Geneva heatwave - thousands of words!

They say a picture paints a thousand words, something which may or may not be true. You, dear reader, will be able to decide as I will show you a number of photographs taken in Geneva over the last few days, trying to capture the feeling of intense summer heat and, alas, humidity. There will be few words, unusual perhaps for this scribbler who likes to go on and on, so I hope that you will enjoy the display and will let me know your point of view, good or bad.

My life in wine, Geneva chapter!

Geneva may never be the same for me again after the death of PGT, my beloved relative who recently passed away at the amazing age of 101 years and ten months; for the best part of the last forty years I don't think I ever came to Geneva without visiting PGT and availing myself of his kindness, hospitality and wisdom. Now he's gone, will live only in my mind, and however natural his demise has been he leaves a gap far larger than his diminutive size could ever account for. Still, life does go on, perhaps uncaringly, with all that entails.

Ah, dear reader, you must realise where this is leading; after all, you've now known me for a while and should be used to my little foibles. Of course I'm going to talk to you about wine, that most healing, civilising and enriching of substances, that liquid that, with its aromas, tastes and textures can transform an ordinary meal into an enchanting experience. Wine is a living, evolving thing, showing different faces at different times, inviting us to play with it as it plays with our emotions before, at its best, it delivers its punch of flavours that enslave us for life.

Through the generosity and kindness of my friend NDI I was able to taste several interesting wines, starting with a fairly run-of-the-mill Sancerre, graduating to three 2014 Margaux beauties and finishing with a stunning Visanto (or Vinsanto) from the Argyros estate in Santorini. Before you start panicking about the state of my liver, these were not all consumed at the same time, though I dare say it may have been an interesting experience! My final vinous adventure came courtesy of my Swiss friends the As, when they took me to lunch. Naturally we had a Swiss wine more or less from the region - actually from across the lake at the neighbouring Canton Vaud.

The Sancerre 2017 from Domaine des Tayaux had been open for a day or two when it fell into my hands, so it was lacking the zingy freshness now such a feature of good Sancerre, really the feature that has made it exciting when compared to most other Sauvignon Blanc wines. Perfectly drinkable, perfectly clean but a bit dull, then, if good value for money. I polished it off so no-one else would have to suffer...

On different nights we went after the 2014 Margaux wines, as follows:

Chateau Dauzac was, for me, textbook claret with deep colour, an agreeable balance and good structure, a hint of tannin and ripe red fruits, oak backdrop and decent length, an impeccable if unspectacular wine from an early-drinking year. Probably better in a year or two.
The Chateau Kirwan was more luscious, softer, what in pre-political correctness days we would have described as more feminine, an explosion of ripe red fruit flavour with hardly any tannins showing, juicy and more obviously attractive than the Dauzac, charming for the next year or so.
Chateau Cantenac-Brown was, not that long ago, a chateau punching far below its weight - not anymore! In style between the two others, still quite rich bearing in mind the vintage, it was full of all the right things and a touch of spice, with a short (1-3 year?) future ahead of it but extremely satisfying today.
These three show clearly why today it can be great fun for those able to afford them to buy great wines in lighter, but not problem, vintages, provided they do their research a little bit and avoid obvious duds. True, they will never compare to truly great wines from the best vintages, where the balance is truly astonishing, the complexity far greater and the length astounding, but they provide extremely satisfying drinking far earlier and, importantly for most, at a far more reasonable (ha!) price.

A journey of discovery for me was a glorious Swiss white wine, an Epesses Grand Cru Clos du Boux 2017 (I think). Made from Chasselas grapes in picture-perfect vineyards on the slopes by Lake Geneva (Lac Leman for the locals), it surprised me with its richness, balance, subtlety and length. A subdued nose of mirabelle plums led to a more luscious mouthful of the same subtly combined with lychees and somehow dry, happily long. Good both on its own and with food, it is an example of how far Swiss wines have come in the last thirty or forty years, from austere acidic curiosities to excellent wines in their own right. Alas they can never be inexpensive but are now well worth seeking out.

The Argyros Vinsanto 2009, aged for four years in oak casks before release, is a little bomb of sweetness and lusciousness, ripe raisiny aromas and flavours dominating, rich, sweet, balanced, satisfying, dessert in a glass, complex and long - and this is their 'junior' Visanto! Pure delight from a top producer on the island of Santorini, not only preserving a winemaking tradition lost in the mists of time but providing layers and layers of pleasure today. Most Santorini wines are truly special but their best sweet wines are spectacularly good, and worth every penny that I didn't have to pay. Were I to have a choice in the matter I would always have a bottle of Argyros Vinsanto around; alas, I don't.

Geneva in the summer heat

As you know only too well, dear reader, central Europe is in the throes of a bit of a heatwave. This is not one of those deadly ones so far, but it can sure make life unpleasant, especially in cities not designed for extreme heat. Geneva is saved by being on  the shores of a lake and a river, benefitting from whatever cooling they can provide; nevertheless it is humid and hotter than strictly enjoyable.

This has not deterred intrepid old me from moving hither and thither in order to pursue my goals, such as they are - seeing my relatives and friends and enjoying my short stay as much as possible. Sticking my little hat on at a jaunty angle I hit the streets whatever the weather, eat my croissants al fresco - no, I'm not telling you where I get them, thank you - and even wander seemingly endlessly between obligations. It's no good for cooling down, though, as the sweltering heat follows me everywhere, even making sleeping unpleasant.

The heat is not all bad, though, as the people thronging the bathing hot spots will tell you in between swims, or the thriving outdoor life of a city that lives most of the time indoors will show you. The parks are full of young people sitting on the grass, talking and laughing, and outdoor seating in bars and restaurants is as full as can be, while lake or river-side places are suddenly in the highest demand. True, this would have been happening even with less extreme heat, but the effects are currently more exaggerated.

Geneva is a beautiful, expensive, relatively small and quiet city, not normally famed for its liveliness, but the street food festival in the English Garden turned that on its head, a throbbing crowd of mainly young people and families noisily wandering around the many food and drink stalls, some dancing - such a contrast to the buttoned-up Geneva of the colder months!

My lovely Swiss friends the As even took me for a short boat ride around a small part of the lake - we were short of time - on one of the more modern boats that ply their trade year round, and I was able to appreciate the summer life of Geneva even more. We saw beautiful lakeside houses, yachts sailing by, even had our route briefly blocked by an errant pedalo as we returned to harbour; I must say I gained a better appreciation of this lovely city and the surrounding areas.

Most importantly, I received the strong message that life goes on, whether it came from the scantily clad young ladies (much appreciated by this old dog) or the lushness of nature. Maybe these will all help mend my broken heart, allowing me not to forget those no longer here but to view their passing as another chapter, recapture some joy in the life they lived and what they gave me and the world, and go on.

To life!

Another visit to Zozef

If you love good food and happen to be visiting the island of Andros, inevitably your footsteps will lead you sooner or later to Zozef and Katerina Remoundou (Tata). There you will be in the domaine of a quirky, mercurial, highly able chef, you will eat in simple surroundings, served in a relaxed, casual way; this is a little hidden foodie paradise showcasing local ingredients with no fuss and no frills.
Dear reader, if you do not already know that I love food, restaurants and all that goes with them, you haven't been paying attention. From the simplest sandwich to the most complicated fine dining my heart belongs to food, all of which I judge and evaluate according to its ambitions. For me food has to be honest, good for what it is and represent value for money, given its position in life. Inexpensive should not mean cheap and nasty, simple can be excellent, elaborate does not necessarily mean good. Zozef fulfils its role and, at times, surpasses it, so is well a visit - I have made several over the last five years - but it is not perfect - it is what it is and deserves respect for that.

MG was a little bit reticent about the latest visit, as she is on a strict diet, impossible to adhere to at Zozef, but was persuaded to drive me there anyway and was an eager participant, taking this as one of her valued 'free meals'. Perhaps because of the driving she partook little of the local - as in actually made in the same village, Pitrofos - Androp tsipouro, a drink similar to grappa. So we had:

1. Cheese pie
Outstanding, different, not the usual feta-dominated pie found elsewhere, juicy and hinting sweetness,  yellow/orange filling with a green herb adding further taste.
So good we asked for more, including some to take home for breakfast!
2. Salad
Freshly made tomato, green pepper and onion salad with local cheese, crunchy in all the right places, full of taste and with an olive oil based dressing that was subtle yet tasty, adorning and not dominating the other ingredients. A proper salad, nothing like the many boring examples found in your average taverna and proof positive of why it's worth eating there.
3. Moussaka
Common examples of this dish contain potatoes as the bottom layer and filler, a thin layer of aubergine and a thick topping of béchamel sauce; they are not unpalatable but do not have the proper moussaka texture and taste in my book. This was just as it should be, thick with aubergine and mince meat, and a thinner layer of béchamel, all properly integrated in this much-maligned rich, heavy dish.
4. To drink : Androp Tsipouro
MG wanted no wine and I didn't fancy a bottle on my own, so we settled for the superb locally made tsipouro, served in small bottles of 200ml. Unlike some big brand offerings this is superbly clean and, even with healthy consumption, leaves no unpleasant trace, so has earned my seal of approval. If visiting the island ask for it - its mellow taste will please you and its not unreasonable price will make you even happier!

All in all we had a cracking time, filled our tummies and took advantage of Zozef's hospitality to the maximum, leaving sated and vowing to return sometime soon.
The cheese pie was every bit as good the next day, and the day after. You didn't seriously think I'd be satisfied with only one piece?

Life's a beach, especially on Andros, Cyclades, Greece

MG is not a native Android (used here to denote persons whose family hails from the Greek island of Andros) but she has taken to the place like a duck to water for a variety of reasons. You, observant and loyal reader, know about this already, and how beneficial this has been to your scribbler. So when, once again, she offered to provide her kind hospitality at her small holiday flat I leapt at the chance, as the place comes with a major asset as far as I'm concerned - a spare room! This I am allowed to occasionally occupy as a valued guest, there to provide companionship and help about the place; in return I get ferried around to the best beaches, the best restaurants, the best everything. It's an arrangement that has given me many hours of pleasure wandering around this blessed island, at little cost.

Cost, as my observant reader knows only too well, is very important to me at this stage of my life, where money is not plentiful. Value for money, however, has always been a far more important concept for me over the years and is constantly on my mind. Being a relative concept means that sometimes testing it requires the generosity of others, when my limited funds prohibit me from enjoying something, but luckily over the years I have been able to discover many deserving places.

Ten days ago - don't quibble, it may have been twelve or fourteen - MG asked if I was available to spend a few days on Andros and help her set up her flat for summer, shifting furniture around etc. Well, I quickly accepted, what with the Greek summer on the doorstep and the sea cold but ever so inviting, impossible to turn down. And if you don't already know, Andros features some lovely beaches that, depending on the prevailing wind direction, offer thrills aplenty. Off I went, then, to explore, judge and report back to you, trusted - and trusting - reader, for your delectation and appreciation but in no particular order:

1. St. Peter's Beach, Funky Donkey Beach Bar
On possibly the best - possibly the most crowded but certainly the most conveniently located for visitors - sandy beach on the island, this friendly, hospitable Funky Donkey provides excellent sunbeds, shady umbrellas and a good mixture of snacks, coffees and drinks of all kinds, all served with a smile. The staff are helpful and look after all comers, some extremely demanding, yet many come back again and again, year after year.
There are two other beach bars on the same stretch but I find FD the nicest. I love this place and you will too, but perhaps not in mid-August, when everywhere is heaving and you have to queue for an umbrella!
2. Apothikes Beach Bar
At the end of a steep, half-dirt road this tiny beach provides excellent swimming and simple, friendly facilities for days when the northerly winds are blowing. The beach bar burned down recently and had to be rebuilt, so they are still finding their feet. Good music that occasionally becomes loud, lifts the mood and leads to a lively atmosphere and dancing.
Despite the daunting access road it is worth another look, with good, invigorating swimming, but may be a bit too crowded for my taste in August.
3. Vitali beach and Kampos Beach Bar
Twice in the past I have tried to get to Vitali beach and failed, once actually reaching the place but finding it bursting with visitors and having to turn back, particularly unpleasant as the trek there is long and in places difficult; the other was last year, when illness stopped me from joining the group heading there. This time we managed it and, surprisingly, it was worth it. A small beach with pebbles (many tiny, others less so) nestles between two rocky hills and leads to splendid crystal clear waters, a concert of different hues of blue. Protected from most extremes of weather it gets deep quickly, so perhaps very young children may feel intimidated, but it provides superb swimming and diving for almost everyone else.
Two beach bars compete for your attention here. We chose the one that we preferred the look of (Kampos Beach Bar) and found it friendly, reasonably priced and with a good (great?) selection of food and drink. Vitali beach can get overcrowded during busy periods, especially when southerly winds foul up the beaches on the other side of the island. A must-see, worth the trouble getting there.
4. Ateni Beach Bar
Ateni is another beach that hates northerly winds but is enchanting when winds are becalmed or southerlies. The beach bar here is a personal favourite, as the family that run it are hugely passionate about providing the best in food, drink and service, which they achieve by constant effort and the support of their staff. Their sandwiches and salads are first-rate, drinks too, and their attitude and willingness to improve a joy, making me long for my next visit, especially as their prices are not unenticing. Set at the left corner of a long, curving bay you have the illusion of being on a secluded beach in the middle of nowhere, but with all the comforts of an organised place.
This is a personal favourite, despite the fact that it's at the end of a long but not difficult drive, for the feeling of being away from it all that I get there, the great swimming, the good food, the endearing and satisfying hospitality. My comprehensive report will follow at some point soon, so long as you people - my faithful readers - promise not to all rush down there at once and crowd me out.

MG, if you are listening, my readers and I are waiting for the next invitation, more beaches, more sun and fun.

Wine for everyday drinking

The title may mean something different to you, dear reader, depending on your income level and your perceived level of sophistication but - and please don't take this the wrong way - forget about that shit. Wine is either worth drinking on a day-to-day basis or not, cost notwithstanding, so please do not be silly or pretentious.

Dear reader, I have been involved in wine for the best part of 35 years, having tasted most of the best wines that this world has to offer; I am not, however, a wine snob. Yes, there are wines that are exceptionally wonderful but, like complex, fine food,  are challenging and can be difficult to drink - first growth claret is, indeed, a good example, more approach with care than quaff away happily. There is a time and a place for everything and it is not a testament of your sophistication; rather, the ability to relax, taste and drink a variety of wines is.

Modern technology means that there is an awful lot of decent, gluggable wine in the world. True, this may not be award-winning stuff in any set way, but it is award-winning wine in the sense that you want it - and can afford to have it - on a regular basis. Wine for day-to-day consumption
does not need to win gold medals in contests, it needs to be good enough to drink - and enjoy - on a regular basis, with everyday food. It does not, DOES NOT, need to be expensive or poncey.

Forget labels and get tasting, dear reader, taste, taste, TASTE! There is no other way to understand and appreciate wine, or food for that matter. If you want an interesting life do not play it safe but explore, taste, reject, approve, grow to appreciate, love. The ancient Greeks had a god - Dionysos - whose whole raison d'être was to do with wine appreciation and enjoyment, however excessive, and what a good chap he was - in my estimation at least, because, if you remember, dear reader, I am a friend of Dionysos! Wine and food, that heavenly pairing (cola and food shows to me, at least occasionally, there must be a hell!) is there to make your life more interesting. And yes, even house wine is acceptable, provided it's good.

So be demanding : If your neighbourhood restaurant fails on house wine, tell them, show them how they are letting you down, ask them to do better, even suggest how. One of my favourite restaurants in the universe, the very simple, wonderful in its way Kossi's on Andros, Greece, listened to their clients' feedback and changed their house red wine, greatly improving things. After many, MANY litres of their house red I can tell - no, guarantee - that it is decent, clean, enjoyable and worth drinking. Sure, there are better options in the wine universe - a cru bourgeois at ten times the price springs to mind, but why bother, when something like this fits the bill (no pun intended...) nicely, quantity notwithstanding.

So don't drink shitty wine, irrespective of the price; demand decent quality. Simple wine can be clean and gluggable, it just won't be complex and alluring. Its role is not to be the star but a supporting actor, and this it should do well. If it does not, don't take it lying down - help improve the stuff - and remember, life is too short to drink bad wine. So seek out the decent stuff, avoid the crap stuff and enjoy.

Greece comes 1st, alas!

'Greece your Glory!' is a well-known saying - intoned with pride in the country of my birth, where most of us are convinced that our country is glorious in almost every way, even - or, especially - if we know nothing about the rest of the world and how it works. Some, fewer though, may repeat it with a sarcastic tone when something ridiculously bad happens, though we do not necessarily love our country any less.

So the news that Greece has rated first in a recent worldwide survey could have been the cause of celebration, were it not for the fact that the first place was negative - Greece came first in a 'which is the most complicated country in the world to do business in' survey by TMF Group (as reported in the reliable financial paper and website Naftemporiki on 12.6.19), a multinational professional services firm based in the Netherlands and whose description is international expansion experts, i.e. the very people who would guide companies to invest somewhere. As they also operate a Greek branch they, unfortunately, know the country and business environment well; their assessment cannot be dismissed as coming from ignorant, prejudiced foreigners whose interests are in doing down Greece and it's glory.

The article suggests that Greece is partnered in the top five by Indonesia, Brazil, United Arab Emirates and Bolivia, with the following five including Slovakia, Germany, Turkey, China and Peru. A glance allows us to see that Greece is in august company. Even if the judgement is harsh, it is not far from the truth whether we like it or not.

From personal experience I can tell you that doing business in Greece is, indeed, extremely complicated, expensive and made worse by the fact that the state is pitted against you. The state apparatus treats any business as a defrauding operation in progress and everything is geared to deter and punish this; little is in place to truly encourage or aid private enterprise. The legal framework is complicated, inefficient and expensive, with the goalposts shifting constantly at the whim of the government, and laws are applied or not to suit the purpose of the day. In that it, of course, mirrors the way Greek society in general operates - chaotically, inefficiently and with the use of 'incentives', infamously known as little envelopes - 'fakelakia'. Some of the 'incentives' required are not small, if the situation is complex, with many people in the appreciation pipeline...

And no, dear reader, thank you for asking, I never had to.

Unless systems are simplified, laws made clear and without lots of windows, are applied fairly, equally and 'without incentives' that allow anyone to bypass their obligations if they can afford it there will be little growth in Greece, and almost none coming from outside that isn't predatory. Foreign companies will not invest unless they are:

a. Multinationals of a certain size, where strategic moves require certain commitments.
b. Running some sort of predatory move or an outright scam.
c. They are investing for sentimental reasons, rare but unlikely in the present climate.

In the meantime the years go by, the country suffers and its best people move away in search of a career, or just a job. Greece, what could have been your glory is going elsewhere... Wake up! This is a national shame, and a national wake-up call... Heed it!