Wine of the week | Retailer of the month | Tasting with Oz Apple cake The real taste of Spain page 162 2005 Vintage Cava Brut (Codorníu), Cataluña, Spain 11.5% ABV Sainsbury’s Taste the difference, £9.99 Classy fizz made by the giant Codorníu, the world’s biggest sparkling wine company, mostly from Chardonnay, so you get ripe apple fruit, soft and fresh, good yeasty cream but also an unexpected and attractive hint of green peppercorns to tone up your palate. Sainsbury’s head office 33 Holborn, London EC1N 2HT (020) 7695 6000 customer service 0800 636262; 800 stores website www. sainsburys.co.uk – click on Wines by the case for exciting and exclusive offers hours Variable, some 24 hrs, locals generally Mon–Sat 7–11, Sun 10 or 11–4 cards AmEx, Maestro, MasterCard, Visa discounts 5% for 6 bottles or more • mail order 0800 917 4092 fax 0800 917 4095 • Calais store Sainsbury’s, Centre Commercial Auchan, Route de Boulogne, 62100 Calais, France (0033) 3 21 82 38 48 preorder www.sainsburys.co.uk and click on Wine at Calais A collection to cater for bargain hunters as well as lovers of good-value wine higher up the scale. They’ve expanded their Taste the difference range and got some top producers on board. Tarta de Manzana Apple Cake Apple orchards clothe many of the lush hillsides of the North, from Asturias to the Basque country. Admittedly much of the crop is destined for cider: a local passion. From January to April the Basques flock to the Sagardotegiak, cider houses, to down the new season brew, fresh from the barrel. Meanwhile, Asturian barmen pour their cider from an arm’s length above the head into a glass clasped at the thigh – a deft feat of showmanship that aerates the otherwise flat cider. Thankfully some apples do escape the press; table varieties such as the Reineta, or Russet, make delicious eating. serves 8–10 170 g/6 oz butter, softened, plus extra for greasing 3 eating apples, peeled and sliced 1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla extract juice of 1⁄2 lemon 3 tbsp cider 170 g/6 oz soft brown sugar, or a mixture of dark brown sugar and caster sugar 3 eggs, beaten 170 g/6 oz flour 2 tsp baking powder for the glaze 2 tbsp lemon juice 3 tbsp icing sugar Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5. Grease a 23 cm/9 inch springform cake tin with butter and line the base with baking paper. Toss the apples with the cinnamon, vanilla extract, lemon juice and cider. In another bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Gradually add the egg to the butter and sugar a little at a time. Take care to beat thoroughly between additions, throwing in a tablespoon of flour if the mixture begins to curdle. Strain off the liquid from the apple slices. Sift the flour and baking powder together and fold into the cake mixture together with the liquid from the apple slices. Now spread the mixture over the base of the prepared tin and add the apple slices. You need not be too precious about the arrangement, as the sponge will rise up and cover most of the apple. Place in the middle of the oven and cook for about 50 minutes until a deep, golden brown colour. Spear the centre of the cake with a skewer, it should come out clean, any ‘custardy’ juices mean the cake needs a few more minutes. Leave the cake to cool slightly in the tin. Meanwhile, mix together the lemon juice and icing sugar to make a thin glaze. Brush the top of the cake with the glaze and serve warm or at room temperature.  Cooking with apples Reineta, or Russet, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith are the ideal apples to cook with as they hold their shape well and also have a good flavour. They are all available in Spain. Peeled apples turn brown in a trice, so always dip in lemon juice or prepare a bowl of water with a little lemon juice to place them in while preparing your dish. Drain and dry off before use.   Taken from the new Oz Clarke 250 Best Wines Wine Buying Guide 2008 Printable Tasting Sheet View the Wine of the Week Archive Check for stockists around the world at www.wine-searcher.com Continued...

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