Latest News and Reviews http://www.hancocks.co.nz http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 Fri, 18 May 2012 01:46:32 GMT Fri, 18 May 2012 01:46:32 GMT Grape Variety: 60% Grenache, 40% Syrah

Growing Region: Rhone Valley, France

Chief Winemaker: Caroline Frey

TASTING NOTE:
Jaboulet Parallele 45 is the Cotes du Rhone wine that built the reputation of the Rhone as the region producing the greatest values in fine French wine. This wine takes its name from the 45th North parallel which runs 2kms from the cellars of Paul Jaboulet - their wine has had this name since the early 1950s. The Jaboulet P45 competes with other red wines from France, Italy, Spain and the 'new world' and justifies its reputation as France's greatest value red wine year after year.
Jaboulet Parallele 45 is a blend of Grenache and Syrah from vines averaging 30 years old. Sourced from sustainable vineyards throughout the Rhone valley - after hand harvesting, the grapes arrive at the winery and are sorted and vinified in stainless steel tank for 3 to 4 weeks to extract colour, character and flavour, followed by 3-6 months developing in tank before bottling. Their aim is to retain freshness and balance while producing a full flavoured and food friendly wine.
In the glass the wine has rich colour with an attractive brilliance. The 2009 Parallele 45 is a fresh, berry fruit driven red with loads of soft, ripe plum and blackberry flavours mingling with herbs, white pepper and spice. The palate has a good mouth feel with well-structured, rounded tannins, balancing the forward fruits and giving the wine a pleasing finish. Decant for 20mins and serve at 17C.

CELLARING POTENTIAL:
Drinking perfectly well this season, and will age for another 2-3 years.

SUGGESTED FOOD MATCHES:
Perfect wine match with BBQ meats, a wide range of pasta dishes, pizza and hard cheeses, enjoy.

One of the world's most respected, early drinking red wines. ]]> http://www.hancocks.co.nz/article.jsp?id=986&feature=WOW Grape Variety: 60% Grenache, 40% Syrah

Growing Region: Rhone Valley, France

Chief Winemaker: Caroline Frey

TASTING NOTE:
Jaboulet Parallele 45 is the Cotes du Rhone wine that built the reputation of the Rhone as the region producing the greatest values in fine French wine. This wine takes its name from the 45th North parallel which runs 2kms from the cellars of Paul Jaboulet - their wine has had this name since the early 1950s. The Jaboulet P45 competes with other red wines from France, Italy, Spain and the 'new world' and justifies its reputation as France's greatest value red wine year after year.
Jaboulet Parallele 45 is a blend of Grenache and Syrah from vines averaging 30 years old. Sourced from sustainable vineyards throughout the Rhone valley - after hand harvesting, the grapes arrive at the winery and are sorted and vinified in stainless steel tank for 3 to 4 weeks to extract colour, character and flavour, followed by 3-6 months developing in tank before bottling. Their aim is to retain freshness and balance while producing a full flavoured and food friendly wine.
In the glass the wine has rich colour with an attractive brilliance. The 2009 Parallele 45 is a fresh, berry fruit driven red with loads of soft, ripe plum and blackberry flavours mingling with herbs, white pepper and spice. The palate has a good mouth feel with well-structured, rounded tannins, balancing the forward fruits and giving the wine a pleasing finish. Decant for 20mins and serve at 17C.

CELLARING POTENTIAL:
Drinking perfectly well this season, and will age for another 2-3 years.

SUGGESTED FOOD MATCHES:
Perfect wine match with BBQ meats, a wide range of pasta dishes, pizza and hard cheeses, enjoy.

One of the world's most respected, early drinking red wines. ]]> Sun, 13 May 2012 22:17:29 GMT http://www.hancocks.co.nz/article.jsp?id=986 For a refreshing, thirst quenching tequila cocktail, the Paloma is definitely at the top of the list and it's a favourite in Mexico. It's a light, fruity drink with a fizz and one of the smoothest tequila drinks out there.
el Jimador Blanco Tequila works wonderfully well in this drink. You can either use a half and half mix of pink grapefruit juice and soda or a sparkling grapefruit soda like 'Frank'.

Ingredients:
60ml el Jimador Blanco Tequila
180ml Fresh grapefruit soda
15ml Lime Juice (freshly squeezed)
Salt for rimming glass (optional)

Method:
Rim a Collins glass with salt. Fill the glass with ice and add the tequila and lime juice. Top it off with grapefruit soda and stir.

Garnish:
Garnish with a thin slice of grapefruit and serve. ]]> http://www.hancocks.co.nz/article.jsp?id=988&feature=COW For a refreshing, thirst quenching tequila cocktail, the Paloma is definitely at the top of the list and it's a favourite in Mexico. It's a light, fruity drink with a fizz and one of the smoothest tequila drinks out there.
el Jimador Blanco Tequila works wonderfully well in this drink. You can either use a half and half mix of pink grapefruit juice and soda or a sparkling grapefruit soda like 'Frank'.

Ingredients:
60ml el Jimador Blanco Tequila
180ml Fresh grapefruit soda
15ml Lime Juice (freshly squeezed)
Salt for rimming glass (optional)

Method:
Rim a Collins glass with salt. Fill the glass with ice and add the tequila and lime juice. Top it off with grapefruit soda and stir.

Garnish:
Garnish with a thin slice of grapefruit and serve. ]]> Sun, 13 May 2012 22:17:29 GMT http://www.hancocks.co.nz/article.jsp?id=988 Vegan friendly wines are increasingly talked about, though these wines often don't include this information on the label. Many people are unaware that wine, although made from grapes, may have been made using animal-derived products. During the winemaking process, wine is filtered through substances called 'fining agents'. This process is used to remove protein, yeast, cloudiness, off-flavours and colourings, and other organic particles which are in suspension during the making of the wine. A fining agent is added to the top of the vat, as it sinks down, the particles adhere to the agent, and are carried out of suspension. None of the fining agent remains in the finished product sold in the bottle, and not all wines are fined. Winemakers are not required to put on their label which clarifier is used, since it is removed from the final product.
Finding wine that has not been filtered with animal products can be difficult. The most accurate way to find out if a wine is acceptable for a 'vegan-diet' is to contact the winery and ask specifically what is used in the fining process for each wine.
Animal products used in fining are gelatin, isinglass, chitosan, casein and egg albumen (deriving from milk protein and egg white respectively) would be acceptable for vegetarians, but not for vegans. An alternative to animal products, Bentonite, a clay mineral, can be used to clarify the wine. There are several fining agents that are animal-friendly and used to make vegan approved wine. Carbon, bentonite clay, limestone, kaolin clay, plant casein, silica gel, and vegetable plaques are alternatives.
Wineries clearly point out that once a wine has been fully fermented and bottled, only microscopic trace elements of these agents are left. The good news is that labels are increasingly becoming more detailed and specific about the fining and filtering agents used. To give some perspective, if a vegan was to buy vegetables grown in soil outdoors, they would be exposed to more animal residue than in a bottle wine. ]]> http://www.hancocks.co.nz/article.jsp?id=987&feature=DYK Vegan friendly wines are increasingly talked about, though these wines often don't include this information on the label. Many people are unaware that wine, although made from grapes, may have been made using animal-derived products. During the winemaking process, wine is filtered through substances called 'fining agents'. This process is used to remove protein, yeast, cloudiness, off-flavours and colourings, and other organic particles which are in suspension during the making of the wine. A fining agent is added to the top of the vat, as it sinks down, the particles adhere to the agent, and are carried out of suspension. None of the fining agent remains in the finished product sold in the bottle, and not all wines are fined. Winemakers are not required to put on their label which clarifier is used, since it is removed from the final product.
Finding wine that has not been filtered with animal products can be difficult. The most accurate way to find out if a wine is acceptable for a 'vegan-diet' is to contact the winery and ask specifically what is used in the fining process for each wine.
Animal products used in fining are gelatin, isinglass, chitosan, casein and egg albumen (deriving from milk protein and egg white respectively) would be acceptable for vegetarians, but not for vegans. An alternative to animal products, Bentonite, a clay mineral, can be used to clarify the wine. There are several fining agents that are animal-friendly and used to make vegan approved wine. Carbon, bentonite clay, limestone, kaolin clay, plant casein, silica gel, and vegetable plaques are alternatives.
Wineries clearly point out that once a wine has been fully fermented and bottled, only microscopic trace elements of these agents are left. The good news is that labels are increasingly becoming more detailed and specific about the fining and filtering agents used. To give some perspective, if a vegan was to buy vegetables grown in soil outdoors, they would be exposed to more animal residue than in a bottle wine. ]]> Sun, 13 May 2012 22:17:29 GMT http://www.hancocks.co.nz/article.jsp?id=987 Global Brand Ambassador and Master Taster Markku Raittinen from Finlandia - is now on the Panel of Judges for 2012 International Spirits Challenge.
This is a highly coveted competition (one of, if not, the world's finest) and puts Markku in the highest percentile of worldwide spirit professionals. This makes him one of the world's most coveted and highest ranking vodka professionals - as most of the board of judges come from whisky/ey, rum and cognac backgrounds.

Just another reason why Finlandia Vodka is respected as one of the highest quality vodkas in the world.

The International Spirits Challenge is the most authoritative, respected and influential spirits competition in the world. The ISC has evolved over recent years to recognise four key areas of the industry; Tasting, Design & Packaging, Marketing and Retailer Awards.
2012 - Now in its 17th year, the ISC is the premier event in promoting outstanding quality spirits from across the globe.

The competition is founded on a rigorous and independent judging process, which serves to encourage the high calibre of spirits, designs and campaigns entered into the competition each year. Receiving more than 1,000 entries from nearly 70 countries worldwide makes the ISC a truly global competition. It is supported by most of the world's leading spirits producers as the international standard for quality and excellence.
Winning an ISC award is indeed an impressive achievement for any spirit that passes the scrupulous blind assessment of our experienced panel of specialist judges.

Rewarding quality, celebrating excellence. ]]> http://www.hancocks.co.nz/article.jsp?id=942&feature=RCE Global Brand Ambassador and Master Taster Markku Raittinen from Finlandia - is now on the Panel of Judges for 2012 International Spirits Challenge.
This is a highly coveted competition (one of, if not, the world's finest) and puts Markku in the highest percentile of worldwide spirit professionals. This makes him one of the world's most coveted and highest ranking vodka professionals - as most of the board of judges come from whisky/ey, rum and cognac backgrounds.

Just another reason why Finlandia Vodka is respected as one of the highest quality vodkas in the world.

The International Spirits Challenge is the most authoritative, respected and influential spirits competition in the world. The ISC has evolved over recent years to recognise four key areas of the industry; Tasting, Design & Packaging, Marketing and Retailer Awards.
2012 - Now in its 17th year, the ISC is the premier event in promoting outstanding quality spirits from across the globe.

The competition is founded on a rigorous and independent judging process, which serves to encourage the high calibre of spirits, designs and campaigns entered into the competition each year. Receiving more than 1,000 entries from nearly 70 countries worldwide makes the ISC a truly global competition. It is supported by most of the world's leading spirits producers as the international standard for quality and excellence.
Winning an ISC award is indeed an impressive achievement for any spirit that passes the scrupulous blind assessment of our experienced panel of specialist judges.

Rewarding quality, celebrating excellence. ]]> Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:17:29 GMT http://www.hancocks.co.nz/article.jsp?id=942