lower carbon footprint and 90% less waste and landfill than regular glass wine bottles.

Source: seriousaboutwine

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French wine regions up in arms on advertising

Decanter reports that the French wine sector has sent an open letter to the government, demanding it do more to protect the industry against the threat of the anti-alcohol lobby.

 

The letter describes how, ‘contrary to promises by the president, the government is ignoring the legal injustice to the wine sector’. A copy has been sent from each of the wine regions in the country.

It names specifically the banning of advertising wine on the internet, which was not included in a specific list of allowable advertising mediums in the 1991 Evin Law, and so is by omission illegal.

It also names the constraints on journalists to write freely about wine, and accuses the Ministers of Health and Agriculture of taking no decision regarding ‘this catastrophic legal deadlock’.

Marie Christine Tarby, the president of lobbyists Vins et Societé has spent much of 2008 liaising with the wine regions, underlining the extent of the threat facing them, and mobilising them to launch this unified oppostion.

She told decanter.com, ‘The internet did not exist in its current form when the Evin Law was drawn up. We are not looking for total liberty [to advertise wine], but we are asking for the same limited rights on the web, as we have in the press.’

 

Read full article: Decanter

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Arniston Bay has launched its first ever sparkling wine

This non-vintage Charmat Brut is made from Colombard grapes – known for their fresh aromas and natural acidity – by Arniston Bay winemaker, Abraham de Villiers. It joins the range of easy-drinking wines currently in the extensive Arniston Bay portfolio. The traditional bottle is elegantly adorned with a simple label and a distinctive royal blue foil seal around the neck.

This elegant sparkling wine has zesty tropical fruit flavours with fresh bubbles and a clean, crisp finish. It’s best enjoyed chilled with a diverse variety of salads, fish and white meat dishes and is a real treat for sparkling wine aficionados.

De Villiers said: “This is a great addition to the Arniston Bay portfolio. We used the fresh, vibrant characteristics of Colombard to make a Charmat that has wonderful aromas and a creamy, delicate palate. It’s a great wine for everything from picnics to parties.”

Brand and Business Development Manager Barney Davis says: “With sales of sparkling wine continuing to enjoy above average growth in the UK, we see the Arniston Bay Charmat Brut as a natural extension to the range. This makes our offering to the retailer a more complete one, and provides the consumer with a different choice for each drinking occasion.”

From: Talking Drinks

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UK: Rosé wine sales still strong – research

Rosé wine has continued to establish its place in UK wine drinking culture, despite poor summer weather, according to new research.

The number of regular wine drinkers who are partial to a glass of rosé has risen by 60% in the UK in the last three years, according to research published this week by Wine Intelligence.

Around one in six of the 1,000 wine drinkers surveyed said they drank rosé, compared to only a little more than a third in 2005, says the research, commissioned by the Wine & Spirit Trade Association.
The results show rosé has taken market share off red wine, according to Wine Intelligence.

WSTA chief executive Jeremy Beadles said: “Even without a good summer to support the barbecue season it seems the taste for rosé continues to spread. Interestingly, the figures show women have increased their rosé consumption the most.”

Separately, the same survey also found that 43% of regular wine drinkers were reaching for the bottle more often.
Arniston Bay Pinotage Rosé is one of the rosé wines that was a huge success in the UK summer.

This wine is a light and easy-drinking rosé made from South Africa’s signature grape Pinotage. It has a fresh and lively palate showing summer berry flavours and a tad of sweetness.

Sources: Just-Drinks.com

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Tesco boss: Green retail must be achieved

Supermarkets can play a vital role in ensuring that emissions are cut and businesses improve their green credentials, Tesco’s chief executive Sir Terry Leahy has said.

Leahy argued that if the organisation wants to witness long-term growth then it must adopt a green strategy and disagrees with those who think this sort of thinking and business operation cannot be combined.

He said that if consumers can purchase lower-carbon items, then they will reward the retailers that offer them.

Arniston Bay is one of the brands assisting the retailers in their efforts to sell greener products.

Claiming an 80% lower carbon footprint and 90% less waste and landfill than regular glass wine bottles, Arniston Bay wine pouches are aimed at the eco-conscious wine drinker

Developed as an extension from South Africa’s fourth biggest-selling brand, the Arniston Bay Reserve range of six wines made by wine maker Nicky Versfeld features a Barrel-Fermented Chenin Blanc, Barrel-Fermented Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, Pinotage and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Sources:

Talking Retail

www.which.co.uk

Talking Retail

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