Big Bertha

Last week, some friends/awesome bloggers were in Tanzania reporting back on projects as part of this year’s Sport Relief. The one that really resonated was Bertha. She makes wine. In the words of T:

Bertha explained to us that she makes about 600 bottles of wine a year. Bertha buys the bottles from local suppliers, soaks off the old labels, sterilises them, and then when her wine is ready she bottles it all herself. And then it leaves out of the back door. She was very proud of the fact it comes in one door, and goes out the other. In fact she was very proud full stop. As well she should be, to be honest.  From what we could see her business was thriving…she is now employing four other people too.


So you see, when Comic Relief fund a project they don’t just support one person, they could be supporting a whole community. Indeed Bertha is now training other women in how to be a food producer so they can go on and run their own businesses. And it is this #LastingChange that we are out in Tanzania to witness first hand.

Here is Bertha’s wine. I’ve no idea what it tastes like, but I hope I get to try it one day. For more information and/or to donate to Team Honk click here.

In other news, I met Engelbert Humperdinck on this week’s The Alan Titchmarsh Show (it’ll air on Friday) and had to share what must be one of my favourite photos of the series before we turn to wine:

Current white in the fridge: Yealands Estate Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2012, £12.99, Hattie’s
Properly Spring in a glass, this one. I first tried this when my friend Becca set up Hattie’s, an online wine company with a fantastic selection of hand-picked wines. Becca used to be a wine buyer for a big online wine retailer, so she knows what she’s doing. And she makes a concerted effort to seek out brilliant wines made by female winemakers. Becca says this one’s like upgrading from economy to first class. She’s not wrong. Gorgeously pungent stuff, with gooseberries, lime and passion fruit flavours. Crack it open just because we’re over halfway through the week. 


Current red in the rack: Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference Pic Saint-Loup 2011, £7.49 on offer, Sainsbury’s
I love an honest bargain, and this is one such. Made from a blend of Syrah and Grenache grapes this is from one of the hottest (as in climate and lusty) regions in the Côteaux du Languedoc, in the south of France. It is a heady blend of bramble fruit, spice and a definite whiff of redcurrants. The label tells me it ‘exudes complexity and finesse’. I prefer ‘really rather lovely, especially when sipped in front of a fire whilst watching an episode of House of Cards’. Served with Nigel’s Vietnamese steak salad, it was much loved. 


Honk honk x