Mobay welcomes wine club
Published:Sunday | May 30, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU: "It's only US$100 per month for membership, which is a steal," declared Caribbean Producer Jamaica (CPJ) Limited's Petra Williamson.
But Williamson didn't need to convince the Outlook Magazine team that five bottles of CPJ premium wine per month, with all the frills that come with joining the country's premier wine club, were in themselves a plus.
For those who turned out last Thursday and became signatories to western Jamaica's newest social club, theirs was a treat to the best from Robert Mondavi's private selection - Zinfandel, Banfi's San Angello-Pinot Grigio, Five Rivers, Pinor Noir, Chateau D'Esclans, Whispering Angel Rose and Wente's Cabernet Sauvignon.
In fact, the people who flocked to the CPJ retail store were privy to the coup from one of the island's most sought-after chefs, Nicky Farquharson, who came out of retirement to recreate the artistry for which she is known.
Farquharson, who has cooked for England's Glenn Connor; Princess Margaret and 'Arthur Anderson', the world's largest accounting firm, paired mini pizza bases topped with crispy pepperoni, carmelised onions with fresh thyme and goat cheese with the rich velvety texture of the Zinfandel.
With the Pinot Grigio, she chose a salmon crevice served on bammy with oriental soda noodles.
Openly boasting that all the food she cooked was found in the CPJ retail store, Farquharson paired the most tastefully done shredded crispy duck with cherry brandy relish, served on cucumber round with fresh basil with the Pinor Noir.
By the time wine connoisseur Devon Reid got to number five, the noted chef had taste buds calling for croutons with shavings of rare roasted tenderloin and the Cabernet Sauvignon with the Whispering Angel Rose.
Twisted Kilt's Andre Dixon is the first member of the CPJ Wine Club and there was no doubt he was going home to wallow in his good fortune.