preview
Moveable Feasts Contemporary cycling cuisine is a high-tech affair.
Convenient, portable, and energy boosting, specialist food for cyclists is designed less with gourmet tastes in mind and more to provide maximum fuel for minimum weight and bulk. But not only do cyclists have their own speciality foodstuffs, they have some wonderful gadgets to match.
Fruit cereal bars (which go by stirring monikers like Maxim and Powerbar) are hi-tech alternatives to more conventional energy snacks like bananas or bars of chocolate. Unlike the aforementioned provisions they’ve got the added benefit of staying chewy in the cold and not metamorphosing into a gooey mess in the heat (but be warned, for some they don't score as high on the taste front). The extensive list of flavours available includes cookies and cream, blueberry, yoghurt fruit, carrot cake, and mocha and will cost you up to £1.50.
For all those who harboured the desire to become astronauts in their formative years, gels are a must. These Lilliputian foil sachets of flavoured syrups provide a shot of liquid energy that, during a long trip, is supposedly easier on the stomach than solid food. Far less space age, but equally portable there are powdered drinks which come both flavoured and unflavoured and can be diluted in water, or alternatively mixed with milk-based drinks, tea or coffee. These will set you back from £1.20 for a 609 sachet to £15.95 for a 2kg bag.
While keeping fluid levels up is crucial, the real fun comes in trying to drink without interrupting your ride. Hydration Packs, CamelBaks and Drink Systems are all different terms for the same thing. A slim rucksack shaped to fit the back's contours fitted with a plastic pouch and thin plastic tube that enables hands-free drinking. Designs differ, some have space for gear and
BOOK Appreciating Whisky Phillip Hills (Collins £16.99)
Wham, dram, thank you ma'am
132 THE lIST 8 22 Jun 2000
‘.
lhe malt whisky revolution of the last twenty-odd years has drastically changed the industry, and Pip llllls has been one of the main revolutionaries lle co-founded the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in 1983, which emerged to champion the single malt over blended whisky and as a result changed our understanding of the drink entirely. Appreciating Whisky does not set out to he lust another guide to the drink, relying heaVily on ’tastirig notes' the information proVIded by the industry itself Indeed, the opposite is true. Hills from the outset knocks that idea on its head, and seeks to guide us through the whole tasting process itself so that We understand exactly Why we taste what we do
It's a thought that might leave some shuddering, but this book is
,r ‘\
The modern cyclist needs space age syrup and hi-tech energy snacks
others are slight enough to wear under a jumper or a jacket. Costing between £19.95 and £79.95, all are probably handy during the festival season. If you're heading for T in the Park take this gear, but leave the bike at home. (Dawn Kofie)
All procliic ts are avai/ab/e from [Edinburgh Bic yc /e Co- Operative, 0737 228 1368.
wonderfully written. Often philo- sophical about the very sense of taste itself, freguently scientific, and most of the time absolutely llllciTIOUS. Oil perfume, for example, Hills informs us that a common component of perfume is an animal pheromone from the Civet cat. And if perfume assistants in large stores get too condescending, it helps to remind yourself that you get the stuff from a spot between the balls and burn of a relative of the hyena somewhere in Africa.
Most importantly though, the book educates in a very thorough and pleasing manner. Everything you need ‘0 know about appreciating Whisky, technically and culturally, is here. Read it and you won't need another whisky book in your life. (GOTdOH llaggartyl
Spit or swallow
It's all done in the best possible taste.
Erra/uri/ is one of Chile‘s best-loved and most popular Wine makers. It produces a diverse range of Wines and regularly Wins medals at the International Wine Challenge. The worst thing about it is that some people tie their tongue in knots trying to pronounce its name.
Errazuriz Sauvignon lwmh—‘T Blanc1999(£5.49) ‘- One of the many “(ixv grapes that grow so , ERRAZURIZ 1 well in the Chilean climate. They usually taste somewhere in the middle of French i--.
and New Zealand
SauVignon Blancs, and this is no exception. Not as piercineg Vibrant as a kiWi style, but more overtly frurty then the French. Packed full of fresh pear and mango aromas With a gloriously crisp finish.
7”" l
ERRAZURIZ ‘,
I‘. terro- av“:
_~9. .- _,_ -__-. .- .J
Errazuriz Wild Ferment Chardonnay 1998 (£8.99) Now this is new world Chardonnay With a difference. It is fermented using the natural yeasts present in the grape skin, which produces more subtle, complex flavours. This is an elegant Wine, far more Burgundlan in style than many in the neW world. The nose is rich, baked apples and creme caramel, a trace of yeastiness, and lust a sliver of oak
Errazuriz Merlot 1999 i - (£5.99) One fact that ., , , l Will soon be hitting our Wine shelves is that most Merlot planted ill Chile isn't true Merlot it's a grape called Carmenere Even if it says Merlot on the label, you can be fairly sure that it isn’t. The same is the case here, but it's not important: it tastes great With layish dark chocolate, black cherry and pepper aromas. Lightly oaked and bursting With fruit on the palate
Errazuriz Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 (£5.99) You always ‘3‘" know where you are ' i With a good Cabernet “RA/UR” ? SauVignon, one of the kings of the grape world The benchmark blackcurrant aromas and flavours are here, With hints of raspberry and chocolate. Lightly oaked With some fine tannins, this is perfectly balanced With the explosion of fruit on the palate (Gordon llaggar‘tyt
m Wines availab/e from Odclbi/is'.