It’s no secret that I am a wine enthusiast. When I discover new wines, I enjoy sharing great finds with others. Lately, I find myself gravitating towards South African wines that feature a blend of white wines, so I have decided to share a few today:

The first is Angels’ Tears by Agusta Wines, a white wine blend of 65% Chenin Blanc and 35% Muscat Alexandrie. Muscat grapes are the same type of grape used to make Moscatos. This particular wine is drier than a Muscat or Moscato, but still as a fresh and fruity taste. This is a great wine for spicy or Asian cuisine. Many African dishes are rustic and vegetable based, with spices adding bold flavors. This is a great wine to compliment those flavors.

The next wine is an intriguing mixture of Chenin Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Muscadel and Riesling from Nederburg,South Africa’s largest winery. Muscadel, as the name implies, is another variety of Muscat grapes. While still slightly sweet, this wine is perfect for appetizers. It will also compliment chicken or pork dishes, but could also work with a sweet-tart dessert with fruit.

The final and by far the most exciting is a Late Harvest Gewurztraminer from Robertson’s Winery. Late harvest are some of my favorite wines, as is Gewurztraminer, so I was incredibly excited to see this offering and it did not disappoint. This is a great wine to drink on its own, but like most Gewurztraminers, it is also great with Asian cuisine and other spicy foods.

Late harvest wines are made from grapes left to ripen on the vine longer than usual, which results in a sweeter wine with richer flavors. As you may imagine, late harvest wines are usually only available from late fall through winter. Late Harvest Gewurztraminer, like most other South African wines, is a bargain at under $15 a bottle.

If you are looking to dabble in wine from South Africa, my recommendation is the Late Harvest Gewurztraminer, though from my experience any of the white wine blends are a pretty good bet as well. In general, white wine blends are a crowd-pleaser and even non-wine drinkers can enjoy a glass.

This offering is Sweet (but not too sweet) and very tasty. Cheers!

*Please drink responsibly – drinking and driving is not Sweet at all*

Dining out, practically an American past time, has gone out of style. For a myriad of reasons, from outrageous prices to health concerns, fewer and fewer people are eating meals at restaurants, opting instead for home cooking and other convenience foods. The New York Times recently reported that approximately 60% of Americans surveyed are dining out less frequently than before. Sales of cookbooks, canning supplies, and cooking classes are on the rise. Survey participants also state they are clipping more coupons, buying less meat, and using more leftovers.

On one hand, the restaurant business is suffering, which will inevitably lead to closings and layoffs. Nearby businesses that depend on foot traffic from restaurants will also suffer, allowing neighborhoods to decline and die. That isn’t good for anybody.

On the other hand, some restaurants (mostly the chains) have refused to change their mode of operation during the economic crisis. Monster portions, outrageous prices, and unhealthy dishes does little to help the average person. Vegetables are scarce, with vegetarian or vegan choices at a minimum. Organic foods are not used in favor of more cost effective meat and produce. Local, seasonal produce is seldom incorporated into the menu offerings.

With people eating at home more often, cooking their own meals and shopping at local grocery stores, the climate is right for a major shift in the way we see food. Restaurants may face an adapt or die atmosphere, wherein they will be forced to alter their business practices in favor of more environmentally responsible methods of preparing and serving food. Hopefully, this will lead to more healthy options, reasonable prices, and appropriate portion control.

This one is a toss-up. Businesses closing? Bitter. More home cooking? Sweet. Could this bring about positive change? You decide.

At a recent staff meeting, it was revealed that our university would soon be using iTunesU. For those of you still in the dark ages, iTunes offers free programs called podcasts, which are similar to radio stations but allow you to listen to content commercial-free over the Internet. iTunes has also launched iTunesU, where universities from across the country post content online for free download and use. Places such as Stanford, Texas A&M, and Duke offer free seminars on a wide range of subjects, all available for download. My university is not public (yet), but others have been sharing content with the world since 2002.

Along with colleges and universities, organizations such as NPR, PBS, and American Public Media are posting content online through iTunesU. One category from American Public Media that caught my interest was “Environment,” which features topics such as The Ethics of Eating, Consumed: Sustainability Coverage, and Global Warming: Eco-Politics. 

Each topic area contains several downloads. The Ethics of Eating, for example, has two offerings:

Ethics of Eating by Barabara Kingsolver, author of Animal, Vegetable, Mineral.
Where Does Food Come From? by Michael Pollen, author of In Defense of Food.

There are also several Podcasts in the “Food” category, such as Wine for Newbies, Epicurious: Food and Drink, and Free Culinary School.

Free Content? On food, sustainability, and the environment? Very Sweet.

It’s official, economists say, the U.S. is in a recession. So now what?

While those on both sides of congress point fingers and offer opinions, those of us stuck in the middle(class) are wondering what to do next. Gas prices have been on the decline, but we have yet to see a corresponding dip in food prices and other related goods and services whose prices skyrocketed during the summer heyday of high gas prices. Now reports are surfacing that gas prices may be “on the rise” again.

“Bailout” has become a four letter word, often associated with corporate greed and dirty dealings. It seems that all business is now bad business. While some CEO’s dare to ask for multi-million dollar year-end bonuses, everyone else from office staff to laborers are facing layoffs at alarming rates. Unemployment is up, wages are down, and the rest of us are stuck in the middle.  

The verdict is painfully obvious: the economy is definitely Bitter.

Normally, I try not post unrelated items on the website, but recently a few have snuck in here and there. Rather than bog down the recipe categories, I decided to create a new outlet for these thoughts.  

Introducing Bitter/Sweet: The Blog, where I shall rant and rave about all things bitter and sweet. After each rambling, I will deliver a verdict of Bitter or Sweet, but if you disagree please feel free to comment otherwise. You can leave comments by clicking on the subject heading.

Why Bitter/Sweet? The idea actually came from James, who was throwing various names out as ideas. Bitter will include that which angers, annoys or frustrates, while Sweet will encompass the cool, awesome, or just plain neat items I find while roaming the Internet.

The posts for Bitter/Sweet will not appear on the main page, to view please click the link above in the menu bar. Bitter/Sweet is also listed as a category to the right.