The Malat family in Austria

In English:

The Austrian winemaker Malat is now in the ninth generation in charge of Michael who took over the winery after his parents Gerald & Wilma in 2008

The winery is situated near Krems in the old monastery of Göttweig with 50 hectares in production of high quality grapes that are manually harvested and slow pressed with the greatest ambitions of making a top class wines in every category.

Wines in this house are all differend but very good from the lighter Gruner Veltliner to the super sweet TBA wines that are among the best in the country, super wines.

Another thing is that the Malat family was the first producer of sparkling wines in Austria when they started to make sekt by the traditional method and hand riddling of the bottles, I have not tasted these.

My favourites are the pinot noir, the Steinbuhel Riesling is superb and all of the sweet wines are just brilliantly amazing. Try to find and get as many as you can.

 In German:

Der österreichische Winzer Malat ist jetzt in der neunten Generation in Höhe von Michael, übernahm das Weingut, nachdem seine Eltern Gerald und Wilma im Jahr 2008
Das Weingut liegt in der Nähe Krems in das alte Kloster Göttweig mit 50 Hektar in der Produktion von qualitativ hochwertigen Trauben von Hand geerntet werden und mit den größten Ambitionen, einen erstklassigen Weinen in jeder Kategorie gedrückt langsam entfernt.
Weine in diesem Haus sind alle Widerstreit, aber sehr gut von den leichteren Gruner Veltliner, die super-süßen TBA Weine, die zu den besten im Land sind, super Weine.
Eine andere Sache ist, dass die Malat-Familie der erste Hersteller von Schaumweinen in Österreich war, als sie zu Sekt nach der traditionellen Methode und Hand Rütteln der Flaschen machen begann, habe ich nicht probiert diese.
Meine Favoriten sind der Pinot Noir ist die Steinbuhel Riesling hervorragend und alle süßen Weine sind nur brillant erstaunlich. Versuchen Sie, und so viele wie Sie können.
(google translate)

Dragan Unic

I do not like red Burgundy, do I miss something?

Pinot noir is something that every wine nerd is talking about at many has their favourites from Burgundy and its many producers, how can that be? Me myself and I don’t get this at all even if I have been trying to for years and in every price level but I just cant get it! I love the nose of pinots from Burgundy but the taste is not appealing to me at all, I must miss something on my taste buds and some cells in my brain that isn’t there when it comes to Burgundy pinots, anyone who have some suggestions for me where to find this missing link?

The Pinots that I do like is the ones in styles from S-A and some from New Zeeland and even from California, Hamilton Russel is one of my favourite points from S-A together with Meerlust, Danie De Wet Nature in Concert and seven barrels from Catherine Marshall all great wines and beautifully made pinots that I can appreciate any day of the week, thanks guys for making my life to pleasurable.

I will get back to this subject because I find it challenging and sometimes very tasty J

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for following my blog and all the inputs from you

Love well and drink well //

Dragan Unic

Master of Wine Stephen Skelton on viticulture

Viticulture can be very boring or just fantastic when you are lucky enough to have someone like Stephen Skelton Master of Wine explaining the most difficult stuff on an very easy way so that even I could understand the complexity of winemaking and wine managing all called just viticulture.

This was a great exploration and I hade big expectation when I signed in for this master class held by Gustibus wine school in Malmoe, thanks guys for taking such a good care of us during these days and for your effort of doing these kind of things. Super

Soppmaskin ! behövs det?

Äntligen finns det en termo mixer för alla hemma kockar som inte kostar en förmögenhet. Detta är en blender som funkar som dom allra flesta med en stor skillnad, DEN HAR EN INBYGGD KOK FUNKTION som gör att man kan koka en soppa direkt i skålen och mixa när den är färdig, man kan göra sin bearnaise sås, man kan koka sin kräm eller bär fyllning osv, otroligt användbar då man även kan göra super goda frozen Margaritas.

Alla som var på älska mat mässan förra helgen så med häpnad på dom Louise gjorde 2 olika soppor direkt i behållaren och slapp diska en massa grytor och annat, man bryner löken direkt i för att sedan fylla på med vatten, grönsaker och annat man vill ha i sin soppa.

Detta är en maskin som bör finnas i alla kök där maten och mat glädjen står högt i kurs.

Finns att köpa genom Christina@unictaste.se  och kostar nu 1999 kr + ev frakt

Mouton Rothschild is big in China

Mouton must be one of the most well known wine in the world and I guess that everybody that knows something about wine knows or have heard of Mouton.

This is pretty amazing that so many people know about it but very few have actually tasted them, and specially not a selection of vintages at the same time, this really show the greatness in this wine and the possibilities of saving them for many years.

The prices of these wines and other like it is truly insane and you sure have to dig deep in your pocket to by one bottle, the wine is extremely big in China slightly after Lafite that the Chinese holds even higher, this is very strange when they learn to drink these wines blended with COKE is this the right way of learning to appreciate great wines or is this just for show off? Anyway it’s crazy.

Dragan Unic

SWEDISH WHISKEY

Does the world need another whiskey? If so why not from Sweden, If the Japanese can do it so can the Swedes with the Macmyra brand.

First of all I have to confess that I am not a big whisky drinker and I do not enjoy it as much as Cognac and aged Rum but I have the great pleasure to visit the new distillery outside the city of Gävle where they are building a whole new “City” that will be the whisky Mecca in Sweden, everything is brand new and the first batch is planned in end of November

This new site of the company will be something special and the new aging cellars (there will be 20) are magnificent and totally incorporated in the forest like old war bunkers.

The idea to sell whisky before it is made and the store it is great marketing and people who owns barrels love to visit and to cuddle with the casks. People do fancy different things ( I prefer to cuddle with my wife)

Macmyra whiskey is different and not at all in my style but I do like the not aged white spirit called White Dog, that I can sipp but I do recommend you to taste this whiskey and find out that the Swedes know how to make it.

Slainte

Restaurang galan 2011

Nu är festen om det bästa i restaurang Sverige slut för denna gång och jag ser fram mot 2012 med stor tillförsikt och är tacksam för att jag fått en chans att vara på plats.

Alltid lika kul att träffa folk som man kanske inte ser så ofta och definitivt inte i finkläder utan oftast i kockrock eller dylikt,

Det delades givetvis ut en massa priser i olika kategorier där vissa vinnare verkade veta att dom skulle vinna men några var riktigt rörda över uppmärksamheten som tex Björn Halling som fick Svenska kockars förenings hederspris för långvarigt mentorskap i Svenska kök, vilken kille och legend, man blir stolt och glad att få ge honom detta välförtjänta pris.

Min personliga favorit var även den 24 årige sommelieren Niklas Löfgren som till vardags jobbar på Frantzen/Lindeberg i Stockholm, coolt att en så pass ung kille får detta för att visa att vi har en framtid tryggad.

Maten är alltid ett kapitel för sig där delar av det Svenska senior kocklandslaget ansvarade för maten ihop med personalen på Grand Hotell, en riktig bra och väl genomförd middag för 450 personer, well done amigos.

Här kommer en lista på samtliga vinnare och lite bilder på middagen.

Årets Servitör

•    Ludvig Jureskog, Operakällaren, Stockholm  

Årets Hälsokoncept

•    Raw Food House, Malmö

Journalisternas Kock

•    Tommy Myllymäki

   

Årets Framtidslöfte

•    Filip Fastén, 21 år, Le Rouge, Stockholm

Årets Smaksättare

•    Saiko, Malmö

Årets Barkoncept

•    Little Quarter, Marie Laveau, Stockholm

Årets Sommelier

•    Niklas Löfgren, Frantzén/Lindeberg, Stockholm

Årets Krogmiljö

•    Restaurang AG, Stockholm

Årets Hållbara Krog

•    Matmekka, Stockholm

Årets Leverantör

•    Martin Olsson

Årets Förnyare

•    Urban Deli, Stockholm

Årets matsalsteam

•    Operakällaren, Stockholm

Årets Krögare

•    Håkan & Anne Thörnström, Thörnströms Kök, Göteborg

RS Hederspris

•    Björn Halling

Årets Krog   

•    Thörnströms Kök, Göteborg

Supporting children with cancer

This weekend me and my fellow chefs from the Swedish chefs association in Skåne are doing a food fair in Malmö Sweden to raise money for the children’s hospital for cancer, this is much needed and we all love kids.

I would like to thank all the participating chefs during this weekend and I wish that I could support you more guys.

 Thank you all sponsors for your support we could not make it without you

Dragan Unic

President of the Swedish chefs association Skåne

Världens bästa te kokare CUISINART

Som ni alla redan vet så importerar min kära hustru teer från huset THEODOR i Paris som har den absolut högsta möjliga kvalitet i sina förpackningar (alla världens te proffs tycker detta)

Det som ofta däremot är problem vis te tillagning är den eviga frågan om vatten och temperaturer på alla möjliga och omöjliga sorter som finns, för mig är mycket av allt detta en djungel trotts att jag själv tycker att jag kan mer om te än dom flesta andra.

Vi har givetvis provat en massa olika vatten kokare på marknaden utan att finna en som verkligen funkar till olika teer och som man kan ställa in en perfekt brygg temperatur fram till nu !! J

CUISINART från USA är den ultimata vattenkokaren för olika sorters te med sina för inställda temperatur knappar vilket gör att vattnet alltid är rätt, super enkelt i superbra rostfritt material.

Finns att köpa genom Christina på UNICTASTE för 1400 kr hör av er om intresse finns.

THEODOR te finns att köpa på på utvalda kafeer och restauranger

När man dricker te ser man himmelriket ” ordspråk från Bhutan

Christinas great blog

You have to check out my wife Christinas excelent blog on http://tasteland.unictaste.se/#post57

I love Sherry Wines

The 4th edition of the Copa Jerez food and wine competition, held this week in the Jerez Hospitality School, ended in victory for the Spanish team made up of chef Cayetano Gómez and sommelier Juan Luis García, representatives from the Murcia restaurant Casablanca El Taller. This is the first time Spain has won the competition, which is organised by the Regulating Council for DOs Jerez-Xerès-Sherry and Manzanilla Sanlúcar de Barrameda, and Fedejerez, and which aims to give more international scope to the region’s wines by exploiting their food pairing possibilities.

The team from Casablanca El Taller won three of the six awards given by the jury, which was made up of representatives from the world of food and wine, including Juli Soler, owner and manager of the legendary restaurant, El Bulli, as well as sommelier at the Noma restaurant, Pontus Elofsson, award-winning Spanish chef, Julián Serrano, manager of the Picasso restaurant at the Velaggio Hotel in Las Vegas, and UK Master of Wine, Jancis Robinson. The Spanish team won in the categories ‘Best menu-pairing’, ‘Best dessert pairing’ and ‘Best chef’ competing against five other teams from Germany, Belgium, Denmark, the US, and Holland.

The pairing menu created by Cayetano Gómez and Juan Luis García entailed a starter of charcoal-grilled marinated oyster paired with an Amontillado, while the main course was shoulder of glazed suckling lamb on toasted almond cream paired with a sweet Oloroso VOS, and for dessert a cocoa and peppermint sorbet with ‘coffee cubes’ over date curd cream paired with a Pedro Ximénez VOS.

The award for ‘Best starter pairing’ was won by the team from the Danish restaurant Kiin Kiin, made up of chef Anton Ulrik Christian Eff and sommelier, Henrik Yde-Andersende, for their creation ‘mini corn with caviar’. Anton participated in the first Programme for Young Foreign Chefs in Spanish Gastronomy. In addition, chef Rogér Rassin and sommelier Ronald Opten, from the Dutch restaurant La Rive scooped the award for ‘Best main course pairing’, with their pork cheeks with carrots, potatoes and cloves, paired with an Amontillado. And lastly, the US team from the Colorado restaurant, The Broadmoor, made up of chef Bertrand Bouquin and sommelier Tim Baldwin won the award for ‘Best sommelier’.

The event, which was held in the Jerez Hospitality School, was the culmination of a endeavour which began three years ago, in which the teams taking part had to scoop the winning prize in their own countries before going to Jerez to take part in the final. Juli Soler, the manager at El Bulli and this edition’s chairman of the jury, highlighted the quality, creativity and daring shown by the participants in a competition he rated as “exceptional”.

cr/wines from Spain
I just love Sherry wines

Naturliga viner?!?

Naturliga viner, vad är det? Jag tycker att det börjar bli lite väl hysteriskt med alla vin människor som serverar vad dom kallar naturliga viner.

Jag tycker inte heller om manipulerade, till fixade och översvavlade viner som filtreras för mycket, jag gillar också iden om att man ska göra vin på ett naturligt sätt som är skonsamt mot miljö och människor, jag har inget alls emot detta men när man börjar servera rent ut sagt skit viner för dyra pengar bara för att någon skriver naturligt på det så blir jag ilsk.

Är Latour, Margaux och Gajas viner naturliga? Självklart är dom det men inte fan håller dom på med att marknadsföra detta fenomen, dom är precis som alla seriösa vinmakare stolta över sina produkter och gör det bästa man kan.

Smaken på det vi dricker måste väl i första hand handla om att det är gott och välgjort eller har jag helt fel? Jag tar gärna emot synpunkter på dragan@unictaste.se

Rock on babe

Michelin 2 star dinner

Hans Välimäki with his Chez Dominique is the only 2 Michelin star restaurant in Helsinki Finland, we where fortunate to share a great experience when he last night did a magnificent dinner at the Grand Hotel in Lund Sweden.

I meet this creative chef many years ago when we both was attending a jury for a fish competition and the most memorable moment that day was that Hans received  his first star that day. How exiting was that!

The pressure on him and his staff is tremendously and he is working with full steam to be the first in Scandinavia who will receive the third star ‘’’  

So how was the food? Great with a nice twist of Japanese flavours and a lot of personality and I will show you some pictures of the dishes and here are the menu.

Champagnes from Moet, to be or not to be is the question.

What to say about the champagnes of Moet & Chandon? First of all, I really don’t like them at all, actually non of the wines that they produce ( very old vintages is different) I have tried so many times to understand what the winemakers are doing when they do the assemblage for the different cuvees and I simply dong get it and always try to skip using Moet’s wines on my tastings or I use them to show some bad examples of how champagne are supposed not to be, but at the same time I know that many people especially in the US love the Moet and symbolise champagne with that brand, everything is effective marketing like the latest small film with Scarlett Johansen as a Moet muse. Nice production by the way.

On my latest visit to Epernay I forced my self to enter the Moet HQ for a private tasting of the wines, the old tasting room from the Napoleon days is magnificent and amazing, the quiet and efficient private sommelier was very nice.

Reflection: I still do not like the wines produced by Moet but I will try them again.

Dragan Unic.

Two star experience tonight

Chef-patron Hans Välimäki has been flying the flag for Finland's cuisine since 1998 at Chez Dominique, regularly voted the country's best restaurant for its innovative cooking based around Nordic and French flavours.

The idea behind Välimäki's cooking is to surprise by providing an experience unlike any other restaurant – an act he achieves through offering mystery menus where the diner places their trust at his mercy. It's a gamble well worth taking, we will meet up with him tonight and try his surprise at least 9 course meny.

I will post coments and pictures tomorrow.

regards from the eaven fatter pig.

BALKAN FOOD & SLJIVOVICA IN ENGLISH

There are not many cookbooks on the theme of food from the Balkans, the famous TV profile Jovan Radomir have put a lot of effort and energy to produce a cookbook that shows that the food from the Balkans is good without having to use a lot of fuzz, good ingredients will go a long way.


The book showcases the Serbian cuisine, and the Serbian people's casual way of relating to food, parties and friends in general.


The recipes in the book is a classic simple to do with beautiful photos of food, people and environments, making it more interesting, I'm incredibly pleased and proud that someone has taken it upon themselves to make a book like this,so far in Swedish for Swedes.

Now we just wait for someone to do a book that shows the potential of Balkan wines.
I encourage everyone to buy a copy and give away as this year's Christmas present to yourself and everyone else.

BALKAN FOOD & SLJIVOVICA

Det finns inte många kokböcker med temat mat från Balkan och det som finns är gammalt skräp som inte duger till något därför är det extra trevligt och fantastsikt att den kända TV profilen Jovan Radomir har lagt ner mycket möda och energi på att få fram en kokbok som visar att maten från Balkan är god utan att man behöver använda en massa fuzz utan att bra råvaror räcker en lång väg.

Boken visar upp den Serbiska matkulturen och det Serbiska folkets otvungna sätt att förhålla sig till mat, fest och vänner i allmänhet samt att traditioner i vår monekulära värd består och kan utvecklas för att måltiden alltid är fokus i alla familjer.

Recepten i boken är klassiska enkla att göra med vackra fotografier på mat, människor och miljöer vilket gör den extra intressant, jag är otroligt glad och stolt att någon har tagit på sig att göra en bok som denna, dessutom på Svenska för Svenskar.

Nu väntar vi bara att någon ska göra en bok som visar potentialen på Balkans viner.

Tack Jovan för att du visar hur bra och gott det kan vara och jag uppmuntrar alla att köpa ett ex och ge bort som årets julklapp till er själva och alla andra.

Ziveli & na zdravlje