Grape names - memorable meanings

 Meaningful grapes

Some time ago I started to write a blog post about the strange tendency of white grape varieties to start (like ‘vine’, ‘vino’ and ‘variety’) with the letter v. There are Viognier, Vermentino, Viura, Verdicchio, Vidal, Verdejo, Verdelho and others. That post never saw the light of day, but it came to mind when a friend reminded me that Merlot is named after merle, French for 'blackbird'. (They like to eat it.) Indeed, in Occitan, the local language of Merlot’s birthplace, the bird is called merlau.

Many other grape varieties have meaningful names. Some are a bit obscure, such as the Catalan name for Tempranillo: Ull de Llebre, rabbit's eye or hare’s eye. Perhaps it's the shape of the berries, or the bunches. Many others are quite obvious, such as those involving nero (Latin) or mavro (Greek), both meaning black. There are Nero d’Avola from Sicily, Mavro on Cyprus, Mavrud in Bulgaria and Mavrodafni etc from Greece.

But there are many more surprising ones.

French Grape Names

France first. Colombard (largely used for cognac) is from colombe, dove, referring to the skin colour.

Folle Blanche (cognac, armagnac) is 'mad white' because it grows so fast, hence also known as Grand Plant & Enrageat 'enraged'.

Syrah's synonym is Sérine (the name of the family it heads), which is from the Latin sera 'late' (it's late ripening) as in buonasera.

Italian Grapes

Lambrusco = lam brusco where lam is berry (e.g. lampone 'raspberry') plus 'brusque' so 'wild grape'. The minor French grape Fer also means wild, as in ‘feral’.

There are many lambrusco somethings and one, lambrusco salamino is named after guess what, salami, having cylindrical bunches.

Spain

Next, Spain. Monastrell (Mourvèdre in France) is from the Latin monasteriu 'monastery'. Tempranillo is 'early ripening'.

Italy

Then Italy has many. Dolcetto is ‘little sweet’. Nebbiolo (Barolo) is from nebbia 'fog' as the berries grow a thick bloom. Think nebulous.

Pecorino is from pecora 'sheep' like the cheese though I’m not sure whether the connection is proximity, the sheep’s favourite snack or otherwise. Primitivo (aka Tribidrag, Zinfandel) is from the Latin primativus, 'first to ripen'.

Vermentino was originally Fermentino: the young wine is fizzy.

Place Names

Then there are place names. Lots of wines are named after their origin, such as Champagne, Chablis, Sancerre and Madeira. But very few actual grapes are; the only well-known certainty is Chardonnay. 

Prosecco (now renamed Glera to distinguish it from the wine it makes) probably originated there. 

Trebbiano may be from Trebula (now Treglia), from the Trebbia river. Or from any one of the many Italian villages named Trebbo or Trebbio.

Misleading Names

Most place names are misleading though. Auxerrois is not from Auxerre in the Yonne, but refers to the old name for Alsace, Auxois. Montepulciano is not from there but, as the label says, it’s Montepulciano d’Abbruzo. Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is from there but is largely made from Sangiovese, like Chianti. Shiraz has nothing to do with the Persian city; it’s the Australian name for Syrah.

There’s more. Muscat is not from Oman, rather its aroma is suggestive of that from the caudal gland of the musk deer, as in musk(y). There are many Muscat Somethings, and Muscat of Alexandria is not from there while Muscat of Hamburg is not from there!

Roman, Rimini, Rumour and Religion

But the best names are the stuff of legend and religion, and here the Romans and Italians excel. Sangiovese means ‘Jupiter’s blood’, from sanguis Jovis. Rumour has it that the monks at Monte Giove near Rimini made the name up (based on their location) when a visitor asked the name of their wine. 

Sagrantino was sacred wine for the sacristy. Vin Santo is the wine of saints. So not only does the church have the best songs, it has the best wine. It once only lacked women, and that has now been corrected too.

Salut!

Names of Grapes To Eat and Drink

Here's a handy alphabetical list of wine grapes and their meanings. See my blog post on grape names

Grape Name Meanings - An Alphabetical Checklist

Champagne - from the Champagne region of France, north, river Loire region, near Paris

Auxerrois - from Alsace (the old name for Alsace)

Colombard - white from colombe, french for dove (white birds)

Fer - French for wild (grape) like feral

Glera - the new name for Prosecco grapes to distinguish them from the style of wine more widespread

Madeira - strong alcohol, Portuguese island in the Atlantic, whose wine was transformed in long hot journeys stored for ages by ship in the olden days, storage conditions to enhance flavour and other qualities, now imitated on the island without the sea journey

Mavro - Greek for black (used in Cyprus)

Merlot - from French for blackbird. Grapes used in France for wine and eating

Monastrell - Spanish wine which came from the monastery (Latin monasteriu for monastery)

Mourvèdre - from the Latin monasteriu meaning monastery

Muscat - musky smelling, sweet, often a dessert wine on the menu 

Nero - Latin for black

Nero d'Avola from Sicily - black Grape, from the Italian island

Prosecco - a town, now the style of wine which originated there but comes from other places too

Sagrantino sacred wine

Sangiovese - Jupiter's blood

Shiraz - Australian name for Syrah

Tempranillo - early ripening (think of time and temps fugit meaning time flies, early grape saves time)

Trebbiano - from Italian villages of similar names or the river

Vin Santo - wine of saints

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Buying, and shipping, everyday home essentials - such as a plate and cutlery rack, worldwide

 In Singapore at our rented apartment in a condo we bought an expensive plate and cutlery rack from a department store, probably Tang's at the central crossroads of Orchard Road. The rack was large, shiny metal, supposedly stainless steel, when new with a nice shiny chrome or chrome effect. You could move the plastic tray underneath left or right. You could remove it to wash it. The spout directed water into the sink. The upright, cutlery holder you could remove to wash - frequently growing black mould in the humidity.

It claimed to be stainless steel. We thought it was rusting. Maybe chrome, mislabelled? My husband wrote to the manufacturer in California. They replied that the guarantee did not apply to Singapore which was a secondary market. 

We were disappointed. As we were on the point of throwing it out, nothing to lose by being rather rough with bleach or cleaning.

The good news was that when we tried to give it a good scrub, all the apparent rust was just dirt which came off. What a pity we did not have a dishwasher large enough to do it.

Dishwashers

We had no dishwasher. Many homes in Singapore have a maid's room off what I call the scullery, what Americans call the utility area. The kitchen was too small for an under-sink dishwasher and the work surface was not large enough for a table top model. Most homes employed a maid from the Philippines or Indonesia who washed up by hand.

The metal and plastic went shabby and stained eventually, After eight years in that condo, we were onto our second or third cutlery rack.

UK Dishwashers

Metal crockery and cutlery stand. On sink worktop. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Back at home in the UK, we have the same problem. Although we have a dishwasher, some items are not dishwasher proof. For example, plastic take away bowls which buckle in the heat.  Wooden handled cutlery loses its shine. Delicate Royal Albert cups would lose the painting, or chip if you slam the dishwasher door shut and items in the top rack bounce against each other. Wooden handled steak knives - not in the dishwasher! Denby ware cutlery with china handles can develop chips around the join at the top, or cracks. 

Our Nespresso coffee cups get washed by hand, because they are in constant use. We have three, but drink three cups every morning, each of us. So it's quicker to wash by hand and leave them to drain.

Our stainless steel sink has an attached drainer, so we do not need a tray under the rack, which you would need if you place your rack on the other side on a work surface. (This depends on space available, and how much room is taken up by your kettle, table top wastebin for vegetable waste, etc.

Buying Online

I went online looking at cutlery trays. The first search showed the cheapest cost about ten pounds UK sterling, 

You can re-set your computer location, or re-set your google or website to another country, if you are about to move, or want to use a different credit card, or are buying for somebody overseas, or plan delivery overseas.) You can also set to a different currency.

 If you buy in one country and ship to another, you might get charged tax before the mail will deliver your parcel. We were charged tax, a hefty amount of about seventy pounds sterling, after paying about a hundred Sing dollars to send our kitchenware back from Singapore to the UK, even though almost all of it was used and second hand, and had already paid tax when bought originally in the UK and taken to  Singapore in hand luggage with us on the plane.

Compare Price, Quality, Colour, Size

Compare Price

On a second search, I found the cheapest item was as little as about two pounds! Unbelievable price. I am not keen on gray. But if you are in a hurry, or temporary accommodation such as a serviced apartment, this could be a good buy.

Compare Size

 My husband looked at the height of ours and said, 'The one advertised is only 7 centimeters deep. Our current one is about eleven (four inches). If you have a short, or low, item, your cutlery and plates will topple and things will break. It will be a disaster.' 

We have long tongs and spatulas and huge dinner plates. What you need depends on what you are using the cutlery tray for. In a serviced apartment you might have just one set of four of everything. The quality could be robust hotel quality, thick and heavy cups, almost unbreakable. You might have small plates. only two long handled items which can be laid sideways. Our serviced apartment in Singapore had a deep sink for washing without splashing, or draining.

Style and Material

For example chrome - a penny under eighteen pounds sterling, Not for me. Either I would need it to be dishwasher-proof or I would be spending hours cleaning off every spoke. But if you have helpers, or a friendly go-to friend who organizes washing-up parties after events.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/simplywire-Kitchen-Basket-Drainer-Chrome/dp/B084CVN13C/ref=asc_df_B084CVN13C/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=435824070893&hvpos

Some items are shown with the dimensions, and how many items stack up. You can buy two tiers. That might block the view. 

When would you need such a large item? Not for one person. Not for a couple when one of them is away working for several weeks or months, or travelling a lot intermittently.

For a family of four, or five, with visitors from overseas, a party. Also, it could provide useful extra for a dinner party of four, a children's birthday party. Also privacy, keeping the person cooking, such as a caterer at a party or wedding, away from distraction from the householders, children, or guests.

Compare Sources - big supermarkets

Where can you buy. Our first check was local supermarkets. Nothing in the Sainsbury's in Pinner. We might have had more choice in the huge 24 hour supermarkets in London, like other city centres. 

Compare Small Corner Shops

You can also browse and buy in the cheap notions shops in suburbs. You can see them from afar. They have piles of plastic homeware spilling out across the pavement in front of the shop windows.

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Charing Cross Station Decoration - murals of history

 

Charing Cross Station platform mural. Photo by Angela Lansbury.  Copyright.

For a quick free introduction to London, stop for 5 to 10 minutes on Charing Cross station platform to read the murals about the history of the station, and the historic events of the area.

Charing Cross station is next to Trafalgar Square. On the north side of Trafalgar Square if the imposing National Gallery of Art. Behind that, looking north, is the National Portrait Gallery.

In the station, the underground railway station, on the Bakerloo line platform, are murals showing the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery.   

I took the above photo on the Bakerloo line platform on arrival (from north London, West Harrow). The mural shows an historic scene. 

The twelve men were wearing large white ruffs around their necks. Their clothes are all black. 

The elaborate tablecloth is coloured red, which would hide stains such as blood stains from meat. The pattern would also help to hide stains.

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Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square, London

 

Nelson's column. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

You can photograph Nelson's column on every visit you make to Trafalgar Square and get different pictures. Night and day, sun and rain, summer and winter, crowded, and deserted. What do we see here?

Glamour Or Realism? Good or bad?

I took this picture walking away from Trafalgar Square, Unfortunately, the glamour of the column was spoiled by a plebian, workmanlike lorry. (Lorry is what we call it in England, Americans say say truck. However, the vehicle adds realism. It's different from my usual pictures of Trafalgar Square with statues and crowds of tourists. 

Spy the Season

Look closely, making the picture larger. Be a picture detective. You know the season because you can see the leaves on the spring into summer trees in April. 

Britain and England 

It is Britain. England. You can tell by the traffic lights, the red phone box. 

London

It is London. You can tell by the rack of bikes for hire. The double yellow painted lines on the edge of the pavement. The fancy decoration on the lamp post base on the right of the picture. 

It is 21st century, the tourist waring blue jeans and white trainers and a hooded jacket. It is a picture of its time. Totally different from the same scene ten years earlier, ten years later, and in the nineteen forties. 

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Civil Service Club secrets of success at lunch time - how to reserve a table, or window or indoor table

 The Civil Service Club restaurants are open to members and people booking events in rooms which are hired out. I have two friends who are members of the Civil Service Club or arrange events for clubs which have members who work for or retired from the Civil Service. 

I arrived early for a wine society meeting. At lunch time the upstairs restaurant was fully booked for a group lunch with white tablecloths and napkins and early arriving people wearing smart suits. 

Reservations

Fish and chips. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Downstairs, in April 2024, I thought it was too cold to sit outdoors. In the ground floor restaurant, by the time I returned from freshening up in the ground floor Ladies, the tables in the main room by the bar all already had reserved signs on small slate boards. 

I darted into the three small linked adjoining rooms which each had a couple of tables seating 2 to 4. To my concern, they also had reserved signs.

I accosted a passing member staff. I asked, 'Where can I sit?'

A girl who was 'waiting' at the bar emerged to help me. The reservations were not all for lunch time. 

Fortunately, as she pointed out, one reservation was for tea time, another for dinner time. By dinner time I would be at an event upstairs. So I secured a table by the light of the window. 

If you sit by the door to the front patio you get a cold draught. 

Notice the amusing little cartoons on the walls.

The Food

I chose battered cod and chips, large chips with peas.  The dish came with a pickled cucumber and a section of lemon, British tradition to counteract the greasiness of fried fish. Also mayonnaise.

I noticed that when others ordered coffee and a separate side of chips, the customers were served the thinner potato sections which the Americans call French fries.

Drinks

For non alcoholic drinks you have a choice of red or white. Red and white alcoholic wines are available in two sizes of glasses or a bottle. Champagne costs 49.95 a bottle. I looked at Rose Wines. Zinfandel 125 ml 3.50.Prosecco 3.40. CHAMPAGNE 3.85.

But with a wine tasting event in the evening, I looked at desserts instead.  Ice creams offered separately are, vanilla, strawberry, or chocolate. Cheesecake or hot chocolate brownie or cherry tart with ice cream, cream, or custard.

Cherry tart and custard. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Events include quiz nights and comedy nights.

Tips

1 Book a table.

2 What if you are alone and want to get up to go to the toilet after your fish and chips but before your cherry tart or coffee? Could you leave a coat or jacket?

It is a club. Even so, you might not want to leave a coat or bag,  Somebody ight think you had left and forgotten it. Off it goes to lost property. Panic. Instead you might leave a note, if you have pen and paper.

You could start by asking staff to make a reservation on a slate. You may find only members can make reservations. That is simple to arrange with forethought. Ask your event host. If they are not nearby, but you are bold and friendly, you could even chat up somebody at the next table, explain, and ask them to book both tables so you can continue sitting at the small table.) 

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Where to celebrate a birthday in London?

 One good restaurant is El Vaquero. the name means the cowboy. The decor is Argentinian

Food

The food is based on Argentinian. The meat comes to your table on skewers. Eat as much as you like. (There is a high set price. But that includes all you can eat. They often bring the cheaper meat, the sausage on skewers, first. Then the slice off steak. But nobody minds.

Birthdays

They will come to your table in their cowboy or cowgirl costume. They sing happy birthday. They take a photo of you.

I have been to their branches in Mill Hill and Whetstone. Mill Hill is smaller. Check on the parking.

Timing

See if they have two sittings. My family recently went to the Whetstone branch. They got second sitting because the first sitting was booked. But they were told that if they arrived a bit early, they could probably get seated.

🏆

Useful Websites

https://elvaquero.co.uk/

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Travelling during a family member's birthday?

Happy Birthday Ribbon

I bought ribbon with the wording happy birthday in an art shop in Singapore. That ribbon cost two or three times the price of normal ribbon. But I had to have it. I just knew it would come in useful.

If you are away travelling and know that your spouse will be celebrating a birthday, you can pack your own fancy ribbon. 

Birthday Cards

You can also buy a card with Happy Birthday on it before you leave. Hide it in your suitcase or handbag.

Keep it in the envelope, with stiff card, or between the pages of a book so it doe not get bent.

If it gets bent or dog-eared, paste on a ribbon or sequin.

If you need to make a mock seal, or vanish, buy nail varnish, red or clear. 

Buyer Beware

Don't assume you can buy birthday or seasonal cards overseas. I made a mistake. 

Chinese & Singaporean Cards

In Singapore I saw a pretty card in a supermarket. At a reduced price! I asked an assistant what the card was for. Somehow her reply was lost in translation. 'Wishing happy. Good Luck - all next year.'

I thought it was a birthday card. I bought two different cards for the host of a birthday party. I gave her one. I photographed it. 

Afterwards I asked a bilingual friend what it said. The card said Happy Chinese New Year. 

Chinese New Year

The card was for Chinese New Year. The festival was just over, hence the reduction in price.

I checked the wording of the other card. Even worse. It said condolences. Something like, go to heaven quickly.  May time ahead bring back joy to the surviving family. Oops.

If you are visiting several countries, or want to be prepared for all occasions when travelling, you can buy multilingual Birthday cards.

A giant card is hard to pack. You can either put it in your hand baggage, in the lid of a hard sided case, folded inside something stiff such as a clipboard, or inside something large and soft, or rolled inside a boot or shoe.

This multilingual card is available in a minimum purchase of 25

Click to view larger

Description & PricingInside of Card

Multilingual Happy Birthday Card

Design 1029351

by Liz Blume

Print Method:

 Foil Enhanced Digital Printing

Folded Card Size: 5-1/2" x 7-7/8"

Paper Shown: 100 lb. white matte card stock (14 pt thickness)

Design Details:

 This type of greeting card is digitally printed in ink and enhanced with foil. Text may be personalized on the front of the card.

Artist's Description: Happy Birthday is a universal term and this card says it in many different languages. No matter the language barrier, send this design to business associates and watch them smile! The gold foil highlights throughout the design really shine on the teal background.

Quantities available in multiples of 25

Quantity

50% + $75 off

Price Per Card

25 min.

$66.10

$2.64

Multilingual Birthday card

What to buy in France and Britain? French Macaroons! And British Chocolates.

 French Macaroons

What can you buy in France? Macaroons. For yourself. To take home as a gift. 

They are a French speciality. They have whole shops devoted to macaroons. One is in Gare du Nord.

See different colours. Cheaper than chocolates. Cheaper than other countries. More varieties. More sizes.

You can get them packed in pretty boxes. If they are a gift, tell the shop. Staff will usually wrap them in a fancy paper or box with a ribbon bearing the shop name. For free.

Storage

We chose pink and green and purply brown. We kept some too long. In a fridge. They did not go mouldy. On the contrary, lacking moisture, rock hard. They lose their flavour eventually, so don't save them too long. Eat them whilst they are fresh and tangy\ . 

Macaroons are popular worldwide.

British Macaroons

Macaroons are a big thing in Britain. Literally big.

Giant chocolate macaroons from Mrs Crimble. Currently (April 2024) reduced to one pound in Waitrose. Big enough to break in two and share as a snack with your morning coffee or afternoon tea.

Tesco also supply a box of assorted macaroons costing under five pounds sterling.

If you are prepared to spend more, for a special occasion, or gift, you can also get macaroons from French sounding British brand, Hotel Chocolat, not only chocolate. I was not thrilled by their macaroon, in their box, which was macaroon circular sandwich shape in contrasting colours but chocolate rather than macaroon in my opinion, but every other chocolate in their box was delicious. I recommend their chocolates.

If you are in France, or looking for French food and drink, to match a French theme event, such as Bastille day July 4th, 2024 and every year, in 2024 on a Sunday, there's Perrier Water.

Perrier from Wikipedia.

Useful Websites

Bastille day.

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Confusing flags - Can you tell the flag of Ireland from the flag of the Ivory Coast?

 The flag or Eire (Ireland) and the flag of the Ivory Coast have the same colours. But reversed right to left.

Flag of Ireland.

Green white orange. The orange is for the Protestants in the north.

So the green is on the side of the post.

The Ivory Coast flag is the other way around.

Eire on the left. Ivory coast on the right.

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Shakespeare Phrases & Sites

 

Places for travellers to visit, connected with Shakespeare

1 London

Theatre in the Round

Church with bust of Shakespeare inside

Bust of Shakespeare outside Guildhall

2 Stratford upon Avon, England

Shakepeare's birthplace museum

Anne Hathaway's Cottage (she was his wife)

Theatre in Avon

3 Canada Niagara on the lake Shakespeare season

To put you in the mood, here are some of the Shakespearean phrases you are probably familiar with. You either quote them often or hear them quoted often, or both.

• List of works titled after Shakespeare
• Phrases from Hamlet in common English

A

• Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio
• All that glitters is not gold
• All the world's a stage

B

• Band of brothers
• Be all my sins remember'd (quote)
• Beast with two backs
• Between you and I
• Brave new world
• Brevity is the soul of wit
• By the pricking of my thumbs

C

• Cold Comfort

D

• The dogs of war (phrase)
• Double, double, toil and trouble (quote)

E

• Et tu, Brute?
• Even a worm will turn

F

• Frailty, thy name is woman
• Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears

H

• Hoist with his own petard
• Honorificabilitudinitatibus
• A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!

I

• Ides of March
• If you prick us, do we not bleed?
• Is this a dagger which I see before me?
• It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury. Signifying nothing

L

• The lady doth protest too much, methinks
• Let's kill all the lawyers
• Lord, what fools these mortals be!

M

• Mortal coil
• Much Ado About Nothing (title)

O

• Once more unto the breach

Q

• The quality of mercy

R

• The rest is silence (quote)
• Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?
• A rose by any other name would smell as sweet

S

• Salad days
• Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
• Sleep No More
• Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them
• Something is rotten in the state of Denmark
• Something wicked this way comes (phrase)
• Star-crossed

T

• Thy name is
• To be, or not to be
• Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow

W

• What a piece of work is a man
• What dreams may come...
• What's past is prologue
• Willy-nilly (idiom)
• Winter of Discontent

Y

• You Banbury cheese!

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