THE WORLD OF WINE AND SPIRITS

The World of Wine & Spirits from HEMANT SINGH

Beverages are potable drinks which have thirst-quenching, refreshing, stimulating and nourishing qualities. By refreshing, one means the replenishment of fluid loss from the body due to perspiration. Simulation results in increase of the heart beat and blood pressure. This is due to the intake of spirits (alcohol) or tea (thein) and coffee (coffein). Nourishment is provided by the nutrients in the beverages, especially fruit juices. Most of the beverages supply energy in the form of sugar or
alcohol. They also provide other nutrients like mineral salts and vitamins. For example, milk gives calcium and citrus fruits give vitamin C.
Generally, people drink for one or more of six reasons; to quench thirst, to get drunk, to enjoy a social setting (social drinking), to enjoy the taste of the beverage, to feed an addiction (alcoholism), or as part of a religious or traditional ceremony or custom (proposing toast).

FOOD AND ACCOMPANIMENTS

Food and Accompaniments from HEMANT SINGH

Accompaniments are highly flavoured seasonings of various kinds offered with certain dishes. The object of offering accompaniments with certain dishes is to improve the flavor of the food or to counteract its richness, eg. apple sauce with roast pork. Many dishes have separate accompaniments and as they are not always mentioned on the menu, the waiter must know them. He should always have specific accompaniments ready for service at the right time. Hot adjuncts come with the dish from the kitchen, but cold sauces are often to be found at the buffet or sideboard. They should be served directly with a dish to which they belong. They should be served from the guest’s left on to the top right of his plate (not on the rim). While serving from a sauceboat, the boat should be on an underdish or small plate, carried on the palm of the left hand. In serving, the sauceboat, lip should point towards the guest’s plate. The spoon, or ladle, should be passed over the lip. Sauces are not to
be poured from a boat.

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RESTAURANT EQUIPMENT

Restaurant Equipments from HEMANT SINGH

The operating equipment used in hotels / restaurants play an important role in attracting customers. The restaurant operating equipment include service equipment, furniture, fixtures and linen
all of which squarely reflects the standard and style of the restaurant. The atmosphere of a restaurant is largely affected by the kind of furniture used.

The furniture should be utilitarian and elegant to look at. Very often by using different materials, designs and finishes and by careful arrangement, one can change the atmosphere and appearance of the food service area to suit different occasions.

Elegant and attractive serviceware, colourful and clean dishes, quality plates and glassware add to the decor of a restaurant. However, several factors have to be considered while selecting the equipment.

· Standard of the restaurant
· Types of service
· Décor and theme of the restaurant
· Type of clientele
· Durability of equipment
· Ease of maintenance
· Availability when stocks runs out for replacement
· Storage
· Flexibility of use
· Price factors
· Standardization

A hotel/restaurant should be well stocked with appropriate equipment to provide quality service. For multipurpose use and to cut down costs, most hotels/restaurants standardize equipment in terms of size and colour.

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DESSERTS - ICE CREAMS

Ice cream from HEMANT SINGH

Ice cream, or iced cream as it was originally called, was once narrowly defined as a luxury dessert made of cream, sugar, and sometimes fruit congealed over ice. But today it is an universally cherished favorite dish. The wide variety of ice creams and their varying cost ranging from low to high has made it delightful dish. Our love affair with ice cream is centuries old. The ancient
Greeks, Romans, and Jews were known to chill wines and juices. This practice evolved into fruit ices and, eventually, frozen milk and cream mixtures. The Italians were especially fond of the frozen
confection that by the sixteenth century was being called ice cream. Because ice was expensive and refrigeration had not yet been invented, ice cream was still considered a treat for the wealthy
or for those in colder climates. Furthermore, the process of making ice cream was cumbersome and time-consuming. A mixture of dairy products, eggs, and flavorings was poured into a pot and beaten
while, simultaneously, the pot was shaken up and down in a pan of salt and ice.

BREAKFAST

Breakfast from HEMANT SINGH

Breakfast is the first meal of the day, typically eaten in the morning. The word derives from the idea of breaking the involuntary fast due to sleep. Breakfast is considered by many food experts to be a most important meal of the day. Traditionally, breakfast is a large cooked meal eaten before work and designed to carry people through a large part of the day. The erosion of the cooked breakfast has been an ongoing trend in the Western world, since at least the early 20th century, coinciding with late waking times than when most Westerners had agricultural occupations, starting early in the morning.
Breakfast in hotels may be served in the hotel restaurant or dining room, in a breakfast room set aside for this one meal, or in the guest's bedroom or suite. The current trend is that most of the hotels
are offering breakfast as complementary (bed and breakfast tariff).

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MENU - Food and Beverage

Menu from HEMANT SINGH

Menu is the statement of food and beverage items available or provided by food establishments primarily based on consumer demand and designed to achieve organizational objectives. It represents the focal point around which components of food service systems are based. The menu is designed carefully what the outlet wants to cater for, keeping in mind the type of clientele. The main advantage of a well-planned menu is that it leads to consumer satisfaction. It also helps to motivate the employees for a responsible and successful service.

A successful menu depends upon composition-the right combination of foods, prepared perfectly, to the entire satisfaction of the customer. So claimed Antoin Careme, the French

chef who is considered the founder of classical cuisine. Menu is a document that controls and directs an outlet's operations and is considered the prime selling instrument of the restaurant.

In a restaurant, a menu is the list of dishes to be served or available for a diner to select from. The items that are available for the diner to choose from are broken down into various categories,
depending on the time of day or the event. The compilation of a menu is the most important part of a
caterer's work. It is regarded as an art, acquired only through experience and study. The menu is a link between the guest and the establishment, hence it should be carefully planned by the
establishment's professionals, namely the executive chef, the food and beverage manager and the food and beverage controller. The word menu dates back to 1718, but the custom of
making such a list is much older. In earlier times, the escriteau (bill of fare) or menu of ceremonial meals was displayed on the wall loadable with the kitchen staff to follow the order in which the dishes were to be served. It is said that in olden times, menus were like a large dictionary with sections covering a variety of dishes. As time progressed the lengthy single copy menu became smaller but increased in number allowing a number of copies placed in table increased. Depending on the establishment and the occasion, the menu may be plain or artistic in its presentation.

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Wine Legend: Jaboulet, La Chapelle Hermitage, 1961

Wine Legend: Jaboulet, La Chapelle Hermitage, 1961, Northern Rhône, France

Bottles produced 10,000

Composition 100% Syrah

Yield (hectolitres/hectare) 8hl/ha

Alcohol level 12.9%

Release price 10 French francs per bottle

Price today £9,180 per bottle (average price on Wine-Searcher.com)

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A legend because…

While Paul Jaboulet and Gérard Chave are easily the most prestigious producers from the 134-hectare Hermitage AC, no wine has enjoyed the acclaim attached to the La Chapelle 1961. Its power and harmony were apparent from the start, and for decades the wine has been a star at auction. In the 19th century, wines from Hermitage had routinely been used to beef up lacklustre vintages from Bordeaux, but in the 20th century many vineyards were neglected. The recognition given to La Chapelle 1961 helped to kickstart interest in the great granitic vineyard and its wines. US critic Robert Parker has described it as ‘one of the three or four greatest red wines I have ever tasted’.

Looking back

The Jaboulet business was deeply rooted in family. At least four members, brothers and cousins, were involved in both the winemaking and commercial side. A highly consistent négociant business, as well as being a producer from its own extensive vineyards, led to Jaboulet becoming the most visible of the great Rhône houses. In the 1980s and 1990s accidents and premature deaths seem to have robbed the house of its former dynamism and, in 2006, Jaboulet was bought by the Frey family, owners of Champagne house Billecart-Salmon and of Château La Lagune in Bordeaux.

The people

The wine was made under the supervision of Louis Jaboulet, who retired in 1976. His better-known son Gérard would only have been 19 at the time.

The vintage

The granitic hill of Hermitage is always an exceptionally hot site. In 1961, a warm spring gave the vines a head start, but rain in June severely diminished the potential crop. Thereafter, conditions were ideal until the completion of harvest. Extensive coulure (the failure of grapes to develop after flowering) led to unusually low yields.

The terroir

The Jaboulets have long been major vineyard owners on the hill of Hermitage, owning 19ha of Syrah and 5ha of Marsanne and Roussanne, yielding, in a normal vintage, about 7,500 cases. The lion’s share of the Syrah vines lie within the Le Méal sector, but with significant parcels in other prized sites such as Les Bessards. An average age of 40 years is maintained for the Hermitage vines. There is no actual parcel known as La Chapelle, however; the name refers to the small chapel perched on the hill. The wine is a Syrah blend from the different parcels.

The wine

From 1989 onwards, Jaboulet produced a second wine from Hermitage (Le Pied de la Côte) in addition to La Chapelle. In 1961 there would have been no such selection, other than a rejection of substandard fruit in the vineyard. The grapes were trodden by foot and fermented with indigenous yeasts in large, open wooden vats. Although destemming became routine in the 1980s, it is probable that about half the stalks would have been retained in 1961, contributing to the wine’s robust tannins. The finished wine would have been aged for about 18 months mainly in vats, and a very small proportion of barrels, including some made from chestnut wood. It would have been bottled without filtration.

Read more at http://www.decanter.com/learn/wine-legend-jaboulet-la-chapelle-1961-369886/#v8FwsySkhIpIVa5Y.99 

Source:http://www.decanter.com/learn/wine-legend-jaboulet-la-chapelle-1961-369886/