It-Tmun Victoria Marsovin Wine Tasting Banquet.

Last Night (Thursday) I attended a vertical wine tasting hosted by It-Tmun in Victoria, Marsovin and The Definitive Good Guide to Restaurants.
What is a vertical wine tasting? well instead of tasting wines in a random fashion, the tasting can be arranged so that you taste wines from the same grape variety or the same vintage, or the same wines from different vintages. The last description was the theme of this wine tasting.
Throughout the evening we were served seven different wines with a variety of food carefully selected by Patrick Buttigieg the proprietor of It-Tmun.

• On arrival we were greeted by Patrick, offered a variety of Canapes served with Cassar De Malte from Marsovin this is sparkling wine 100% Chardonnay and made using the champagne method and to the best of my knowledge is the only local made wine made using this method, the quality was obvious, floral on the nose with a hint of yeast, fresh on the palate with melon and a good medium length finish.
• Soused mackerel terrine was the next course with apple cider and saffron vinaigrette. When I saw this combination on the menu I thought, this will be challenging food to match with any wine, I was surprised, the Antonin Ramla Valley Estate Chardonnay 2007 was a superb match, a big chardonnay nose, in the mouth the citrus with oak but not over oaked and not fat as some Aussie chardonnays can be.
• Next course Home made Tortelloni filled with Maltese sausage, with asparagus. with these delights we had Marnisi Estate Marsaxlokk 2001 & 2006 side by side to try, the 2001 came from Marsovins private reserve and I do not think is available any longer, I think Marsovin were trying to demonstrate that Maltese wines can age and the 2001 certainly demonstrated this. For me it was the wine of the evening a classic left bank Bordeaux blend and probably the finest Maltese wine I have tasted to date with all the dark red fruits that come from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The 2001 being far more complex than the 2006, but the 2006 will get there with time. I know I will be buying a case of the 2006 to put to one side for a few years.
• Calvados & Honey Glazed Local Pork Belly was served with Grande Maitre 2004 & 2005 side by side, again a good combination this wine was 50% Cabernet Sauvignon & 50% Cabernet Franc, a solid wine this one, both wines were decanted before being served however I felt that the 2005 needed maybe a couple of hours in the decanter to allow it to open up a bit more.
  
• Trio of desserts, Tangy lemon tart, ricotta cheese cake, Brandy snap filled with nougat & amaretto truffle, these were served with Caravaggio Moscato DOK 2007 this think went with the second two desserts better than the citrus of the tangy lemon tart, while the Moscato is a dessert wine it is not over sweet and maybe that extra sweetness is what was needed for the lemon tart.

Thank you to all concerned for a wonderful evening, a particular thank you to Bernard Muscat Marsovin's wine specialist for introducing the wines, I look forward to the next event.

'Good food ends with good talk'. Geoffrey Neighor

London Fire Brigade Part 1 1978 - 1982

People often ask me about my time in the London Fire Brigade, as though it might be as interesting as say the life of Gorden Ramsay or Robert Mugabe, well I probably don't quite measure up to the stories that these people could tell but I will give it a go.

So my life in the London Fire Brigade, the shortened version.

I joined the London Fire Brigade in February of 1978 having spent the previous 12 months as a Lifeguard and Swimming Instructor. Basic training lasted 16 weeks in this time you spent your time learning procedure and how to use the basic equipment of fire fighters and the theory of firefighting. Fitness also played a big part and as you proceed through the training a number of individuals would decide that the fire service was not for them.

Training was very much in the style of military training, Some people could not get on with this system of training, or found that they suffered from claustrophobia, or could not stand heights or were simply not fit enough, so from an original training group of 16 by week 3 we were down to 12.

At the end of our time at Southwark training center we all believed we were it, rough tough firefighters ready to take on the world and most of all as proud as f***.

We were posted to our various stations all across London, in my case Hendon in north London then amongst the experienced people you work alongside at the fire station you realise that you ain't so rough nor tough and you now have to learn the art of firefighting. Fires can be hot frightening places to be, but you don't think to much about this when you join.

The tv pictures that you see of firefighters surrounding a burning building with hoses aimed at the building, spraying water are the ones you see the most in the media, because these are the pictures that the media can get easy access to, the majority of fires are fought from inside the burning building and not outside, you see buildings are designed to keep water out, so you have got to get in their, perhaps this ain't the glamorous job that I thought it was going to be after all...god I could be injured doing this stuff.

In my first year at Hendon I attended many incidents however my first major fire was a warehouse in St Pancras Way in central London in October of 1978 attended by 35 pumping appliances, the fire burnt for days and unfortunately cost the life of one firefighter when a high wall collapsed, with several others being injured, a sad time for the London Fire Brigade.

It was four years I spent at station learning the art of firefighting, it was tough and a steep learning curve to follow but I enjoyed every minute of it. After the four years I had to demonstrate to a senior officer that I had learnt all that was required to be able to call myself a qualified firefighter. I am pleased to inform you that I passed with flying colours, so could now call myself a proper firefighter.

Part 2 to follow.


Photo courtesy of Paul Wood.

"Well, if crime fighters fight crime and fire fighters fight fire, what do freedom fighters fight" George Carling.

Malta, Pioneers in Digital Radio.

DAB stands for Digital Audio Broadcasting and is the future of radio broadcasting. It's interference free and features a wide and varied choice of stations. If you live in a poor signal area where the FM signal is barely audible, then DAB should offer you better reception.
DAB radio was taken up with vigour across the bigger countries in Europe from around 1999, a regular radio was not able to pick up a DAB signal so it was necessary for those interested in being a part of this new revolution to invest in one of the new radios to be able to receive the stations in this new format. At this point in time Malta had no facility to receive DAB radio.

Then last year the World DAB organisation announced a new broadcast standard, DAB+, which offers better sound quality than the DAB standard already in use across Europe. This has left many that have already invested in the new technology, concerned that current DAB digital radio will soon become obsolete, this may be true of course as the older DAB radios will not be able to receive the new service although some of the newer radios may be able to be upgraded. Many of the countries with DAB already established are reluctant to promote the new standard as the older DAB has not really been around that long.

Enter Malta, because they did not adopt the older DAB system Malta is in prime position to take on this much improved technology, and Malta will be one of the first countries in Europe to adopt the new standard, before both the UK & Germany.

These new radios are available in Malta anytime soon, prices start at €75.00, trials start I believe from next month (July). So here is your opportunity to lose all that hiss, crackle, squeak and pop that is normally associated with FM and AM radios.

For more info Click Here

"Everyone is a genius at least once a year. The real geniuses simply have their bright ideas closer together". Georg Christoph Lichtenberg.

Is The Grass Greener?

We are into our second month now since our arrival here in Gozo and people keep asking 'how do you find it, is it what you expected'.

As we are still in our adjustment period for want of a better description it is difficult to say at the moment. Anyway lets try, lets look at some of our reasons for moving here.

'When we were visiting Gozo we'd dream of moving out here, We'd sit in a local cafe supping a cappuccino talking about it, and then we'd have to go home and it would be back to the grindstone.'

I know many couples spend their holidays hatching plans to escape the humdrum routines they feel trapped into back home, our plan to move Gozo started seriously around 6 years ago, although it was first mentioned tongue in cheek on our first holiday here 16 years ago.

Back to the point in question.

• Get away from the London rat race.......... We have certainly done that.
• Find a healthier lifestyle............... We are both more active now than we were at home, mainly because we have the time I guess.
• Integrate with the local community here in Gozo, not get tied up with expat communities whom totally segregate themselves, as in Spain.......... We have made many friends here, in fact we know more locals than Brits.
• The weather................. Since we arrived here 6+ weeks ago we have seen a fall of rain that lasted about 2 hours and that is it. Sun Sun Sun.
• Learn to sail............ Still working on that one.
• Start a business........Still working on that one.
• Chill for the summer........No problems there.
• Live a better quality life, a life that focuses on the actual living side of things rather than chasing more money all the time. Improving life rather than improving income........It's a tough one but I am working on it.

So is the grass greener on the other side of the fence? So far yes, early days yet, perhaps I should revisit this issue when I have been here 6+ months.

"The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence. Fences have nothing to do with it. The grass is greenest where it is watered. When crossing over fences, carry water with you and tend the grass wherever you may be". Robert Fulghum.